Scans by 兔兔阿草 @ js-link.com

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A Summer Date with AYU! in HAWAII

“Never before seen” Hamasaki Ayumi Happy.Private.Shot!

Aloha~! Our chase for AYU leads us to Hawaii! During filming, the sight of the girl frolicking in the sea brought outcries of “she’s soooo cute ♥”. We also managed to capture never-before-seen expressions. I want to become AYU’s boyfriend!

“Because we had an off-day in Hawaii, everyone went shopping ♪ at the supermarket to buy ingredients for cooking ♥”

An innocent Aloha!

Ayu-chin, in a white cotton dress and straw hat, along the beach. After filming, she ran straight into the sea like this. The sight of her frolicking and enjoying herself to the utmost was cute. ♥

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“At first I was just a bystander, laughing, till I was grabbed by the local coordinator Stan, and forcefully thrown in with a spla~sh, wetting all my clothes”

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“The last day of filming. All the staff followed each other to the sea ♪ with bright, bold moods”

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“We were all so tired from touring. While shopping, we sank into massage chairs and refused to budge from them (lol) With our remaining stamina, we went for dinner at a grilled steakhouse!”

Dressed in this cherry get-up and holding a surfboard, she’s ready for the sea! A never-before-seen, honest and real AYU-chin. Looks like she’s enjoying her off-day ♪

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AYU-chin, wearing a pink striped balloon dress and eating shaved ice. Socializing happily with the locals, she looks like a true Hawaiian herself!

Interview

In Hawaii, I can recharge again, and spend this summer in style~

What is AYU like during the summer? For example, “I’m in the mood for love~ ♪”?
For me, summer isn’t about the “Let’s go!” spirit and all, but more about reminders of the past. Like being reminded about my teenage years, or the special smells carried by the summer winds, and even places. And because I always come to Hawaii for summer, I’ll have memories of this place from each year. Those places which I want to visit are always the same too, so I’ll go to those memorable spots annually. Thus, I’ll have memories like “Things were like this last year, but was it like this 5 years ago?” There’s no regret or anything, just well-meaning nostalgic memories of myself. At the same time, I also think about how I am now… That’s what I’m like.

Do you really always go to the same places?
Rather, it was essential for me to do the same things. Like how I always go to the same sea, and how I always do the same things for enjoyment there. That’s why there’s probably lots of unnecessary overlaps.

Are there many times when AYU comes to Hawaii not for work, but just for a private holiday?
It’s either Hawaii or LA. In Hawaii, I can relax and roam around casually. That’s like a summer feeling. In contrast, places like Tokyo and LA, with their sleepless cities and exciting locations, are more to my liking in the colder seasons. I think warmer seasons are more for relaxation, and should be spent in places which sleep and wake early.

So have you been leading this sort of healthy “sleep and wake early” lifestyle since you came to Hawaii?
Yep. There are no nightspots here, and it’s actually better to wake early… Whenever we come to Hawaii, it’s like a big family vacation, so we don’t see this place as very romantic. (laugh) “Please come back before nightfall~!” and “Please sleep early~” are the rules. We also do room-visiting in the middle of the night to play pranks on each other. (lol)

Eh? Sounds like an excursion trip for elementary school kids.
That’s it, that’s it! Just that kind of innocent fun. Because we can’t, and so don’t, do these things ordinarily, coming to Hawaii thus gives us a chance to let our natural and free selves out to have fun.

So these things which you do every year must be your favourite activities then.
Yep. If we can’t do them, we’ll wonder “Have I become an adult?” and feel really sad. But there are more young staff members now as compared to in the past. Out of those who are here at Hawaii, the youngest is probably about 18 or 19 years old. Even though I still see myself as a girl, I’ve somehow been relegated to the “big sister” team these days. (laugh)

Are you perplexed by this?
Not really. It’s natural for humans to grow older. Even though there’s a particularly large number of young staff members this year, I think that it’s a wonderful thing. But I’m still undecided about whether I intimidate them more, or the other way round. (laugh)

Are there any places which you must visit, or things you must do, whenever you come to Hawaii?
I must go shopping at Neiman in Ala Moana. I’ve known the shopkeeper since long ago, and we’re good friends. Whenever I come, I’ll be greeted with “Long time no see! Are you well? Welcome here again.” They sell lots of casual Hawaiian wear. Even though I’ve been to those big shopping centres in Ala Moana so many times, I still lose myself and go on sprees, it’s a little scary. (laugh) And everyone visits the supermarket everyday to get ingredients for cooking, too. There’s a beach which we always go to as well, but I’m not telling where it is~ ♪

By the way, what kind of clothes do you buy?
I buy lots of striped navy-like clothes. And also those matching 2 piece outfits. For swimwear, though I have new ones made every year, they’re mostly black or white basic bikinis. Last year, I had a gold/brown one. For this year, I have a neon yellow-green one and a purple one, and another one of pink denim. I’m collecting such clothes which shine strongly, those that belong to the stylish world of “glitter”. ♪

I see. The worldview from this new song is becoming AYU’s keyword for this summer. By the way, I heard you’ve been to that health sports shop called Power Stone Shop on 2 consecutive days. That one which sells massage machines and fluffy towels?
Yep, I did~. The massage machine was awesome~ (laugh) Because I’ve been touring non-stop, from Osaka to Hong Kong, then Fukuoka and Hawaii, without going home, these relaxation items really attract me. (laugh)

Maybe that’s another thing for the so-called “strong shining collection”.
Maybe. In Hawaii, I can recharge again, and spend this summer in style~ ♪

“Here in Hawaii, I sleep and wake early! It’s time to let out your innocent and playful heart!”

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Summer Song Interview

The release of the annual summer song! It’s a song with a shiny, memorable melody. We asked Ayu-chin about the contents of the short movie filmed in Hong Kong, as well as her new single.

To break into the movie scene was in many ways a great experience

This time, you did a short film in Hong Kong as a PV instead, right? I’ve seen the piece, and it’s really like a dramatic movie by itself. Really refreshing!
I wanted to sing a summer-like, uplifting song. So for everyone who has been waiting for this new work, I made “glitter”, and its heartbreaking opposing partner, “fated”. But as it wasn’t interesting enough, and I wanted to break away from tradition, I wondered if we could merge these 2 songs into 1 short film. Even though both songs are not summer love stories, I wondered if the film would be able to connect them together as such.

I see. And the one who played the role of AYU’s love interest this time is the popular Asian star Shawn. Apparently you announced something like “Somehow, I just want to act with him!”
Yep. I wanted someone who would strive to do his best with enthusiasm, and I was so amazed when he took part in the entire production of the film, all the way to the end. It made me really happy. Even though he’s already a unique person in real life, when filming starts, he seems like another person altogether! His professional acting really hooked me in as well. He was really the best partner.

The story was very novel too, as if Hamasaki Ayumi is acting as AYU.
Using the lyrics as a base, Director-san thought up a storyline for me. I was amazed at the way he did it. To be given such a role, won’t it be easier if it was the other way round? (laugh)

Bancho and the TA staff also took part in the filming too, right? That made it so much more realistic and emotional for the viewers. And with filming done on such a large scale, wasn’t it tough?
Well… It was about 10 days of filming throughout the night, and the only language of communication was English. All the actors who took part were really awesome, I’m so full of praises for them. There were so so many instances when I accidentally spoke English to my Japanese staff, and Japanese to the Hong Kong staff. I was just so exhausted that I didn’t even realize it. But Shawn and the Hong Kong staff still did their very best for me, so we managed to make a great masterpiece and break into the movie scene. It was in many ways a great experience. Even though I often wondered “Can we really do this?”, it was the first time I doubted, because I’m the type who would never have thought of doing such a thing normally, so I really wondered if things will turn out right. To have achieved it was a big accomplishment, and I feel like I’ve grown a bit too.

Let’s look forward to seeing the contents then. I felt a sense of the actor’s spirit from the wordless performances by you two leads. The loneliness that comes with fame was gorgeously done. I can see it now.
To be frank, it’s a little scary. You sort of wonder “Can this be real?” (laugh) For example, that falling-out scene with the staff members after the press conference. (lol) I’ve definitely been there before.

While “glitter” took the first half, “fated” was matched to the second half of the story. All the girls out there probably wish to have a love as fated as that.
I have definitely met people whom I feel that I’m fated to meet. With such a feeling of anticipation this summer, viewing and listening to this, it makes one wish to have such a spectacular meeting with someone. Summer is just that kind of season, isn’t it, filled with so much excitement? I definitely can’t wait.

“Summer’s filled with so much excitement. I definitely can’t wait~ ♪”

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