Author Topic: TARA2: Sawaka & Daichi (Japan)  (Read 7373 times)

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Offline banzai

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TARA2: Sawaka & Daichi (Japan)
« on: October 11, 2007, 10:56:49 AM »
http://amazing-race-asia.axn-asia.com/season2/teams/sawaka-daichi/index.html


Brother and Sister      
             
Member 1             
Name       :       Sawaka Kawashima
Occupation       :       Singer, Interpreter
Age       :       28
Hometown       :       Japan

Member 2             
Name       :       Daichi Kawashima
Occupation       :       Interpreter
Age       :       26
Hometown       :       Japan

For the first time, Japan joins the cast of The Amazing Race Asia and offers up a new element to the race. Siblings Sawaka and Daichi have only recently reunited after a family misunderstanding that happened three years ago. Will the race offer them a chance to re-discover the family love they once shared, or will they buckle under the pressure of their strained family ties?

Like all kids at that age, Sawaka and Daichi, from Tokyo, Japan, enjoyed doing everything together, even fighting over toys and games. But did you know... this mild-manner pair came to blows once in an unforgettable fight that even resulted in blood being drawn?

"It started with a really silly reason. I bumped into his video game machine and all the data was gone. He was very mad and we got into a fist fight. We were even bleeding at the end," recalls a sweet Sawaka, who works as a singer/songwriter and interpreter.

Nonetheless, the siblings both grew up very close and often played sports together (both love soccer and basketball). And even though Daichi holds a black belt in Karate, Sawaka was always keeping a lookout for her younger brother.

"She was so caring that I got embarrassed in front of my friends," he jokes of her sometimes overprotective nature.

So how did these two siblings who have so much in common let things fall apart? A few years ago, Daichi chose to get married without informing his family. When it was discovered, this secret union was a big blow to Sawaka and the start of some unhappy memories to follow. But both are keen to put their discord behind them and race for the grand prize.

The race could be the perfect solution for the both of them to get back on as a team, especially since they will be using special skills that they picked up while growing up in various cities around the world (Mexico, China, and United States) for almost two decades. Besides being fluent in English, Japanese and Spanish, Sawaka and Daichi have a wealth of experience surviving in countries where they are out of sync with the local culture and language.

As for their reasons for taking part, Sawaka has long been a fan of reality television shows and couldn't resist applying when she found out that Japan residents were also allowed to enter. More importantly, the singer also sees the show as a stepping stone in getting her music beyond Japan. "This is a chance for many people to listen to my music," she says.

Interesting! Watch out for this feisty yet fun duo as they possibly fight or talk their way through the race to the finish line... and there Sawaka might just belt out a song or two!

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TARA2: Sawaka & Daichi (Japan)
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2008, 03:55:57 PM »
post elim interview...

http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/3/tvnradio/19895002&sec=tvnradio

 Tv & Radio > News & Features Thursday January 3, 2008


Sayonara, siblings

After their elimination from The Amazing Race Asia 2, Japanese siblings Daichi and Sawaka share their thoughts on the race.

By S. INDRAMALAR
indra@thestar.com.my

WITH six episodes down and four teams out, things are definitely heating up on The Amazing Race Asia 2 (TARA 2). 

Teams are feeling the pressure and, as a result, viewers are getting some good TV, what with the flaring tempers and unexpected meltdowns, sneaky tactics and team alliances. 

 
Poor decision: In hindsight, siblings Sawaka (left) and Daichi Kawashima of The Amazing Race Asia 2 realise that they should have picked their last task more carefully.
Last week’s race, in which Japanese siblings Daichi and Sawaka Kawashima were eliminated, was particularly tough as it was the second part of a gruelling extended leg. 

After performing multiple tasks in Japan (they had to canvas an entire park for a clue, find a local Japanese person to sing a song and record it on camera, hunt down a specific Japanese girl, catch 40 gold fish with a flimsy net, deliver a kimono and solve a frozen puzzle in sub-zero temperatures) teams found, to their dismay, that there was no pit stop at the end of the fifth leg. 

Instead, teams had to board a ferry to continue the race in South Korea. Though the ferry ride seemed like a good chance for teams to rest, it was impossible to get much sleep, shares Daichi. 

“I was sea sick and so I could not get much rest. It was so tiring,” says Daichi during a phone interview from Chiba, Japan. 

Naturally, the siblings – the first Japanese to be on the Race – are disappointed at being eliminated.

“Maybe we could have been more careful in choosing our task ... so we wouldn’t have had to change tasks half way. But it is not so easy choosing a task (under pressure),” shares Sawaka, who lives in Tokyo, about an hour away from her brother.

At the detour, teams had to choose between two tasks: Slither (retrieving two ancient Japanese coins from a tank of octopuses) or Deliver (deliver three trays of food). Daichi and Sawaka chose to deliver but midway, they switched tasks. Though they now regret their decision, the two explain that what slowed them down was their bad luck with taxis.

“Actually it was not really the detour that slowed us down. It was the taxi ... we got a really slow taxi and it took us a really long time getting to the pit stop in Busan. We saw the other team go past us.

“I think the most challenging part of the race is finding the right taxi,” says Daichi in all seriousness.

Choosing the wrong task was not the only decision they regretted, however. 

On the way to the pit stop, Daichi confessed that he regretted not “yielding” the Malaysian Mums like he had wanted to. (In “Yield”, one team can force another to stop racing for a pre-determined amount of time.)

Now, if you have been following TARA2, you would have noticed the growing animosity most of the teams have for the Malaysian Mums, also known as the Dancing Mums. 

What’s behind such animosity, then?

“Well ... during the race, they were very aggressive. We got to know them after the race, however, and they are quite nice, actually,“ says Daichi.

Adds Sawaka, “Yeah, they were very competitive and did not really talk to the rest of us. I also heard from some of the others that they were pushy at times...” 

Ok, what about the duelling couple from the Philippines, Terri and Henry, then? 

“Actually, they are not always fighting like that. When at the pit stops, they are a really nice couple. It’s only when the race is on and the pressure is on ... then they are always fighting.

“On TV, it seems like they are always fighting but I think they edited it to make it more interesting to watch,” says Daichi, who admits to being a big fan of the show himself.

Apart from doing things that they never imagined they would do (for Sawaka, bungee jumping, where Daichi also had to face his fear of heights) or visiting places they had never been before (New Zealand), being on the race cemented their relationship.

“We got along really well and are much closer than we were before. I now speak to Daichi on the phone once in two days ... just to ask him how he is and to talk about ... nothing,” says Sawaka.

And while they have formed firm friendships with the other racers, Daichi and Sawaka are rooting for the Malaysian team ... not the mums, but the Chong sisters, Vanessa and Pamela.

“We like them very much as well as the team from Singapore.

“Marc and Rovilson, the boys from Philippines are very strong but we hope the Malaysian sisters win,” says Sawaka. 

The Amazing Race Asia 2 airs on AXN (Astro Channel 701) every Thursday at 9pm.

 
 
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