Mail time~

I also translated parts of the January Duet article=)

Credit to Mori for the scans!:D

They reply to the readers' loving letters~

The Arashi members reply to the "love question & opinion emails" from Duet readers that were collected yesterday! The little this and that you
were wondering about may be instantly resolved?!

Q. I always get energy from the awesome smiles of everyone in Arashi. What's the source of those smiles? - Tochigi-ken, Tsuyu
Aiba: At any rate, I guess it would be from watching fun things. Even if it's just something trivial, see and feel something that makes you able to
smile, everyday.
Jun: That would be all the fans that support us ne. Other than thatm our everyday lives. The people around us are great aren't they (laughs)?
Nino: I've never thought about it, so I got no idea.
Ohno: I don't smile mich though. I'm not really conscious of it.
Sho: I guess maybe it's because we're given such a full everyday life ne. I also feel that as Arashi reaches our full 8th year since formation it's
getting more and more full ne. The 8th year more than the 7th year, the 9th yaer more than the 8th year...I feel like we're rising up the stairs. But
does Arashi really have that much of a smiling image?
Q. If you were to express yourself through an Arashi song, what song would it be? - Saitama-ken, Yoshie
Aiba: I guess [We Can Make It]. If you can conceive it you can achieve it! With that kind of feeling ne. If you don't have a good concept of things
you'll fail right? I want to always live positively ne.
Jun: It wouln't it be [Yabai-yabai-yabai]? I'll leave the reason to your imagination (laughs).
Nino: I don't have this either ne (laughs).
Ohno: [Everybody Zenshin]. It's not the lyrics but the melody. Resfreshing...ne (laughs).
Sho: [Cool & Soul] would be of use for this ne. Because we were able to put everything that is Arashi in this song. When a little more time goes
by we might write the next verse, but currently in November, 2007, it's this song.
Q. I think the way everyone in Arashi chooses their words and deals with people is awesome. I think it would be great if you could tell us what
remains in your heart of your parents' words and interactions. - Kanagawa-ken, Asuka
Aiba: My parents were working so I was raised by my aunt and uncle...I was raised where if you did something wrong people raised their hands
to you. Children don't understand anything right? I think it might be necessary to teach them that doing something is bad with pain, by hitting them
and such. I feel glad that I was raised in that way. Other than that, speaking of my own experiences, it was tough when my parents made me cry
I guess (laughs).
Jun: I wasn't spoken to particularly harshly ne. You could say I was raised by watching my parents' example. When I think about it now I think they
were very together parents. I think I was raised rather freely and uninhibitedly. Only, in the way that things that need to be taken care of were taken
care of.
Nino: Because I'm the kind with a bad mouth...I myself don't really think it's awesome (laughs). I guess there wasn't anything in particular they
told me?
Ohno: I was not once told things like 'go study' or 'go to school'. It seems like they had a 'there's no use in forcing yourself to do things you don't
want to do is there?' kind of way of thinking. If anything dad and mom both laughed a lot. They laugh like idiots (laughs). That's the kind of home
I was raised in.
Sho: At any rate they told me about things like manners ne. Things like 'thanks' and 'I'm sorry', those were the basics.
Q. Even now that I've graduated from school I still hang out with the group of four friends I was close with once a month, but among Arashi are there
things that up until now you've always continued doing or routines with all five of you? - Kanagawa-ken, Yuki
Aiba: Things we've continued doing with all 5 of us...I guess it would be work (laughs). That's about it ne. Not making routines is also a routine.
Jun: Nothing at all ne (laughs). There may be things we do naturally, but because they're unconscious I don't know. We don't have any routines
either.
Nino: This person (points at Ohno sitting next to him) doesn't give birthday presents at all either, there's nothing we continue doing ne. Though I've been
waiting for presents for about 2 years ne...
Ohno: Arashi doesn't have anything we continue doing, or any routines ne.
Sho: None. We don't make routines, we've also never talked about that kind of thing. If anything it would be emailing each other on birthdays, emailing
each other on the first day of a play? But there are also times when we meet in person and don't send emails ne.
Q. I've been an Arashi fan for half a year, and I'm also a housewife. I'm an older woman. When I see you guys being active and energetic in various
places I also get energetic~! How would all of you in Arashi see an older woman fan like me? - Wakayama-ken, Hitomi age 38
Aiba: I'm incredibly happy. Even with the concerts there's an adult way of seeing things, your opinion is also a good reference. Because you could
say you're my sempai in life. Please favor m from now on as well!
Jun: I'm happy though ne~. If it suits you, I'd want you to bring in your whole family and cheer us on with your husband ne. At a level that doesn't
break up your home please (laughs).
Nino: That's fine isn't it. I don't pay attention to the age of the fans (laughs).
Ohno: That's fine isn't it. You're focussing too much on your age. There's no one who thinks older woman fans are bad~ (laughs). At the concerts
too, enjoy yourself without worrying about it!
Sho: I'm happy ne~. It's not just housewives, for the last few years whole families and men have been increasing in the audience, we feel the breadth
of society. I'm also happy that the people who know about us are increasing, furthermore I'm also happy that the people who like us are increasing.
Age and gender have nothing to do with it. Q. Do you have a song that often plays inside your head? Jun-kun's Yabai song often plays for me. - Nara-ken, Don Cheech Love
A. What would it be? Ah, Hey!Say!Jump!'s [Ultra Music Power] I guess. But it always stops at 'jump into my dream~' (laughs). Because I don't
know the lyrics after that. I guess I want someone to give me the CD (laughs).
Q. In 2008, as Arashi reaches it's 9th anniversary, I will be a first year high school student just like Jun-kun when he debuted. When Arashi debuted
I was still a 6th grader. 9 years is a long time, but I felt it go by in the blink of an eye. How was it for you, Jun-kun? Also, are you becoming the self
that you wanted to be in the future? - Aichi-ken, Matsumoto Ayana Hime
A. Even though you're a 9th grader, that's a well put together question ne (laughs). That's right, because I don't look back like that very much I don't
feel like it was long or short... But I think it could be both long and short. Being able to feel that being called "Arashi", being called "MatsuJun",
meeting with the members, are all very natural things is also just because that much time has gone by ne. The me that I wanted to be...just the same
as Ayana Hime, I'm becoming the me in the future that I thought of when I was in 9th grade aren't I? Because the things where I think 'I want to
do it like this~' are constantly coming to be. In that sense I think I'm happy. But ne, because I'm a person with deep desires (laughs), that doesn't mean
it ends there. There are still a lot of things I want to do ne (laughs).
Q. You're the 'strongest character Matsumoto-san', but are there things that you're afraid of? - Tokyo Area, Tachibana Noriko
A. I don't know where I became the 'strongest character' (laughs), but there are things I'm afraid of. Like my drunk, annoying self (laughs). Rather
than scary more of a...dislike kind of feeling?
Q. Now that your dream of wanting to do a concert overseas that you had for your future when you were a Jr. has come true, as Arashi, as Matsumoto
Jun, do you have a new dream? - Fukuoka-ken, Miyuki
A. I do have a new dream ne. But I won't tell you (laughs). In terms of dreams, there are a lot of things I want to do.
Q. Right now your hair is super long, but you wouldn't cut it to about Ohno-kun's length would you? Do you like your hairstyle right now? - Fukuoka-ken,
Akka-
A. Right now I just have it long because of work you know. I'm doing the filming for the movie (The Hidden Fortress) with half my own hair ne.
I make it the length that's necessary for work, so the honest truth would be that it's not about whether I like it or not. Even when changing my hairtsyle,
I do it to match the role. So if a role comes where it's Riidaa's length I think I'd cut it, if it suits it I'd even shave my head.
Q. You've reached your 8th anniversary, but even now are there still parts of the members that are a mystery to you? - Gifu-ken, Rurube
A. After all ne~, Riidaa and Nino's more than necessary body contact. That's a mystery ne (laughs).
Q. What do you do on your days off lately? Did you get your room clean and tidied? - Saitama-ken, Green
A. When I have time I go ride horses, meet up with my friends like usual... The other day I met Nishikido (Ryou) and went to eat. After that the
two of us saw [Crows Zero]... Because that guy said he didn't have any money I paid for everything ne. On top of which, I even shelled out for
his taxi ride home (laughs). I'm both doing and not doing my room's clean-up.
Q. Arashi always gets along so well with each other. Is there a member where you think that if you got into a fight you couldn't win against them?
...I of course think Matsumoto-san is the best. - Fukuoka-ken, Miyuki
A. We don't fight so I can't imagine it. Or rather, although I won't even imagine it, if for example I was fighting with Riidaa and I hit Riidaa and
he hit me back...I think I'd immediately apologize and say 'I'm sorry!' (laughs).
Q. When you're trying to remember your lines and such, how do you concentrate? I'm a 9th grader getting ready to take my exams so I'd like you
to tell me some ways to concentrate. - Miyagi-ken, Shiho
A. What indeed ne. I guess it would be getting rid of things that get in your way after all. TV, music, cellphone...you make it so that anything other
than what you have to focus on doesn't get in the way. Because if those kind of things are around you they'll stay on your mind and you won't
be able to concentrate.

Their song choices were really telling ne...We Can Make It suits Aiba perfectly:3 Jun's comment about Yabai really gets me thinking...XD And I like how Sho said Cool & Soul expresses all of Arashi, it really makes me curious what the next verse could be^^ But Aiba's child-rearing policies leave me a little scaredO_o And I feel really bad for him too...I mean, if he's happy that's great...but speaking as someone else who was raised like that, I don't think it's healthy at allO_o Ohno's family sounds so cute!XD And really fun^^ But apparently they didn't raise him to give birthday presents, poor NinoXDD
Jun's drive to keep achieving things always makes me focus harder on my own, so I lvoe hearing him talk about ambitions. I wish he'd tell us what that new dream is...everything's a secret with this boy!XD And I'm even more curious about how he is when drunk...besides spilling wine on people's pants that is;P He's so kind to his friends though, paying for that whole day with Nishikido...^^ And I looked up Crows Zero, it stars Oguri Shun:D And it looks really good, I want to see it when it comes out on DVD...haven't seen some good butt-kicking action in a while. But the best part was describing his fight with Riidaa...first of all, trying to imagine Riidaa hitting anyone is kind of warping my brain;P But imagining Jun immediately apologizing is so cute!XD Something like that time on Shukudai-kun where he slapped him...;P Aw, Jun loves you Riidaa=)

In other news, my friendly resident squirrel, Ojiisan, came back the other day!O_o I was really surprised cause he's supposed to be hibernating right now^^;

He looks so cold doesn't he?>_< I wanted to get a closer picture, but when I tried to slide my balcony door open he got scared and ran away...maybe I'll leave some breadcrumbs on my balcony for him^^ Poor thing, he should go back to sleep:S
Well, that's all for now^^ Have a great weekend everyone, hope you're getting geared up for an awesome 2008:)