ND: Favorite food?

SM: Its pasta. Or more specifically I like noodles in general.

ND: Your answer hasnt changed from our interview 18 years ago.

SM: I became convinced recently. Noodles is my favorite food. If it is noodles like ramen [Chinese-style noodles] or udon [Japanese wheat noodles], everything goes. Anyway, if it isnt noodles, Im greatly troubled.



ND: Do you think youd like to try living outside of Kyoto?

SM: Not really.

ND: What are the good things about Kyoto?

SM: You can go everywhere with a bicycle. As Ive been living there, it has a very nice mood. Therefore I will certainly continue living in Kyoto.



ND: Least favorite food?

SM: Its liver.

ND: The answer from 18 years ago was also the same. You couldnt overcome it, right? (laughs)

SM: I could not. (laughs) I cant overcome liver in eternity.



ND: There have been more people cosplaying Mario recently, dont you think?

SM: There have been many alright. Im thankful for it. It increased during Halloween and there was this television thing from Mercedes-Benz

ND: Wasnt that an official television commercial? (laughs)

SM: Luigi and Peach were also nice in the recent commercial. (laughs)



ND: Favorite animal?

SM: Pikmin. (laughs) If not, I have always liked dogs, however I like cats about as much, too.

ND: As you have both currently.

SM: I like both dogs and cats.



ND: A happy thing that happened to you recently?

SM: I really like bluegrass music (acoustic American roots band music), you know?

ND: Yes.

SM: The mogul of that bluegrass music world, a Dobro player Mr. Jerry Douglas, visited Japan.

ND: What is a Dobro?

SM: A resonator guitar made of metal which can be used in many ways in country and bluegrass. I too play it just a little, but Jerry is a genius player. He performed in a park in Osaka, but thanks to guidance from a friend of mine, I was able to bother him backstage and got an exciting meeting. There I took a commemorative photo with Jerry and two others. Jerry also has a camera of his own, and I heard that a commemorative photo that was taken together was later on his Twitter. (laughs) Anyway, I met the musician I had longed for and the performance was also the greatest of Japan tour, so it was truly an impressive night. Furthermore, the young bassist of the band was a fan of Nintendos Star Fox.



ND: What is your current obsession?

SM: My current obsession I wonder what Im fascinated with currently. I forgot isnt an answer, right? (laughs)

ND: Ahahaha (laughs).

SM: However, one year prior I was fascinated with creating Pikmin short movies



ND: How did you spend a vacation lately?

SM: I returned to swimming recently. Ah, thats right, my current obsession is swimming.

ND: Swimming has really came back, right?

SM: Thats right. Although it had already been roughly 20 years, recently I set a few new goals

ND: Was that distance or time?

SM: It is both distance and time. As I continue, I increase each a little. Swimming has been the specialty of my wife since she was a kid, so we have gone to the pool together for several years and thus I rival her in swimming technique. If possible, I also visit the gym during vacations, so that and swimming are both my current obsessions.



ND: Tasty food which you ate lately?

SM: Ah I wonder what that was?

ND: What did you eat yesterday?

SM: (replying in no time) Cod roe spaghetti!

ND: You remember that well. (laughs)

SM: Tasty food which you ate lately errr why do you ask such a thing?

ND: Its the question we came to ask all along. (laughs)

SM: Well I was trying to find the real answer and be funny while saying Why? (laughs)

ND: (laughs) If you dont remember that, you can also send the answer via fax later.

SM: Ah, I remembered: hitsumabushi [chopped eel on rice]. I came to Nagoya [city] to eat hitsumabushi. As I thought, hitsumabushi was delicious there.