Tada Shinya (+ Yoshikazu-chan)

◎ Shukudai-kun schedule, courtesy of Date Mikio of Sandwichman:

2008.02.25 Sandwichman
2008.03.03 Satoda Mai

Only a few more days 'til Leader's exhibit...I hope he doesn't mind, but Tada Shinya's account of his premature sojourn to see it is so cute. He's the composer of Itsu made mo, Kaze, Niji, and Still..., and he's an Arashi fan. Arashi even mentioned him becoming their fan in this oricon style interview. He has said many times that Arashi changed his life by picking Itsu made mo, and as a composer he'd be perfectly happy making songs just for Arashi:

Come to think of it, my life has changed greatly
after crossing paths with the group called Arashi.
Back when I did nothing but wander about Tokyo,
riding the subway, demo tape in hand,
I never would have imagined that the day would come
when the super group known as Arashi would sing a song of mine.

To Arashi and their management, who lent their ear
to a song by an unknown singer-songwriter such as me,
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You can listen to his music here, and watch him perform live here (← I really like this song)

From rain-soaked Shibuya, I walked up the slope  to the direction of Harajuku.
To go to Omotesando.
Not that I was scrimping on train fare.
Somehow I just felt like walking in that winter town.
I'm saying it again, but I wasn't in any way scrimping on train fare (laughs)

Although it wasn't that great a distance,
that day was quite cold.
For the first time I felt so sorry
for the guys and girls handing out Hot Pepper in the streets.

Even so, I still headed there (laughs)
Yes. To Omotesando Hills.

Why, you ask!?

Speaking of Omotesando Hills...
Isn't it where they're holding the exhibit of Arashi's Ohno-san!!
But...it's so strange...
Arriving at Omotesando Hills...
There's absolutely no feeling of excitement...
Strange. This is strange.
I mean, it wouldn't be strange at all if the whole of Harajuku
is suffused with Ohno-san's color.

Why.

After wandering about Omotesando Hills for a while,
I went over to the reception area, feeling weary,
and asked with what was probably quite a disappointed expression:
"Uhm, just where exactly are they holding the exhibit of Arashi's Ohno-san?"
The receptionist then replied:
"Thank you.
That's next month, February"

"Huh!?"

The Yajiuma morning news I saw while half asleep,
after completing a song in an all-nighter, after continuing days of songwriting.
The news about the exhibit featured there.
The days (and even those I wasn't too sure about...)
and the words 'Omotesando Hills' were the only things that registered (laughs)
I was the very picture of overeagerness.

The receptionist's expression was like, "Just how much does this guy like Arashi?"
but even so, she kindly corrected me, saying it's a month away.
I really gave her a lot of trouble,
and looking back at it now I feel really bad about it (laughs)

So there you have it, I completely jumped the gun,
but I'm sure there were others like me, right!?
(Since I myself screwed up)
If there's someone who did the same thing as me,
please come forward!! (laughs)

Tada Shinya

2008-01-25 23:55

★ Yoshikazu-chan plans to release his Arashi book this spring:

Part 1: The Calm Before the Storm
Everything up until he attended their concert at Kyocera Dome last spring, after overcoming many obstacles

Part 2: Sudden Storm
He tries to figure out why he, before he knew it, became a big Arashi fan all of a sudden

Part 3: Looking Back, It's the Storm
His own personal analysis of Arashi's appeal

Can't wait 'til spring~