[Yu Tamura]”Pain lasts for a moment, fun lasts for a lifetime” A message to high school students worried about their future at the first “Avex Class” held in Tohoku

Professional rugby player Yu Tamura (Yokohama Canon Eagles) made his first appearance as a lecturer at the “Avex Class” held at Fukushima Prefectural Fukushima Minami High School on Friday, July 12th, where he gave a career education class to approximately 160 first-year high school students.

“Avex Class” is a teaching program run by Avex Inc. as part of its sustainability activities. In this program, artists, talents, and creators visit educational institutions around the country and teach children the importance of “the power to believe in talent and dreams” through their own experiences.

The school requested that they “provide some hints to students who have just entered high school and are unsure of their future path,” and so a lesson was organised by Tamura, who started playing rugby in high school and rose to become a member of the Japanese national team.

Lecturer Tamura looked back on his high school days when he started playing rugby and said, “I didn’t think of the things I couldn’t do as a burden, but instead immersed myself in it and continued to enjoy it, which led me to becoming a professional.”

In the second half, he talked about playing the stand-off position at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, saying, “It can be difficult to pursue a common goal as a team, but it’s fun to have 15 people with different personalities, positions, and nationalities working together toward one goal.” He also gave advice on how to face a difficult situation based on his own experiences, saying, “There is always a chance for the team to win. Don’t think you will lose, and whether you feel it as adversity or not depends on your mindset.”

Furthermore, when asked during the question and answer session about the secret to continuing to work hard, he answered, “I hated the fact that there were things I couldn’t do when it came to rugby, so I acted with the desire to be able to do the things I couldn’t do before. I think that as you do what you love, the feeling of ‘working hard’ disappears,” and delivered a passionate message to the students about how to approach the things you love.

Finally, he spoke about how to overcome difficulties, saying, “After a year, you will forget the hard times. Hardship lasts for a moment, but fun lasts a lifetime.” He concluded the class with these memorable words.

[Event Summary]
・Official name: “avex class”
Date and time: Friday, July 12, 2024 13:10-14:30
Location: Fukushima Prefectural Fukushima Minami High School (17, Shichishamiya, Watari, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture)
Speakers: Yu Tamura (Yokohama Canon Eagles), Yurika Tachibana (MC)
Number of participants: Approximately 160 people (first-year high school students)

About Avex Class
This is a visiting lecture program where artists, talents and creators visit educational institutions across the country and convey to children the importance of “the power to believe in talent and dreams” through their own experiences. Participants are Chiaki Ito, Kumi Koda, Daimaou Kosaka, SAM (TRF), Risako Tanabe, Yu Tamura, and DJ KOO (TRF) (in alphabetical order).

*About Avex Class
https://avex.com/jp/ja/sustainability/news/avexclass2022entry/

[About Avex and the SDGs]
Avex Class is an initiative that contributes to SDGs goals 4 (Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 17 (Partnership). In addition, the company is taking on many social actions under its sustainability policy of “Contributing to the talents of the future and unknown excitement.”

*About SDGs
https://avex.com/jp/ja/sustainability/about-sdgs/

*About Avex’s video introducing sustainability and SDGs, “Teach Me, Professor Kosaka”
https://avex.com/jp/ja/sustainability/news/202306sustainabilitymovies/