kazanko

N: Kamsamnida ("Thank you").

N: Good evening, I’m Kazunari Ninomiya from Arashi. Today’s opening thought comes from radio pen name, Ninochan Arigato. “I went to visit South Korea the other day, and because it was my first international trip, I got homesick at night. But a friend who was watching TV said, ‘Ah!’ so I turned to look. Letters From Iwojima was showing. Just for reference, the subtitles were written in Hangeul. I felt much better and my worries went away after seeing you on TV in South Korea!” Ne. That’s not what the movie is about, but… Do you watch TV when you’re overseas?

G: No, not really.

N: I don’t watch it at all. But we like to guess what the actors are saying.

G: Oh, shows in their language?

N: Yeah. Riida and I try to do that, usually.

G: I see. Foreign dramas?

N: Yeah. We’ll all be eating and one of us would say, “Alright, I’m that guy today”. We usually react to what the other person has said. Usually, it starts with me being some guy with a pistol, and I say, “Give me that hamburger!” [laugh] And then we just play along. The point is how far we can play along. But yeah, it usually starts with me saying, “Give me that hamburger!”, and I’d be holding a gun. Then Riida responds. But that’s about the extent of me watching TV overseas.

G: I see.

N: I just want to get to sleep, to be ready for tomorrow’s concert. Anyway, if you have any ideas for my opening talk, please send in your stories. Here’s my first pick for the evening, BoA-chan’s “Meri Kuri”, Best of USA version.

[BoA – “Meri Kuri”]

N: A debut in America?

G: That’s great.

N: Ne, that’s great. Korea, Japan, and now, America. Do you remember Arashi was on “Emusute” (Music Station) with BoA-chan the other day? She had just gotten back from the States then.

G: Is that what she said?

N: Yeah, she had just gotten back and she said she was really busy. But she spoke to Toho Shinki in Korean.

G: I see, when she talks to them…

N: She seemed like she was having fun talking to them. But they say “hai” to mean “yes”. Is “hai” a Korean word, too? It’s not, right?

G: I don’t think so.

N: They say, “Ye”. It’s “Ye”. When they’re acknowledging a statement, they say “hai” and “soudesune” (I see) in Japanese. Sentences are in Korean. It’s probably all mixed up. But that means BoA-chan can speak English, too. How cool! Sho-chan can speak English, so…

G: Yeah, he seems to be studying it.

N: So maybe he can debut in America.

G: Sakurai-san?

N: Yeah.

G: He was just over there for the Yatterman premiere.

N: Yeah, that looked tough. He was studying English for that. He also studied the language during the Olympics. He told me, “I think I’ll pick it up again”. He needed to learn English so he could speak to the athletes. I’ve been told by Johnny’s Entertainment to study English.

G: Is that right?

N: That’s why I play “Grand Theft Auto”.

G: Oh, because it’s in English?

N: It’s all in English, sometimes Russian. Most of the time, I’m thinking, “huh?”

G: So that’s why you’re playing this game.

N: Yeah. I don’t play because I want to. I play because my management wants me to. So I’ve said yes to “Biohazard”, yes to “Grand Theft Auto”, and yes to “Dead Rising”.

G: Any American game, then?

N: Yes.

G; I didn’t know that.

N: So I’m pretty sure the words I’m learning are terms like “die!” [laugh]

G: That’s no good.

N: Or “obliterate”. It’s not something I can use. If I debuted in America and the first thing I said was “obliterate them”, that’s something I shouldn't say. Anyway, that’s the reason I’m a gamer: because my management told me to learn English. I’ll keep trying. That was BoA-chan’s “Meri Kuri” Best of USA version. Right, this is Arashi’s Kazunari Ninomiya bringing you Baystorm. Moving on! This one’s by radio pen name, Harunebou-san. “There is something I cannot excuse out of duty for my father. He’s 55-years-old, and the first thing he does when he gets home is to take off his socks where he sits. That’s fine, but then he just leaves them there. Earlier, I even stepped on them. I’m shocked and angry at his untidiness. Is it just that I have low tolerance? Ninomiya-san, is there a way I can stop his behavior? Accept his behavior?” I’ve thought about this… my mom and sister are the same: why do they care so much about the socks?

G: What do you mean, like put them away?

N: Right. If a t-shirt was lying around, it’s not a big deal, but when a pair of socks is scattered on the floor, don’t they constantly mention it?

G: Not really…

N: I guess it’s different for others. I get told that a lot! “Socks, socks”… I’m thinking about not wearing them anymore. I guess people don’t like that?

G: I’m sure Ninomiya-san’s socks are clean…

N: [laugh] Why do you have to mention that?

G: It should be clarified, I thought.

N: I wonder. Would you not like it? If your boyfriend were to just leave his socks lying around? [laugh] On a scale of 0-100. See, I don’t really know, either. Next, we have radio pen name Green Fingers Saikou Deshita-san. “I noticed that the light in my bathroom went out the other day, but I didn’t have time to change it. So I used the light coming in from the hallway to do my make-up. I ended up putting a lot more than usual, so when I got to work, my co-workers all told me, “You don’t look so good, maybe you should go home”. I couldn’t admit that it was because of my make-up, so I ended up going home. Thank you for being so nice, but I’m sorry.” Was the light that dim?

G: “You don’t look so good”… so did she look pale?

N: I guess. But she said she used the light from the hallway. This proves that it wasn’t enough light.

G: True.

N: Ne! It must be hard being a girl.

G: It must be.

N: Women have that to deal with. I wonder how society came to be that way... that wearing make-up makes you look more put together. I wonder.

G: Sometimes, there are women wearing no make-up.

N: But people in the entertainment business usually don’t wear any.

G: Yeah.

N: Because they’re going to get it done professionally, at least that’s how they come off.

G: There are staff members with no make-up, too.

N: Yeah. I wonder if it’s because they’re busy. Do you wear any make-up? Or do your hair?

G: In the morning, a bit.

N: So that would be considered grooming.

G: I think so. It takes only 1-2 minutes.

N: Okay, I see.

G: What about you, Ninomiya-san?

N: I don’t at all.

G: That’s right! Even when you’re on TV, you don’t wear any make-up.

N: Just the other day on channel 4, uh… for Shukudai-kun SP, everyone was telling me, “there’s no time, there’s no time!” They said there was no time, so I finished my make-up quickly. I forgot to shave. I haven’t shaved since.

G: Eh?

N: Can you tell?

G: Ah, I see a little bit.

N: It’s been about a week.

G: Can I take a closer look?

N: Sure. It only grows this much in a week.

G: Amazing.

N: Isn’t it? How long is it now, 2 meters?

G: No, no, no….

N: It’s like I’m “Ramen Man”.

G: More like 2 millimeters.

N: My facial hair just grows, like “Ramen Man”.

G: Wow… and that’s one week?

N: One week.

G: That’s nice. It’s a pain to shave.

N: Yeah, it is, isn’t it?

G: Yes.

N: I guess that’s the equivalent to putting on make-up. But I’m sure it takes a longer time to do that. Really, my facial hair doesn’t grow. It’s been a week. Anyway, we’d love to hear your stories so please send them in! Please take a listen. It’s Arashi’s “Season”.

[Arashi – “Season”]
 

N: That was Arashi’s “Season”. Once again, I’m Kazunari ninomiya for Baystorm. Moving onto this portion of the show:UraArashi! Here’s radio pen name Nimpu demo nai noni hara ga detekita (“I’m not pregnant but my tummy’s bulging”)-san. “At last week’s Shukudai-kun with Oodori. Arashi members loved the candy juice by Kasuga-san. But several days ago on a Kanjani8 show, “Jyaniben”, Kasuga-san was promoting the same candy juice and the eight members weren’t so keen about it. Even Nishikido, who doesn’t speak much, had something to say about its terrible taste. Kanjani8 doesn’t like it, Arashi does. What did you think about it, Nino-chan?” It was good.

G: Yeah?

N: It didn’t have much flavor, but it wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t that bad… I guess it depends on the person!

G: Kanjani8 didn’t like it.

N: They must be eating well, then. They know better-tasting foods, I bet. That’s gotta be it.

G: Really?

N: I think so. I bet they have a map of Tokyo and talk to one another saying, “Let’s go here sometime”. That’s seems to be the impression I get. [laugh] They find restaurants that make me think, “Why are we going here together?”

G: They’re like, “Let’s go, let’s go!”?

N: Mm-hmm. It’s like, “Why here?” Moving on to radio pen name, Bamboo-san. “The Nonno  magazine due March 19th”… wow, way to go, Arashi members!

G: Arashi is great.

N: They’re everywhere! “Your section was great, Ninomiya-kun. I had a question as I was reading. You said that you change into your pajamas right before going to bed, but what do you do between bedtime and after you take a bath? Is there anything between wearing clothes and wearing pajamas?” Eh? Isn’t the time you take a bath close to when you go to sleep? Well, I guess not.

G: Some bathe before dinner. In the summer, when you get home all sweaty, you just want to take a shower first.

N: Oh, I see.

G: Before you go to sleep, you want to freshen up.

N: You said “before you go to sleep”.

G: What?

N: You were trying to advocate for those who took showers before dinner.

G: Right, sorry. So yeah, take a shower…

N: And then eat dinner at home or out?

G: I usually head out, in that case.

N: I go straight to dinner after work.

G: I see.

N: Yeah. I don’t think… are there times I take showers before dinner? Nah.

G: Usually no?

N: No. I don’t usually have much time between bathing and sleeping.

G: You can sleep with the raised body temperature?

N: I… I guess so. [laugh] Right. That’s right. Next: radio pen name Kaika no Arashi-san. “As I was reading some magazines the other day, I thought, ‘famous people so often answer so many questions in magazine interviews’. Nino, do you have a question that they ask you to answer all the time? Let us know!” They ask about Christmas. My date plan for Christmas. And near Valentine’s Day, they ask the same thing. That question frustrates me. But it’s a battle with myself.

G: What do you mean?

N: I think, “What is the best ‘idol-like’ answer I can give? These days, I answer, “Meet up at Shibuya, go to an amusement park, ride the ferris wheel, then take her back home”. That’s what I intend to say this year. That’s my plan for a date.

G: I see.

N: I actually think about this in terms of age. I mean, our Riida is 29-years-old. If he said, “Let’s meet up at Shibuya”, the reaction would be, “Go pick her up, man!” That’s where this ‘idol-like’ thinking comes into play. How much can you be an idol in your age range? It’s hard. It’s a battle.

G: Sounds rough.

N: Ne! If you turned 40 and you could still respond with the same story, that’d be fantastic. Meet up at Shibuya, a 40-something couple. Go to an amusement park… I said it would be nice. I think it’d be fun. The fact that I was even considering age as a factor for my answer made me realize how many years I’ve been around, because I’ve been asked that for 14-15 years now. I’m starting to realize this.

G: If you had responded with that story back in your Jr. days, it doesn’t have the same effect.

N: It’s totally different. The motives aren’t the same. But they don’t want to hear honest answers, you know, in Myojo or something. For me to say things like, “My motives are different”. The next question would then be, “What motives?” So I’m challenging myself to be able to come up with answers that sound good. For dramas, they ask me, “What should we look forward to?” “What should we listen for?” It’s really a challenge to come up with clever answers. That’s all for tonight but please keep sending us your thoughts.. Take a listen: here’s Lemioromen’s “Sakura”.

[Lemioromen – “Sakura”]

N: That was Lemioromen-san’s “Sakura”. Kazunari Nimomiya’s Baystorm is coming to an end. Here’s our winner tonight: Nino-chan Arigato-san will receive Volume 1 as a gift. The radio pen name winner is Kaika no Arashi; they will also receive Volume 1. Next week, the answers to “Quiz: Radio nano ni”. Ah! The money prize. If you haven’t sent in your answers, make sure you do. I’ll also be looking forward to your mail for my radio show. You can access us from your computer at www.bayfm.co.jp and click on “Baystorm”. Or you can check us out from your cell phone also. And as I said last week, the Arashi original goods giveaway for five winners. Send in your puns! This giveaway will last all of April. Your radio partner for tonight was Ninomiya Kazunari. Tune in again next week!