Original Article and Photo from news.on.cc here.

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Hamasaki Ayumi takes group shot with audience

Caption: Hamasaki meets fans at 4D Cinema with many gestures

Pop Queen Hamasaki Ayumi attended the premiere showing of the 2nd chapter of her 3D concert movie at the airport’s 4D Cinema. Wearing a pink low-cut short dress, the sexy ayu introduced herself in Cantonese, “你好！我係濱崎步。” Throughout the event, she and SHU-YA displayed great chemistry, and took a group shot with the audience before leaving.

Original Article and Photo from news.on.cc here.

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Hamasaki Ayumi’s arrival at airport causes chaos

Caption: ayu and SHU-YA surrounded by fans amidst chaos

Japan’s Pop Queen Hamasaki Ayumi arrived at the airport around 1:30pm today, and about 200 fans were present to welcome her. Around 3pm, ayu stepped out into the main hall holding onto dancer SHU-YA’s arm, eliciting screams from fans. The entire scene was chaotic, and ayu took more than 10 minutes before she could leave by a secret exit.

Original Article and Photos from mantan-web here.

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Hamasaki Ayumi at 3D Digital Cinema Concert Stage Greeting, with a large diamond glittering on her ring finger

Singer Hamasaki Ayumi (32) made an appearance during the premiere showing for the 2nd chapter of her 3D Digital Cinema Concert 「A 3D 2 ayumi hamasaki Rock’n’Roll Circus Tour FINAL～7days Special～」 to be released 3 September, at TOHO Cinemas in Roppongi Hills on 31 August. Hamasaki, who announced her marriage to Austrian-born model/actor Manuel Schwarz on New Year’s day, was seen wearing a large diamond ring on the ring finger of her left hand, plus some simple rings on her right hand, and looking extremely happy. “We did the editing for this movie in LA, and I always cried no matter how many times I’ve watched it! So everyone, please prepare your towels, because tissues will not be enought!” Hamasaki called out to her fans, seeming excited.

The cinema concert is a 3D rendition of the special performances from Hamasaki’s nationwide Arena Tour, taking place from 2~11 October in the National Yoyogi Gymnasium. 「ayumi hamasaki Rock’n’Roll Circus Tour FINAL～7days Special～」 will be showing in cinemas across the country. The 3D digital concert will also start showing on the same day in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Initially, the premiere showing was limited to Shinjuku Wald 9, but due to overwhelming response from fans, another showing at Roppongi Hills was scheduled at the last minute.

During the event, Hamasaki appeared, followed by dancers SHU-YA, ZIN, SUBARU, MARO, 2-YAN and KAZUMA. Hamasaki related that “7days was something that we had not experienced before, so the staff and dancers all had a tough time. It was a personal battle for them, but everyone was there for each other!” The fans were happy for the chance to hear such accounts from Hamasaki, and the venue was often thundering with cheers.

The 6 dancers then hosted an activity during which they asked prepared questions to Hamasaki, such as “How do you settle your mood after a concert?”, to which she replied “Because I don’t have time to drink during the concert, I always go thirsty for 2 hours”, causing the audience to laugh. “The drink after the concert is always bliss. Recently, I like having grape juice”, she added to fans’ screams of “So cute!”. Without pausing, Hamasaki replied “Thanks!”, causing even more screams from the audience. Starting with Shinjuku Wald 9, the cinema concert will start showing in cinemas from 3 September. Tickets are priced at 2,500yen. Hamasaki has also just released new mini-album 「FIVE」 on the 31st.

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Gallery (click for full views)

Original Article and Photos from BARKS here.

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Hamasaki Ayumi’s way of settling down after a concert: “Grape Juice” — 『A3D II』 Premiere Showing Session

The stage greeting and premiere showing for the 2nd chapter of Hamasaki Ayumi’s Full 3D Digital Cinema Concert 『A3D II ayumi hamasaki Rock’n Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～』, in cinemas 3 September, took place on 31 August at TOHO Cinemas in Roppongi Hills. Hamasaki Ayumi made an appearance, together with 6 dancers.

The stage greeting event was initially scheduled only to take place at Shinjuku Wald 9. However, due to overwhelming participant response, an additional session was added at TOHO Cinemas in Roppongi Hills. The total capacity of both cinemas is 1,049, as opposed to a total of 4,900 applications received for the initial event at Shinjuku. (For the Roppongi event, tickets also sold out minutes after sales opened at midnight).

For this greeting session, the audience were in for a surprise, being told at the very start that they were allowed to take pictures of Hamasaki Ayumi freely. When Hamasaki Ayumi appeared at Roppongi’s event venue, all 644 fans gathered cheered altogether and started taking photos with their mobiles and cameras. ayu, though shocked by the screams, also took this chance to get close to the fans, stretching out her hand and happily posing for the cameras. The event proceeded just like an encore session during one of ayu’s lives, with ayu’s troupe and the ayu family, spent in harmonious atmosphere.

By the way, how is the normal Hamasaki Ayumi like? That was what the fans wanted to know. As if reading the fans’ thoughts, event host Souguchi Akihisa asked the dancers “What is Hamasaki Ayumi like?” Just as the dancers were about to answer, ayu looked at them with upturned eyes and commented that “I’m the type who will remember your answers.”, eliciting “so cute!” screams from the audience, and giving the dancers wordless pressure to think through their answers. The dancers, buckling under the pressure from ayu…… or rather, the atmosphere of the crowd, the dancers gave their answers one by one, sharing their perspectives as people who share a stage with Hamasaki Ayumi. “A person who doesn’t miss a single thing, no matter how small. She is very detailed. In a more important sense, a troupe leader who considers the worth of everything” (SUBARU), “Messing around when it’s time to have fun, but totally unforgiving of compromises when it comes to work. She is very human…… Heh.” (SHU-YA)

There was also a special session at the premiere event. The microphone was passed on to dancers ZIN and SUBARU (the latter was wearing a sash that read “Japan’s best emcee”), and they hosted the promised corner “I want to ask Hamasaki Ayumi this~!!” Normally a corner where Hamasaki Ayumi would answer questions posted in by fans, ayu had to answer questions posed by her dancers and performers this time.

Out of the various questions, one that stood out was the question “Do you like blazers or gakuran more?”. To this, ayu answered “I like blazers”, which elicited comments of “That’s unexpected!” from the crowd. Hearing this, ayu asked the audience what was unexpected about that, “Is it because I look like a delinquent?”, and received an answer that “Yes, that is just like Hamasaki Ayumi when she was a student”, and everyone laughed. Another question asked “What is the first thing you do after a concert to settle yourself?”. ayu answered that she drinks beverages after a concert to settle down, and that the beverages change all the time, a trivia tidbit that only ayu’s closest staff know about. She also revealed that recently, her preferred drink is “grape juice”, and that “it is surprising for me, because it’s such a cheap drink”.

The 2nd chapter of Hamasaki Ayumi’s Full 3D Digital Cinema Concert 『A3D II ayumi hamasaki Rock’n Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～』 is a 3D rendition of the special 7days performance at National Yoyogi Gymnasium from Hamasaki Ayumi’s nationwide Arena Tour in 2010. All cinemas except Shinjuku Wald 9 will start showing it from 3 September.

“When I was arranging and producing this movie in LA’s movie theatre, I always cried no matter how many times I’ve watched it. So everyone, please prepare your towels. For those without towels, please borrow a corner of your neighbour’s towel. Please enjoy!” – Hamasaki Ayumi

Hamasaki Ayumi has released her latest mini-album 『FIVE』 on 31 August. This mini-album consists of 5 songs, including 「Why…」 featuring JYJ’s Junsu’s elder brother JUNO, and 「ANother song」 with guest vocal AAA’s Urata Naoya.

text and photo by ytsuji

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Gallery (click for full views)

An anticipated album that lets you experience a new perspective!

Right after completing the first half of her much-praised nationwide tour 「ayumi hamasaki ~POWER of MUSIC~ 2011 A」, which began in May, Hamasaki Ayumi is now releasing mini album 「FIVE」, which includes new song 「progress」. Last year, her 50th single 「L」 and album 「Love songs」 claimed the No.1 spot, and after a long wait, the original album anticipated by many fans is finally here.

．Noteworthy: Collab songs with much-talked-about male singers!

The first song on the album is 「progress」, the theme song for PS3 game 『Tales of Xillia』 which immediately gathered much attention. Beginning with a beautiful lone piano and her soothing voice, it changes in an instant to a rock sound with a ringing hard guitar, showing off the arranger’s excellent skill. Combining gentlesness with impact, the song ends off with her usual flair. The lyrics tell of holding onto both pain and gentleness, and changing it into hope for tomorrow. A song with the important message: to overcome great sorrow and keep progressing.

A highlight of the album are the 2 collab songs featuring much-talked-about male singers. 「ANother song」 has AAA’s Urata Naoya, who also did 「Dream ON」 last year, as featuring artist. With rich expression, the heartwrenching harmony resonates with a charm different from that in 「Dream ON」. JYJ’s Junsu’s elder brother JUNO features in 「Why…」, his sensuous voice fitting perfectly with Hamasaki’s. With a large-scale sound, the duet is strong and moving. Both songs are of male-female duet, and sing about the feelings and distance of lost love. For a listener who wants to forget someone but can’t, these songs will surely bring them to tears.

．A new work that spans different generations and ideas, empathizing with everyone

In addition, coming from composer Hoshino Yasuhiko, who composed debut song 「poker face」, we have 「beloved」, the ballad much-anticipated by fans, and 「BRILLANTE」, an impressionistic song with a fantasy sound. 「beloved」 is a dramatic ballad that embraces the listener with encompassing love, and may live on to become one of Hamasaki’s No.1 songs. 「BRILLANTE」 is special in its introduction, with a majestic ethnic atmosphere reminiscent of a historical drama. The lyrics are full of extremely strong conviction, and tell of taking the first step into a new world. After listening to this song, one will surely feel that Hamasaki Ayumi has reached a new level.

Hamasaki’s works are always released in various different formats, and this album is released in 3 forms. The DVD version contains a DVD with PVs and making-ofs for all songs to make up 10 tracks. In addition, first press versions contain an access card to view the full version of the making-of movie of last year’s CDL concert. The CD version contains bonus track, 「beloved」’s orchestra version. The last is a limited quantity Tales version, with 「Tales of Xillia」 character Milla on the jacket cover, dressed in a costume worn by ayu during her concert tour last year. Even the gaming fans are talking about this release.

On 30 September at Osaka Jou Hall, the tour will start again with new title 『ayumi hamasaki ～POWER of MUSIC～ 2011 A FINAL Chapter』, followed by 『ayumi hamasaki ～POWER of MUSIC～ 2011 A LIMITED EDITION』 at Saitama Super Arena on 18&19 October. Will the songs from 『FIVE』 be performed for the first time? When and how will she perform the songs? We are looking forward to finding that out. Especially for the “Limited Edition” finale shows at Saitama Super Arena. Just what songs and performances will she have lined up for us, it’s exciting just to think about it.

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Original Article from Oricon Style here.

Popular song princess Hamasaki Ayumi, during a stage greeting session for her 2nd Full 3D Digital Cinema Concert 『Livespire「A3D II ayumi hamasaki Rock’n Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～」』 at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills on 31 August, interacted face-to-face with her fans and caused an uproar throughout the entire venue. Dressed in a flowing adult cocktail dress decorated with black lace, Hamasaki kept the fans spellbound with stories and recountings about the concert.

Popular among the younger generation not only as singer but also as fashion leader, a wave of cheering erupted the moment Hamasaki entered the venue. Surprisingly, Hamasaki gave fans the OK to take photos of her during the stage greeting session, causing excitement amongst the fans and a clamour to take photos of Hamasaki in her dressy fashion. Appearing touched by her fans’ passion, she waved and shook hands while smiling as she walked down the red carpet laid out specially for the event. She also revealed her cute side, as she talked about how she often could not replenish fluids during her show, so she really looked forward to her first drink after each concert. “I often look forward to finding out what my first drink after the concert will be, but recently I like having grape juice”, she revealed.

Initially scheduled to show from 9 April, the Eastern Japan Disaster resulted in a postponement of the cinema concert until now. Hamasaki herself was also very happy about the day’s premiere showing. “Thank you all for coming here today. This was a very special 7days concert for us, so we’re glad that it can be shown here for everyone to see,” she commented with deep feeling as she looked at everyone in the audience.

With regards to 7days, praised as the best concert in Hamasaki Ayumi history by fans, Hamasaki repeated that “We had never experienced something like those 7 days, so this was really a personal battle for all the band members, dancers, and of course the staff. They really worked hard these 7 days.” Following that, she continued “We did it because everyone was there for us!” Thanking her fans with a big smile, her joy was easy to see.

This movie is the 2nd chapter of Japan’s first real full 3D digital cinema concert, featuring Hamasaki Ayumi’s nationwide tour and using the latest movie-making technology to render in 3D. The concert held in Yoyogi Gymnasium in October 2010 is fully recorded in this 3D movie, and resurrected such as to give a feeling of being at the concert venue itself. The movie will also be shown in Hong Kong and Taiwan as well.

『Livespire「A3D II ayumi hamasaki Rock’n Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～」』 will be showing in Shinjuku Wald 9 starting 3 September.

Movie 『Livespire 「A3D II ayumi hamasaki Rock’n Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～」』 Photo Gallery

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Original Article and Photo from Cinema Today here.

At the premiere showing for the cinema concert featuring her nationwide tour last year, singer Hamasaki Ayumi-san poses with her dancers, surrounded by fans. The 3D movie will be showing in cinemas across Japan starting from 3 September.

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Original Photo and Caption from jiji.com here.

Singer Hamasaki Ayumi’s Live DVD 『ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN LIVE 2010-2011 A ～do it again～』 (released 24th August) sold 22,000 copies in its first week, claiming the No.1 spot on Oricon’s Weekly General DVDs Ranking Chart for the week of 5/9. In terms of Hamasaki’s musical works, the last time she topped the General DVDs Ranking Chart was when 『ayumi hamasaki PREMIUM COUNTDOWN LIVE 2008-2009 A』 was released on 13 May 2009, 2 years and 3 months ago.

The Blu-ray Disc (BD) counterpart, released on the same day, sold 7,155 copies and ranked No.10 on the General Chart for BD. As for the Music Charts, both DVD and BD claimed the No.1 spot, following the double crown last claimed by 『ayumi hamasaki Rock’n’Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～』 (released 20 April 2011). With this, Hamasaki is the only artist in history to have claimed the DVD+BD double crown twice. Furthermore, she has also broken her own record of 「Highest Total DVD Sales for Female Artists」, pushing the number from 2,347,000 copies to 2,370,000 copies. The No.2 spot is claimed by Morning Musume (Total Sales 2,313,000 copies). Hamasaki has pulled away from this number and is secure in her position as top.

This release is a recording of the Countdown Live concert held on 31st December last year at the National Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo. A concert that mesmerized the audience, from a joint performance of collaboration song 「Dream ON」 with AAA member Urata Naoya, to songs from album 『Love songs』 performed for the first time, as well as many past hits, all compiled in this release.

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Original Article taken from Oricon Style here.

UPDATE (1 September 2011):

「A3DII ayumi hamasaki Rock’n’Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～」
Stage Greetings & Premiere Screening in Hong Kong!

Details

Showing Date: 3 September (Sat)
Time: Doors open 15:30. Show start 16:00 (Local Time)
Venue: MCL 4D Extreme Screen
Guests: Hamasaki Ayumi and SHU-YA
Ticket Price: HKD$380
Special Goods: An event-only item will be given to all audience as a present!

▼ More details here!!
http://www2.mclcinema.com/index.aspx?visLang=2

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UPDATE (30 August 2011):

The stage greeting and premium showing at Shinjuku will be available for free viewing on UStream!!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/a3d2

Streaming Time: 17:30~18:00

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Original Message (30 August 2011):

Due to overwhelming response for Hamasaki Ayumi’s 3D Digital Cinema Concert 「A3DII ayumi hamasaki Rock’n’Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～」 Stage Greeting & Premium Showing on 31 August, an additional session has been added at TOHO Cinemas at Roppongi Hills.

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Details

Showing Date: 31 August (Wed)
Venue/Time:
TOHO Cinemas at Roppongi Hills / Doors open 15:15. Show start 15:45
Shinjuku Wald 9 / Doors open 17:00. Show start 17:30
Guests: Hamasaki Ayumi and 6 dancers
Ticket Price: ￥4,200
Seating: All predetermined
Special Goods: An event-only item will be given to all audience as a present!

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Ticket Sales

Shinjuku Location (Shinjuku Wald 9) = Ticket Pia Lottery
*Application Period: until 29 Aug 11:00
*Results: 29 Aug 20:00
*Application URL: http://pia.jp/t/ayu-a3d2/

Roppongi Location (TOHO Cinemas at Roppongi Hills) = TOHO Cinemas Internet Ticketing or Roppongi Hills Cinema Ticketing Counter
*Application Period: from 30 Aug 00:00
*For Ticketing Counter, sales will start when cinema opens

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Note

●Shinjuku Location
Those who win the lottery, please pay for and redeem your ticket via the preferred payment method that you selected upon application. Those who do not redeem your ticket will not be granted entry.

●Roppongi Location
Ticket sales are on a first-come-first-served basis. If all tickets are sold out online, the ticketing counter will not sell anymore tickets. There may be a lag in the online ticketing system due to overwhelming response.
There may be a queue for ticket redemption on the actual day, so please arrive at the venue ahead of time.

●Both Locations
There will be media present on the day. Please note that the media has the right to release, reprint and broadcast all photos and content taken on that day. Footage may also be used in DVDs and sold.
No recording equipment is allowed inside the venue.

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Relevant Links

◆Shinjuku Ticketing http://pia.jp/t/ayu-a3d2/ （Ticket Pia）
◆Shinjuku Wald 9 http://wald9.com/
◆TOHO Cinemas (for Roppongi Location Ticket Sales) http://www.tohotheater.jp/

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Previous Announcement on TA

UPDATE: (31/8/2011)

Following last year’s trend, 『A3DII ayumi hamasaki Rock’n’Roll Circus Tour FINAL-7days Special-』 will also have 3D postcards (11 designs) sold as merchandise.

Price: ￥500 each

Purchase from mu-mo shop.

*Sales from mu-mo shop will begin 1 Sep 19:00~.

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UPDATE: (8/4/2011)

「A3D II ayumi hamasaki Rock’n’Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～」, which is scheduled to be shown from 9 April onwards, has been postponed.

Livespire’s annoucement: http://www.livespire.jp/

We may have caused many inconveniences to all fans who have been anticipating the show, but we seek for your kind understanding.

The new release date after the postponement will be announced soon, so to all those who have preordered tickets on hand, please keep them safely till further information is revealed.

For queries regarding this issue, please fill out the question form on Livespire’s homepage.

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ORIGINAL MESSAGE: (28/2/2011)

The second full 3D movie is here, this time for the 「Rock’n’Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～」!

★Opening Date★
9 April 2011 at all cinemas except Shinjuku Wald 9

For more details on schedule, please check out Livespire:
http://www.livespire.jp/

★TA Limited: Special Recruitment for Movie preview!!★
A chance for TA members to watch the 3D movie in a preview, before everyone else!

Preview Times:
19 March 2011
【1st Show】 Doors open 11:30 Show start 12:00
【2nd Show】 Doors open 14:30 Show start 15:00
【3rd Show】 Doors open 17:30 Show start 18:00
– Each preview is only limited to 80 members.
– No late admittance, so please arrive 15 minutes before the show start time.

Venue:
Somewhere in Tokyo
– Only winners will be notified of the venue.

Eligibility:
– TA members at least 12 years old
– No accompaniment if otherwise

Lottery Time:
Now ~ 6 March 2011 11pm

Lottery Entry:
http://fc.avex.jp/ayu/member/form/question.html?category=FREE&form_id=761#mainContent

Lottery Announcement:
– By 7 March 2011 9pm, an e-mail will be sent to notify the winners.