寝ても覚めても嵐

TTT_TTT This is written by a single mother whose 6th-grade daughter suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia in toddlerhood and presently has adenomatous goiter:

The reason why we, mother and daughter, became Arashi fans

Around April of last year, my daughter started to say that Aiba-kun, who appears on a certain animal show, is "cool".
I was anti-Arashi, and so continued to ignore such declarations by my daughter.
And since she never asked me, not even once, to buy her this or that magazine or CD, I figured her interest was merely a passing one.

However, when she saw this particular magazine on display at a store at around October, for the first time ever she wanted so badly to own an idol magazine.
Yes.
By that time, she has completely become an Arashi fan.
Not only that, her favorite is not Aiba-kun, but Sakurai Sho-kun.

But, as expected of someone who was anti-Arashi, I didn't take too kindly to this development.
Still, I did rent their CDs from the rental shop, but only their albums.

So, the reason why even I myself became an Arashi fan...
At that time, my daughter did not have many friends at school, and it seems that she suffered from some light bullying.
It might also be because of her condition, but when the two of us had a huge argument once,

My daughter appealed to me in tears:

"I've tried killing myself."

"But, I've stopped after becoming an Arashi fan."

She said something like that to me.
To be quite honest, I was surprised.
Outwardly she showed no such signs, and was very bright and cheerful.
Certainly she didn't hang out with friends after school and such, but since I thought our relationship as mother and daughter was going well,

I was honestly shocked by her teary-eyed appeal:

"Mama, you don't try to understand me."

It was from then on.
That I seriously began to consider just what kind of group this Arashi is, that my daughter loves so much.
I carefully read the Arashi books I bought her. I read their articles in magazines.
And so "anti" changed to "understanding", and further transformed to "fan".

In a sense, this was quite a stunning turn of events for me.
I mean, to be "anti" is to find everything about something wrong and disagreeable.
But when one tries to "understand" it and becomes a "fan", everything turns to happiness, and one can only look upon it in a positive way.
I think the biggest surprise was my own personal change.

And now we, mother and daughter, are fans of Sakurai Sho-kun, and we've been able to collect all of their albums and several of their singles.
We constantly listen to Arashi songs, whether in the house or in the car.
Not only that, we've also bought several of their concert DVDs, and watch them while going "kya~ kya~" together.
We also went for the first time to their concert the other day, and have come to spend such a lovely and wonderful time together. ♥♥

TTT_TTT I feel like giving everyone a group hug *virtually group hugs everyone*

◦ Tada Shinya wrote the lyrics to Kaze no mukou e! Was happily surprised when I saw his name on the credits. Congratulations Tada-san on your first A-side (and such a high-profile one at that!).

You know...I was so cranky during my junior days...Well, there's the fact that I was young and immature, but I was a junior from 2nd year in middle school to 3rd year in high school, so it was kind of like wasting my so-called youth, wasn't it? There were too many things I couldn't do, like hang out with friends after school at the shopping district --- my friends could do it, but I couldn't. When I leave home in the morning, there'd be fans waiting outside the house, and when I go home from work or school, they'd follow me all the way...I was so cranky about a lot of different stuff. But after I became part of Arashi, I completely stopped minding at all. Instead of thinking, "There are too many things other people can do that I can't," I thought the opposite: "I'm doing a lot of things that other people can't do." I began to recognize the positive side of it. The fans say, "Arashi songs cheer me up," and I think, "I've gotta work hard." Yes, it makes me very happy. It makes me realize that I'd never get to experience any of these if I didn't have this job. That's why I thought, it's no big deal, I should just enjoy the ride despite not being able to do some things. I didn't mind that much anymore. I think that's what changed after I became part of Arashi --- I didn't mind anymore the...restrictions of being famous. As much as possible, I want to keep it real. I'm glad these five particular guys make up Arashi.

You know...I'm what you call a lion at home but a mouse abroad. All along I've thought of myself as just shy (laughs). But about half a year ago I realized, "Am I not really just tough on my own turf?" (laughs). I'm not really shy; I have no problem talking with people I've just met. But, there are only a handful of people whom I can completely open up myself to. That's why, my true colors come out when I'm hanging out with friends I've known for a long time. I can speak my mind with the members too. During our junior days, Matsumoto was like a younger brother to me, but lately the five of us have come to be on an equal footing, haven't we? I feel like I'm saying this all the time, but lately, it's really good with us. Even in the movie, the most fun scenes are the ones when the five of us are together...Yeah, I'm glad I'm with members which can make me feel that way. I mean, setting aside whether we get along or not, or that maybe, just maybe, there's some other group out there where I can feel at home, the fact is that we are that kind of group, and I'm glad. [Arashi 04150515]

Thank you powers that be for reprinting it ♥ Took me forever to tear all 200+ pages...nearly tore the first few ones since I didn't read the instructions at the back ^^; Be careful when you get yours...

 
--- Do you want to further explore newscasting?
Of course, as long as they let me. It's extremely interesting, and there are many times when I think that I'm glad they're letting me do it, but I'm not thinking of specializing only in newscasting. I'm an idol (laughs). I'm in Arashi.

--- If I may venture to ask, is Arashi big right now? (laughs)
A lot of people tell us that, but I really don't know (laughs). I don't know whether we're getting big or not, but I do think it's getting interesting, because I really feel that the other members are doing work that could only be done by them and not anyone else. There are more ways for us to express ourselves, be it Ohno's exhibition, or my being a newscaster......I think the people around us are making it more interesting for us, because things couldn't be done just by ourselves. I think it's only just recently that the general public has come to see that too.

--- Do you feel it in your skin?
Hmmm......well, I don't not feel it, to be honest.

--- When do you feel it?
............I guess when the five of us are together. We'll be talking, and I'd just suddenly look at it from an objective point of view......Matsumoto Jun, Ninomiya Kazunari, Aiba Masaki, Ohno Satoshi --- wow they're in the same room.

--- Like, why are you in the same room, when each of you has gotten big (laughs).
We're still ridiculously goofy as usual though (laughs). But I think it's a good thing.

--- You yourselves have remained the same, yet everything around you is rapidly changing, isn't it. How do you deal with those changes?
The more things around us change, the more important it is for us not to change. If we change, then there would be no point in being us. It's not as if the public just all at once turned to look our way. I think it's more like people glanced in our direction from time to time, and gradually began to see us clearly. I guess it's important not to stray in order not to let go of that attention.

--- During 24HOUR TELEVISION in 2004, Aiba-san read a letter to the members saying, "Let's definitely make our dream of becoming the top come true". What exactly do you think this "top" means?
Hmmm............I wonder. But I think it's not about the numbers. It's not about drawing the most number of people to concerts, or selling the most CDs; I think it's about being loved. It's probably about wanting to be loved by everyone (laughs). It's like, yes, we want to reach the top of the mountain, but when we get there, our fans will also be there together with us. We want to be a group which can make one proud to say that they are Arashi fans.

--- Do you yourself feel proud that you are part of Arashi?
Yes, I'm proud. That has never changed. No, it's not something that I finally thought of just now, and whether everyone knows it or not, indeed, Arashi is precious. [cut, July 2008] ♥

Watched this HanaDan bansen where they showed vintage pics and footage of Kaga Mariko (Domyoji's mom), and O.O Had no idea she used to be such a babe (like a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot *_*):

Kaga Mariko

I've been thinking a lot about Arashi of Johnny's lately.
In a good way of course.

I've tried to think about why:

* First...their individual strengths are amazing for such young people.
Idols were usually folks who are older than or the same age as me ---
there was Tanokin trio and Hikaru GENJI in the past,
and now there's SMAP, TOKIO, kinki etc.

I think Arashi is the first male idol group
where all the members are younger than me.

I watch each of these younger guys,
with their strong personalities, doing their thing,
and I go, "Wow~".

Receiving high praise in Hollywood, being a great singer,
being highly-educated and serving as a news commentator,
having the lead role in a drama series, excelling in variety shows.
I think this is the first group since SMAP
where each member is getting to show off his individual talents.

Second...they're also exhibiting their strength as a group!
While having impressive abilities as individuals, they're also showing amazing power as a group.
Arashi no shukudai-kun on NTV is an extremely funny late-night show.
And their songs are really good, especially lately.
They have a lot of great songs, and not ones simply about love or romance or whatnot.
And in my opinion, their singing ability is the best compared with the other groups.

Conclusion:
I am probably greatly impressed by the fact that:

For guys who are younger than me, each of them are fully showcasing their personal talents,
and as a group they unleash a power that amplifies those individual strengths many times over.

The members of other young groups have impressive abilities too,
but Arashi is different in how they use theirs.

I think Arashi makes full use of their individual talents for the benefit of the group.
In other words, I get the strong feeling that all of them consciously bear in mind
that each of their strengths ultimately serve to empower their group to the fullest.
I think each of them clearly understands his role in the group,
and in their given positions show off their individual abilities,
such that 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 is not 5, but becomes 10, even 20.

On the other hand, there is a strong feeling of "Me! Me!"
among the other young groups.
The members' respective roles in the group are unclear,
and it truly feels like they're not getting to achieve their true potential.

Arashi represents the ideal team management for me.

It's starting to seem like everyone is an Arashi fan...remember the shiatsu expert who appeared on 2008.06.09 Shukudai-kun?

Murota Tatsuya (Director, Physicalmainte yuraku)

Turns out he's an Arashi fan (!). He wrote about the taping on his website:

Vlcsnap-8977638

Vlcsnap-8978796

Vlcsnap-8975743

Vlcsnap-8979276

Vlcsnap-8977203

I appeared on Arashi no shukudai-kun, scheduled to air on Monday, June 9 2008, 11:58 pm!

Ever since I wrote the book Independent practice: teach yourself foot pressure points and reflexology, from time to time I get offers to be on TV saying, "Won't you please inflict pain on comedians through foot shiatsu?"

However, I get tense even when delivering a wedding speech, and on many occasions I even became incoherent. I have social anxiety, and so I've refused such offers.

I had an extremely hard time deciding on this one, because this show is actually very familiar to me --- it is one of the few shows that my daughter and I happily watch together every week without fail.
My daughter is a big Arashi fan, and among them she has fallen completely head over heels for the gorgeous MatsuJun!

Of course she also likes the other members, and she never fails to record all the shows they appear on.

There's the fact that this show is a late-night one, and that it is one of the few shows that I actually get to watch. Furthermore, it also serves as an enjoyable means of communication with my daughter, who is in high school.
So I consulted with my daughter, and promptly made the decision to accept the offer.

Having said all that, I got through with the taping, but with the speediness of the show, and the fact that I was so nervous as expected, I missed most of my chance to explain as planned, and so for those who came to this site, wondering, allow me to apologize and explain about the pressure points.
.
.
.
I abruptly inflicted pain without making such explanations on the show. I'm sorry, Fujiwara-san...

With that, not onIy did I get to watch a show live as a viewer, but I even participated in it as well. It was a day filled with fun and regret --- ashamed of my belly fat, I wish I went on a diet beforehand, if only there was a bit more time.

After the taping, I was able to relax in a small room with Aiba-kun and Ohno-kun in such close proximity, and my sense of closeness with them grew stronger.
I ran into Nino-kun near the elevator going down, and he greeted me and shook my hand, and we rode the elevator together. It's a little something I can brag about to my daughter.
I didn't see MatsuJun or Sho-kun apart from the taping. Too bad!
I feel like I've become a bigger Arashi fan than my daughter!

☆ This is late, but from 2008.06.15 bay storm:

Ninomiya Kazunari-kun,
Happy birthday.
Do you remember your mom?
This is Kikuchi Momoko.
We worked together during this time last year on the drama Yamada Taro Monogatari, so I was able to greet you in person.
It's unfortunate that I'm not able to see you this year.
My sincere congratulations to you.
I see you're now 25 years old.
They say that as a man grows older, he becomes more refined, his character more mature, and he becomes more brilliant, so please spend your days happily and grow to be a cool man.
But of course you're already quite cool now (laughs). Sorry.
You know, I really love Nino-kun's acting.
I think the way you remember your lines and such strikes of genius.
Also, our co-stars all say that they find it so easy to act with Nino-kun.
I think this is proof of genius, so anyway, I have greater, higher expectations of your acting.
Please work hard and make us happy.
Also, there's one more thing --- it's my daughter.
She's seven years old this year, and Nino-kun is her first love, her idol.
She still says even now that she wants to marry you.
Her name is Sayuri by the way.
I gave her that name hoping she will become a pure lady like Yoshinaga Sayuri-san.
She's seven right now, but in about ten years she'll be 17.
Nino-kun will be 35 years old by then, so won't you consider her to be your wife? (laughs)
Pushing aside all other rivals.
As her mother, I would be grateful if you could make my daughter's dream come true.
And with that, I also become your real mother.
Nino-kun, this is important, so please let us know what you think of my daughter's feelings.
It's fine if you just tell us your feelings at the moment.
Please don't fail to answer (laughs).
Happy birthday.

p.s. Yoshikazu-chan's Arashi book ("BokuAra" for short) now has a publisher and is scheduled to be released sometime in late July or early August. Congratulations~ *throws confetti*

Sakai Miki

Edit: Another Arashi fan! Sakai Miki, 17-year-old golfer and member of the national team:

2008.06.13 Daily Sports:

[1st day, Suntory Ladies Open] (June 12, Rokko International Golf Club)

Amateur Sakai Miki (2nd year, Shohei Senior High School, Fukushima) tied for fourth place.

She is a big fan of Arashi, and her favorite is Aiba Masaki. Can she perhaps make her presence known to Arashi with her performance at this tournament?

2008.06.13 Chunichi Sports:

She is a big fan of the popular idol group Arashi. She says of her golf clubs, "They're named after the members of Arashi and Kanjani8." Her driver is named after her favorite, Aiba Masaki of Arashi.

Good luck at the tournament, Miki!

♥ Hands down the best fan performance evar:

● Er Pandora TV has gone global...why do I have a bad feeling that the copyright-infringing goodies will start disappearing any minute now (prz no T_T). Anyhoo, check this out: pretty good Hadashi no mirai performance by five guys, complete with the moves and of course the indispensable microphone stands:

◎ Don't know Yuzu other than that Nino likes them (he sang a lot of their songs on MagoAra, like Eikou no kakehashi; original here), but in the latest issue of bridge, they say that one of the songs in their soon-to-be-released new album is inspired by Arashi (!) and the president of their company is an Arashi fan (!).

Kimi ate no melody (A melody addressed to you) is obviously a Koji song, and a love song at that.

Koji: In my mind it was set like a song that, for instance, Arashi-san can sing (laughs). It's catchy, so to speak, and I just took the liberty of expanding that image in my head.

Yujin: Our boss was into Arashi (laughs).

Koji: There's also that.

Yujin: At any rate, whenever our boss opened his mouth, he was always going like, "Arashi's really rocking these days!" As for us, there's always Arashi songs in our iPods (laughs).

Can't wait to hear Kimi ate no melody ♪

Edit:

Kimi ate no melody

Yuzu

Next, I'd like to play a song by Yuzu.
I've received messages saying --- I don't know whether it's really true or not --- that the president of Yuzu's company likes Arashi.

♥ This ShoJun shrine of a blog is the funniest evar. The layout alone is a hoot --- she transformed Sho-kun's Toyota CM into an entreaty to MatsuJun lol. Other activities include revamping magazine covers (headline: New Arashi natsucon unit born: Bambis!!), movie posters (originals here and here), and Naver.com. No ShoJun shrine is complete without manips: Josei jishin (caption: ShoJun, husband and wife lols). And this entry ftw: a parody of Friday, the notorious tabloid magazine, and ROTFLMAO this fan is a comedic genius: http://blog.naver.com/shojun2530/40041934520

☆ Still watching random Jounetsu tairiku eps (the show makes learning about random people especially fun ^^). Here's an interesting one of an artist who does awesome portraits (he sketches so fast!). He looks so happy when he's drawing that you can't help but smile too:

[2006.03.19] Jounetsu tairiku

[2006.03.19] Jounetsu tairiku

[2006.03.19] Jounetsu tairiku

And Arashi sighting at another random ep: Sho-kun as Bambi makes an appearance at around 9m30s:

[2003.09.14] Jounetsu tairiku

★ Vox Hunt~
 

Show us an autograph.
Submitted by Stephen.

Neil Gaiman

9 comments

Not a big fan (only read two of his books), but two of my friends who are dragged me to his signing ^^; I'm glad they did, 'cause he's such a nice and gracious person (he signed until about 2 am).

11th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Final Round
Voting ends March 26, 5 pm

Best Drama

Best Actor

Best Actress

Pick anyone lol

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Gender

Age

E-mail Address

Confirm

This will take you to the confirmation page; scroll down and press 'Register':

Register

Thank you!

* votes using the same e-mail address will be considered as one vote
* votes using fake e-mail addresses will be invalid

You can only pick one for each category, but you can always vote again with a different e-mail address after clearing your cache and cookies. You'll get this message if you try to vote again without clearing them:

You have voted already.

Just clear your cache and cookies and you'll be able to vote again. They easily won last time (Nino - Best Actor for Haikei and MatsuJun - Best Supporting Actor for HanaDan 2); let's make them win again ^^ What they'll get:

* A trophy to show off (MatsuJun's trophy last year from Koon)
* A spread + article in the newspaper (Nino's spread last year from Arashi.vox)
* More validation that they're famous and have tons of fans lolz

◎ Watched Jounetsu tairiku with YamaP and felt like watching more random eps; it's a riveting program. Now I know the artist responsible for the creepy-yet-fascinating little girls who grace eian's Vox. And this made me TT_TT:

★ More from Daily Sports writer:

Super chief
2008-03-03 02:56:58

Arashi's Aiba Masaki-san who was a fire chief for a day.

After rising to a height of up to 30 meters on the ladder truck, Aiba-san said this when he came down: "I thought I'd be more used to it than most people, but it was so scary." Actually, he also said this:

"It's not scary at all when there are fans below."

It was an offhand remark, but I thought it was such an Aiba-san thing to say.

The fear disappears when there are people who support and look on.

I come to understand the intensity of Aiba-san's professionalism and his sense of wanting to give a good performance.

Conversely, I also felt the greatness of the fans' power, the power of their cheers that could make Aiba-san forget his fears.

Aiba-san who was called 'super idol' during his junior days.
His cheerful, open, and lovable personality has never changed.

The sincerity of performing all the exercises that day with the utmost effort.
He even made everyone feel at ease with the crotch joke.

The reporters were also energized by Aiba-san.

I thought, "It was early in the morning, but I'm glad I came."
It seems that everyone also thought the same, and heading home to the train station, everyone was all smiles.

♡ Kapitbahays, meron pala tayong kababayan na binigyan ni Aiba-chan ng gintong payo (or not):

[2006.05.16] TOMORROW

Kongouchi Takeshi

Hello, ako si Bambi. Isa akong Pilipino na galing Manila. Ang pinakagusto ko na member ng Arashi ay si Jun-chan. Ang cute n'ya kasi e. Ang problema ko ay tungkol sa trabaho ko ngayon. Nagtatrabaho ako ngayon sa isang nightclub. Ang sistema nila ay uriage *, at mahirap talaga. Nagpi-pile up na rin ang stress. Kung pwede lang sana gusto ko ng ordinaryong trabaho. 'Yun lang. Transsexual nga pala ako. Maraming salamat.

* [ hindi fixed na sweldo kundi base sa ginastos ng customer; i.e. konting ginastos = konting sweldo ]

Sorry po pero hindi ko talaga naintindihan 'yung sinabi niya.

Hahahahaha

Anong sinabi niya? 'Yung naintindihan ko lang ay na si Jun-chan ang gusto niya.

Sabi niya transsexual daw siya.

At isa siyang Pilipino, 'di ba?

Oo.

Ano 'yung tinanong niya?

Basically hindi ba na gusto niya ng ordinaryong trabaho?

Ah...

Mahirap ang sistema ng nightclub...

Ang lakas ng kanyang lip/breath noise. Ah, gets ko na. Gusto niya ng ordinaryong trabaho.

Oo. Paano kaya 'yan...Isa siyang transsexual galing sa Pilipinas.

Hindi ba sa buhay ngayon, okey na 'yung the fact na makakuha lang ng trabaho.

Totoo 'yan.

Kaya sa palagay ko, 'kitto daijoubu'! (okey lang 'yan!)

♪Kitto daijoubu

Maraming salamat, pero feeling ko hindi 'kitto daijoubu' ang problema niya...

Hahaha e kasi naman pag 'di ko sinabing 'kitto daijoubu' hindi mo ipi-play yung kanta.

Aiba-san, salamat sa iyong mga payo sa buhay!

◎ This is funny: 2000.02.02 Yattaru J, where they held a contest of which dad (not theirs) looked like a junior the most in his younger days. Tackey: It'll give us an idea of how we'll look in the future. Leader says his look-a-like looks like his actual dad:

Vlcsnap-14450730

Vlcsnap-14451803

Vlcsnap-14453948

Vlcsnap-14462098

Vlcsnap-14462231

Thoughtfulness
2008-02-22 18:04:23

Yesterday, after covering Arashi's Ohno Satoshi-san, I attended the press conference of the kabuki world's Ichikawa Danjuro-san.

My surprise came after that.

After the press conference ended, we reporters went down on the elevator to the lobby, and right there in front of us is none other than Danjuro-san.
He then bowed to us, saying "Thank you for coming today".

We felt so honored to be seen off by the leader, the czar of the kabuki world Danjuro-san.
At the same time, we were reminded once again of his excellent character.

Thinking back upon that, I remembered that I had a similar experience just recently.

With Arashi's Ohno Satoshi-san.

It was when Ohno-san announced that he was going to hold an exhibit for the first time.
I thought of going home after the interview ended, and just as I got downstairs, Ohno-san came out to see me off.
And he saw me off until outside the entrance!

Me: It's okay, it's cold outside, so please stay inside.
Ohno-san: You came here on your day off, didn't you. Thank you very much.
Me: Eh---

It seems that Ohno-san overheard my chit chat with one of the staff, where I carelessly let it slip that I came on my day off just to cover him, and so he saw me off.

I felt sorry for making an artiste worry about me, but I remember being so happy with Ohno-san's thoughtfulness.

Looking at Danjuro-san, I remembered that day's Ohno-san.
Strangely enough, yesterday I got to cover the two of them in one day.

Top-class people also have top-class thoughtfulness.

Maybe Ohno-san might also become an entertainer who represents Japan like Danjuro-san--- No, he will definitely become one...It was a night in which I thought just that.

Conversation
2008-02-25 19:38:47

When I interviewed them for their Big 5 Dome Tour, Arashi's Aiba Masaki-san and Sakurai Sho-san revealed something quite intruiging.

They say they can "talk" with the audience in their seats during their concerts.

I thought it was quite unexpected, what with such a big venue, and a stage bathed in such bright lights.
I thought, "Wouldn't they be mostly invisible?"

But according to the two of them, they can see quite well.

Sakurai-san: There was a family of four who came to our show in Hiroshima. It was not the wife, but the husband who was holding our uchiwa, wearing our hat, plastering himself with Arashi goods all over...

Aiba-san: That made us really happy.

Sakurai-san: And there are people whose uchiwas are not written with a member's name, but with, "we came as husband and wife"...

Aiba-san: And we smile and nod at those...it becomes a dialogue.

It seems that they especially recognize the people who come often.

Sakurai-san: A while back, this person who comes often flipped over her uchiwa when I was singing, and written at the back is, "I'm going to become a mama". While singing I was saying "Congratulations" to her.

Sakurai-san & Aiba-san: It's really possible. Different dialogues with different people. We think the fans also understand that we're getting to talk with them.

Aiba-san: And so it makes us want to go closer, doesn't it.

...Is that so---. It's amazing---.

To think that in that big venue, such conversations are being exchanged between the stage and the seats...

I feel like I understand now why people from different groups say, "concerts are the most fun".

And for the fans, a concert is not just a place where they listen to the songs and the talk, but also one where they can have a conversation of the mind.
My views of concerts have changed.

So, I wonder what kind of stage Arashi will show us for their Big 5 Dome Tour.
And I wonder what kind of conversations they will exchange with 440,000 people.
I look forward to covering it.