Takahashi Ai’s Radio-graphy

Takahashi Ai (21) who’s already been the leader of Morning Musume for a year is releasing her 9th solo photobook. The first half of the photobook was shot at the Tama river with cherry blossoms in full bloom. Does the photobook contain the carefree side of Takahashi Ai which according to the theme of the photobook only “close” and intimate friends get to see?
“When I was throwing stones into the river, the staff people laughed at me because the way I threw the stones wasn’t very girl-like. (lol) Under the cherry trees I played with a dog and had a chat with a little girl, it was a very relaxing day for me.”
The other half of the photobook with sexy bikini pictures was shot in Okinawa in the middle of April. Fun memories of that time?
“Sooki soba, meat, Chanpuruu etc.. I think all I did over there is eating. (lol) The beach was really beautiful, so I directly went into the water even though I’m actually scared of the sea. I’d be happy if you can see the “Mou hitotsu no Ai” who is a little bit more childish than usual.”
It was an irreplaceable 1 night and 2 days trip for the busy leader. Don’t you want to go on this trip together with her?

Kindai (May 23)

Takahashi Ai
Birth date: September 14th, 1986
Origin: Fukui prefecture

Q: What’s the origin of your name?
A: First I was supposed to get the name “Yui” written with the kanji 結, but the stroke count wasn’t really good, so I was called 愛 instead.
Q: Your habits?
A: To tousle my hair?
Q: Your hobbies?
A: Ballet, stretching, shopping, watching theater and musicals.
Q: Your specialty?
A: Stretching.
Q: Sports you’re good at?
A: Basketball.
Q: Your favorite food?
A: Sauce katsudon.
Q: Do you cook? What’s your best dish?
A: I do~. I’m good at making stewed fish with komatsuna.
Q: Your charm point?
A: Eyes.
Q: What animal would you describe yourself as?
A: Monkey.
Q: Please do the same with the other members.
A: Niigaki Risa -> squirrel, Kamei Eri -> turtle, Michishige Sayumi -> rabbit, Tanaka Reina -> cat, Kusumi Koharu -> squirrel monkey, Mitsui Aika -> raccoon, Junjun -> panda, Linlin -> koi carp.
Q: What do you like about each member?
A: Niigaki Risa -> Her singing voice. Kamei Eri -> The way she talks. Michishige Sayumi -> She’s sharp-witted. Tanaka Reina -> She’s skillful. Kusumi Koharu -> She’s positive and optimistic no matter what happens. Mitsui Aika -> Her smiling face. Junjun -> She’s kind. Linlin -> Her hair. It’s extremely silky
Q: If you were a man, which member would you fall in love with?
A: Reina.
Q: Any pets (at your parent’s house)?
A: One toy poodle.
Q: What did you want to become when you were small?
A: Fast-food employee.
Q: What job would you like to try out once?
A: Stylist.
Q: The first Morning Musume song you’ve come to like?
A: “memory Seishun no Hikari”.
Q: What’s Morning Musume for you?
A: A morning set. (lol)
Q: What’s the first thing you do after waking up in the morning?
A: I wash my face and brush my teeth.
Q: What does your breakfast menu (morning menu) always contain?
A: Bread.
Q: Something you were happy about recently?
A: When it was decided we’ll get to perform live in Taiwan, South Korea and in Shanghai.
Q: Something that made you laugh out loud recently?
A: I cracked up when watching Sanma-san’s TV show.
Q: Something you’ve been engrossed in lately?
A: English.
Q: What do you do on free days?
A: I go shopping or I watch theater shows.
Q: What gives you energy?
A: Having a good bath.
Q: A message please!
A: The first Asian tour is already in preparation, so I want to do my best in order to make more and more people around the world get to know Morning Musume!!

I can do my best because I like it. That’s how a job should be!

A little, energetic and cute girl who laughs a lot. Morning Musume’s leader Takahashi Ai is a 21 year old girl who’s exactly like her image suggests. Despite her little body she has a huge dream in her heart and sings and dances with enormous energy.

Breaking the “Karaoke prohibition rule”!? A secret story from the time she joined Morning Musume.

Since I was small I loved singing and dancing and admired Takaradzuka and Morning Musume. The first CD I bought was “Memory Seishun no Hikari”. I wasn’t able to afford “LOVE Machine” which was popular at my school, but I managed to buy “Koi no dance site” with saved up pocket money…
The “ASAYAN” audition took place at that time, but things get broadcasted a bit later in my home town Fukui. When I found out about the audition, the deadline was already very close. I made a phone call to Fukui TV and asked the person in charge “When is the deadline?” and that person went out of his way to ask TV Tokyo for me. Then without a delay I got a call and he said “The deadline is tomorrow!”. So I hastily looked for a karaoke box which can do MD recordings, went there with my mother in a hurry and applied for the audition with 3 songs including Utada Hikaru-san’s “Automatic”.
Actually I was a member of the chorus club at that time and wasn’t allowed to go to Karaokes. I was told that it’s because “The way you sing in karaoke etc., it’s all totally different from chorus.”. At that time I knew I wasn’t allowed to, but I wanted to challenge myself after all and went to a Karaoke box for the first time. I think that was the turning point of my life. I’m very grateful for the Fukui TV official who was in charge at that time. One day I’d like to appear in Fukui TV in order to pay the debt of my gratitude. (lol)

Following the tradition which is relentless and merciful at the same time - From being a new member to becoming the leader

After passing the audition and becoming a member, even a while after my debut I still hadn’t really realized it yet. It was like.. even though the camera was running I didn’t have the feeling that I was being filmed, but later when I watched TV, I saw myself on the screen. I also had the strong feeling that it’s different when I watch it on TV. On TV you only see the person who’s singing for example, but during the actual performance all members still have to dance strictly following the choreography. I only knew about the shiny surface of it all and what was hidden behind it became visible to me. Like doing dancing and singing practice everyday with everyone wearing jerseys. I think when I got confronted with actually natural things like that, I got to know the truth behind this job and the strictness of it.
It was very difficult to catch up with our senpai. We had a live concert planned one month after our debut was decided, so we had to learn all songs until “The Peace” until then, ie about two songs a day. We were also often compared to the 4th gen members and told that we don’t have any personality. In the end I got homesick in Tokyo where I didn’t have any friends.
But I was very happy when I got letters from Abe Natsumi-san and Gotou Maki-san saying that “It’s something everyone has to go through.”. I also got scolded a lot by our senpai and cried a lot, but when I managed to do something right they properly praised me too. That’s the reason why I could do my best. What helped me the most were of course the members from my generation who felt the same way as I did. Being together with them was very reassuring and saved me. Having wonderful senpai and members from the same generation is one of the good things about Morning Musume.
It’s been exactly one year since I’ve become the leader last year. I had never thought that I would become the leader one day and to be honest I thought “I can’t!” at first. It’s not my character, I don’t have the authority to keep the members together and I’m not the type to tell others what to do either…. There was a lot of pressure too and I was very anxious, but Nakazawa Yuuko-san and Yoshizawa Hitomi-san sent me mails saying “It’s ok if you do it in a way that’s like you, in a way that’s like Aichan.” and I’ve felt a lot more at ease.
Since becoming a leader I’ve come to understand many things. For example shortly after my debut I used to think “Why do we have to get scolded like this?”, but now it’s like “Ahh, so this is why they had to point it out back then.”. Maybe that’s a proof of my growth too.

The 7 years where she’s improved on the stage she loves

7 years have passed since my debut. Variety shows, dramas, photobooks etc…., I’ve taken on various kinds of jobs. Each one of them is fun in it’s own way, but what I like the most is singing after all.
Tsunku-san is a great person after all. His lyrics often deal with topics you end up overlooking in everyday life, but understand when you sing about them. I often think to myself “Ahh, that’s right..” while I’m singing.
I love live concerts more than anything. I can hear the voices of the fans, I can see the expressions on their faces too. They all dance together, combine their voices and sweat for us. Live concerts are a lot of fun.
But live concerts are also the most exhausting among my jobs and they’re often very tiresome for your physical strength too. However they’re also a kind of test or a training and I think I’ve grown thanks to the concerts I’ve performed in every year since my debut. The spring tour this year was also really tough. We’ve performed all 36 of our singles and I thought to myself again and again that Morning Musume is amazing and felt it’s great history. 1 or 2 t-shirts weren’t enough as change of clothes either. (lol)
In the future I’d like to treasure live concerts and try to have fun doing my job in my own way. I’m sure I’ll graduate from Morning Musume one day, but I want to find my own future prospects and leave in a cool way like Yoshizawa-san and Ishikawa Rika-san. At graduation concerts of my senpai, I used to break out in tears because I was so moved and felt lonely. But I will not cry at mine! Maybe. (lol)

Q: From me to me ~A word to myself~

Become stronger.

You’re weak. When things don’t go well at work, you directly start crying. But no one will know what you feel when you only cry, you have to express it in words. Take pride in your job like the senpai you admire and do your best! /Takahashi Ai 2008 JuneT

Beautiful Girl
This week’s girl
Takahashi Ai

She’s been in a huge Takaradzuka mania since her childhood days and had lots of their posters hung in her room.

After “Ribon no Kishi” two years ago, Morning Musume and Takaradzuka will collaborate on “Cinderella the Musical” for the second time! The one who will play the leading role in such a fantastic musical is Morning Musume’s leader Takahashi Ai-chan.
“I played the leading role in “Ribon no Kishi” too, but this time I’m thinking about how to bring out myself without destroying the image of Cinderella in everyone’s heads.”.
Actually Ai-chan’s been a big Takaradzuka fan from when she was small. That’s why her attitude towards musicals isn’t half-hearted.
“I’ve come to like Takaradzuka in my second year of elementary school and used to have many posters of them in my room. My friends from that time often asked me ‘Who’s that?’.”
A girl who got to know the fascination of Takaradzuka at the age of 8! And moreover a huge fan! The reason for this might be that even the type of guy she likes, the Prince type, often appears in Takaradzuka musicals.
“Yes. (lol) I like men who look good with white or blue clothes of an aristocrat.”
However, there aren’t many men like that in reality…
“In reality… men who look like monkeys for example. Also men who look like my dad when he was young and not chubby!”
Yo-your father was that cool?
“I don’t have any memories of that, but I was told that he used to resemble Jinnai Takanori-san. He’s a former yankii though. (lol)”
Now, it’s already been 1 year since Ai-chan became the leader of Morning Musume. Lastly, please teach our readers who work in offices from your knowledge of a leader.
“Let’s see.. At first I was unsure about a lot of things, but after all I think what’s most important is to find the things you want to do yourself.”
Just like expected from a senpai!

Famitsu is a Japanese video game magazine.

- A unit called High-king has come into existence. What kind of group is it going to be?
Takahashi: I think a cool group. At first I was surprised by the member line up and thought that H!P egg Maeda Yuuka-chan is still only a child, but she’s good at dancing and is very reliable. The song itself is cool too, so we want to aim for that direction.
- Furthermore this single is the promotion song for the musical “Cinderella the Musical” where Morning Musume and Takaradzuka Revue will collaborate on. Takahashi-san, you’re known for liking Takaradzuka.
Takahashi: Yes. A while ago we had the opportunity to work together with them in the musical “Ribon no Kishi” too. This time, more Takaradzuka members will take part, therefore I think we’ll be able to offer an even more gorgeous show.
- It’s irresistible for you as a Takaradzuka fan?
Takahashi: You’re right. (lol) It’s just that Takaradzuka has already performed “Cinderella” once, so one will be able to clearly compare the two versions. That’s why I’m all fired up as well.
- How do you feel about working together with the people you admire?
Takahashi: It’s a strange feeling. I mean Asaji Saki-san and Aika Mire-san I will be working with are TOP STARS! I’ve been to many of their musicals as a part of the audience. And now I’m going to work together with them.. It’s a really strange feeling.
- By the way.. We’ve heard that Takahashi-san likes games too.
Takahashi: I love games! I especially like the “Final Fantasy” series and played the games a lot. Everyone in my family likes games, maybe that’s why.
- Do you remember which part of “FF” you played first?
Takahashi: “FF VII”. I was still a child in the era of the Super Nintendo, so they wouldn’t let me play saying “The save point would get lost!”. (lol) But since the Playstation came out, you could save on memory cards and I could finally start playing from “VII” on. (lol)
- I see. (lol) Then your parents seriously like games, huh!?
Takahashi: Yeah, my dad even used to play while sacrificing his sleep for it. (lol) But lately they seem to be too difficult for him when he gets into the second half, so he watches from the back when I’m playing. But he’s really noisy saying things like “Not that way!”. (lol)
- By the way, which part of the “FF” series do you like the most?
Takahashi: “X”. I played a lot of blitzball and I liked Tidus too. (lol)