J-pop star Shinjiro Atae talks self-care routine, meditation, what he 'can't live without'

In a weekly series, USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives.

Even trailblazers like Shinjiro Atae have to do their best to avoid burnout.

The Japanese pop star made waves last summer when he came out as gay at a fan event in Tokyo. In Japan, where LGBTQ+ people still face discrimination in schools, workplaces and elsewhere, few public figures have come out, according to The Associated Press.

"I was so tired of being in the closet," says Atae, who's now based in Los Angeles. "It's kind of like I had two lives. In LA, (I was) a little more open, but still not fully open; I came out to some friends but not to everybody. But in Japan, I couldn't come out to anybody, so I felt a little uncomfortable being there."

Despite the liberating revelation, Atae says there was also a dark side to coming out.

"After I came out, for a full three months, I was actually in a bad place mentally," Atae says. "I was like, 'Oh, what did I do? I shouldn't have done that. I feel so sorry for my fans.' … I think I was a little depressed."

But Atae would find a savior in self-care.

"Before I moved here, I didn't even know the word 'mental health' 'cause in Japan, we don't really talk about it," Atae says. "I'd never done yoga or meditation kind of stuff, but it really helped me so much. I can't live without it now. Usually, I'm a very positive, optimistic person, but life is sometimes tough."

Here are Atae's essentials for self-care:

Shinjiro Atae keeps his cool with yoga and meditation

Atae typically kicks off his day with a five-minute meditation session, a practice that has helped the singer ground himself in self-control.

"I was very impatient," says Atae of his introduction to meditation. "I'm always impulsive. If I want something, I want it right now."

Meditation paved the way for Atae's next wellness staple, yoga. While he "used to hate" the physical activity, yoga has become a mainstay of Atae's self-care routine, helping him rein in his artistic impulses with a 10-minute session every morning and weekly rounds of hot yoga.

"Meditation and yoga definitely helped me to relax a little bit," Atae says. "'Cause I always think, 'I should do this. Oh, this is a great idea. I want to be creative,' but sometimes people have to calm down."

Shinjiro Atae takes his skin care seriously

For Atae, being comfortable in your skin includes taking great care of it.

The singer says a meticulous skin care regimen has become part of his self-care practice.

"I put so much lotion, cream, moisturizer (and) serum," Atae says. "I do, like, maybe six or seven layers."

In addition to his moisturizing routine, Atae visits a Korean spa weekly to give himself a dry sauna and cold plunge bath.

"I love taking care of my skin," Atae says. "It takes so much time, but it's kind of like a meditation."

Shinjiro Atae's workout helps singer clear his head

Amid the emotional isolation of coming out, Atae found solace in physical fitness.

"Around coming out, I didn't really want to meet people, even at a gym. I didn't want to say hi to people. I was kind of in a weird place," Atae says. "So, I decided to build a little gym at my place."

With the help of a personal trainer, Atae learned to sweat his troubles away. Some of his go-to workouts include weight-lifting and cardio exercise.

"Working out definitely helped me to not think about anything, just for an hour. We need that time," Atae says. "Especially, when I get stressed out, I try to work out something."