[MORE Dec 11’] Arashi’s Present Memoirs - Part II
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Part I | Part II | Part III
Pleasure of Giving, Happiness of Receiving
Arashi members who regularly give presents to each other share their laughter and touching stories on presents.
Sakurai The first thing that comes to my mind about members’ presents is the flower bouquet incident of Aiba’s a few years ago (laugh).
Ninomiya Incident? (laugh)
Sakurai I have a mutual friend with Aiba-kun, and that friend organized our birthday parties, during my birthday party Aiba-kun showed up holding a bouquet of white roses. It was so baffling it’s as if he’s a Showa star or something!
Matsumoto Usually, guys don’t buy flowers right?
Aiba I wonder why (laugh). Maybe, I just went into a nearby florist shop in a rush.
Sakurai But, other guests were somehow making the atmosphere seem like “Aiba-kun is really amazing” I didn’t really know how to react (laugh).
Matsumoto The present I received which left a deep impression, were the jerseys. The ultra flamboyant jersey from Pangkor which the 4 of you gave me 2 years ago, and last year, a see-through tight-fitting jersey from Aiba-kun. ※The very same jersey which was lent to Nino to be used as pyjamas during Arashi Training Camp!
Ninomiya That jersey which practically shows no difference with being naked. Speaking of which, I also received a skeleton-print jersey from Aiba-kun during my birthday. I have no idea what this choice is based on (laugh).
Aiba Look, I was thinking that you won’t really buy it yourself. But, Nino, I never saw you wear that ever!
Ninomiya Erm… Guess I better wear it then? That skeleton-print jersey? (laugh)
Matsumoto Speaking of which, Nino, what about those shoes I gave you for your birthday?
Ninomiya You mean the shoes which had wings? Must I really wear it? It’s too innovative I find it hard to match (laugh).
Aiba It’ll be fine. Wear skeleton, and wear wings! (flatly)
Ninomiya No way (immediately)
All members (laugh)
These are the 5 people who naturally gave each other birthday presents since their debut till this day. It is not an obligation or a habit, but to enjoy the time they spend together, conveying it through the odds and ends of words.
Sakurai I don’t know how it is with other group, but for us, we always buy souvenirs for each other. When we were doing the tourism campaign, we got to go to different parts of Japan, and we all bought souvenirs…. except for Ohno-san who didn’t buy anything for us! (laugh)
Ohno …I bought.
Ninomiya The pickles, you mean. But you ate them all didn’t you? Usually, people don’t eat up the souvenirs meant for other people, right?
Ohno And, I gave them to the people I met first.
4 members (laugh)
Aiba But Leader, before this, when you went to India you bought Gandhi for us! Though I don’t remember saying that I like Gandhi (laugh)
Ohno Yes. Everyone has a different Gandhi, I bought an individualistic Gandhi for everyone.
Sakurai Individualistic Gandhi (laugh)
Aiba Mine was the one where Gandhi is placed in a square frame.
Sakurai Ah, mine was like that too
Ohno No it wasn’t. Sho-chan’s is the Gandhi with profile view. Aiba-chan’s Gandhi has full frontal view. Matsujun’s Gandhi was carved inside a glass frame.
Matsumoto You remember everything.
Ohno I remember. And then, this person (Nino) has the big clay Gandhi…
Ninomiya Full body Gandhi (laugh)
Sakurai Nino’s was big.
Ohno His was Number One Gandhi.
Nino I’m, Number One Gandhi?
Ohno Yes.
Ninomiya Though I don’t really get it, alright (laugh)
Presents are something that brings out the personality of the person giving it, and carries forwards the feelings and thoughts to the other person. That also mean the same for “word gifts”!
Sakurai The words that make me happy when members say it right?
Ninomiya I mentioned it before on TV, Sho-chan sent me a mail saying “‘GANTZ’ was really interesting. I’m looking forward to the second part.”. But, I remember clearly that he hasn’t watched the second part even now (laugh)
Sakurai But I’m still looking forward to it!
Ninomiya It’s no longer showing (laugh)
Sakurai But, I want to watch it.
Ninomiya The DVD came out on October 14th (laugh)
Sakurai Okay (laugh). Right before I went to Vancouver, I had a deep impression of the mail Leader sent me, saying “be careful”. And he attached a photo of Kanjani 8’s Maruyama (Ryuuhei) fooling around wearing beach shorts.
Matsumoto What kind of message were you trying to convey?
Ohno Go there and have fun, I guess (laugh)
Matsumoto For me, I was happy that during my birthday, 1 minute after the date changed, I got a mail from Leader. It was so timely it’s as if he sent it to a girl he liked, the content was simple but it came with a heart mark (laugh)
Sakurai But you do like him, don’t you?
Ohno Was I the first?
Matsumoto No. There was someone who sent it right at 12 midnight. But, among members you were the first.
Ohno ….I’m very happy.
Matsumoto Did you set the alarm?
Ohno No I didn’t. (instead of desu, he said deshu~)
Aiba Deshu~ (laugh). But you kept thinking about it?
Ohno I kept thinking about it. I waited for it.
Ninomiya You’re just free right? You also sent Sho-chan “I watched ‘ZERO’.”
Ohno Which I was watching it yesterday, I took a photo when he showed up. He looked wonderful, I was thinking of sending him the photo.
Sakurai You always say I look wonderful, but that’s not what I’m trying to convey (laugh).
Ninomiya Erm, what was that mail for? Did you want him to reply?
Ohno Not really. It’s just that, when I watch that program, Sho-kun, you’re still working hard, so I think I should get up already.
Matsumoto Not to work I suppose (laugh)
Aiba You’re working hard just to get up (laugh)
Ohno When I’m done watching, I just fall asleep in a while (laugh).
Aiba When I was admitted to the hospital, I was really happy to real the mails I received from the other 4 members, and Leader was the one who sent me the most mails. The contents weren’t to encourage me, but of regular daily things, like what did you do today (laugh) I am happy to think that he was thinking about me all these while.
4 members That’s a good story (laugh)
Watching Arashi having so much fun while thinking about each other, we are always being overwhelmed and encouraged by them. The last thing we’d like to ask is, is there anything Arashi would like to give to the people who support Arashi?
Sakurai Rather than wanting to give something to everyone, no matter what we do, we always have a clear conscience of “gratitude”, yes.
Ninomiya I guess what we’d like to convey is, the 5 of us being vibrant and having fun. No matter what happens, we are “5-men Arashi” after all. We are thankful with whatever the 5 of us are doing, we want to convey that.
Ohno I want us to show ourselves as we are. The Arashi you see on TV and on magazines, is Arashi just as we are, and it’ll be wonderful if you could come and join us at our concert too.
Aiba And, to those people who will come, let’s have fun together!
Matsumoto I think of that too. Whatever we’re doing, it’ll be good that everyone becomes more and more “colourful” each day. Looking at ourselves at concerts, in music, television shows and the things we say in magazines, we’d be happy if you can get something positive out of it to make your daily life a little more fun, a little more vibrant.