Yomiuri had this news article today, which talks about how Ayu considered retiring during the time of A BEST and Hikki's Distance, among other things. While the article may be quite unclear due to the auto-translation, perhaps it may be of some interest to you all:
‚_‚ä confession one time -- "retirement" -- it thought The "face without make-up" which is the Japanese tele system "super television Ayumi Hamasaki -- light, despair of shadow 25 years old, and decision" (back 10:00) of Ayumi Hamasaki's (25), a singer's, 12-day broadcast, and was not shown until now [, such as suffering which the hometown, Fukuoka, is visited, or is a star and is continued, ] is exhibited. Broadcasting hours will change from April the "super television" which greets [ broadcast 14 year ] at 10:00 p.m. With the 1st cartridge, the adhesion report of ‚_‚ä pursued from 1999 for five years or more is broadcast. The highlights of a program are the long interview held over a total of 2 times and 5 hours at the end of February, and an image in the hometown and Fukuoka visited in March. It is clearly about having considered retirement in fact, when Hikaru Utada's (21) album "Distance" and own "A BEST" were put on the market on the same day in March, 2001 and it became the center of attention at an interview. From the pressure of it having been thought that it was called a woman quantity student's charisma and all the fashions and actions had a meaning "I wanted to separate anyhow. It has turned round, "He wanted to carry out nothing and it was lost." Moreover, although ‚_‚ä has canceled the public performance with the outbreak nature internal ear obstacle in June, 00, and influence does not have present in musical activities, either, that sound cannot be heard easily for a while is also confessing. With the image in Fukuoka, the elementary school of an alma mater, and when young, the seashore performed with the father is shown. Having talked about the hometown since a debut is a precious shot because there is almost nothing. Otherwise, it falls from a set in a rehearsal by the Fukuoka dome stadium public performance in June, 01, and treasuring images, such as a figure which goes up a leg to a stage with slight painfulness, are introduced. ‚_‚ä puts a single "Moments" on the market on the 31st of the last month. The live will be performed in the first gymnasium of Yoyogi, Tokyo on 24 or the 25th.