We asked each member directly about what they’ve been up to and what they’ve been thinking about recently. To the same question, each member talked about their interactions with Arashi, their personal time, fun things, things that surprised them… and their personalities were clearly revealed as they talked about their lives.

Suddenly I had a day off, so I went to karaoke with a friend after school and sang “A・RA・SHI” (lol). It was a little embarrassing, but I thought I’d try and get a laugh. I tried singing it and it was pretty difficult (lol). I didn’t have any plans after school that day, so I decided to go with my friend. After that, I went to a CD shop and listened to a lot of different songs. Since my debut, I’ve been into music. I’ve started listening to it a lot. Just now I was listening to an MD [mini disc] I borrowed from Sho-kun. I buy Tatsuro Yamashita’s CDs and listen to them, but it’s hard to sing along to (laughs). Going to karaoke, buying CDs, it’s just like the life of a normal high school student. Oh yeah, it had been a while since we had been able to eat together as a family, so I was able to relax. I was talking with Sho-kun, Ohno-kun, and Nino, and I realized that Sho-kun and I have different personalities but we have pretty similar taste. Even when it comes to food, we always want to eat the same thing that day. It’s the same with music. Our musical origins might be similar… Though Sho-kun might not admit it (lol). Everyone in Arashi except Aiba-chan is type A, but I’m always told I seem like a type B. I get excited easily and lose interest quickly… my mood changes easily. Also, Sho-kun said it as well, but it seems that Aiba-chan has started talking more, that’s a recent change in Arashi. Also, thank you for the fan mail, I read it carefully. I’m happy when people say things like “it was good” in their comments about my work, but when I read things that seem to be objectionable, it can be helpful in its own way. Specific opinions are good. I read them online too, but there are so many that it might be impossible to read them all (lol).

Last year while working on “World Cup Volleyball ’99” we got to go to a lot of places and it was memorable. I spent a lot of time with Sakamoto-kun too [from V6] and while we were in Hokkaido we went out to eat a lot with everyone. Sakamoto-kun is a really interesting person and everything he says is amusing. I was given a Tonisen [20th Century] CD and after listening to it I was impressed by how well he can sing. Then, something surprising happened at the hotel. Ohno and I were sharing a room, so before I went to sleep, I thought, “I have to wake him up tomorrow morning.” I mean you can tell by looking at him, he seems like a bad sleeper (lol). But Ohno woke me up in the morning. I never thought I would be in a position where I would be woken up. But after he woke up, he got dressed, put on his shoes, and went back to sleep. It was unbelievable (lol). I’m busy at work so I don’t have much time to myself, but the other day, after my first morning job, I had some free time so I went shopping. My way of shopping is to consolidate. That day, I had intended to buy a few clothes, but in the end I just bought a fluffy coat (with a fleece lining). I only spent an hour shopping…it was too late to go home, so I went the next location early and slept there (lol). I wanted to see “The Sixth Sense,” but I didn’t feel like going to the movie theater, so I thought I’d wait until it gets released on video. Shopping is a good way to change your mood, but recently I’ve been having a lot of fun talking with the other members during our commutes. It’s so noisy during the day when we’re traveling (lol). We’re always talking… but that makes me feel refreshed. On the other hand, at night, everyone is asleep so it’s super quiet in the van (lol).

Have you noticed that my hairstyle has changed between the photos in POTATO and my recent TV appearances? (laughs) What do you think? About my hairstyle. The reason I changed it was to refresh my spirit for the new year and to change my mood. It also meant going back to basics. I’d love to hear what everyone thinks, from the people who think my hairstyle doesn’t suit me, and the people that think it looks fantastic. I’ll be waiting (lol). It’s not so much that it takes courage to change your hairstyle, it’s more about how others react to it (lol). If you don’t mind that, you can wear any hairstyle you want… Two years ago, I shaved my head (for a drama), but that was a little too early. It might be trendy now (lol). Recently, Ninomiya has started to live a disciplined life (lol). I used to be the type of person who wouldn’t go to bed unless I felt sleepy, but now I go to bed on time. I stick to that routine. Of course, I focus on work, but if I have time, I wake up in the morning and go out to play games with my friends… I try not to waste time and live each day meaningfully. As he always says, Ninomiya doesn’t like setting goals; he thinks about how to enjoy and fulfill each day. After all, there are only 365 days in a year. I think it’s hard to set goals and achieve them, and even if you do achieve them, you’re satisfied and then it’s over. People say I’ve only lived for 16 years, but I think I’m fine the way I am, and this is the only way I can live. That’s just the kind of guy I am (lol). I don’t know how the other members see that version of Ninomiya, but as for the members, and the audience, I’m trying to show it (lol).

I turned 19 on November 26th last year. On that birthday, I realized that the members of Arashi love to surprise people (lol). I was in Osaka for doing work for the World Cup Volleyball, and the TV staff congratulated me in the morning, and they even celebrated during the show, so I thought it was a really great birthday. That night, I was in my hotel room when I heard a knock on the door, so I went to answer. The members and manager-san were there and I received a lot of presents from everyone. Aiba-chan gave me a complete set of manga volumes 1-10, and even a pair of jeans. Other people gave me things ranging from useful items for daily life to humorous items (lol). Thank you everyone. My 17th and 16th birthdays were during a stage performance in Kyoto, so fans celebrated with me, and it became a memorable occasion. It’s not often that you have a birthday during a performance. Birthdays are great~ (lol). This year will be my 20th. I wonder what the year will be like~. Since it’s my last year as a teenager, I’ll try to live peacefully (lol). Lately… I guess it’s about my weight gain (lol). I’m trying to pay attention to what I eat. The other day I weighed myself and it was 53kg, and I was happy, thinking, “Oh, I’ve lost 2kg,” but when I weighed myself the next day it was 55kg again (lol). I wonder what’s going on. Oh, the story about me waking up Aiba-chan? Before I started working in Kyoto, I had a hard time getting up in the morning. But before I went to bed, I would say to myself, “I’ll get up tomorrow!” and I was able to wake up by giving myself this suggestion, so that day I got up properly, woke Aiba-chan up, got dressed, got ready, and then went back to sleep. Even if I overslept, I felt incredibly secure knowing that Aiba-chan would wake me up this time… That second sleep feels so good (lol).

Last year, as soon as all my volleyball-related work finished, I suddenly felt lonely (lol). That’s because, starting with “V no Arashi,” I had been meeting with the same staff every day for about two and a half months, and it was my daily routine to watch volleyball. It felt like a gap had appeared in my heart and in my daily life…When I went to the countryside to play volleyball, I would go home as soon as work finished in the evening, go to school the next day, and then take the Shinkansen to the countryside again in the afternoon. People often told me it must be tough, but for me, I enjoyed my time alone, just like commuting to school on the Shinkansen. I just did normal stuff like eating a bento box, reading a magazine, and taking a little nap, but it was a time I cherished. Thinking about it, my life changed completely after last summer, and I didn’t even get to leisurely go to a CD shop. If I were to have a little free time, I would like to stay in a CD shop all day (lol). After going to the shop I would start by listening to songs from the genres I like, then new releases and chart hits too. I could easily spend two hours doing that. I also like movies. I might have a day off tomorrow, so I thought I’d watch “The Sixth Sense.” But I already heard the ending from a friend (lol). Whether it’s a movie or a book, I like nerdy stuff that has kind of a dark vibe. I recently read a non-fiction book about prisons. Even if I don’t have much time, I want to listen to CDs and read books. As for Arashi news (lol), Aiba-chan has become a lot more talkative, and the whole group has become more lively. Aiba-chan said himself that, “It’s been a while since I’ve talked this much,” and he talks so much (lol). When he and Ohno-kun are talking together, it’s like they’re the top two (laughs). Yeah, Aiba-chan is doing great, and I’m happy.

Arashi celebrated the memorable New Year of 2000 twice, with fan runs in Sydney and Honolulu. We asked them about their memories of this month, which they will surely never forget, and they even sent each other New Year’s cards!

Aiba-kun’s New Year’s Theme
Start Competing This Year

Let’s go to the hot spring and ski
To Matsujun. Happy New Year. I hope we have another good year together. About two years ago, I went over to MatsuJun’s house to hang out and we talked about all sorts of things. Come to think of it, we haven’t really hung out together since then. Next time you have some free time, how about we go to a ski resort? Hot springs are nice too. Let’s go to a ski resort with a hot spring! And then we’ll talk loads again like we did two years ago. MatsuJun… He’s low-energy in the morning, high in the afternoon, and down at night – he’s a really easy-to-understand guy. MatsuJun… Don’t be late this year, okay?

Ninomiya-kun’s New Year’s Theme
It’s going to be a year that neither I nor the fans will get bored of!

Looking forward to Ohno’s transformation!
Happy New Year! Last year, Ohno-kun played what is generally called the boke (comedian) role, but I’m looking forward to seeing how he transforms this year. Or will he go for the extreme boke role? There are a lot of people who are paying attention to him, so I hope Ohno-kun will live up to their expectations in his own way. Ohno-kun has been saying for a while that he wants to do a comedy sketch. I could be his partner, or we could all do a sketch together as Arashi, so let’s all have fun with comedy sketches this year! I look forward to working with you again this year! From Ninomiya!

Sakurai-kun’s New Year’s Theme
More fun, more healthy

I love how talkative Aiba-chan is ♡
Aiba-chan! Happy New Year! In the first half of 1999, we hardly had a chance to talk. But in the second half, after he became a member of Arashi, our opportunities to talk increased, and recently Aiba-chan has become particularly talkative, and I love that about him ♡ Aiba-chan! Let’s have loads of chats in 2000. My hope for Arashi in 2000 is that we’ll get a regular gig near the end of the year. I’d also like to do some radio work. It’d be great if the five of us could talk about all sorts of things on the radio. I’m looking forward to hearing what Aiba-chan has to say when that happens.

Ohno-kun’s New Year’s Theme
I want to lose weight!

Can we speak seriously?
Happy New Year, Sakurai Sho-kun. I look forward to working with you again this year. Whenever Sho-kun and I talk, we always just end up joking around and it never becomes a conversation. So this year, let’s have a normal, serious conversation for once. But there’s no particular theme! Sho-kun likes to talk and is quite good at it, but when there’s no reaction from those around him, he gets depressed and says, “Just pretend you didn’t hear what I just said…” It’s strange to see Sho-kun like that. It seems like Sho-kun has gained weight recently too, so let’s challenge one another to surpass each other and push our limits!

Matsumoto-kun’s New Year’s Theme
Drink milk and grow 5cm taller!

Do you remember that promise?
Happy New Year, Nino!! Even though Nino and I are the same age, we’ve never really had a chance to talk in depth just the two of us. From my perspective, Nino seems like a pretty reliable guy… but compared to Sho-kun and the others, he’s closer to me after all! We’ve become Arashi and will be friends for a long time to come, so let’s please get along well. Let’s go out and have fun somewhere next time! Also, a long time ago, we promised to go somewhere together, right? That’s a secret between the two of us, right? I wonder if Nino remembers it? I’ll definitely keep that promise.
– Matsumoto Jun

FEB. 2000