[Translation] POPTEEN Sept 2007 Ayumi in Hawaii Private Interview

[isaac hiew]

[First and Second Page]

Ayumi Hamasaki’s never-before-seen photos revealed!

“Let’s have a sweet date with Ayu in Hawaii!”


Ayu’s private Hawaii: because the first day in Hawaii was public holiday, everybody went shopping~ bought ingredients from the supermarket and I cooked.
1. “Adorably Aloha!”
2. Ayu appears on the beach with a white cotton dress plus a straw hat, she waited until the shooting finished, before jumping into the sea right the way she was. It was really cute to see her playing around to her heart’s content.

[Fourth Page]

Ayu’s Private Hawaii: Perhaps I still haven’t regained my strength from the fatigue during the concert tours; I can’t move a muscle when I sat on the massaging sofa during shopping! (Giggles)
In order to regain more genki (stamina), I want to go to grills restaurant tonight!

3. Wearing a singlet with cherries on it and brought a surfer’s board to the beach! We have never seen her so up close. It seems like she is enjoying her holiday~

[Fifth and Sixth page]

Ayu’s Private Hawaii: Having a wonderful mood on the last day of film shooting? Even all the crew members had already jumped into the sea~
I was just watching them at first, suddenly the local tour guide grabbed and towed me to the seaside, and there I go swimming with my clothes on~

Seventh page

Ayu’s private Hawaii: I must sleep and wake up early everyday in Hawaii! Then of course it is natural for me to transform into an adorable playful girl!

4. Ayu wearing pink stripe dress while having a bowl of blended ice. Chatting with the locals like a local girl!

I can regain my strength in Hawaii, and spending my holidays happily~

---- What kind of mood does Ayu have during the summer? For instance, maybe you will have thoughts like “I’m so~ wanted to have a romantic relationship” or something like that?

“I won’t have the thought of “Let’s go and have a dating relationship”, however I would feel a bit nostalgic or sad, because I would suddenly recall the scenes from my teenage years’ memories, or the atmosphere, places or breezes at that time.

I would come to Hawaii on every summer. I do have special memories that peculiarly belong to here. The places that I want to go are always the same. These are the places that have given me special memories. It wasn’t because I got the regret feeling of “I have done like this last year, but actually I done like that five years ago”, but because I wanted to have reminisce of my previous self and comparing my current self in the same place… More or less so, I think.”

---- So, you always go to the same place?


“To be precise, I always do the same thing! I always went to the beach, doing the same thing, or playing around… sometimes I get so high that I lost myself; Such as “I had driven recklessly on this road in Hawaii” or so on.”

---- Therefore can we say that AYU had personally come to Hawaii a lot of times?

“I went to Los Angeles and Hawaii a lot of times. I feel very relaxed and carefree in Hawaii plus having the feeling of a summer. I would prefer staying over during the winter in night-lively cities like New York or Tokyo, because I wanted to spend away the warmer seasons in a more relaxed manner. Therefore I really love the places where I can wake and sleep early.”


---- You sleep and wake up early even when you’re in Hawaii?

“Yes! I don’t even go out clubbing at night… Besides, it’s a good habit…. It’s like a big family trip when it comes to Hawaii. I do not feel it is romantic… (Laughs) It’s like ‘I must get home before dark~~ go to bed early~ ’ Then slips into somebody else’s bedroom for pranks.’”


--- Eh? That sounds like Primary school trips?

“Indeed! Indeed! I play around in Hawaii like a kid almost every day. Because I can’t do like that in Japan, nor I will do it. But as soon as I step my foot on Hawaiian soil, I would change myself completely and playing around with everybody.”

---- And so you do this every year. Does that mean you actually like stuffs like this from the bottom of your heart?

“I think so. Just in case if I’m not doing such things anymore, I shall think that ‘I ~~ have already grown up’ and thus I might even feel a bit sad. However comparing to previous times, the youngsters in my group had grown more and more. I was only eighteen when I first came to Hawaii, feeling like a pampering-needy daughter of someone and now I’m more like a big sister of the gang! (Laughs)”

----Do you ever feel lost?

“I don’t. ‘Getting older’ is a definitely-must-go-through experience for everyone. But there are simply too many young crew members this year and I think that’s great! Now I’m like crossing around two sides (mature and young). Sometimes I got flare up and scolding other people and sometimes I get rail at. (Laughs) ”

---- Any places that you always go to whenever you come to Hawaii?

“If it’s about shopping then I would always go to Ala Moana’s Neiman Marcus departmental store. There has a staff that had been very kind to serve me long time ago. Whenever I go there she will greet me and say things like ‘How are you lately? Long time no see! Please come again!’ I would always purchase clothes for recreation in Hawaii. About Ala Moana Shopping Center, I did tried going there a few times, but it seems too scary for me and I always scoot away quickly. I do go to supermarkets to buy cooking ingredients though, and same spots on the beach, but I am not going ~~ to tell you.”


---- What kind of clothes that you always buy?

“More on stripes or ocean style clothes, and dresses or suits. I always custom-made my swimsuit every year, previously it was bikini of monochrome-style, then it was golden or tea-color last year. This year I have ordered two colors that are neon yellow/green and purple bikinis, and another bikini which is pink jeans! Totally ‘Glitter’”


----No wonder the world that your new songs are portraying are your style of this summer! But we heard that you went to body care stores for two days straight to look for massaging products and soft body towels, plus shops that sell energy stones, is it true?

“Yeah I went those places~ The massaging machine was simply too comfortable~ Because I wasn’t able to get back home due to my working trips to Osaka-Hong Kong-Fukuoka-Hawaii, that’s why I was attracted to such body care products.(Laughs)”

----So this is what you call it as “Gifts that makes you shine?”


“Perhaps so, I ad rejuvenated in Hawaii, and now I can move on with full of genki inside me!”


Eighth Page – Summer Song Interview

Here comes the new singles! The Glitter’s tunes are what make it an unforgettable song. And now we talk about Ayu’s funny encounters and some trivia during her short film shooting in Hong Kong.

I had received a great deal of experience when I tried doing movies.


---- You have shot a short musical film instead of a Music Video in Hong Kong, right? Our editor had watched the movie and it is dramatic and fresh just like a real movie!

“For me, I would love to sing songs that gives out a warm feeling, I suppose everyone had been waiting for it too, so I made “glitter” and “fated”, two songs that are totally different. But it looks too boring if the road ends here, therefore I was thinking whether it was possible to merge two songs together into a movie. Both songs aren’t talking about love relationships tat can only happen during summer, so I think it should be alright for me to join both of them together.”

---- No wonder. This time, Ayu’s male partner is Asian pop-***-movie star Shawn Yue. It was said that he actively asked for the chance to have collaboration with you, isn’t it?

“Yeah, I too love to work with people who are sincere. What’s more, he purposely delayed his other movie’s film shooting time slot for my movie, which makes me feeling surprised and happy. He gives me an impression of being a unique person, but as soon as the shooting started rolling he would instantly changed into another person! He was able to bring me into the situation with his professional acting, and that made him a very good working partner.”

----The PV (Promotional Video)’s story was kind of interesting too, and it was Ayumi Hamasaki playing as Ayu.

“The director expanded the entire plot of the movie based on the lyrics of the song. I also was quite astonished and feeling like “The story become actually like this!” And I even thought the director would give me a character, but he said, ‘Isn’t that too easy for you if your role was fictional?’(Laughs) ”

----Not only Ayu, but even the captain and the crew members also participated in the shooting. This let the viewers had a feeling of reality with the movie and easily watching it with emotion. But since this is a big production, it must be tiring during the film shooting?

“Well… I must have been unable to sleep well for ten days straight during the project. Plus the medium language used was English, which caused me to respect those actors and actresses from my heart. I was so tired during the project, which I began to speak Japanese to the Hong Kong crew members and vice versa! But Shawn and our Hong Kong counterpart really poured their heart out for this movie and we managed to produce very fine results for the movie. Nonetheless, I gained a lot of experience this time and I was able to take a peek in the world of Hong Kong movie. Really, there were several times when I was really wanted to give up the entire project which, I really won’t think about it. And it was the very first time of me thinking “Can I really finish this?” Therefore the sweet taste of completion was giving me folds of rejoice and I truly feel that I have grown a lot.

----About the contents of the movie… I think everyone must be very anticipating with it right now. The splendid acting of both cast members let the viewer feel the voices within the soul of the artists. The loneliness that one must endure after gaining their fame and their lavish lives… that showed us another unusual world.

“Since this is reality indeed, that really gives me the creeps. I was like, “Don’t tell me it is really recording on camera”, for example, the scene where it shows me quarreling with the crew members at the backstage right after the media conference in the movie, and it is a really must-see spot in the movie.”

----The “Glitter” and “Fated” s’ stories were meshed together pretty well in the movies. Any girl would love to have a pre-destined love relationship as depicted in the movie?

“I myself believe that pre-destined encounter for a love relationship does exist in this world! So please do listen to this single with a hope for finding a beautiful encounter. Meanwhile, isn’t summer an exciting season of the year? All of you must enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content~”



End of Translation.

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Translated by Isaac Hiew
17/9/2007
Translated from 'POPTEEN' fashion magazine (International Chinese language, Taiwan & Hong Kong) September Edition

Original articles by 'POPTEEN'. All pictures are scanned by Isaac Hiew, originally by POPTEEN JAPAN.