The Japanese connection

Had Japanese actor-model Tomoyuki Tai been to the Philippines 10 years ago, and not — as it turned out — two years back, he would have spent his growing up years here. The guy would put Pinoy migrants abroad to shame at the way he oohs and aahs about the pristine waters of La Union and the scenic Manila Bay.

Tai the nature lover can’t have enough of La Union, where a Japanese promoter chanced upon him surfing for an international contest. He lives near the Manila Bay area, the better to bask in the beauty of the world-famous sunset day in and day out.

The loveless Tai is even open to having a Pinay girlfriend. After all, he amazes you with his unaccented Tagalog sentences. He startles you when he nods in agreement at Tagalog words he hears among press people who have come to interview him as the villain Shigeki out to sow revenge on Zaido.

“Konti lang,” the 25-year-old Tai answers when you ask him about his Tagalog speaking skills. His interpreter beside him adds, “Tai can understand Tagalog if you speak slowly.”

This big edge allows him to work with Dennis Trillo and the rest of the Zaido cast bracing for a grand showdown on the GMA series’ finale. Thanks to his Tagalog-speaking skill, Tai can work well with his co-actors, which include Tirso Cruz III, Jay Manalo, Aljur Abrenica, Marky Cielo, Diana Zubiri, Paolo Ballesteros and others.

The feel-good ambiance, however, stops once the cameras start rolling. Once the director shouts, “Action!”, the sword-wielding Tai moves heaven and earth to vanquish Zaido with his powerful weapons.

“I don’t mind if people despise me for playing Shigeki,” relates Tai. “I’m prepared for it.”

In the same manner, Tai was prepared when Bench tapped him as a model two years ago, the first time he set foot in the Philippines. He didn’t know what to expect from the country back then. But the Philippines’ warm climate (as opposed to chilly Japanese winters) and people beckoned him to return.

Tai did shortly after, for a string of guestings on Daisy Siete (as Rochelle Pangilinan’s loveteam), John en Shirley and Takeshi’s Castle. He had so much fun he sought — and got — a three-year working permit.

That’s the reason why this only child left his parents back in the Land of the Rising Sun to take up residence in Manila, even for awhile. Judging by the way he talks, however, Tai would love to stay on — and on, if only Pinoy viewers will give him a chance.

Seeing, they say, is believing. Tonight’s action-packed Zaido may just give us the answer to that.