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The story
On October 6, major media outlets reported in unison that pianist Kyohei Sorita (32), known worldwide, had been indicted without physical detention for driving 144 km/h on the Shutoko Expressway. Sorita made history at the 2021 Chopin International Piano Competition, becoming the first Japanese pianist in 51 years to take 2nd place, and earned a reputation as ‘the pianist whose tickets are hardest to get,’ having been featured on the documentary series Jonetsu Tairiku three times. The report also brought renewed attention to the wilder side of his younger self that he’d revealed in his own book — talking casually to everyone regardless of status, and saying things like ‘screw it all.’ On the 5ch Geinou Supo Sokuhou+ (entertainment/sports news) board, opinions split between discomfort at media coverage that brushed off a serious speeding violation with the word ‘yancha’ (roughly, ‘wild’ or ‘mischievous’), and others weighing its severity against past celebrity scandals.
‘Talks Casually to Everyone,’ ‘Screw Everyone Else’ — World-Renowned Pianist Caught ‘Blasting Through the Shutoko at 144 km/h,’ Revealed His Own ‘Wild Side’ in His Book
The news that broke across major media on October 6 — that a world-renowned pianist had been indicted without detention for driving 144 km/h on the Shutoko Expressway — reached even people with no interest in classical music.
Pianist Kyohei Sorita (32) is known for the feat of becoming the first Japanese pianist in 51 years to take 2nd place at the Chopin International Piano Competition, held once every five years. Domestically he’s dubbed ‘the pianist whose tickets are hardest to get’ and is a celebrity who has appeared on Jonetsu Tairiku (TBS) three times.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Full article here
What people said
Small potatoes compared to that other guy.
That's 84 km/h over the limit?
On the Shutoko?
That's insane.
Well, at least he didn't crash.
Not sure where on the Shutoko he pulled this off, but at just 144 km/h he'd get left in the dust in an instant.
In acceleration xx is faster, but it loses on top speed.
Guess that's just how geniuses are.
Wait, wasn't he more slender and better-looking?
Heard he trained and prepped in Vienna just to win it, but still ended up 2nd and was reportedly sulking about it.
'Yancha' is basically supposed to mean stuff like lockup or reform school.
Don't go calling someone 'yancha' when they don't even have a criminal record.
144 km/h on the Shutoko is plenty 'yancha,' don't you think?
I only found out he existed because of this incident.
Well, a lot of performers do have fiery temperaments.
Does that kind of personality make you good, or does getting good make you cocky?
It's the word people use to dress up plain criminal behavior like it's some heroic tale.
'Yancha' — annoying, agreed.
What's the other one?
Background and Key Points of This Topic
The Chopin International Piano Competition is held once every five years, and Kyohei Sorita made history in 2021 by becoming the first Japanese pianist in 51 years to take 2nd place. The current indictment is a ‘zaitaku kiso’ (in-home prosecution without physical detention) — a standard procedure for traffic offense cases — and does not in itself imply a sentence or guilt. Where the thread split was over the use of the word ‘yancha’ (roughly, ‘wild’ or ‘mischievous’): some were uncomfortable with media headlines using such a casual term to describe a serious offense like driving 144 km/h on the Shutoko Expressway, while others weighed it against past celebrity scandals (such as Ryoko Hirosue’s accident or Ebizo Ichikawa’s assault case) to judge its relative severity. Note that these comparisons involve separate incidents with different contexts and levels of seriousness, and are not facts established within this article. Claims such as ‘featured on Jonetsu Tairiku three times’ or ‘supported by Mori Seiki’ are hearsay from within the thread and have not been confirmed by news reports.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou Supo Sokuhou+) thread “‘Talks Casually to Everyone,’ ‘Screw Everyone Else’ — World-Renowned Pianist Kyohei Sorita, Charged for ‘Blasting Through the Shutoko at 144 km/h,’ Revealed His Own ‘Wild Youth’ in His Book.”
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