News about Ayu's mother's store + pics + story
 

I wasn't sure where to post this since it is part news, part story etc. So hopefully this place is ok.

I just had quite a fun experience. :) First some background - I had no plans to go to her mother's store, 'hanabi' today, but ended up there by chance. Right now I am living with a family and the mother of the family is part owner of Curves in Japan (the fitness center) and today she took me with her to her Curves office in Roppongi and I did a workout there (knowing the owner has its perks because I can go to Curves anytime I want for free, yay!) Afterwords I realized I needed to do some shopping at the intl. market nearby and after that I realized that Ayu's mom's store is very close to that. So I decided to go check it out because I actually have only been to the place one time before. Well I was in for a surprise because when I got there the place was empty with a rental sign on the window! I was so bummed and even took pics thinking, "I've gotta go tell AHS that the store went out of business."

I continued to walk the street and found out that the store actually moved to the corner! So yay, not out of business and in a slightly better location. So those that want to visit it, it is on the same street as before only now it is on the corner across from Homeworks burgers. I took a pic and debated whether to go in or not - see, I was actually wearing one of my Hamasaki tour t-shirts at the time because I hadn't planned on coming! I thought it might be totally lame to go into Ayu's mothers store while wearing a Hamasaki t-shirt, haha. But I saw in the window that they had a special box for Mother's Day of chocalates and stuff and since I needed to still buy a Mother's Day present, I used that as my excuse to go in. :)

I did not meet Ayu's Mom, but I did meet the guy that is supposedly Ayu's high school boyfriend who her Mom is now dating. He was super kind and friendly and cute! So I can totally understand Ayu's Mom snatching him up, haha. The store is a bit bigger now because it now has two levels. First floor is flowers and candles, second floor is the chocolates. On the 2nd floor they gave me coffee and chocolates to eat while I was waiting as they prepared the box for my Mother. It is a really upscale shop so don't enter unless you've got some dough to spend, haha. Sort of hidden up there is a back room that I caught a glimpse of and it looked like some sort of VIP poker room or something, haha. I asked them what it was and they said it was a special place where they sold things like hair accessories and stuff, but it isn't really open to the public from what I gather. I got to talking to the two employees and of course since I was wearing an Ayu t-shirt, we talked about her and they asked about how many times I'd been to Japan, what I'm doing now etc etc. They even asked me for my name, address, and phone number.

There is also a miniature antique slot machine up there and at the end they asked me to pull it. This was a slot machine with like 6 or 7 rows and I got 7's in all the rows! They both flipped out like I had just won the lottery! They said that is the first time anyone has ever gotten that. So I was all like "Woo hoo what did I win?! The most expensive preserved flower arrangement in the shop or something?!" lol I wasn't that lucky but I did get a bunch of free boxes of chocolate and those certainly aren't cheap either!

Then, on top of that they asked to take my picture! :thud It was a Polaroid type camera and they asked me to sign the picture and said that they were going to hang it up in the shop!! lol, today has been Surreal.

So, I was so happy as I left the store, but then as I walked to the station I thought, "why did this have to happen right after I worked out and am wearing no makeup and my Hamasaki t-shirt?!?! And now my picture will be hung in the store!" lol. So, next time any of you go, check the shop for my picture, haha!

Sorry for the quality of the photos, they were just taken with my cell phone.

http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/x...430_175638.jpg

The old store, now empty:
http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/x...430_175627.jpg

The new store:
http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/x...430_175927.jpg

OMG awesome story. :D :D :D So we still don't know if the Ayu's-mother-dating-her-old-boyfriend story was true? Also, awesome in getting the winning combination on the slot machine!! Must be a great day for you. :P The chocolates must be nice. What was the price range, approximately? Also, were the chocolates/coffee they served you for free? :O

wow! you're sooo lucky! *0* i bet Ayu will see your pic when she goes there ^^

nwey her mother didnt married that guy yet?i guess Ayu had already a new father XD

so you can speak japanese? XD silly question~~

LOL Thanks for sharing, that was an interesting read.

thanks for sharing!!
you're lucky to be in JAPAN..
i would like to visit Hanabi someday if i go to Japan :)

Awesome story!! =DDD

Sounds like you had a lot of fun there!! I wish I could be there with you hehe.

What did ayu's mom's boyfriend do there? is he working there? =D

Congratulations on your win. xDD

I will definitely visit there when I will go to Japan!

Wow~! Awesome story~! Sounds like you had a ton of fun and luck, haha~ (^o^)

Thanks for sharing!!! :D

Awesome!! I haven't had the time to take a 'wider' stroll in Tokyo so I didn't visit Roppongi properly (I just got out on the Roppongi Station once and eat McDonalds cause everything is sooo expensive XDD).

I'll make sure I look to your photos when I visit Tokyo for the second time lol

So lucky!! *0*

I'm definitely going to visit the store when I go Japan next year. :D Awesome story, very lucky. Would have been more awesome if you got to meet Ayu's mum.

Sounds really cool. I never knew Ayu's mom's store was an upscale place, for some reason I always thought it wasn't that special.. :P;; And you met Ayu's rumoured ex, awesome. :laugh

nice story...thanks for sharing

wow, sounds like you had a great day :D

Yep, it was free. As I said, it is quite upscale so they give you free coffee and chocolates while you wait. :)

The prices are pretty insane. The cheapest chocolate is about the equivalent of $10.00 (for 2 small pieces!), the most expensive is around $50.00 I think. What the store mainly specializes in though is preserved flowers. The cheapest is $20.00 (for a single small rose head) while the most expensive is $2,500.00. Most things in the store are over $100.00. The quality of everything though is very high.

I'm not fluent, but I speak enough to get by.

Yes, he is the main employee it seems - so cute too. ^_^ I don't think her mother is really involved with the stores daily operations these days.

i wonder if it's really Ayu's ex dating Ayu's mum...

and how old did he look?

Awesome! I want to be there ><
thanks for sharing!

Woah, u "sound" very happy on ur post! Pretty nice!^^

Sounds like a nice shop! maybe if i ever go to Japan one day I'll buy a nice gift for someone. :)

What a really cool story! Totally made my morning. :D I can sense your happiness! You must have felt like a celebrity while in that store! Hahaha. Glad you had a good and memorable time!!

that is so amazing. I loved reading this <3

coolness! sounds like an interesting place to go! it would've been great if you got to see her mum though!

Thanks for your story!

That's cool! I thought you're snapping some pictures of Ayu's mother. But you're really have a good story to tell :)

cool story! °_° you're soo lucky!
If I went to Japan I will go to hanabi's store for see your photo :laugh

I didn't even know her mom had a shop!! That's too awesome!! You seem so psyched in your post and it brought a smile to my face!

That's really cool, and her shop looks so cute!

Dating both daughter and mom... how interesting.

That's so cool! :)

This was such a nice story to read haha :D I will surely go check out your photo when in Japan, they seem very nice people :D

Looks like you are more than happy
I'd imagine Ayu's mother looking twice at your pic because of the ayu shirt xD

oh this is super cool. a fun read. u sound like u had so much fun. and ur so lucky lol. ^__^

WOW!!! That must have been one of the most amazing days of your whole entire life!!!! You're so lucky! How long were in you in the store for?

whoa.. so nice!!
but arranged flower for $2,500? *i can pay my 10 months rent with that :laugh*
But i might come to visit the store when i go to Roppongi next time :D

Where did that story about him being together with her come from anyway? Here's the story from Yahoo!Malaysia... it sounds so strange to be honest, haha. (Especially him working in the shop after graduating from university...)
Apparently the story only ran in Southeast Asia? (Malaysia and Singapore) And was it one of these employees? (I think the photos are from the hanabi-crea/hanabi-staff blogs?)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/2921/omit.png
Top left guy is a different person than the lower left/right guy.

http://hanabi-a.jp/new/index.html
Apparently the shop officially opened on Ayu's anniversary (04/08/2010) this month? So new, haha.

They recently posted some stuff with polaroids in them on the 27th! (The slot machine must be really new, haha, mentioned on the 19th.)
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5045/finemake.jpg
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/2...0502713883.jpg

http://ameblo.jp/hanabi-staff/

The inside of the shop looks really luxurious, daaang!
http://ameblo.jp/hanabi-staff/entry-10504176227.html

anyway it's in Tokyo right?

Ooh, that is really cool and wonderful... If Ayu's mother died, is it really possible that Ayu could actually own this store?

Also, I'm wondering - what do they sell there?

AyUmIXx
Specifically, it's in Hiroo, Shibuya. Or is it?

What an interesting experience! It's crazy that you won and they took your picture and had you sign it and everything!

@Bigtop: SS already stated that they sell chocolate and flowers. Their specialty is flowers though. Thanks for the story SS! :D

Chocolate, candles, and flowers. Seems like a lot of Ayu fans stop there when they're in the area.

LOL if the ex boyfriend thing is true honestly I think its a bit weird. If I were Ayu I'd feel so awkward having my ex, no matter how long we had dated for, being in love with my mother and perhaps becoming my stepfather...

Interesting, didn't know Ayus mum owned a shop either.

Awesome story, SunshineSlayer :D And yayyy for you being so lucky.

(I hope to be able to study longterm in Japan so I have time to see this shop personally!)

That sounds pretty fun, ngl. Although I still have to wonder why it's not awkward at all that Ayumi's mom is dating her high school ex.

oh, why I didn't know it? Is it true? When was you checked the Yahoo! Malaysia? I'm just wondering...

It was reported in Feb 2009. It was also posted at this Japanese gossip blog at the same time:
http://entamegeinounotubo.seesaa.net...113600565.html

I wouldn't read too much into it since it never got further than the article in Yahoo!SG/Malaysia and this blog.

Its a different person, I'm pretty sure - much cuter, haha. :) Or maybe its just that his hair is longer now so I don't recognize him in those older pics now....I'll have to make sure next time I go. It could be the same person, but now his hair is different and no facial hair so its hard to be sure. It's weird cause I would say the pic with the dog is him, but the other two don't look like him at all, haha.

I don't know if the rumor is true or not, but I'm at least willing to entertain the idea, especially since both times I have been, this guy appeared to be the one in charge and he seems quite young to have such responsibility at an expensive store.

btw, they are changing the store A LOT lately it seems! Those blog pictures you linked to from just a couple weeks ago are already old. The backroom that I talked about looks totally bare there, but now it is completely decked out in like pink furs and stuff - like I said, it looks like a royal poker room or something now. Even the slot machine I used was different than the one pictured there - maybe they thought 4 rows was too easy so they changed it, haha.

EDIT: Ahhh, I missed the part of your post where you said the two guys were different. So, yes, top left guy is him! The other guy I have no idea about; never seen him there.

That is so cool and thanks for sharing lol I wonder when will they get married and I wanna know Ayu's reaction :laugh

Wow, they must've still been adding decorations and etc. in the last few weeks since the grand reopening was so recent...

I suppose. Perhaps people visited and thought that because of his youthful looks + Ayu's mother owning the store, something was up? It's a bit strange that the rumors say that Ayu announced this at an avex general shareholder's meeting though. Why would Ayu talk about something like this at an avex meeting of all places? Haha.

That guy reminds me of Ayu kind of without makeup. His eyes have the same sort of folds that hers do when she's not wearing tons of eyeliner and fake lashes. (AHAHA what if he's the elusive Hamasaki brother from that avex profile from ages ago? -hides-)

That's a very interesting experience! Thanks for sharing.

I want to see more pictures of Ayu's mom currently. I've only seen that one screenshot of her at a TV live and an old photo of her with Ayu very young.

wow good!!

i went to hanabi old store in jan this year... yup there was a guy who speaks some english who helped me... i didn't know he's ayu's mom's bf now! he looks really young tho

Whoa, that's crazy! Definitely must have felt surreal :thud

Well, that's what some people seem to think. Apparently it was announced by Ayu at an avex meeting, haha. But I think if she did that... it'd have made it further than Yahoo and some geinoujin gossip blog, you know?

^ And why would she do that? "...Oh and btw, my mum is dating my ex lol". That would be totally random.
He is cute though :P

The guy looks like... Maro. lol just sayin' XD That's a really awesome experience! It made think of those celeb stores I saw in some doramas. I think, even if I have the chance, I might not go there, it's toooo expensive lol.

nice story.
thanks for sharing it!^^

Well it seems I have a lot of luck these past two days. :) Today I was in Shibuya and decided to drop by the Hello Project store and look around - right after I entered, so did members of Berryz Koubou and C-ute. I only fangirl over Morning Musume, but still it was cool to meet them. This was a surprise appearance, so I was one of the few people there when they first entered so I got to meet them immediately. I then went and had lunch somewhere and when I came back, the WOTA word had gotten out and the place was packed. It seems they are going to have Hello Project members coming everyday of Golden Week, so those in the area should check it out. Today they showed up around 2pm.

An interesting 2 days for me. :)

Yeah, when he found out I teach english, he said in english to me "Please teach me!" and I replied, "Please teach me Japanese!" haha

ah~ that guy on the top left is handsome!!
haha wish to go to Japan and go to the store..
it's a must-see store :)

he looks like a mix-blood for sure :)

Waaaaaaaaaa.... dream day, thanks for telling

cute shop ♥ i really love the deco and seller lol

What an awesome story! Thanks for sharing.
So the valentine's chocolate ayu gave to her friends was from her mothers store! (she talked about this on TA diary, iirc)

ditto!

I wana go to Japan to see the shop, Ayu's mum and that guy! haha XD

I swear i CAN kill my mom (she's single eh eh) if she even could think to date my ex boy ah ah LOL
damn COUGARS!!

thank you so much Sunshine for this review!! it's been funny!

anyway lucky you can use Curves 4 free! I attended that gym too, it's a great service for the cheapest price ever. Lovin' it :heart

amazing story!!

LUCKY ~~~!!

What an amazing story! You're so lucky xD

the new shop looks so pretty

This is an awesome story!! How lucky you were!! Thank you for sharing! So, were the chocolates good? :D

what a nice story! oh lucky you! ^^

I'll definitely go there next time when I'm in Japan, to buy me and my mom some chococlates and maybe some/a flower(s) as well :D
and for that price they'd better be super yummy .. the chocolates that is ;)