Quick Japan vol. 119 side-A “Aarin”

Special thanks to Azureus from momoiroclover.net for the scans.

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Quick Japan vol. 119 side-A “Aarin”
Can’t think of anything but Aarin

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Special photo vol.1
Aarin’s a Parisian

“Aarin” is a magic word.
Just saying it out loud makes one feel so happy.
Even all the bad things just disappear.
Even an impossible “pinch” transforms into “pink” in an instant.
Aarin is the idol who holds such a magical power.

That’s why it’s impossible to explain Aarin, even if we try to talk about her.
Would you like to know how Aarin came about?
Would you like to hear about her elementary school days?
You must surely want to know why her mother set such strict rules for her, right?
Because you can’t think of anything but Aarin.

How did the idol, whose personality fits pink better than anyone else in the world, spend her time in Paris?
When you cut the power to Aarin Robot, how will she get the energy to move again?
If we get her to do that Showa idol cosplay again, what charms will she show us?

The Aarin nobody knows, the Aarin everybody wants to see, is overflowing through all these pages.
Experience the “force” that is Aarin through these endless pages, until you can’t think of anything but Aarin!

~~~~~

Special photo vol.2
Aarin’s “Showa Idol” 7 Transformations

M1 – Matsuda Seiko’s “Akai sweetpea” (8th single / Released 21 Jan 1982)

M2 – Matsuda Seiko’s “Seifuku” (8th single C/W track / Released 21 Jan 1982)

M3 – Koizumi Kyoko’s “The Stardust Memory” (13th single / Released 21 Dec 1984)

M4 – Nakamori Akina’s “Shojo A” (2nd single / Released 28 Jul 1982)

M5 – Kikuchi Momoko’s “Shibuya de goji” (from Suzuki Masayuki’s 6th album ‘Perfume’ / Released 9 Sep 1993)

M6 – Minamino Yoko’s “Haikara-san ga tooru” (10th single / Released 2 Dec 1987)

M7 – Moritaka Chisato’s “Watashi ga oba-san ni nattemo” (from 6th album ‘ROCK ALIVE’ / Released 25 Mar 1992)

~~~~~

Special photo vol.3
Aarin Robot, wake up…

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The Sasaki Home, Mother-Daughter Conversation
~Now, we bring 18 years of reality to light~

Often called “identical twins”, the Sasaki mother-daughter pair is perhaps best known for how strictly the former has brought up the latter. Finally, the reality of those 18 years is brought to light! How did the name “Aarin” come about? And what’s this about a book that influenced the development of the character “Aarin”? Plus, the real reason why those strict rules were put in place… Together with a treasured photo album, Ayaka reveals, for the very first time, “Sasaki Ayaka Episode 0”! Compiled into this Aarin special, history’s greatest mother-daughter conversation begins!

~

Photos (from R to L)

2 months
You can tell it’s Aarin from the round eyes.

6 months
What was she telling the teddy bear?

6 months
Sound asleep, wrapped in a blanket. She usually didn’t wake up nor cry at night.

1 year
Her first birthday. Munching on shortcake.

1 year & 4 months
Holding the rabbit tight with a satisfied expression.

1 year & 4 months
A picture of Aarin eating from a lunch box in a field. A rare photo?

2 years & 5 months
A photo at Disneyland. Maybe she was tired after too much play?

2 years & 7 months
Playing in the snow. She looks happy on the sled, Aarin at “full force”!

2 years & 8 months
She was obsessed with making faces at the camera then.

2 years & 8 months
A 2-year-old using fork and knife to eat steak…

2 years & 11 months
A walk outside with her doll on a fine day!

3 years
A playful Aarin with stickers on her cheek.

3 years
She went bug-catching, but was too scared to touch any. In the end, she caught nothing, and ended the day with a pose.

3 years
Prim and proper before the doll display. The pink kimono suits her so well.

4 years
First time skiing. Will she do it well?

5 years
A photo at USJ. Will she become a world-famous star one day?

6 years
A silly face, but perfect table manners!

7 years
Smiling in a blooming farm. A true flower girl.

7 years
A photo while vacationing in Hokkaido. So, where are we going next?

9 years
A trip to Kyoto. With cherry blossoms before the Shirakawa bridge in Gion.

10 years
Aarin loves Disney!

10 years
She owned so much merchandise.

10 years
In a bright kimono. Her face is enough to make our hearts skip a beat.

11 years
She preferred eating sweets to riding on attractions.

12 years
Before her elementary school graduation. Saying goodbye to the backpack she’d used for 6 years.

~

“SOMEHOW, I JUST FELT THAT I COULD ONLY RAISE A DAUGHTER”

— Thank you for coming in today. This is a campaign we’ve done with all the Momoclo members for their special editions. Today, we hope to hear stories from Mama and Ayaka’s youth, and about your everyday lives.

MAMA: Oh, actually… I don’t think I can share any special or interesting stories. Our lives are really very normal.

AYAKA: You always say that. (laugh) Anyway, I’m worried about what you’ll share when I’m not around, so I’ll be staying right here!

— Not to stress you out, but many readers have shared about their expectations of this issue, so we’ve gathered lots of requests and questions.

MAMA: Are you joking? (bitter laugh)

— Oh, it’s true. So, let’s look at these baby photos and talk about this chronologically.

AYAKA: Oh! Photos… But they’re so ugly! You’ll be surprised, I was really not cute at all.

MAMA: I never thought I’d have to share them like this, so I’ve cut up some photos, and written notes on others. Sorry for the different sizes. Now that you mention it, you really weren’t that cute…

AYAKA: I peaked at being ugly during 1st grade of elementary school.

— Anyway, let’s move on. (bitter laugh) Is this the very first photo of her?

MAMA: That’s right. It’s dated 30 August, so that’s 2.5 months after she was born.

AYAKA: It’s really not cute. My face was like a square, and I had so little hair.

MAMA: You weighed 2970 grams when you were born. It was quite an average weight.

— Did you know that she was a girl when you were pregnant with her?

MAMA: I wonder… But somehow, I just felt that I could only raise a daughter. I don’t think the doctor told me anything, but I was convinced I was going to have a daughter, so I only thought of girls’ names.

AYAKA: If I turned out to be a boy, you probably would have gotten a huge shock.

— Did you decide on the name ‘Ayaka’ then?

MAMA: I didn’t care so much about the sound of the name, but more for the kanji characters. There were so many names I wanted, then I remembered that they do an annual ‘name ranking survey’, and I found out that ‘Ayaka’ was the top name that year. So I decided to use this popular name, and my husband agreed. We quickly decided to use the kanji characters for ‘colorful (彩)’ and ‘summer (夏)’, and that was that.

AYAKA: I was born in June. That’s not summer.

MAMA: It’s not spring, either.

AYAKA: Oh, it’s early summer?

MAMA: Anyway, I just wanted to use the character for ‘summer’. If I hadn’t decided on ‘Ayaka’, I would probably have chosen something like ‘Natsumi (夏海 – summer sea)’.

AYAKA: I’m glad you didn’t choose that!

MAMA: Why not?

AYAKA: I mean, I don’t like the sea. I can’t even swim.

MAMA: I won’t know that. Besides, if you were called Natsumi, maybe you’d come to love the sea.

AYAKA: Oh, I guess. Maybe I would’ve tried harder to learn how to swim. (bitter laugh)

MAMA: By the way, something really lovely happened to me about 2 years ago, when this girl told me “I like the sound of my name, and I love the kanji characters too”. It was the single phrase in these 18 years that made me the happiest.

— How did the topic come about?

MAMA: Maybe she was doing some autographs at home? Suddenly, she just said, “Mama, Aarin really loves the characters ‘Ayaka’.” I was so happy, because it’s rare for her to say such things.

AYAKA: Well, it’s embarrassing to say it out loud…

MAMA: Maybe it’s because she’s an only child, so there’s never a need to fight for a parent’s attention. She knows she’ll always have our full attention. But she turned out a little different from how I imagined an only child would be like. For example, she never remembers Mother’s Day, or my birthday.

AYAKA: But I do celebrate your birthday! But maybe not Mother’s Day…

MAMA: You’d think it’ll be easy to remember, seeing all the notices and gifts displayed in stores whenever it’s that time of year.

AYAKA: But I’m always grateful to you. I don’t need to wait till Mother’s Day to do that…

MAMA: Yes, of course, of course. (laugh)

— This is truly the best mother-daughter chat. (laugh)

MAMA: Well, that was how we decided on her name.

AYAKA: Anyway, it’s rare, isn’t it? There aren’t many Ayakas who have the same kanji characters as my name.

— By the way, did she cry at night?

MAMA: Not much. She was wonderful as a baby.

AYAKA: Hey! I’ve always been a wonderful girl. (laugh)

— What a cute sleeping face.

AYAKA: These photos today were all selected by Mama. (bitter laugh) There are some taken at Disneyland and Ueno Zoo too.

— Did the family have many outings together?

MAMA: We did, but there were times when I didn’t let her go to the park to play. However, she didn’t really enjoy camping or the outdoors, so we usually went to theme parks, zoos, or the mall.

AYAKA: We didn’t really go to the beach either.

MAMA: We did, 2-3 times. But this girl hated the sand, and didn’t want to walk on it because it felt gross on her bare feet.

AYAKA: Eheheh. But I’ve gotten used to it recently.

MAMA: She also hated it when sand got onto the beach mats we laid out. That was why we stopped going to the beach, aside from simple trips just to look at the sea.

AYAKA: Well, there’s nothing to do at the beach. If I swim in the sea, I’ll be cold when I get out.

MAMA: True, you just didn’t know how to have fun at the beach, because I didn’t know how to help you appreciate it.

AYAKA: The only way I knew how to have fun was to achieve goals, such as go on attractions or look at animals. But Papa always played with me. He was in-charge of playing and exercising with me.

MAMA: As long as it didn’t include cooking with fire, because she’s really very clumsy. When she was in kindergarten, she ran into a wall and knocked her front teeth loose. She knew there was a wall there, but she ran into it despite everything. And then, a year later…

AYAKA: I ran into the same wall again. (laugh)

— What!!?

MAMA: I brought her to the same hospital and told the doctor that her teeth were knocked loose again! (laugh) She also fell down a lot. She’d go off to play badminton, then come back 2 minutes later and say she wanted to quit because she fell down. (bitter laugh) It was just too dangerous for her, so I eventually forbid all exercise. It was all a way to take care of my child.

— I see. By the way, there are lots of photos with strange faces.

AYAKA: I didn’t think I really enjoyed making faces, but I guess I did.

MAMA: Whenever I told her to pose for a photo, she’d make a face, so these are all the photos I had. Also, there are some photos I didn’t bring because it was a group shot with many people, but those photos of her with her cousins, well, you can really sense the “force” that is Aarin.

AYAKA: Ahahaha, I agree. (laugh)

MAMA: She would pin her cousin’s arms behind his back and make him cry. I’m sure the Momoclo members probably experienced this too. A “force” she exhibits away from her parents’ eyes, that can potentially amaze the other members.

— So that was where that “force” comes from. (laugh)

MAMA: She really loved this casual clothes store called Pink House. We even wore matching outfits bought from that store.

AYAKA: Yes! Actually, before this interview, I attended a press conference regarding a collab with Pink House. I was surprised that I actually helped to promote them.

HOW DID THE NAME AARIN COME ABOUT?

— What did you call Aarin when she was a child?

MAMA: Until her first birthday, my husband and I both called her Aa-chan. However, there were really so many kids with the name Ayaka, so everywhere we went, parents were calling their daughters Aa-chan or Aya-chan. In order to help her recognize that we’re referring to her, we decided to call her Aarin instead. So by her first birthday, she was already known as Aarin.

— That’s a cool piece of information about Aarin! I guess for Aarin, that’s probably the only name she’s ever known.

AYAKA: It’s true, I never felt that Aya-chan suited me. It just doesn’t ring any bells.

— So that was her at 1 year old. What kind of child was she at 2-3 years old?

MAMA: We had an area similar to a play room, filled with her toys. I’d put her there to play, then assure her that I’d stay nearby. However, if I so much as moved 1 meter away, she would scream “Mama’s gone! Waaaah!” and start wailing.

AYAKA: Ahahaha. (laugh)

MAMA: She was really very timid. I remember there was a roly-poly toy that would scare her to tears. Even a moving Akabeko toy was too frightening for her. It was quite amazing.

AYAKA: I remember crying super hard every time I couldn’t see Mama nearby.

MAMA: I also gave me the wrong impression that she loved me. What a mistake that was. (laugh) I was really worried if she’d be able to handle going to kindergarten. Would she keep crying for her Mama and make trouble for the teachers? But on her first day, she entered class without any fuss, with a happy “Bye bye!” (laugh) I really couldn’t understand it, she didn’t even turn back to wave goodbye. I guess she’d changed back then and become stronger.

— That’s life, isn’t it?

MAMA: Maybe it was because her worldview before that was very narrow. Then, she discovered a more enjoyable world with lots of friends. When she entered kindergarten, she also started dance lessons. When she danced in front of everyone during performances and events, she seemed in her element, and I realized a different side of her. She never hesitated when it came to performing, nor did it make her afraid. However, when we first went for a trial lesson, she insisted on just watching the other girls instead of joining in herself.

AYAKA: Oh! I remember that!

MAMA: She remained watching the entire lesson, and I despaired that I’d never be able to get her to do sports. (laugh) Then, one day, she suddenly told her she wanted to try it. She even insisted that I call the dance school to sign her up right away.

— What made her change her mind?

MAMA: Now that I think about it, she’s the type who likes to keep her thoughts to herself. And when she’s made up her mind, her determination would burst through. For example, she never makes a big fuss about how hard she studies at school, but does it quietly. She also keeps her emotions to herself, so I’m often surprised when I hear about what’s happened to her. However, once she says that she’ll do something, I won’t ask her about it again, because she’ll continue to strive at it on her own.

IDOL WORK AND SCHOOL

— That’s surely reflected in Momoclo’s Sasaki Ayaka too. She picked up dance willingly, and when she entered elementary school, she started work in the entertainment world too. How did that come about?

MAMA: She joined the agency in September of her first year in elementary school. She was scouted, which happened quite often back then. I guess it was a trend? Being scouted wasn’t something rare.

— After being scouted, she decided to try it out?

MAMA: That’s right. She was already dancing, with lots of experience with performing, so it wasn’t something totally new to her. Thus, it felt like an upgrade, without too much extra fuss.

— Do you remember what her first job was?

MAMA: What was it?

AYAKA: I probably started out as an extra in a drama series. I wasn’t very active back then…

MAMA: I think that was it. We didn’t think she’d stay in the entertainment business for long, because it was tough work just to get through a single audition. Anyway, she enjoyed it, just like how normal kids enjoy their after-school club activities. I was quite young too and didn’t know much, so I was having fun and learning lots myself. We didn’t have much worries then.

— By the way, did Mama ever dream of working in the entertainment business too?

MAMA: I did. I heard that someone’s sister was accepting applications, so I secretly recorded a clip of myself singing. However, I didn’t know how to submit it. These days, it’s easier to ask for help, and recruiters are always there to help those with dreams. That wasn’t the case when I was young.

— I see. Anyway, after she started work, you got to spend more time together?

AYAKA: Mama accompanied me to auditions, and to all the places where I worked too.

MAMA: I also went with her for her dance lessons.

AYAKA: My weekends were spent on dance, rather than playing around. On those days, Papa could join us too, so we were together as a family.

MAMA: When she came home from school, she never had the chance to just plonk her bag down and go outside to play. After school, she’d take a nap, then we’d go for her dance lesson. Even after her lesson, she’d stay behind to watch the older girls practice instead of going home. Then, we’d have dinner, and we’d head home and go to bed.

— Did she take any lessons other than dance?

MAMA: She learned classical ballet at another studio. She also went for piano and eurhythmics lessons.

AYAKA: I wanted to study history. I also wanted to carry a rucksack with Nichinoken’s “N” logo.

MAMA: What?! I never knew that!

AYAKA: The kids who studied history always answered well in class, so I thought they were so cool.

MAMA: I’ve never really needed to tell her to study, but for her 3 years in junior high, I supervised and made her study hard. On test days, we would stay up studying until 4 a.m.

AYAKA: Mama was like my home tutor.

MAMA: Even so, she never said no. Thus, I never bothered with how well she actually did on her tests. Any score was ok, as long as she’d done her best. I was glad to join her in studying through the night, and I really enjoyed myself.

THE BOOK THAT SHAPED MAMA’S CHILD EDUCATION STRATEGY

— I’ve never heard all this before. Usually, kids would rebel at this treatment, but it’s amazing that your relationship still remains so good.

MAMA: I’ve always worried over how to raise my child. My goal was to be like my own mother, but I didn’t know what exactly to do. Incidentally, I found a book called “How to raise a flower girl”, written by Sakai Miiko, and I read it. Then, I realized that what she wrote was exactly how I wanted to raise my child. Using that, I came up with my own set of rules and regulations for Ayaka, which might have turned out a little different from what the book suggested… Oh, I’ve brought it along today.

— Whoa, that’s amazing! It’s full of handwritten notes.

MAMA: Oh! That’s because I’ve reread it many times, and I’d love for Ayaka to read it too. This edition was printed in May 1999, which means she was only 3 years old when I bought it. If you read the parts I’ve underlined in red, you can see if my interpretation is biased or not.

AYAKA: I never knew. This is the first time I’ve heard of this book.

— One of the ideas for this special was “Being Aarin is being loyal to Mama’s teachings”. So those “Mama’s teachings” were based on this book?

MAMA: There! Everyone keeps thinking that “Aarin” is a character we’ve created, but Aarin is who this girl really is. If she wants to, she can easily discard this “Aarin” persona. If it is really just a created character, she’d be too afraid to discard it and show her true self.

AYAKA: No no no, you can’t throw Aarin away. (bitter laugh)

MAMA: But I felt she’s been discarding it slightly recently. (laugh) The book made it clear that the main goal of child education is to help the child become independent, so I want to be with her all the way until that is achieved. As a result, I started teaching her table manners very early on. I started her on knives and forks by the time she was 1.5 years old, because I felt that it would help her become an adult quicker.

AYAKA: When going out to restaurants with my friend’s family, I was the only one who gathered her rice on the fork before eating it. (laugh) Mama was super strict about how I held my chopsticks too.

MAMA: It doesn’t really matter when she’s having fun with others, but proper table manners should be second nature to her, and she should be able to choose to exhibit them or not, depending on the situation. Anyway, I was brought up in a different era, so I’ve been really lenient with her. Even for curfews, she had it much better than I did when I was a child.

— That’s a “Sasaki rule” that even the fans know well. No karaoke, no purikura.

AYAKA: That started when I entered junior high. I’ve always been busy with school and dance, so nobody ever asked me to hang out. Mama didn’t even let me read manga, not that I was very interested in it. Also, I wasn’t supposed to send text messages with abandon.

MAMA: I wanted her to be careful with her text replies, so I advised her to read her reply 5 times before pressing the send button. Even an emoji, such as a smiley face, may be misinterpreted by the other party. But rather than making her show me the messages before she sends them, I taught her to write messages that won’t contain content that would make me suspicious enough to want to check.

FINALLY, AARIN LEARNS TO ___________

— I see. That’s logical. How about cooking? You said you didn’t want her to cook with fire.

MAMA: She’ll definitely burn herself. (laugh) Besides, you can cook anything with a microwave nowadays.

— I guess you’re right.

MAMA: Even making coffee at home becomes a big event when she’s the one doing it. She’ll announce that she’s making it to everyone, but we’re usually too afraid to drink it. (laugh)

AYAKA: There was a time when I added salt. I thought it was sugar. (laugh)

MAMA: Even pouring a cup of coffee is a big deal for this girl. I’ve heard that she’s much better when she’s with the other Momoclo members, but she’s still very young. Even now, she sleeps with soft toys. There’s a baby blanket that she’s had since she was 1 year old, and she still hugs it to sleep now. She gets really angry when I try to wash it.

AYAKA: But washing it makes it rough.

MAMA: She says it feels different after washing. I thought kids stop thinking like that once they graduate from elementary school?

AYAKA: Then at least tell me if you wanna wash it! It’s always such a shock when I come home and find it so rough…

MAMA: Then, she’ll tell me to “make it soft again!” (laugh) I always have to soften it by kneading it by hand, before returning it to her, then she’ll just bunch it up anyway. Anyway, she’s started sleeping by herself this year.

— Wait a minute! She just started sleeping alone?

MAMA: Yes. It was after a quarrel we had around the end of last year. One day, she was with my husband, and the two of them were having such a great time chatting together. The sight somehow made me annoyed, and I got curt with her… “What are you two talking about so happily without me!?”

AYAKA: It was a misunderstanding. Mama didn’t want to hear about this thing I was doing that hadn’t been announced yet, because she wanted to know about it at the same time as the fans. It was the live recording we were doing for Uchimura Teruyoshi-san’s show “LIFE!”. Because Papa often watches Uchimura-san’s shows, I told him about it in confidence. That’s all we were talking about! So for me, I didn’t understand why Mama got angry. I got frustrated, went to my room, and cleaned up a space for myself to sleep.

MAMA: That night, I kept checking up on her secretly, to make sure that she didn’t catch a cold. (laugh)

AYAKA: I realized that, so I left the door slightly ajar. (laugh)

MAMA: So you knew. You should have at least said “good night”.

— She’ll come of age this spring. Now that she can sleep alone, it’s the start of her true independence.

MAMA: Either way, she’ll be our responsibility until she reaches 20 years of age. I’ll slowly let her go once she reaches 19, and when she turns 20, I can retire… Or so I thought, because I used to imagine that she would continue with her studies, until I heard her announcement during Kokuritsu. I was really shocked when she said she wanted to “give her life to Momoclo”. For us, it felt like she was announcing she’ll give up schooling, and just focus on Momoclo. It was such a big decision to make to everyone at Kokuritsu, but she’d never discussed it at home.

AYAKA: Well, if I discuss it with Mama at home, you may change my mind.

— The idea to remain strict while she’s a student is still going strong. By the way, a text message from Mama was the hot topic during this year’s New Year Ustream. You said something similar to “Please tell Ayaka to stop eating already”.

MAMA: I was shocked too. (laugh) I mean, she was really eating a lot.

AYAKA: But you never make cheese fondue at home!

MAMA: I felt like I needed to say something to the manager, so I texted him to “please tell her not to eat too much”. And the rest is history. (laugh)

AYAKA: I was stubborn too, so I decided not to eat anymore!

MAMA: This may make her angry, but she has to think about her diet. But to say that she won’t eat might cause everyone else to fuss over her. As I mentioned before, once this girl decides to do something, she’ll not tell anyone about it until she’s achieved it. She might have feigned ignorance during the Ustream, but she knows I’ll quiz her about her meals once she gets home. She always tells me she eats nothing, but I’ll trump her by telling her that I already saw it all on TV. (laugh)

AYAKA: ……

— You two really have the most interesting relationship. And Aarin is really accepting of Mama.

AYAKA: Hmm… Either way, she mostly lets me do whatever I want to do, that’s why. But she can be really noisy. (laugh)

MAMA: Her bed will definitely get dirty and uncomfortable soon, so I think she’ll come back to sleep beside me again. Together with her baby blanket.

~

Sakai Miiko
How to raise a flower girl: 42 tips to raise a strong, smart lady
(PHP Paperback)

On 22 Oct 1993, PHP Research Institute released an article titled “A flower girl, a flower mum”. On 15 Oct 1996, a book titled “How to raise a flower girl: 42 tips to raise a strong, smart lady” was released by PHP Paperback. (Latest edition: March 2015)

Author Sakai Miiko was born on 18 Feb 1926, the eldest daughter of the prominent family of Duke Maeda Toshinari. She spent her childhood in London, and when she returned to Japan, she joined and graduated from an all-girl’s school. During the war, she worked as a secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After marrying Sakai Tadamoto, a former Earl, she started to host seminars, focusing on manners and etiquette, with a specialization in feminine beauty. She is the author of several books, including “The Showa history of a noble family” and “A pictorial encyclopedia to etiquette”. She passed on on 5 Oct 1999.

This book in question features what Sakai terms a “flower girl”, or a girl who is able to charm others, and how to raise one. The book contains child-raising tips, as well as ideas based on Sakai’s expertise with etiquette.

Using a “flower” to embody everything that makes up a female, the book teaches parents how to instill beautiful behavior and habits into their newborn baby girl, who is just like a blank canvas. The goal is to raise a lady; a female who is dazzling and smart.

4-5 years before the book’s publishing, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations. Put in place to protect the rights of neglected or forgotten children, the idea of respecting children’s rights began to spread throughout the world. In the midst of that, it’s not hard to imagine how this book, containing advice that places the parent in charge of all decisions and how to raise a girl through traditional, strict methods, would have made waves with its release.

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Numero TOKYO 2016 June: Ayu Feature Article

Scans shared by ayufan.com.

——

Hamasaki Ayumi BEAUTY 147

31 March. 2016. 17:00
Hamasaki Ayumi makes her fifth appearance in Numero TOKYO. This time, we focused on fuss-free, life-size shots that emphasize her beauty. This is Hamasaki Ayumi’s real face, before hairstyling and make-up. Her beautiful translucent skin has not changed since we first met her five years ago. When we asked her about her secret, this was her reply. “I’ve been using an all-in-one serum developed by Takano Yuuki-sensei, who does my eyelash extensions, and my skin condition has been great. It makes me feel as if I can go on for just a little longer!” We then asked, what is the first thing she does every morning? “I go onto the rooftop with my dogs, bathe in the sun, and smile. Bathing in sunlight each morning sets the day going at the right rhythm for me. It also affects the quality of my sleep. With age, I can feel the importance of maintaining a good rhythm in my daily cycle. And when my dogs wag their tails happily, it naturally brings a smile to my face too.”

——

see the real me. A confession from the heart of a songstress welcoming her 18th Anniversary. Hamasaki Ayumi’s now as an artiste

For years, Hamasaki Ayumi has exceeded her role of singer by being an all round entertainer, continuing to challenge herself by staging elaborate concerts. Testing her own limits, she hosted concerts of exceptional quality for her audience and fans. Now, she is 37 years old. Compared to 18 years ago, her longstanding symbols are her lovable nature, unchanging from how she was when she debuted 18 years ago, and her admirable beautiful skin. We present a beauty story based on Hamasaki Ayumi’s skin, so soft it begs to be touched.

She shared her latest skincare secret with us. “I tried using the bestselling cosmetics that are recommended for people my age, but in the end, I still returned to a simple skincare routine.” Since shedding her old skincare routine, she shared that more people have commented on her good skin condition.

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Plump, cherry blossom tinted lips are one of Hamasaki Ayumi’s charms. Paired with clear skin, moist lips help to create a healthy look.

18 years since her debut, Hamasaki Ayumi has reached a state where she is “satisfied with life”. “In fact, there isn’t really anything I desire anymore. When I did the fanclub tour and performed in a concert staged to resemble a show, I suddenly realized how much I loved to sing. Of course, I still have a wish to grow as a singer and entertainer. That would all come together on stage. That is where I belong. But aside from that, there is nothing else I want.”

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In order to create a concert that is up to her expectations, she determinedly took on a physical training regime. Exercise, training, and body conditioning are all part of her everyday routine.

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The annual nationwide Arena Tour has kicked off again this year. With a highly-entertaining concert that is sure to be enjoyed even by non-fans, Hamasaki Ayumi has challenged herself to perform an aerial act. Due to the unexpected strain placed on her body, she has been leading the lifestyle of an athlete these days.
I definitely need a fair amount of muscle for that, so I can’t skimp on training for even a single day. I usually watch what I eat, but with the recent physical strain, I have gotten a new perspective on body care, and I have definitely adopted more healthy practices now as opposed to the past. (laugh)

When we asked about her secret to maintaining beautiful skin, she gave the following reply. “I tried using the bestselling cosmetics that are recommended for people my age, but in the end, I still returned to a simple skincare routine.” Recently, she had started using an all-in-one moisturizing serum developed by BONITO’s Takano-sensei, and many have complimented her about it.
This applies to physical training too. Do only what is essential. Overdoing things can be bad, so it’s important to know what your body and skin needs. With this return to basics, I have also changed my morning routine. I used to drink water when I first wake up, but now, I have started to add playtime with my dogs on the rooftop into my routine as well. No matter how busy I am, I won’t miss out on that. When I bathe in sunlight each morning, my body knows that it’s time to start a new day, and it becomes easy to adjust my body clock. With that, I am also able to get a good rest at night. I’ve come to consciously think about maintaining such daily cycles. (laugh) In fact, just a few days ago, I had stayed up all night for three consecutive nights due to work with recordings and the tour, and when I entered the recording booth and told myself to perform, I just lost my focus when the song came on, and I just wondered “Eh? What am I supposed to be doing now?” (laugh) I used to be able to push myself to do things without sleep or rest, but the consequences of doing that now have gotten worse, and it takes much longer for my body to return to optimum condition… Also, playing with my dogs brings a smile to my face, so I do that alot now. To wake up in the morning and go straight into work mode, like checking my phone or PC to know what I need to do for the day, who I need to talk to, who I need to get back to, just leaves no time for laughter, and I don’t think that’s good. First, I want to bathe in sunlight, then I want to smile. After that, I will begin my day. It may take up a little time, but it may be what my body needs.

When she talked about knowing what she really wants, it probably has something to do with what she said about being “satisfied with life”. In fact, she talked about this last year, right after her first fanclub tour in 12 long years.
In fact, there isn’t really anything I desire anymore. When I did the fanclub tour and performed in a concert staged to resemble a show, I suddenly realized how much I loved to sing. Of course, I still have a wish to grow as a singer and entertainer. That would all come together on stage. That is where I belong. But aside from that, there is nothing else I want.

These words came from a reflection after putting 18 years of effort into her songs and concerts. With that, we asked her what she envisioned herself to be like as an artiste, back when she first debuted.
Now that I think about it, I never had any idea what kind of artiste I wanted to be, or what kind of songs I wanted to sing… Rather than writing lyrics, it felt like I was penning down letters or a diary entry. My latest album is titled “MADE IN JAPAN”, which refers to myself, as well as the fact that this is where I am proud to be, where I love, where my everything is… So rather than how I wanted to be, it’s about how I can change what I have become. But when I was creating the album, what was on my mind were the things which cannot be changed. So it can’t be helped if it’s a little dark. (laugh) Because my job requires me to stand before people, I don’t have the chance to show that to others. I have to smile, have to act tough. I know I wasn’t required to do that, but I also didn’t want to share my thoughts with anyone, nor was I foolish enough to do so. So it means that the self I was at the beginning, during the “A Song for XX” era, is still basically the same self I am now, 18 years later… In this time, the things which I can’t tell anyone about have increased, so that darkness still remains… And I have no intention of telling these things to anyone in the future as well. But rather than carry all these burdens and being unbalanced by it, maybe I would be able to find peace by singing about them… The listener is free to find meaning in the songs, whether what I’m singing about is true, or whether the “me” or the “you” in the song is referring to ayu, or if the “you” is referring to the listener. But songs are my way of finding a balance in order to continue living strong, so singing about things actually fulfills me. And when I bring that song to a concert in the form of a show, I’ll get to see it from another perspective because I take on a self different from the me I was when I composed the song. However, the song is still written by me, so I’m still able to deliver its punchline. Through that, I’m able to have an output, and maybe that cleanses me and helps me to regain some balance. These ideas were running through my mind when I was creating this album.

She has showed us numerous snippets of the lyrics right after writing them. But the fact that these heartwrenching words and her smiles hide an unknown side to her pierces our hearts…
Whenever I finished a section of the lyrics, I thought to myself, “I wonder if this person is alright”, or “she seems to be embracing a very deep darkness”. (laugh) But I knew that it’s not anyone’s fault but my own. I’ve surely managed to question myself, and also to point out lots of mistakes in relation to myself and to our surroundings. I feel that I’ve thoroughly addressed some issues and corrected some wrongs. Sometimes, we blame our busy lives, or find these issues too complicated, or am afraid and let our fear of getting hurt take precedence, so we pretend not to see, and end up putting a lid on these ugly issues… But the regret of doing so lasts a lifetime, and we’ll never know what’s happened to these issues we’ve kept out of sight… This has happened too much in these 18 years, so maybe that’s why they took form as lyrics…

In March this year, the album “A BEST” which sold a total of 5 million copies, was released in a remastered version. It clearly showed an objective perspective of the woman who had journeyed more than a decade, something which the latest album does as well. On the other hand, the re-release of “A BEST” has attracted many comments from people who shared that they were “saved” or “supported” by the songs. How does ayu herself think of such comments?
To be honest, I really felt alienated by that. Of course, people would attach different memories to the works I create, and feel nostalgia or joy. Hearing about that makes me really happy, and I am glad to be the Hamasaki Ayumi who created those songs. However, there is another side of me… When everyone is reminiscing warmly about how a song makes them remember how much they used to love someone, I was at my lowest, coldest point. I’m the type who seldom writes about happy things, and coupled with the fact that I always remember exactly what state of mind I was in when I wrote each song, the few days before and after the re-release of “A BEST” was emotionally void for me. I wanted it all gone… I knew that I musn’t return to how I was then. There are things I need to do now, so I need to move on. I am living in the present, and I don’t want to be dragged back 15 years to the past. These were my dark thoughts. It’s different from when I perform the songs on stage, because that’s fine. On stage, I am an artiste, a performer, and I’m standing there for the sake of others. But at home, just the sight of “A BEST” makes me feel like I don’t need to exist for others, that I can just cry and rage all I want. However, I don’t want to do that, so the moment I got the CD, I just stuffed it into a corner of my shelf (laugh).

Will this latest album make you feel the same way a few years down the road?
I don’t think so. What has come out this time is the me I was when I was creating these songs, and this me has become an adult, and have grown so much thanks to various people, so I understand and am able to forgive much more now… The biggest difference is probably the fact that I am able to discern much more now, and that I was just too raw back then, so standing on stage and singing certain songs was really painful. No matter which self from that era I look back on, all I see is a person who was too raw and frank. Just like the very first tour, with Act 1 and Act 2 (laugh). I didn’t realize it until my friends told me, but I didn’t want the concert to come to an end, even though I used to retreat backstage the moment I finished singing. That tsundere side of me was just so amusing. I guess I just wanted to escape because I was afraid. I used to be like that… I still feel afraid sometimes, but the fear comes from responsibility now. In the past, it was just the fear of being watched by curious eyes. When I performed in the past, I always wondered if the audience were really there to listen to my songs, or just out of curiosity, to see who this “ayu” person really is. To be honest, I was lacking in confidence then. For example, when one of my hairstyles became a hot topic, I knew I was supposed to be glad, but I was just afraid, and wishing for people to stop looking at me… In the end, I tried not to appear in PVs, to render my CD jacket covers as drawings. It was a minor rebellion on my part. And then, for the “SEASONS” jacket cover, I was holding a torn photo of the drawing of “vogue”. That was also a small rebellion, because I felt that nobody really had any interest in me, that even if I disappeared tomorrow, they would just embrace someone new. It was also a barrier to stop myself from believing and anticipating, then getting hurt. Now, no matter what, I just let it pass me by. It no longer matters. I can’t let myself be hurt by such small things, so no matter what people say or do, I won’t be hurt anymore. I guess it’s better to say that I CAN’T be hurt anymore, because I now know what is the most important thing to me…

Maybe the most important thing to her now is to be Hamasaki Ayumi, and to deliver something via her songs and concerts. And the moments when this woman, who shares little about her private life, is most animated and happy, is definitely when she is at work.
There are a number of songs in “MADE IN JAPAN”‘s setlist which I’ve not performed in ages, which was surprising to my staff and dancers. I still want to entertain and let my audience have fun, but I also want it to resonate with people, that “yes, this is what our Japan is all about”. Even if they don’t like me, or they only know one song from my discography, I want to share Japan’s wonder with them. The theme this time will also talk about these strange times. About how anonymity is used to attack certain people. I think everyone can feel that things are really weird now, that things are spiraling out of control, that it is too much trouble to try to help others be happy… Just like the latest album, this tour will be really honest and straightforward in many ways. That is a reflection of how I am now.

ViVi 2014 January: LIFE STYLE BOOK

 

Scans shared by ayufan.com.

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Wrapping up the 15th Anniversary year, Ayu x ViVi 2-month consecutive print release project!!

Part 1:
First photobook since “uraayu ayumi hamasaki asian book”,
Photobook “ayu” on sale now!!

Part 1 is an exclusive photobook shot at her residence in L.A. Clad in her own fashion, the book features scenes from her real life, relaxed expressions that cannot be seen anywhere else, and photos of her wrapped in sheets in her private bedroom. An up-close and personal encounter with a smiling ayu, almost within reach, surrounded in a warm atmosphere!

Part 2:
Much-awaited LIFE STYLE BOOK now in production!!

Part 2 is a LIFE STYLE BOOK which fans have been waiting for for the past 2 years, produced under ayu’s own direction!! Starting with snapshots of ayu’s usual must-have items and personal fashion style, she also reveals her beloved cosmetics and beauty items, her private residences in Tokyo and L.A., the Hamasaki household gourmet, and recommended dream-like travel spots!

This issue!! We feature the making-of of the LIFE STYLE BOOK!! Check it out now

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making report

A special feature of the backstage of the LIFE STYLE BOOK, currently in production!
Let us introduce some scenes from the meeting to wrap up the book!

Contents: fashion, beauty, interior, food, travel, family, etc…

Captions from top to bottom:

1. All photos, such as scenes of her residence and other places throughout the world were supplied by ayu. This huge collection to be used in the LIFE STYLE BOOK had to be rearranged in order, and the process had to be repeated many times. Starting with the cover, ayu checked through every detail and item which she wished to deliver to her readers.

2. After selecting the best photos, the staff team held a meeting to review the selection and decide if some shots were to be retaken. After a long thought process, this 2-year overdue work was born.

3. All featured items belong to her private collection, as she directed the artistry behind each and every shot!!

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Ayu’s Deji Deji Diary Vol.160 January

1. Everyone, konnichihuahua. I’m having the best recording session now. The focus this time is definitely on “EDM x Ayu”!! Kyaaa- Don’t miss it

2. Everyone’s been sending me lots of questions!! The beanies I’ve been wearing lots recently are from the brand “neff”, available in Western countries. I bought mine at KITSON-.

3. This Kitty-chan iPhone case is from ninamew. It’s just so exquisite!!!! But I use it lots so it’s a little worn out (laugh) It also comes with a card holder

Next page:

1. Chanel bag, which at first glance sports a dumbbell (laugh).

2. Dolce’s square-framed sunglasses.It’s really light, and I keep wearing them these days~

3. My music comrade in L.A… VERBAL-chin from m-flo, a familiar director, and Jason, a familiar face from little bro’s single!! Love you all

4. Gucci’s leopardprint for today. Aside from the shirt I was wearing in the photos, I also bought a large clutch, sneakers and short boots.

5. I was wearing Jimmy Choo’s flat gold sandals!!

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1. This is Vegas!! I’m on a study tour.

2. For some reason, someone was holding a wedding that day, on the largest scale ever in Vegas history!!! Wow-, it was so awesome!!! The venue was as big as Saitama Super Arena… (sweatdrop)

3. Isabel Marant sneakers!! I’m an obsessed collector. LOVE Isabel Marant

4. A leopardprint stole from Saint Laurent, over Lauren’s long T-shirt, over ROW’s leather pants (laugh)

Next page:

1. HERVE LEGER’s stiletto heels with Victoria Beckham’s tuxedo dress and jacket. A beloved coordination

2. The team that creates my stage!! I really bow down to them!

ViVi 2013 December: Ayu Feature Article

Scans shared by ayufan.com.

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ayu’s 15-year journey with everyone

After her 15th Anniversary Tour, ayu flew over to L.A. In a place suited to her wavelength, she showed us a doubtless, cheerful heart with a natural silhouette… As the first step of her new journey, she talks about the new photobook and LIFE STYLE BOOK with ViVi, bringing you the latest in Ayu NEWS!

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“The only feelings when I began the tour, and when I ended it, were of gratitude”

“I was frightened of being judged, but I’m alright now, because this is just who I am”

“These 15 years were given to me by everyone…”

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“There was no mistake. I’ve truly delivered”

Congrats on finishing the tour! Looking back on it now, what was the tour to ayu?
“All throughout the tour, the wish to “brush up the show more” was always strong. It doesn’t mean that the finale show was perfect with nothing to improve upon, but during editing for the live DVD, I truly felt that it turned out better than I expected. Usually, I would feel that “maybe we could have done this a little better?”, but this time, I just felt that it was “a good concert”.”

So what made it that way?
“The recording before editing contained scenes of the audience too, and I could tell things by looking at the audience while they watched the show. I got to see their reactions to songs, which I couldn’t tell during the concert itself, and that made me feel that “there was no mistake. I’ve truly delivered”. Watching the scenes just made me see things from the audiences’ perspective, and I felt that I was sitting right next to them…”

Was that something you’ve never experienced till now?
“Becoming one with the audience and reflecting on these 15 years was unique to this tour. In the end, it became a concert that I felt even people who weren’t interested in “Hamasaki Ayumi” would enjoy and want to watch live”

The concert felt like a digest of everything you’ve nurtured these 15 years. It was full of “I wanted to hear this~” songs because the setlist was created from fan requests, like an upgraded version performed by the current “Hamasaki Ayumi”, which makes one want to “watch it again!”… It was a consolidation of 15 years of history, through which you had constantly evolved, but tear-jerking as well as it made one remember “here was that innocent girl we used to know…” (laugh)
“That’s because we played lots of old clips too. (laugh) The feeling of everyone’s memories coming together in that moment when a song’s intro played was created. For example, even for songs which made me feel far away, like “oh, I’ve heard this song once on the streets, or in a CM”, it helped one to reconfirm the strong impression the song left on one’s memory, and I personally objectively feel that this tour was distinctly Hamasaki Ayumi in that respect”

Sorry to keep you waiting! It’s finally here~!

And then, there’s the news that a LIFE STYLE BOOK is in the works! It’s a much-awaited photobook ever since the release of “uraayu”.
“That’s right. (laugh) Firstly, the LIFE STYLE BOOK’s production has been delayed for a long time, because I’ve been accumulating all the things which everyone wants to know about, so the me from the past was unable to put out this book. Even the me was last year could not do so. It’s a book that can’t be published except by the person I am now, that’s what the book is about. In fact, I’ve been worried ever since I started creating this book, because I was afraid of my private life being judged. However, this year made those fears disappear. I became alright with showing my all to everyone! Even if others looked and called me a pitiful or boring person, that’s just how I am. And there will surely be people who will enjoy the book… Well, I expect those are the reactions this book will invoke. One thing though, I don’t have a bathtub filled with champagne. (laugh)”

We’ll look forward to it! (laugh) What do you feel about the photobook itself?
“Same as with “uraayu”, we never had concrete plans to make the book. Everyone during the photoshoot just had really good vibes, so the ideas just flowed. That’s the feeling we had when shooting this issue’s ViVi and the LIFE STYLE BOOK in L.A.. There was great chemistry between the old and new members on the team, and we just took more and more photos. In the end, it felt like we were actually shooting a photobook instead, and we just expanded on that idea. During the shoot, everyone commented that “this is the ayu I’ve wanted to see!” which slowly drew me out, and the result was “a never-before-seen ayu who still seems slightly nostalgic”.”

I’ve seen a few of the photos, and it felt like a “larger-than-life ayu”, rather than the usual “Hamasaki Ayumi”.
“I think so too, because I was in my own clothes, filming in my own territory. If the exact same white sofa was brought into a studio in Tokyo, I won’t be able to replicate the same expressions. It’s a place where I can truly relax, with people I can relax around, and at this time of my life, and all these miracles piled together to produce this… I’m sure that if you read it together with the LIFE STYLE BOOK, you’ll clearly see the person I am right now~”

You’re in relax mode in L.A., so what’s happening with music production? There’s about half a year left in your 15th Anniversary year, so we can expect more releases, right?
“I’ve been recording! I’m collaborating with new people now with a mind to create good music, so please wait for a little more… With the power I received from everyone from the 15th Anniversary tour as fodder, I hope to deliver music that connects song and everyone’s memories. In the first half of this Anniversary year, I was truly grateful to have the chance to continue singing. “These 15 years were given to me by everyone…” To repay everyone, I want to slowly, carefully create every new song”

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Information release!!

Summing up the 15th Anniversary year, Ayu x ViVi starts a 2-month consecutive release project!

Chapter 1: A photobook shot at her private residence in L.A.!
To be released on 15 November.

Chapter 2: The much-awaited LIFE STYLE BOOK!
To be released in December.

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Ayu’s Deji Deji Diary Vol.159 December

How has everyone been-?! Alright, “Ayu x ViVi”‘s 2-month collab project has been announced this issue~ The wonderful!! Heart-throb!! Awesome!! photobook and STYLE BOOK are complete-!! Please look forward to them

And I’m in the process of recording new songs too!! New songs are surely a surprising, happy NEWS… So Don’t miss it!!

By the way, I’ve been a beanie girl these days. But my fashion is still the same, I like monochrome colours both for casual and dress-up wear. I’m obsessed with beanies in bright happy vitamin colours that catch the eye. Ah, even when dressed-up, I like to wear neon-coloured sneakers too, which some people say looks weird, but it’s my recent trend!!

Photobook “ayu”: Message

Scans found [here].

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Message found in photobook “ayu”.

Let me do this properly—

Nice to meet you, I am Hamasaki Ayumi.

I have been writing lyrics and singing since the age of 19.

The first lyric I wrote as Hamasaki Ayumi was “poker face”.

At first, the idea that my thoughts would be delivered to someone through song,
gave me a really wondrous feeling.

However, since then, I learnt that songs continue to grow and live on,
due to the people who feel for them.

The fact that songs are my life
have made me happy at times, sad at others.

Being “Hamasaki Ayumi”
has also brought me joy as well as pain.

However, I have lived through 15 years this way. And now,

I am really grateful
to have lived my life as “Hamasaki Ayumi”.

Hamasaki Ayumi’s 15 years
were 15 years given by the people
who loved her songs and helped them grow.

From now on, I will continue to sing with honesty.
And I pray that my songs will continue to live on in a corner of someone’s heart and life.

I want to continue to sing and live my life, incorporating this unreasonable prayer into each and every song.

My songs, which remain alive somewhere.
To all the people who have shown unwavering love to them all this while,
and to all the poeple I may meet in the future through them,

I thank you from my heart.

Ayu

Harper’s Bazaar Hong Kong 2013 October: Ayu Feature Article

Original article [here].

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Numero TOKYO 2013 October: Ayu Feature Article [Part 3]

Scans shared by ayufan.com.

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Some things I will change.
Some things I have changed.
Some things I can’t change.
Can I truly smile?

Hamasaki Ayumi speaks of her 15 years since debut

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Numero TOKYO 2013 October: Ayu Feature Article [Part 2]

Scans shared by ayufan.com.

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As her presence as an artiste grew, she also started to gain influence as a fashion leader, and started various trends while in her early 20’s. Even that holds some unexpected stories from the busy star.

“There was a period of time when huge sunglasses became my trademark, but that didn’t start as a fashion statement. I started wearing them because I wanted to hide my face as much as possible. Because of work, I had to change hair and make-up styles several times in one day, so the condition of my skin and hair deteriorated. The sudden change to short hair was also a last resort due to that. (laugh) Personally, the trends which I still follow today are Kitty-chan and candles. When I’m travelling, being surrounded by a favourite scent helps me to settle down comfortably. Kitty-chan is a personal obsession. It’s just brilliant how even a change in the position of her ribbon adds a sense of freshness which I never get enough of. I think that she’s a character who resembles Hamasaki Ayumi, so I feel a sense of closeness to her, and I get excited every time she releases something new!”

Numero TOKYO 2013 October: Ayu Feature Article [Part 1]

Scans shared by ayufan.com.

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AYU’s home sweet home
15th debut Anniversary special campaign. Revealing her private residence for the first time!
Hamasaki Ayumi, my sweet home

Bea’s Up 2013 September: Ayu Feature Article

Scans shared by ayufan.com.

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Autumn Make-up: Hamasaki Ayumi
ayu’s 3 fall LOOKs

As the scorching days continue on, the beauty industry has been introducing many new ranges of colours as they await fall. This month’s cover girl is Hamasaki Ayumi-san, who has welcomed her 15th Anniversary debut. Here, she reveals 3 fall looks. We heard from ayu about her views on beauty “now”.