Scans shared by miskiq @ AHS

All photo captions go from top->bottom, right->left.

*Note: Because the scans are of low quality, some parts of the article have not been translated word-for-word.

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Baby times

A little after 7pm on 2 October 1978, at Fukuoka University Hospital, Ayumi was born. Her weight at birth was 2780 grams. She was named the “baby with the black face”. And from that time on, we have Ayumi herself walking us through the stages of her life.

A Star Pupil who Graduated from Diapers and Started Talking Early

I was really small when I was born, so I had to be put in the– what do you call that? The thing which looks like a net. Ah, the incubator? (laugh) I had to be put in there. “The delivery itself was easy. She popped out almost as soon as the contractions began, because she was so small. (laugh)” <From Mother>

The name “Ayumi” was given by Granny. It’s supposed to be a wish for me to “walk on straight, one step at a time!”… But, well, I guess I wasn’t really the child she wished I was. (laugh)

I wasn’t really trying, but I graduated from diapers quite early on. I learned to speak early too, so I was really a star pupil, until kindergarten.

“She was a really low-maintenance child. Though there was once when I woke up and found her playing with her own poo… All the adults present then still laugh at Ayumi over that incident. (laugh) <From Mother>

Hey, Mummy didn’t have to say that! (pouts)

I was like a little boy at that time, no matter where I went, people asked “so how old are you, little boy?” And because I was never called a little daughter, I remember using the term “boku” when talking about myself.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

“I was really into chic then, though I totally don’t remember it now. (laugh) It was probably when I was 2 years old.” At Akiyoshidai, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

“This doesn’t seem like me, somehow. This baby has single eyelids. Oh well, I guess I hadn’t become human yet. (laugh)”

1 year old. “I think this was taken at Greenland Amusement Park, in my hometown. I probably went there with cousins Ya-chan and Kiku-chan. Probably.”

“This was taken at Greenland too. That’s Granny on the left and mummy on the right. I played so much, driving around in my little car.”2 years old, and just like a little boy.

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Kindergarten + Lower Elementary School Times

A lonely latchkey child during these days. Especially during elementary school days, she was a dark child… known to be shy, reserved and timid. In the midst of that, she had her first love. An unexpectedly heartwarming cuteness, we take a peek at the unknown true Ayumi…

A lonely childhood. Her rival: TV!?

The young Ayumi was really quite a cold child. Didn’t I build castles with my friends at the sandpit? Even in those situations, I only stood aside and watched, wondering “What is so fun about that?” And because I love high places, I used to climb trees and stay up there, daydreaming alone.

And because Mummy was working, she didn’t have much time to spend with me. So when Mummy watches TV and laughs at something being shown, I felt really jealous. So as not to lose out, I would sit on my chair beside the TV, then suddenly stand up and start acting. (laugh)

The Despised Daycare Centre. Excellent with Instruments like the Xylophone, and Acting Too!

I went to the a centre called the Violet Daycare Centre, but I hated it there. I wasn’t good at running, hated the food, and spoke with noone except my good friend Yuuko.

However, I just liked instruments for some reason. And when you like something, you practice with all your might, and then you just get good at it, right? And praise from my teacher made me even happier… I was even picked to play a solo on the xylophone at this Christmas party.

“It’s those two again!” Famous in the neighbourhood!?

I did lots of bad things with Yuuko. We plucked out all the flowers that Mummy and Granny grew in our yard, and made so much noise getting into a neighbour’s field to catch tadpoles that we were chased out by the old uncle. However, doing all these made me feel happy. Guess I really was a lonely child.

True Words from Mummy

She was truly a shy and reserved child. Instead of playing with friends, she chose to play the piano at home, or draw pictures, or write letters… She was really introverted. (laugh)

One incident I will always remember is how she had to do an art project over the summer holidays. Ayumi made a really beautiful piece by herself, but I guess it was too beautiful. Her teacher asked her where she bought it from, and she was unable to say that she had made it herself. When I went to pick her up, she was crying, and refused to tell me what went wrong. I only knew about it when I called her friend on the phone.

She also watched the anime “Anne of Green Gables”, and told me how she wished to be a bright child like Anne. At that time, she also decided that she wanted to become a model, and because a model had to interact with lots of people, she slowly became more of an extrovert.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

“This looks like a park, I guess… Maybe that’s why I had that expression on.” 4 years old

A happy girl at the Christmas party. “I performed at a large auditorium first, then gave a second performance at the daycare centre.”

“I sang the wrong lyrics right at the start of the performance, and was so ashamed that I cried…”

“This was at the Christmas party too. We had to say something, then pass the microphone and candle on to the next child, but I didn’t want to (laugh)” At Violet Daycare Centre.

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Memories of the Heartwarming First Love of a Dark, Reserved Girl.

A Super Reserved Personality… And a Sad Incident at the Recital

When I was in elementary school, I was a really reserved girl. I’ve never raised my hand in class before, and even when I was called on by the teacher, I would become all red and lower my head, unable to speak even when I knew the answer.

We had a music recital once, and through our class relay system, it was my turn to be the class chairperson. At that time, I was all “I can’t! I’ve never spoken in public before, I can only read from the script, and even then, my voice won’t come out…” I did use to be like that. (laugh)

The Day When She Stepped Off the Top of the Jungle Gym

I got so many bruises from that jumgle gym. It’s hard to pick a specific incident to talk about… There was one time when I was on top of the jungle gym, and needed to visit the toilet, but I guess I felt that it was not worth it to go, since I took so much energy just getting up there. And then, when I couldn’t take it anymore, I thought “ok, let’s go down”, took a step out, and… I fell straight to the ground with a DON! Even then, I first made my way to the toilet, and only till I was done did the pain come. I was sent to the hospital, and aside from the bruises, I also cracked something in my leg. (laugh)

First Love Towards “N-kun” Started at the Swings

One day in 3rd Grade, I was on the swings when suddenly, someone swaggered up to me and commanded me to “Get off!” He was so big and rough and looked so angry, my only thought was “Whoa, this guy is scary–” And that was N-kun.

I was really annoyed then, but I soon felt a liking for him, and the crush lasted for reeeeally long. N-kun’s family was the electrician’s, and whenever we ran out of batteries at home, I would deliberately ride my bike out to his place to buy some, even though he lived really far away ♡ (laugh) And then, one time, when I was out, N-kun came over to my house and left me a fish-shaped clock as a gift…
(Misa’s note: ayu stands for sweetfish in Japanese)

PHOTO CAPTIONS

1st Grade. Playing Richard Clayderman’s “Ballade Pour Adeline” at a piano recital. “I made a mistake at first, and got a little bewildered. (laugh)”

(Misa’s note: This photo caption was blurred and so was not translated)

“Taken at the same day as the 1st Grade photo. It was mealtime… We had really humble fare (laugh)” She loved putting marmalade on her food.

Taken during the first night of a study trip. “The 2nd one from the left, in the back row, is Ayumi, and there on the right-most is the famous Yuuko. (laugh) The 2nd one from the left in the front row is neighbour Mai-chan”

“I think this was from 4th grade, when we went on a natural history study trip” She has mostly remained the same since then!?

“Isn’t this one taken at the same park as on the previous page? I remember we were having an outdoor barbeque then” ~ Around 2nd Grade, when she was still introverted.

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Big Transformation in 7th Grade. Her First Date: a Double Date.

And then, we went to watch 「The Bodyguard」 together… along with Yuuko and her earnest-looking friend. A double date?! But it ended up with the 2 boys sticking together and us 2 girls also staying together. (laugh)

When I had to go to Tokyo, I didn’t tell him, but since it was a small town, news got around, and he came to ask if I was really going… I left him alone in Fukuoka in the end. Though I almost wanted to ditch Tokyo for him. (laugh)

Tears at Fukuoka Airport. Fukuoka Grows Smaller…

I came to Tokyo when I was in 8th grade, for 「Twins Teacher」. Till then, I never had a good impression of Tokyo, or the entertainment world. But when I was filming 「Twins」, I met with really innocent people, as well as some very ambitious ones.

Having not much passion for modelling then, I felt that it was just too much hype. I wanted to meet lots more people like that in Tokyo.

And so, I was introduced into Sun Music… but I cried when I came out. Everyone in the group was there for me, but because there were reporters from my hometown too, I really panicked.

Looking at the grey telephone, we thought “Hey, what is this?” “Isn’t it an international telephone?!” “Shall we use it to make a call back home?” We were always so cheerful like this, but when it was time to say “See you tomorrow!” Minazou suddenly started crying. That made everyone else, including mself, burst out in tears too.

I cried on the plane trip too. I thought to myself, “Look, Fukuoka is getting smaller” and I just felt so sad and pained. But when the plane neared Tokyo, hope somehow seemed to get bigger. I told myself to work hard from then on.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

“7th grade, with pet Piggy Ree in the living room at home” A white terrier dog, real name “Ree”. Check out any dictionary (page 24) to find out the meaning behind its name.

Promotional photo with her Model Agency in Fukuoka. “I was in 8th Grade then, and so “pure” (laugh)”

9th Grade. “We went skiing during our study trip. I can’t remember where… (laugh)” However, we can see the place name printed on their jerseys.

8th Grade Sports Festival. One girl with eight boys, she was truly a “Queen”… “We were a cheerleading team, that’s all. Groups 3-6 all had only one boy in them.”

8th Grade, taken when she went to Tokyo to audition for 「Twins Teacher」. “I was told that my skirt was too long, it was such a culture shock (laugh)”

Her look during her modelling era. A pink jacket with blue gloves gives a real impact! “This pose of mine keeps getting copied by ayu impersonators! (laugh)”

UPDATE: Thanks to full scans by Taki, the whole interview has been translated without cut off parts!! =)

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Scans by wincci@iloveayu.com

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Hamasaki Ayumi talks about “Love songs”

“Aside from understanding and feeling with me, if I can become the mirror that reflects my listeners, so that they can truly see themselves…”
With that idea, new album “Love songs” was completed!
ayu sings about many different kinds of LOVE, and with that, what questions does she have for everyone?

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“Love” gets you excited, it is fun, sweet, gentle, and makes you yearn for that someone.

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Quote: I can sing, because I can imagine myself. Because of that, I want to live. That was my 2010.

Interview

With a title like “Love songs”, we were fully expecting a rosy pink album. Guess that was stupid of us. (laugh)
There’s no reason to expect that. I’m ayu after all. (laugh) From the very first song”Love song”, we’re well away from ballads.

Firstly, we’d like to ask why you decided to make this album.
It started during Yoyogi 7days Live. At first, I thought that I’ll be burnt out after fighting for 7days, and I planned to take a breather after that. However, after I finished the live, I felt that “It’ll be wrong to stop now. I need to absorb what I’ve gained from these 7 days and move on.” To put it in another way, I guess I felt that I was “released”.

Released?
As someone who sings, what I should be and what I want to be is very simple. I just want to be a vocalist. That’s what I thought. To use whatever gimmicks to tell my message, and if I can’t, make it even simpler, so long as I can express through song whatever it is that I imagine. This is probably how I should be like.

I see. So the first song expresses the whole album.
I’ve always chosen my words with care, to hide meanings, to cover something, or for some certain reason. But this time, I want to make an album that sings about lots of love in a simple way. With that, the title “Love songs” soon came up.

It’s an album filled with different kinds of LOVE. So what does LOVE mean to ayu?
It’s probably the biggest theme in any person’s life, and the most important too. Without it, there is no meaning to life. With it, one becomes able to live. It is the biggest, the most beautiful, the most difficult, and the most talked about thing in this world. It is also the worst thing that can happen to you, emotional-wise. Sort of like trying to climb a super tall mountain. (laugh)

I see, I guess it’s important to hear and understand what ayu feels about Love songs herself, then.
“Love songs” is a general category for all the songs in the album, but “Love song” is the piece that describes what love is for me personally. It describes the person I am now. The piece “Love song” is not talking about is falling in love, nor is it a song about being in love, it’s just a song of LOVE. Love is the feeling that gets you excited. It’s fun, sweet, gentle, and makes you yearn for that someone. Isn’t that “love”? We don’t know what love looks like. We don’t know if it’s something warm or cold. It may feel really hot when you are in the moment, and the next thing you know, it’s become freezing cold. It’s not something real, and we can’t touch it. Furthermore, when you love someone, it is impossible to tell if it’s good or bad for that person. There are surely people out there who deny that love exists, so I wish to sing lots about love, honestly and straight from my heart. And that was how the album started.

The last song is a live version of “SEVEN DAYS WAR” recorded during 7days live. Is there a reason for that?
To LOVE is to LIVE. During the live, it felt that everything that was me was focused into that moment. Because I was a teary mess, I couldn’t sing very well. But that day, when I sang that song, I felt that it represented my all. How I wish to be a singer, how proud I am to actually become a singer, and lots of other indescribable things. And when I realized that, I had it made into an audio recording.

This is an album containing all sorts of love, but “November” is the one song which I don’t get…
I’m not saying. (laugh) I knew that was the only song which is hard to interpret. But do look forward to the day when you understand what it means~

Could it be related to your own personal life? I imagine that you’ve found your fated partner?? (laugh)
Who knows?

Is he born in November?
Ahaha. That won’t be the reason why I named the song that!

Aww! We wanted to talk to you about love, but I guess we’ll have to wait till next time.
The 50 questions we did the last time was really fun. I want to do it again. It’ll be easier to talk about love then.

Can we ask “Are you in love now”?
You’re persistent~ (laugh) That’s something to talk about next issue.

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Without love, there is no meaning to life. With love, one becomes able to live. That is love.