Translation: Ori★Suta 2010.01.4 ~ 11 - Arashi - Part 3 final
Yes, the last part of the translation from Ori★Suta issue January 2010. The previous parts featured the individual interviews of the members, part 1 is Shou & Jun, part 2 is Aiba chan, Riida, and Nino
In this final part, the group talk, Arashi exposed an unseen side of their Kokuritsu concert, reflected on and complained about their hectic 2009, then promised us more nonsense for the coming years LOL I know I'm bad at summarizing things, really :"]
Photo: Whenever I close my eyes, I recall the seasons I've gone through with you
Dominating the 2009 ranking! They talk about their perfect year.
----------In 2009 you had 4 singles, a best album, a live DVD, and a clip collection, all very fitting releases for your 10th anniversary. What’s more, you accomplished the amazing achievement of having your single (“Believe/Kumori nochi, kaisei”), album (“All the BEST! 1999 - 2009”), and music DVD (“5x10 All the BEST! CLIPS 1999 - 2009”) all topping the yearly charts of their respective categories. You even monopolized the single ranking with the no.1, no.2, no.3 positions (“Believe/Kumori nochi, kaisei”, “Ashita no kioku/Crazy Moon ~kimi.wa.muteki~”, “My girl”).
Shou: The fact that we were able to release those singles and have them as the theme songs of dramas is proof that our members were lucky to be offered a lot of individual jobs. Talking about the rankings, the result was more like a big surprise for us: the melodies we worked hard to produce in the recording studio have become so well-known and have been listened to by that many people. We’re really grateful and have come to agree that in 2010 too, we’ll have to try our best.
----------Around this time in 2008, did you expect that you’d have that many activities in 2009?
Shou: To be honest we never imagined that we’d go this far. This is about my individual work only, last year around this time when I told my manager “If I try my best for “The quiz show” (NTV) then in the later half of the year I will be able to take it easy, right?”, he looked away and laughed (laugh). Now that I think about it, ah, so this is what that smile was all about. (X Monster’s comment: Arashi is fun, even Arashi’s manager is fun! LOL)
Nino: As for me, when I have a meal with a person from the agency, I was told that: “this year (2008) you didn’t work much at all, so next year please work a lot more”.
Shou: That person was amazingly frank (laugh).
Jun: But there’s no way that you didn’t work in 2008 (laugh).
Nino: True, in 2008 I had one drama all right, “Ryuusei no kizuna” (TBS). Well, talking about how I did work, as I entered 2009, I had 2 special dramas, a stage play and a movie. I have a feeling that this is going to continue into 2010. (X Monster’s comment: oh, how strange, Nino, I have the exact same feeling. Poor you *pat Nino on the head, get shot by fangirls, die*)
----------What about Riida!?
Ohno: Ah, I began filming for “Uta no Oniisan” (TV Asahi) at the end of 2008. When “Uta no Oniisan” ended, that’s when 2009 started for me.
Jun: Heh~ so it’s like that.
Ohno: When the drama ended, I asked the manager “I can take it easy now, right?” and got the same “U~m” response as Shou kun did. From that point on I have been wholeheartedly taking it easy (laugh). (X Monster’s comment: LOL what nice excuse for being lazy, I’ll take note and learn from your example, Riida)
Shou: (laugh). Eh, so there was also that pattern!? (X Monster’s comment: yes, Shou chan, you should also take note and learn from Riida’s example, let’s do so together!)
Nino: It depends on the person (laugh).
Ohno: Um, I had it relatively easy in 2009. Compared to 2008 that is.
Jun: It’s the timing for our 10th anniversary (laugh).
Aiba: When I looked at it from the beginning, you seemed to be really busy though. (X Monster’s comment: I got through 1 page in Word and Aiba chan finally spoke up, yay!)
Ohno: I had a good balance, didn’t I?
Aiba: I apparently didn’t have any proper break. There was the stage play, then the field navigator’s work for “JAPAN CUP 2009 Artistic Gymnastics” (Fuji TV). From August, I started the drama “My girl” (TV Asahi). In May, I also had this very important radio show called “Muteki no Aiba kun” (T/N: literally, “Invincible Aiba kun” LOL) (TOKYO FM).
Jun: How invincible were you? (X Monster’s comment: darn, Jun is getting so good at questioning lately)
Aiba: I was pretty invincible. (T/N: this doesn’t sound right in English, I know, but that’s what he really said LOL actually I don’t think it sounds right in Japanese either. But, oh well, it’s Aiba chan, you know) Because, haven’t I always done stuffs like Aiba Masaki’s free talk? A lot of mails came asking just how invincible Aiba kun is!? That was really fun, because I rarely got to do one-shot show like this even though I have my regular radio job. I really loved myself when I attended the meeting and got asked “What to do? What to do?” by the staff.
Everyone: Ahahahaha!
----------It was a really fulfilling job (laugh).
Aiba: Yeah. Having everyone gathering and discussing the details for a one time only radio show really gave me a sense of extreme luxury.
Shou: And yourself who did all that?
Aiba: Was really loveable! (laugh) (T/N: aw, this exchange of words between Shou chan and Aiba chan was much more fun in Japanese… my English translation couldn’t do it justice at all… Blame the Japanese and their way of saying “kimi ga suki” <-> “you are loved/loveable/lovely” rather than “I love you”. Psht… the original text for your reference: “Shou: そんな自分が？ Aiba chan: 好きでした！”. In case you don’t know a single Japanese word (and surely you’re not to blame for that, it’s one unfriendly language to learners!), I’d just like to direct your attention to the fact that in this exchange, Shou chan said the 1st part of the sentence and Aiba chan finished it, in perfect sync LOL)
----------(laugh). What about Matsumoto san then?
Jun: In the first half of the year, aside from in our regular programs, I didn’t meet the other members at all, but in the later half I spent a lot of time with them. In the first half we all had our individual jobs, but from June on, the meeting for the concerts began, and in August the tour started. Even though everyone was busy with their different activities, the 5 of us gathered for this tour which lasted longer than any before, that fact in itself was really meaningful. A lot was done to create this atmosphere of our 10 year anniversary, and in turn, we also have many memories about the things the 5 of us did together.
Photo: Let's stop all of our worries, because we can start anew from here
Aiba losing his temper, and curry for Ohno!? Revealing the unseen side of the concert at Kokuritsu
----------You have had many plans for your anniversary, including the compilation of the things you’ve done until now, and so we’ve all come to acknowledge the height of Arashi’s possibilities and potentials in the future. But please make sure to also give us the usual fair share of spontaneity and nonsense. (X Monster’s comment: don’t worry, you can always count on Arashi, they’re very reliable when it comes to spontaneity and nonsense *nod nod*)
Jun: It’s our 10 years’ worth of explosive power (laugh).
Shou: No matter what happens we always have the feeling of “it’ll work out somehow”, if the 5 of us are here. Specially, in the second half of this year, the concerts, including the rehearsals too, were very good chances for us to be together the whole time. It was the timing of our 10 year anniversary that allowed us to have such a good time.
Photo: 「No matter what happens we always have the feeling of “it’ll work out somehow”, if the 5 of us are here」
----------Continuing from 2008, you’ve had your concert at Kokuritsu Kasumigaoka Rikujou Kyogijou for the second time. This time was there any changes?
Jun: In 2008 it was the first time we’re at Kokuritsu, but this time, as expected, with the anniversary, it became a really big event. We thought and talked with each other a lot about how to intertwine the 10 years we’d been through and the 10 years of all the people who came to cheer for us. Even among us, the thoughts about these 10 years were different for each person, so the feeling of the audience must also be different for each of them. The concept we all wanted to go with was to “show everything of our 10 years’ worth”. We experimented with a lot of methods in order to give the audience as much fun as possible. So it took a really long time before things finally shaped up. Much longer than last year (2008).
Shou: It’s the one that took the longest time up until now, right?
Nino: I think so too. There was a period when I couldn’t come to rehearsals because of my stage play and I was informed of so many modifications. That alone was enough to make me feel just how long it took.
Ohno: It was always the 3 of us (Matsumoto, Sakurai, Ohno), I think.
Nino: Eh? Wasn’t it 4 people?
Aiba: As for me, I did come in the first half, but in the later half I had the drama. What’s really shocking was that, when I had a break from drama filming for around 5 days and came to the rehearsals, everything had been changed! The songs whose choreography I’d learned completely disappeared from the set list, “Ah, I do remember this, but we’re not doing it anymore!?”, they said. This cycle kept going on and on. (X Monster’s comment: Aiba chan, Nino, it’s divine retribution for playing truant and leaving things in the hands of maniac perfectionists LOL)
----------It’s like the feeling of a student who finds it hard to catch up after taking some days off from going to school (laugh).
Aiba: Exactly! It was like “Eh!?”, but like MatsuJun said earlier, it’s important to think carefully about how to blend our tension with that of the surrounding audience. So I didn’t utter a single word of “I’ve went through a lot of trouble to memorize this so let’s do it!”.
Shou: Truly, I didn’t hear a single word (laugh).
Aiba: I made sure to keep it out of my mind.
Nino: Because he’s a strong kid. He is. (X Monster’s comment: the world is such a mess, bratty Nino going around calling people kids LOL)
Aiba: In stead of that, I even said “Well then, what should we do next?”, right?
Jun: But I have a very clear-cut impression of Aiba kun’s worried face on the first day (laugh). (X Monster’s comment: here comes Jun, the killer of favorable impression LOL)
Nino: Because starting from the rehearsal he became something similar to a broken robot, right? (laugh). (X Monster’s comment: and here comes Nino to join in the bliss of bullying people)
Shou: Well, well, didn’t he try hard to do well in the actual performance? (X Monster’s comment: oh, Shou chan to the rescue)
Jun: Amidst all of that, only Ohno san and I came to all of the rehearsals. We should get an award for our perfect attendance.
Ohno: We ate curry and then went home, right?
Shou: When Aiba kun and I practiced the choreography, we’d go with “I will count on you for the curry order” and “Ah, I’ll eat that too”. It’s not “I will go to the rehearsal too” (laugh). What’s more, we’d properly say “Thank you for the treat” after eating curry, and then went home.
Ohno: The faces of the (Johnnys) Juniors were all full of questions, right?
Shou: They even asked me directly. “Ohno kun comes here just to eat curry, doesn’t he?”, they said.
Ohno: In 2008, when we were doing the Kokuritsu concert I also had drama filming at the same time so I don’t remember much about what happened. So I decided that this year I definitely had to make a lot of memories. Therefore I remember everything clearly.
Shou: What is the thing that left you the most impression?
Ohno: It’s when Aiba chan lost his temper.
Shou: So that’s it (laugh).
Aiba: The setting of the stage kept changing so I was shouting “Where is this? Where?” all the time while wandering aimlessly around.
----------Seeing you like that, did the members do anything to support you?
Aiba: Nah, everyone was busy taking pictures with their own camera, right?
Jun: Because the choreography staff said that they’d follow up with Aiba chan (laugh). We all thought we shouldn’t butt into the problem, and so kept taking pictures by ourselves.
Shou: It’s all right, Aiba chan also got his photos taken.
Aiba: They’re photos of me when I’m losing my temper (laugh). Well surely there was a lot of worry, but once the curtain had been raised, I decided to enjoy everything to the fullest, so I never went out with any uncertainty.
Nino: You’re such a star.
Aiba: Nah, nah. When I do something wrong and get scolded I will say “I’m sorry!”, and really feel it. It’s just that I always have 100% fun whenever I perform. That’s why I’m satisfied with myself.
Shou: And yourself who did all that?
Aiba: Was really loveable! (laugh) (T/N: LOL this is a word-to-word repeat of the previous exchange, plz refer to the note some scroll above for more information)
----------Then you also had your first appearance on Kouhaku, the image of the huge fireworks from that day still remained clearly.
Jun: It was an unprecedented display after all. But then again, it’s because we’ve been together for 10 years, and then got to do everything with all 5 members in the later half of 2009, so even in that place where we appeared for the first time, we were able to enjoy ourselves.
Photo: Our chance meeting and the days we shared together, surely, they have been burnt into memories inside my heart
Going out to have Italian food on the debut anniversary, from now on too, always together!
----------Do you have any fear that in 2010 you’re going to suffer from something similar to the burnout syndrome?
Shou: Our tour is still going on until January, so I think we’re not going to have a clear feeling when 2009 turns into 2010.
Ohno: (with a small voice) They’ll be connected.
Shou: That was quite some whisper (laugh).
Nino: Nobody would hear you (laugh).
----------Without losing this energy, please firmly advance into the coming year.
Nino: We’d want to be that way too. Because, if we’re not like that, in the end we wouldn’t be Arashi anymore and will just stop at the point of our 10th year. There’s no way we’d let this 10 year anniversary be just a plain memorial; with this as the starting point, the potential of what we 5 can do has been opened up. It’s because we’ve been through these 10 years that we finally get the chance to become well-known to so many people. We definitely do not want to let this potential go to waste; we want to be fully happy that we were able to welcome our 10th year. When it comes to our 12th year, 13th year, the things we got to do in this 10th anniversary will surely play a part in what we are doing at that time. It’s good if we can look at our 2009 as such a year, because, you see, our activities are going to keep going on and on.
----------It is said that the 5 members of Arashi went out to have a meal together on the day of the debut anniversary.
Aiba: We did! Italian food!
----------And I thought that it must have been Chinese food.
Aiba: Right, actually I wanted them to come to our family’s place (laugh).
Jun: Promoting your business!? (laugh)
Shou: I don’t know why they are talking such nonsense.
----------They’re in perfect harmony. Well then, lastly, Riida, please give us a summary!
Ohno: (bowing down and speaking clearly) Thank you very much~!
Nino: Well, this is what happened when you suddenly ask for him (laugh).
Ohno: Dear readers, from now on too, please give us your favor! (T/N: note that in this sentence and the previous one too, Riida spoke in the most polite form of Japanese LOL)
Photo: Shining as I head for tomorrow, I will keep chasing this dream. Shouting out until my voice dries up, I will keep moving forward
Extra:COVER ARTIST STORY
My life as an entertainer #01
Arashi ・ Sakurai Shou
「Happiness is when I drink coffee while comfortably listening to music」
「Lately, I have this “enriching my life during the make-up time” project. First of all, I bought a speaker compatible with my cell phone’s music player. Then I bring along my favorite artiest Rickie-G’s new mini album “BOOK OF MY JOURNEY Vol.1”. It’s not quite some really exciting music, but the kind that I can listen to comfortably while drinking coffee, for me that is happiness. Recently drinking coffee while listening to Rickie-G has become my way of starting the morning」
Final T/N: I guess most of you have already realized this right? The captions in the photos (except the one with Shou chan's quote) are all taken from the lyrics of Arashi's 2009 smash hits XD Now it's up to you to name the songs :D
Image credit: jesychan
In this final part, the group talk, Arashi exposed an unseen side of their Kokuritsu concert, reflected on and complained about their hectic 2009, then promised us more nonsense for the coming years LOL I know I'm bad at summarizing things, really :"]
Photo: Whenever I close my eyes, I recall the seasons I've gone through with you
Dominating the 2009 ranking! They talk about their perfect year.
----------In 2009 you had 4 singles, a best album, a live DVD, and a clip collection, all very fitting releases for your 10th anniversary. What’s more, you accomplished the amazing achievement of having your single (“Believe/Kumori nochi, kaisei”), album (“All the BEST! 1999 - 2009”), and music DVD (“5x10 All the BEST! CLIPS 1999 - 2009”) all topping the yearly charts of their respective categories. You even monopolized the single ranking with the no.1, no.2, no.3 positions (“Believe/Kumori nochi, kaisei”, “Ashita no kioku/Crazy Moon ~kimi.wa.muteki~”, “My girl”).
Shou: The fact that we were able to release those singles and have them as the theme songs of dramas is proof that our members were lucky to be offered a lot of individual jobs. Talking about the rankings, the result was more like a big surprise for us: the melodies we worked hard to produce in the recording studio have become so well-known and have been listened to by that many people. We’re really grateful and have come to agree that in 2010 too, we’ll have to try our best.
----------Around this time in 2008, did you expect that you’d have that many activities in 2009?
Shou: To be honest we never imagined that we’d go this far. This is about my individual work only, last year around this time when I told my manager “If I try my best for “The quiz show” (NTV) then in the later half of the year I will be able to take it easy, right?”, he looked away and laughed (laugh). Now that I think about it, ah, so this is what that smile was all about. (X Monster’s comment: Arashi is fun, even Arashi’s manager is fun! LOL)
Nino: As for me, when I have a meal with a person from the agency, I was told that: “this year (2008) you didn’t work much at all, so next year please work a lot more”.
Shou: That person was amazingly frank (laugh).
Jun: But there’s no way that you didn’t work in 2008 (laugh).
Nino: True, in 2008 I had one drama all right, “Ryuusei no kizuna” (TBS). Well, talking about how I did work, as I entered 2009, I had 2 special dramas, a stage play and a movie. I have a feeling that this is going to continue into 2010. (X Monster’s comment: oh, how strange, Nino, I have the exact same feeling. Poor you *pat Nino on the head, get shot by fangirls, die*)
----------What about Riida!?
Ohno: Ah, I began filming for “Uta no Oniisan” (TV Asahi) at the end of 2008. When “Uta no Oniisan” ended, that’s when 2009 started for me.
Jun: Heh~ so it’s like that.
Ohno: When the drama ended, I asked the manager “I can take it easy now, right?” and got the same “U~m” response as Shou kun did. From that point on I have been wholeheartedly taking it easy (laugh). (X Monster’s comment: LOL what nice excuse for being lazy, I’ll take note and learn from your example, Riida)
Shou: (laugh). Eh, so there was also that pattern!? (X Monster’s comment: yes, Shou chan, you should also take note and learn from Riida’s example, let’s do so together!)
Nino: It depends on the person (laugh).
Ohno: Um, I had it relatively easy in 2009. Compared to 2008 that is.
Jun: It’s the timing for our 10th anniversary (laugh).
Aiba: When I looked at it from the beginning, you seemed to be really busy though. (X Monster’s comment: I got through 1 page in Word and Aiba chan finally spoke up, yay!)
Ohno: I had a good balance, didn’t I?
Aiba: I apparently didn’t have any proper break. There was the stage play, then the field navigator’s work for “JAPAN CUP 2009 Artistic Gymnastics” (Fuji TV). From August, I started the drama “My girl” (TV Asahi). In May, I also had this very important radio show called “Muteki no Aiba kun” (T/N: literally, “Invincible Aiba kun” LOL) (TOKYO FM).
Jun: How invincible were you? (X Monster’s comment: darn, Jun is getting so good at questioning lately)
Aiba: I was pretty invincible. (T/N: this doesn’t sound right in English, I know, but that’s what he really said LOL actually I don’t think it sounds right in Japanese either. But, oh well, it’s Aiba chan, you know) Because, haven’t I always done stuffs like Aiba Masaki’s free talk? A lot of mails came asking just how invincible Aiba kun is!? That was really fun, because I rarely got to do one-shot show like this even though I have my regular radio job. I really loved myself when I attended the meeting and got asked “What to do? What to do?” by the staff.
Everyone: Ahahahaha!
----------It was a really fulfilling job (laugh).
Aiba: Yeah. Having everyone gathering and discussing the details for a one time only radio show really gave me a sense of extreme luxury.
Shou: And yourself who did all that?
Aiba: Was really loveable! (laugh) (T/N: aw, this exchange of words between Shou chan and Aiba chan was much more fun in Japanese… my English translation couldn’t do it justice at all… Blame the Japanese and their way of saying “kimi ga suki” <-> “you are loved/loveable/lovely” rather than “I love you”. Psht… the original text for your reference: “Shou: そんな自分が？ Aiba chan: 好きでした！”. In case you don’t know a single Japanese word (and surely you’re not to blame for that, it’s one unfriendly language to learners!), I’d just like to direct your attention to the fact that in this exchange, Shou chan said the 1st part of the sentence and Aiba chan finished it, in perfect sync LOL)
----------(laugh). What about Matsumoto san then?
Jun: In the first half of the year, aside from in our regular programs, I didn’t meet the other members at all, but in the later half I spent a lot of time with them. In the first half we all had our individual jobs, but from June on, the meeting for the concerts began, and in August the tour started. Even though everyone was busy with their different activities, the 5 of us gathered for this tour which lasted longer than any before, that fact in itself was really meaningful. A lot was done to create this atmosphere of our 10 year anniversary, and in turn, we also have many memories about the things the 5 of us did together.
Photo: Let's stop all of our worries, because we can start anew from here
Aiba losing his temper, and curry for Ohno!? Revealing the unseen side of the concert at Kokuritsu
----------You have had many plans for your anniversary, including the compilation of the things you’ve done until now, and so we’ve all come to acknowledge the height of Arashi’s possibilities and potentials in the future. But please make sure to also give us the usual fair share of spontaneity and nonsense. (X Monster’s comment: don’t worry, you can always count on Arashi, they’re very reliable when it comes to spontaneity and nonsense *nod nod*)
Jun: It’s our 10 years’ worth of explosive power (laugh).
Shou: No matter what happens we always have the feeling of “it’ll work out somehow”, if the 5 of us are here. Specially, in the second half of this year, the concerts, including the rehearsals too, were very good chances for us to be together the whole time. It was the timing of our 10 year anniversary that allowed us to have such a good time.
Photo: 「No matter what happens we always have the feeling of “it’ll work out somehow”, if the 5 of us are here」
----------Continuing from 2008, you’ve had your concert at Kokuritsu Kasumigaoka Rikujou Kyogijou for the second time. This time was there any changes?
Jun: In 2008 it was the first time we’re at Kokuritsu, but this time, as expected, with the anniversary, it became a really big event. We thought and talked with each other a lot about how to intertwine the 10 years we’d been through and the 10 years of all the people who came to cheer for us. Even among us, the thoughts about these 10 years were different for each person, so the feeling of the audience must also be different for each of them. The concept we all wanted to go with was to “show everything of our 10 years’ worth”. We experimented with a lot of methods in order to give the audience as much fun as possible. So it took a really long time before things finally shaped up. Much longer than last year (2008).
Shou: It’s the one that took the longest time up until now, right?
Nino: I think so too. There was a period when I couldn’t come to rehearsals because of my stage play and I was informed of so many modifications. That alone was enough to make me feel just how long it took.
Ohno: It was always the 3 of us (Matsumoto, Sakurai, Ohno), I think.
Nino: Eh? Wasn’t it 4 people?
Aiba: As for me, I did come in the first half, but in the later half I had the drama. What’s really shocking was that, when I had a break from drama filming for around 5 days and came to the rehearsals, everything had been changed! The songs whose choreography I’d learned completely disappeared from the set list, “Ah, I do remember this, but we’re not doing it anymore!?”, they said. This cycle kept going on and on. (X Monster’s comment: Aiba chan, Nino, it’s divine retribution for playing truant and leaving things in the hands of maniac perfectionists LOL)
----------It’s like the feeling of a student who finds it hard to catch up after taking some days off from going to school (laugh).
Aiba: Exactly! It was like “Eh!?”, but like MatsuJun said earlier, it’s important to think carefully about how to blend our tension with that of the surrounding audience. So I didn’t utter a single word of “I’ve went through a lot of trouble to memorize this so let’s do it!”.
Shou: Truly, I didn’t hear a single word (laugh).
Aiba: I made sure to keep it out of my mind.
Nino: Because he’s a strong kid. He is. (X Monster’s comment: the world is such a mess, bratty Nino going around calling people kids LOL)
Aiba: In stead of that, I even said “Well then, what should we do next?”, right?
Jun: But I have a very clear-cut impression of Aiba kun’s worried face on the first day (laugh). (X Monster’s comment: here comes Jun, the killer of favorable impression LOL)
Nino: Because starting from the rehearsal he became something similar to a broken robot, right? (laugh). (X Monster’s comment: and here comes Nino to join in the bliss of bullying people)
Shou: Well, well, didn’t he try hard to do well in the actual performance? (X Monster’s comment: oh, Shou chan to the rescue)
Jun: Amidst all of that, only Ohno san and I came to all of the rehearsals. We should get an award for our perfect attendance.
Ohno: We ate curry and then went home, right?
Shou: When Aiba kun and I practiced the choreography, we’d go with “I will count on you for the curry order” and “Ah, I’ll eat that too”. It’s not “I will go to the rehearsal too” (laugh). What’s more, we’d properly say “Thank you for the treat” after eating curry, and then went home.
Ohno: The faces of the (Johnnys) Juniors were all full of questions, right?
Shou: They even asked me directly. “Ohno kun comes here just to eat curry, doesn’t he?”, they said.
Ohno: In 2008, when we were doing the Kokuritsu concert I also had drama filming at the same time so I don’t remember much about what happened. So I decided that this year I definitely had to make a lot of memories. Therefore I remember everything clearly.
Shou: What is the thing that left you the most impression?
Ohno: It’s when Aiba chan lost his temper.
Shou: So that’s it (laugh).
Aiba: The setting of the stage kept changing so I was shouting “Where is this? Where?” all the time while wandering aimlessly around.
----------Seeing you like that, did the members do anything to support you?
Aiba: Nah, everyone was busy taking pictures with their own camera, right?
Jun: Because the choreography staff said that they’d follow up with Aiba chan (laugh). We all thought we shouldn’t butt into the problem, and so kept taking pictures by ourselves.
Shou: It’s all right, Aiba chan also got his photos taken.
Aiba: They’re photos of me when I’m losing my temper (laugh). Well surely there was a lot of worry, but once the curtain had been raised, I decided to enjoy everything to the fullest, so I never went out with any uncertainty.
Nino: You’re such a star.
Aiba: Nah, nah. When I do something wrong and get scolded I will say “I’m sorry!”, and really feel it. It’s just that I always have 100% fun whenever I perform. That’s why I’m satisfied with myself.
Shou: And yourself who did all that?
Aiba: Was really loveable! (laugh) (T/N: LOL this is a word-to-word repeat of the previous exchange, plz refer to the note some scroll above for more information)
----------Then you also had your first appearance on Kouhaku, the image of the huge fireworks from that day still remained clearly.
Jun: It was an unprecedented display after all. But then again, it’s because we’ve been together for 10 years, and then got to do everything with all 5 members in the later half of 2009, so even in that place where we appeared for the first time, we were able to enjoy ourselves.
Photo: Our chance meeting and the days we shared together, surely, they have been burnt into memories inside my heart
Going out to have Italian food on the debut anniversary, from now on too, always together!
----------Do you have any fear that in 2010 you’re going to suffer from something similar to the burnout syndrome?
Shou: Our tour is still going on until January, so I think we’re not going to have a clear feeling when 2009 turns into 2010.
Ohno: (with a small voice) They’ll be connected.
Shou: That was quite some whisper (laugh).
Nino: Nobody would hear you (laugh).
----------Without losing this energy, please firmly advance into the coming year.
Nino: We’d want to be that way too. Because, if we’re not like that, in the end we wouldn’t be Arashi anymore and will just stop at the point of our 10th year. There’s no way we’d let this 10 year anniversary be just a plain memorial; with this as the starting point, the potential of what we 5 can do has been opened up. It’s because we’ve been through these 10 years that we finally get the chance to become well-known to so many people. We definitely do not want to let this potential go to waste; we want to be fully happy that we were able to welcome our 10th year. When it comes to our 12th year, 13th year, the things we got to do in this 10th anniversary will surely play a part in what we are doing at that time. It’s good if we can look at our 2009 as such a year, because, you see, our activities are going to keep going on and on.
----------It is said that the 5 members of Arashi went out to have a meal together on the day of the debut anniversary.
Aiba: We did! Italian food!
----------And I thought that it must have been Chinese food.
Aiba: Right, actually I wanted them to come to our family’s place (laugh).
Jun: Promoting your business!? (laugh)
Shou: I don’t know why they are talking such nonsense.
----------They’re in perfect harmony. Well then, lastly, Riida, please give us a summary!
Ohno: (bowing down and speaking clearly) Thank you very much~!
Nino: Well, this is what happened when you suddenly ask for him (laugh).
Ohno: Dear readers, from now on too, please give us your favor! (T/N: note that in this sentence and the previous one too, Riida spoke in the most polite form of Japanese LOL)
Photo: Shining as I head for tomorrow, I will keep chasing this dream. Shouting out until my voice dries up, I will keep moving forward
Extra:COVER ARTIST STORY
My life as an entertainer #01
Arashi ・ Sakurai Shou
「Happiness is when I drink coffee while comfortably listening to music」
「Lately, I have this “enriching my life during the make-up time” project. First of all, I bought a speaker compatible with my cell phone’s music player. Then I bring along my favorite artiest Rickie-G’s new mini album “BOOK OF MY JOURNEY Vol.1”. It’s not quite some really exciting music, but the kind that I can listen to comfortably while drinking coffee, for me that is happiness. Recently drinking coffee while listening to Rickie-G has become my way of starting the morning」
Final T/N: I guess most of you have already realized this right? The captions in the photos (except the one with Shou chan's quote) are all taken from the lyrics of Arashi's 2009 smash hits XD Now it's up to you to name the songs :D
Image credit: jesychan