Waku Waku Gakkou 2013.06.29 Tokyo - Saturday Evening report
First report out of six ^w^
Notes :
-I was listening to Japanese, taking notes in French/English/Japanese (but mostly French), and wrote this report in English, so please be indulgent on any mistake, whether content-wise or language-wise >_< My Japanese is still intermediate so I'm pretty sure there are mistakes here and there...
-Thanks a lot to yarukizero and boblemon for their reports, I could check if I didn't misunderstand something thanks to them ^w^ And really, writing a report is such a time-consuming and tiring task that in any case, they deserve a million thanks !
The venue was quite filled with yellow, but there’s a good probability that’s just my imagination and my own anticipation for Nino’s birthday lol Though I did see a girl with a birthday cake hat when I was queuing to enter through gate 21 ~
The bag checks had been pretty thorough when I first arrive (around 3:30 pm), but with the long queue we had at 4:30 pm before gate 21, they decided to go faster (finally). The guy who checked my bag asked for my permission to search in it but didn’t do it lol
After having my ticket handed over back to me, I got a card in a plastic bag from a staff, with the Waku Waku logo and a note saying it’d be used during a lesson. Got excited at that time ~
Now as for the stage !
We had the regular center stage with screens above, a big slope leading to a green square at the front of the dome, and a small green stage at the back of the center stage. On the floor there were drawings between each five alleys, and in front of me it was quite colourful : a school, flower fields, cherry blossoms, a river and a rainbow ~ The next two drawings on the left were also similar to that one, but on the right there was a winter drawing and one I couldn’t quite distinguish, though it had brownish colors. Thus I guessed all seasons were represented, with spring being represented twice.
There were also flowers forming the Waku Waku logo between the drawings and the stage, I found it nice ~
As for the upper part of the stage, there were square flags with the logo next to the screens, and above everything colorful clocks were hanging, time stopped at 5pm. Between the clocks, there were colourful squares.
Concerning the school portraits, I could only see two : Sho and Aiba. Sho had his gray hair pulled back and was wearing black glasses, while Aiba had quite the image of a mad scientist, especially because of the curly hair x) His white glasses weren’t that bad ~
Besides the portraits, there was the school logo, and then the school’s theme : Hibi kore kizuki.
It started a few minutes late. The school bell rang while the hanging cloth with the logo above the center stage rotated on itself while being elevated. On the screens, it started from the logo, then the colors emerged from the dome, on a picture taken from the sky (the music played was Up to you, but not quite exactly it either, have to check tomorrow). Then our sensei were introduced in a really cool manner *w* It started with Jun during a photoshoot (“Matsumoto Jun in photoshoot” was written in English), and he notices the logo on the camera, then changes into his sensei clothes ~ For Sho, it was during a shooting of Ima kono kao ga sugoi, where he gets a pizza who has the logo on it haha Nino's one was during a Bay storm recording, where he gets a postcard with the logo on the back ~ As for his pose after turning into a sensei, it’s right arm up with a fist, and the left one on it. The whole thing makes a right angle, it was cute. For Aiba, it was in the green room for Aiba Manabu, and the logo was on the lenses of his glasses ! x) He put them on, and was so dorky and cute ~ Then for Oh-chan, he was sketching a landscape in a Western-like garden, and in his water pot the water blurred and the logo appeared, everyone went “ohh” at the animation because it was really well done ^w^ The following expression on Ohno’s face was funny x)
And then, they appeared on screen from backstage ! =D They had their white coat on, but as for their clothes : Aiba had a white shirt with green stains, Nino a similar shirt with yellow stains (the middle part was mostly kept white though), Jun a purple polo with black rolled up sleeves and a black collar with something shiny, Oh-chan a blue polo similar to Jun’s one, and Sho was wearing a checked red shirt with military patterns near the buttons. They entered from gate 22, as usual ~ Saying basic stuff like it’s hot, it’s been a long time etc., they went to the stage and lined up there. Sho made us stand up and Oh-chan announced the beginning of school, but didn’t use the word school and his other word made the audience laugh. Then we bowed and the classes started ^o^
Jun asked who attended classes for the first time (raising hands), who already came (of course, more people raising hands), and Sho told us something funny, but I couldn’t grasp it. We also read aloud the school theme.
They talked about noticing things around us, and I don’t remember when but Sho made again a kime pose with his fist up ~ (He had done it before during the introduction video)
They showed us a video of last year, with Oh-chan fishing on the river next to Kyocera Dome in Osaka Oo No one noticed him, though there was a small flag with his name + something written on it on a side of the boat ! And this year, he fished yesterday on the river near Suidobashi station Oo But then again, no one noticed him… Though he did fish something (funa, a “crucian carp” according to my dictionary ; but well, to me it was just a small grey fish x)), and was really happy about it lol He called this experience a great success ! x) Though no one noticed him XD Have to say though that when the camera zoomed out, it showed him having fished the carp behind a building, so people crossing the bridge from Suidobashi station to the dome wouldn’t have been able to see him anyway… (But before he had been in the middle of the river) So that was it for this small lesson about paying attention to our surroundings ~
Next, Nino’s suya suya lesson !
He told us it’d be about something we do everyday. After a few random guesses from the members, he announced the lesson’s theme : sleeping, especially dreams. Taking Aiba as the subject, there was a picture of a dream he often has before concerts : when they appear on stage, there’s no audience… Oh-chan decides to do the concert until the very end though lol As for the pic used on the screens, the members made fun of his green jerseys and his head being backwards (Aiba : It’s the staff fault !) x)
Nino asked a professor about that dream, and it shows that Aiba has a great sense of responsibility towards work =)
Then, Nino shouted “Suya suya set come on !” à la Shiyagare, and Aiba was wondering (and a bit complaining) why was his bed appearing on stage HAHAHA (It appeared between the students’ chairs and the slope) They joked that he could sleep here tonight XD Then Nino asked for Aiba’s “last words” before he goes to his bed lol Of course, Aiba got worked up at the inappropriate use of “last words” x)
Aiba then got close to the bed, and found a deep gray tshirt on it that he uses as pajamas with underwears. He told us he likes having all his sheets white, though at first (he messed up and said something like “hajimete hajimeta” + live alone, and the other members laughed at that x)), everything was all black.
He doesn’t use his cellphone as an alarm o’clock, but the alarm o’clock he received from Yama-chan in a Shiyagare ~ They even played again the recorded message used as his alarm x)
Then time to go to bed for Aiba-chan ! He had some problems getting rid of his shoes, so they told him he could go in with them on, since it’s his bed. He complained though that precisely because it’s his bed, he doesn’t want to do something that dirty lol They also joked about how going to bed wearing shoes is actually okay because it’s just American style, though Aiba replied that of course that can’t be x) So nope, they won’t make him go to bed with his shoes on haha
He got into the right side of the bed, lying on his right side ~ They talked a bit and Nino told him to pass his kind of exam, he had to get 80 points. Then on screen, his score appeared in a corner… 78 ! HAHAHA The bed got elevated, then inclined around 45°, and Aiba was afraid to fall down x) Then… Nino pushed a red button, and the bed slid on the slope to the green square XD At the intersection between the slope and the floor, smoke on both sides of the alley were used ~
When he arrived, they commented that the face he had on was like his morning face lol (Lots of kyaaas around gate 22 where people were lucky enough to see that ~)
We got to see again the video of Aiba-chan’s face during the slide, and it was really funny, he was scared of course XD
Aiba complained he didn’t know when it’d stop rolling, and thought it could go all the way to Suidobashi haha
Then there was a bit of a talk about how Aiba should stop sleeping in his current pajamas (didn’t understand why though), and they mentioned his sleeping with his mouth open and his drooling x) There was some talk about snoring as well, with Jun imitating it.
The subject changed, and Nino said he would now talk about dreaming of what we’d like to. He asked us who had dreamed of Arashi recently, and some of us raised our hand. Then he told us he’d teach us a way of dreaming what we want, and as a test, it’d be a beach date with Sho ! (When the camera focused on him, Sho pointed towards it and raised his fist again)
We were asked to take out the card we were given when we entered the dome, and to smell it. Indeed, it had a fruity smell ~ The members also smelled it, and Nino did it while rubbing it on his nose, he made us laugh.
Sho was asked to go in front of a panel with a beach picture on it, and shouted us a bit “alooooha” while moving his index and small finger XD Then he received props : a huge white, green and red buoy, goggles with a tuba (he said something like shieshieshie while putting them on, though I have no idea what that means ; it made the public laugh though), and a straw hat. He decided that the goggles and tuba were frightening though, not the kind of Sho you want to meet in a dream XD So he just kept the buoy and the hat.
Nino then asked us to watch this image of Sho on the screen while scenting our card, and some beach sounds were played. Sho told us “kono natsu wa boku to summer splash !” (This summer, let’s have a summer splash with me !) that made us laugh, and Nino commented how funny we all looked with a white card before our nose XD
So if tonight, we put the card on our pillow, we should be able to dream of a beach date with Sho-kun, because our brain associated the image with the smell. They gave us an url so that we can answer a survey on whether we dreamt of Sho-chan or not ~ Sho-chan was pointing at the bottom of the screen, and asked Nino to repeat the url again so that everyone had it written down correctly. We were also given a keyword. It’s the first time in the world such a survey is conducted on the subject, so they definitely wanted to have our feedback, and it’ll be used in other lessons.
Then the end of the lesson came. An instrumental version of Beautiful Days was played, and Nino introduced us to an old man who can’t sleep (his picture was on the screen, along with his answers to some questions). What he finds the hardest : not dreaming anymore. Because of that, one never forgets reality… There was also some talk about four basketball Standford students, but didn’t get that part. Afterwards a ranking of sleep by country was shown, and I was surprised to see France first lol (I definitely don’t help these statistics considering my sleep XD) Japan had 470 minutes of average sleep.
As for the sentence summarizing the lesson, it was along the lines of : sleep correctly, then you’ll be able to dream and be happy for 27 years.
Next, Sho’s lesson, charin charin ! ^w^
He started telling us konbanwa and summer splash lol
He threw a coin in the air, and announced that his lesson would be about money. Guess who had a cry of joy and a thankful face ? HAHAHA
Sho asked us who wished they earned more than currently, and quite a lot of people raised their hands. He mentioned the existence of classes about money in England and the US to middle schoolers, compared to Japan where people don’t usually talk about money. Then he announced a money quiz, “Which one is more expensive ?”.
The first question was about a rope used for tug-of-war (A) and a gymnastic mat (B). Aiba and Nino chose the rope and Aiba and Ohno the mat (they had two round signs with A and B written on it to show). Personally chose the mat as well x) At some point Oh-chan was called Taisou no Oniisan (taisou = gymnastics), but he corrected it to Uta no Oniisan lol Then the audience voted as well (through clapping), and more people were in favour of the rope. They were right ~ 70,000 yen against 27,000 yen !
The second question was about a vaulting horse and a horizontal bar. Ohno and Jun chose the first one, Aiba and Nino the second. When he saw that he was with Aiba, Nino complained that he didn’t get this question right lol Then Ohno explained why he chose the vaulting horse, followed by Nino who explained his own choice : there’s only one horizontal bar in schools, so it has to be expensive. The audience voted again, and it was slightly more in favour of the horizontal bar. But again I got it wrong, A was more expensive ! 150,000 yen for the vaulting horse and 100,000 yen for the horizontal bar. As for why the vaulting horse is that expensive, it’s because it’s handmade and only a hundred people make them in Japan. Also, the price reflects the security ensured (there were a few explanations on that).
Afterwards Sho asked us to consider the yen (kanji 円) as a clap. On the screens there was a drawing, showing how the kanji and clapping had similar shapes (the two extreme vertical traits are the hands, and the middle vertical trait represents the hands joining). Thus, 100 yen equals 100 claps, and a 50 yen pencil 50 claps. He asked us to consider yen as claps to the persons who made the product, and to consider how many claps were required to make this one pink pencil. Onwards with a video which had a song from Pride OST (Air), and when the image of a factory appeared, Nino gladly said that he knew this factory x) In this factory, 22 persons were necessary for one thing (can’t remember what), and it added up to 52 people to make the inner part of the pencil. As for the materials, it added up to 64 people considering the workers excavating the kind of rock used (forgot the name…), and 76 persons including the people cutting trees in the US. Finally, adding factory workers in China (the American wood is brought there for something), it amounted to 102 persons for that one pencil.
After the video ended, Sho said something and then laughed creepily, a bit like a crow, and did it twice x)
Then, last explanation of his lesson. Video quoting the habit of Ikenami Shoutarou (Japanese author) : when he rides a taxi, he always give a 100-200 yen tip. By doing that, the taxi driver gets into a good mood, is nice to the next passenger, who in response smiles to the taxi driver, and it forms a cycle of gratitude ~
Next lesson, Aiba’s paku paku ! =)
He started by asking the members if they weren’t hungry, and they commented how it was “the time for this lesson again”. Aiba announced the theme for this year : “Aiba no jirushi no yasai”, so “Vegetables approved by Aiba” ~
Vegetables were brought on stage, and when Aiba asked them what they wanted to eat, Sho said corn, Nino cabbage, and Ohno potatoes. That’s why Aiba announced he’ll use asparagus and tomatoes, the two other kind of vegetables left XD (Complains about why they were asked in the first place then lol) He asked Jun for help, and told us he would teach us how to cook something delicious in five minutes with asparagus, tomatoes and eggs.
As for the recipe, Aiba asked Jun to bring two asparagus, tomatoes, and said he would also use four eggs, soy sauce, salt (he messed up the word when he announced the proportions and the whole dome burst out laughing) and butter. Holding an asparagus in the middle with his left hand and one end of the asparagus with his right hand, he taught us how it breaks down nicely in two around the end of the asparagus if you bent it a bit. Jun was doing the same next to him, but he was told he was bad at it, and indeed he was XD Instead of breaking the asparagus near one of its end, it broke down more in the middle lol Then Aiba explained something about the marks one can see on the asparagus, teaching us which parts are good. Afterwards he peeled the asparagus a bit, cut it, and on with the cooking ! Aiba poured oil in a frying pan, counting one, then two while pouring it, and Nino made fun of him because there seemed to be way too much oil in the frying pan and wondered with Aiba’s “one, two” if he was using seconds instead of real proportions haha Sho mentioned how he’d like to see Aiba’s cooking TV program XD
Aiba added the eggs and salt in the frying pan, and cooked a quick omelette (wasn’t completely cooked on purpose though). He put it back in a plate, then quickly wiped the frying pan, even if the fire was still on (he was a bit in a hurry during the whole thing). Of course, near the end of his wiping, he complained it was hot lol Jun reprimanded him because safety is important and children are watching x)
Then Aiba put butter and the asparagus in the frying pan, and poured soy sauce on it (“one second !” lol). Sho joked about the quantity of soy sauce, implying it would probably end up being too much like the oil XD Then Aiba added sliced tomatoes, the omelette, and mixed everything. He even flipped the pan a bit, and there was some admiration from the audience and the members, as in “sasuga” (of course ; probably because his family owns a restaurant). Then he declared his dish completed ~ Jun was wondering what he had done to help during the whole thing though. Ohno commented how the dish had a Chinese food vibe, and Jun distributed the plates handed by Aiba to the other members. But Aiba was messy in his serving XD Sho only got tomatoes, Nino only asparagus, and Ohno didn’t have much omelette haha Thus Aiba tried to redistribute everything a bit more equally.
They got to eat, and of course, everyone found it good ^^ Aiba then announced the main dish, holding a plate behind his back… And presented asparagus and tomatoes XD Raw, except that the asparagus had been soaked a bit in soy sauce. Sho found them delicious.
Afterwards Aiba asked why seasonal vegetables taste so good, and on to a video. It showed us Aiba in a field ; well, we were told it was, because it was 2:30 am so of course, one couldn’t see much. He went to meet the farmer, and started helping with cutting the asparagus that were taller than 26cm. He had to measure at first, but at some point got used to it and could tell which ones to cut just by looking ^^ He hesitated to cut one asparagus though (because it was really thin but had the correct length), ended up doing it, and ate one end XD It actually had the right taste ~
By the time they were done, dawn had come, and Aiba noticed the nice view and how big the field actually is : three times the size of Tokyo Dome. Also, the farmer thinks his asparagus taste good because they spend five months under snow.
During the video they moved the sensei desk and the chairs in the opposite direction.
Then we were shown a second video : Aiba had been location shooting somewhere else during the day. This farmer, who felt like meeting with his son when he met Aiba, had weirdly shaped hands because of his job (had never seen that Oo Aiba found his hands looked like rocks). Aiba started digging up potatoes, but was told by the farmer that he was doing it the wrong way. Thus the farmer showed him how to do it, explaining he got these kind of hands by doing that everytime. When asked why he doesn’t put on gloves, he replied it’s because that way, he can feel the soil’s condition.
Aiba wanted to eat the potato he had dug up, and asked the farmer several times if it was okay to eat it raw. He got the ok, had a bite… (He had a hard time having a bite, the crackling sound made us laugh) And didn’t say anything but made the farmer taste it XD Farmer’s answer : if you cook it, it’s good. LOL Aiba complained why he let him eat it raw then, since he had asked a few times if it was okay.
Then they explained something about the moon, how it changes the taste of the vegetables. That’s why to the farmer, no day looks like another one, and he lives with the moon (though he doesn’t check it properly, just feel it). Aiba said it had become a life lesson for him.
The paku paku lesson had come to an end, and Aiba gave us a few last words. He mentioned something about a rainbow in a kind of proverb, but I couldn’t grasp it. The instrumental of My girl was played ~ Then, the words summarizing the lesson : “shun wo itadaki, kisetsu zo kanjiyou” (when you eat something seasonal, you can feel the season ; it’s better in Japanese because it’s not the same “season” which is used…).
Next it was Jun's turn for his tic tac lesson ~
A bell rang at the beginning of the lesson.
He said an hour and a half had just passed, and asked us if we felt this time long or short (so short T_T). Then he talked about school bells, like 50 years ago the bell rang differently. Then he showed us an old bell from a junior highschool in Tokyo, Oomori, and explained it’s the oldest school bell in Japan, and also the one that was used at the beginning of classes today. Afterwards he wanted to show us how a bell rings, and pressed for quite a long time a button. A bit of talk, and the bell rang. The sound is made by small hammers hitting a black metallic thing, and each hammer makes a distinctive sound ~
Then Jun announced it was time for some running HAHAHA All members grimaced hearing that, starting with Ohno x) Only one person would be able not to run, all others had to do it with all their might. The members did a janken and Sho won, so he could pick first in the box with four balls (he had to get the gold one not to run). He picked the gold one XD The other members complained they couldn't even try lol
So they moved to the starting line just after the slope, and Nino commented that it was just like Johnny's sports day haha
They all got ready, and when they departed at Jun's signal, they were asked to go back because he had messed up with them lol (In short, when he gave the signal his sentence wasn't finished so it wasn't the real signal x) Like “Yoi… Start !! kara hashitte kudasai”) Thus, back to the starting line again. They got the signal and ran off, only Sho going slowly and waving at the audience ~ The line up for the race was Aiba, followed by Nino, Oh-chan, then of course Sho-chan. After a minute they stopped, and Nino fell right away on the floor, closely followed by Ohno XD They got on their hands and knees afterwards lol
I noticed that the clocks above the stage where stopped at 17h05 by that time.
As for their positions, Sho had run half of the dome, Ohno and Nino about one lap (Nino before Ohno), and Aiba around one lap and a quarter.
Jun thus explained that their positions represented the difference between those who try hard in life and the others. Hearing that, Sho made a face like "ugh, I messed up" lol (Like "yachatta")
When he came back to his seat, Oh-chan had his chin out XD
Next, Jun talked about a letter he had written at 20 years old, during the time of the coming of age ceremony. He had got back the letter from the friend who had kept all of them (they were a group of friends doing this letter project), and was gonna read it tonight !! The letter was still sealed, so Jun as well didn't have any idea of the contents XD
Afterwards, the camera was focused on Nino who was ruffling through the papers on his desk, and then he said "excuse me", followed by some explanation. He told Jun he wanted to read the letter in his stead, invoking things like "it could be embarrassing for you to read aloud", or "there might be some parts you won't be able to read aloud". Truthfully, at that time I did think it may have something to do with Nino's birthday... But nothing happened ><
Anyway so Jun accepted and handed him the letter. Nino opened it, and it contained three pieces of paper. As for the contents :
"To the me of ten years later,
Nice to meet you, Jun of ten years later. (Everyone laughed) I'm the 20 years old Jun. Is the 30 year old Jun enjoying life ? As for me, I'm doing my best."
Then he said he had questions to ask the 30 year old Jun, and added "shitsurei shimasu" (excuse me) before starting. He asked if he was still in the entertainment world, if he was still going as a part of Arashi. He said that he's aiming at being the top in the entertainment world, the top in the idol world, the top in Japan. He also mentioned he’d like to appear on the international scene. He’s doing his best right now, so he hopes his ten years later self has realized his dreams.
Then he asked about his health, if he was doing fine since his health hasn't always been good. For example at the time of the letter, he had gone to the hospital for his knee on that day. Members and Jun had laughed when health had been brought as the subject, and Jun had replied that yeah, he was doing fine.
Next, 20 year old Jun asked about his parents and his older sister, if they were doing fine, to which Jun replied again that yes it was the case. Young Jun then said that if they fight, to make up properly right away.
Followed a question which made the whole dome burst out laughing : Aren't you buying too much clothes ? HAHAHA 20 year old Jun thought he had this tendency.
Next question was about his personality, young Jun wondered if he had changed, though he thought he wouldn't. He also said in order for his personality not to turn bad, not to forget to properly express gratitude, to pay attention to his manners, and “kakkowarui yamete” (I guess it’s the idea of stop trying to look cool, because trying too hard actually makes you look uncool). Besides, even if he’s a perfectionist, he has to accept that he can’t do everything perfectly everytime.
As for who he became at 30, young Jun said he doesn’t know about that but 30 year old Jun would either get an omedetou (congratulations) or a zannen (too bad) lol
Next question was about singing, if he had got good at it. He also said that he wanted to learn foreign languages, compose and write songs, and play the piano. “Iroiro mendokusai koto mo takusan aru to omou kedo, otagai ni ganbarou !” (There are always unpleasant things, but let’s both do our best !)
As for a random comment near the end, he wrote that lately, he thinks a long life is good x) Jun and the dome burst out laughing XD
He then wrote things like “enjoy shite ne !” and “gabanre yo ore” ~
The letter was dated from 2004.01.16, and something about Johnny's top was added. Then there were several info (height, etc.), and the last words were "Everyday enjoy" (in English), so cute.
When the reading was over, members made comments about the politeness used, like "hajimemashite" (nice to meet you) or "shitsurei shimasu" x) Jun said he thought he hasn't changed much, and when asked about his clothes, he replied that he still has stuff from ten years ago and don't think he's currently buying too much.
On to the next part of the lesson, the homework Jun had given us ! We had to write a letter to our self of ten years later ~ Quick vote of who did the homework, and quite a lot of people raised their hands. So he told us someone wolkd read their letter tonight, and a girl on the first floor, third base, at the end of row 30 was chosen. Staff came over imediately and put on her earphones, the apparel you hang around your hips and she got a mic. She was about my symetric, place-wise.
Her name was Natsumi, and she had come with a friend (Jun asked her some basic questions). Then she read her letter, which was quite long, and her dream was to become a preschool teacher. She was inspired by one of her teacher when she was 5, and at the end Sho asked her if that teacher knew (s)he had been such an inspiration. She replied probably not, and Sho advised her to tell her teacher, because that would most likely make him/her really happy.
Jun then told us that as homework, we had to do our best for the sake of our ten years later self who will read our letter.
The last corner of the lesson was a video letter a member would make for his ten years later self. Nino was chosen ~ (They sure teased him a lot tonight x)) Jun took a camera, and they moved to the platform where the bed had appeared. The platform rose a bit.
Nino started with konnichiwa, but corrected himself with konbawa and made us laugh. ("Konnichiwa. Iya, konbanwa kana...") He asked what kind of ten years he had passed, and said that his current self is in Tokyo Dome, where he just ran for a full minute and now feels a bit sick lol Then he said that's it's still alright at the moment, but to pay attention because he's sure his stomach will come out HAHAHA
As for his work he's grateful because he enjoys it.
"Then... I think there's nothing else in peticular" (laughs) ("Ato wa... Toku ni wa nai kana")
He finished saying he's completely satisfied with his current work and private life =)
Finally, Jun went to the last explanation of his lesson, and the instrumental of One Love was played. He mentioned how "genzai" is "present" in English, so the present is a gift from the past. The lesson last words were : You can't go back to that time again, so time is a precious treasure (Jikan wa nido to modoranai. Taisetsu zaisan).
Lastly, it was time for Ohno’s lesson ^w^
He asked us to chat a bit with the person next to us about what we had found the most interesting tonight. A woman on my right said a bit loudly “tegami !” (letter) to her partner, and had to agree with her ~ After a short moment Ohno stopped us, and made a quick vote on who had spoken with a stranger during that time ; they were quite a few raised hands.
Then Oh-chan asked why Arashi are good friends ~ On to a video of Oh-chan wearing a big lion head piece, it went a bit past his neck, and doing “gaooo” at the camera with his “claws” out x) Location : Fuji TV, before a VS Arashi recording. His goal : checking members’ reactions when he scares them hahaha
He hid behind a white wall on the right, the camera also shooting the long hallway ending with automatic glass doors. His position was so funny, a bit like an Egyptian painting XD Basically, his whole body was sticking against the wall, right arm up and bent, and legs spread and also oriented toward the wall. The first member appeared, Jun, and Ohno let him walk a bit to the left past the doors and surprised him from behind, going “gaooo” with his “claws” out x) Jun’s reaction wasn’t faked, he was really surprised and bent his arms against him, fists up, and curled up against the wall. When he realized it was Oh-chan, he asked “What are you doing ?” (Nani shite n da yo), and Ohno just replied “arigatou gozaimashita” lol
Next, Sho ! Ohno surprised him right after he had passed the doors, and he stepped back while raising his fists like Jun and saying “ahh, bikkuri shita !” (You surprised me).
As for Nino, one of the most funny, if not the funniest thanks to the editing : Ohno also surprised him right after he had passed the door, and like the others he raised his fists while doing a scared face. There were quick successive replays of his reaction with a funny music, and that made us laugh so hard x) After realizing it was Ohno and the whole thing was over, Nino said “mou kaerou” lol (I’m going back)
Lastly, Aiba-chan ~ Like he had for Jun, Ohno let him walk a bit past the doors before surprising him, and of course he also raised his fists against him, while stepping back quite a lot. The caption (there’s always a comment after each reaction) was that Aiba’s running while he escaped was like an onee-san (a cross-dresser) XDD The following conversation went :
Aiba : “Uhh, bikkuri shita”
Ohno : Ijou. (The end) (laughs)
Aiba : “Ja, VS Arashi e ikou !” (Then let’s go to VS Arashi !)
Then they put their arms around each other’s waist briefly and walked down the hallway ~
That’s it for the video, which aim was to investigate the members’ personality. Conclusion : every member is different ! x)
Then we got another video, in which Ohno had given a personality trait for each member ^^ First : Ohmiya ! “Ohno Satoshi x Ninomiya Kazunari” appeared on screen, followed a photo of each member (Ohno at 15 and Nino at 13, because they met at that time). Nino’s personality trait : kimegao (posed look) hahaha We got several footages : one from a CM making as Juniors (when the camera got close to the Juniors group, kimegao of Nino), one when Jun was holding the camera across the table and called out “Nino player”, which resulted in a sexy kimegao and Jun said “kakkoii” (oh and before Jun’s “Nino player”, the video opened on a hairstylist ruffling a bit through Nino’s long hair, then Nino ruffling through his hair), and the last video comes from the backstage of AAA 2008, when they arrive at night at Kokuritsu. Every member goes out of the car, and Nino, the third member, does his usual two fingers move (you know, his index and middle fingers goes from his temple to the camera).
Second pairing : Ohno Satoshi x Sakurai Sho ! The same picture of Ohno at 15 was accompanied by a picture of Sho at 14. We got a few footages, like Sho as a Junior (his face was still his “baby” one, as in one couldn’t exactly see the base of his current face ; not sure this is understandable though ^^") dancing and getting close to the camera, or him slightly older (there he had his “current face”) talking on a bridge with the wind blowing strongly. Ohno’s narration at that time was that Sho looked a lot like his friend Nori-kun. As for Sho’s personality trait… Tank top HAHAHA It started with a picture from a magazine where Sho was 13 wearing a yellow tank top, followed by extracts from Arafes (during A.RA.SHI, showing all members one by one wearing sleeves and finishing with a sleeveless Sho starting his “take it so so” (the one in the middle of the song) while moving his hips ; the whole thing was awesomely funny XD), 5x10 (during My Girl, when they all wear the tour tshirt and only Sho has a tank top), and the video ended with a magazine photoshoot, where… Sho was wearing a double tank top XDDDDD (A black one on a white one)
Third pairing : Ohno Satoshi x Aiba Masaki ~ Ohno 15, Aiba 13. Ohno’s narration told us his first impression of Aiba was that he easy to talk to ^^ We also got a video of Aiba presenting a karaage to the camera, which made the person in front of me and me laugh x) As for Aiba’s personality trait : sweat hahaha We got a footage from a concert where Aiba was 16 and sweating profusely, then a footage from Tetsuko no Heya (2009.10.09) where Aiba sweats so much he surprised Tetsuko-san, and she even fanned him in the end XDDD Aiba’s video finished on “Arigatou ! Ase (sweat) by Ohno Satoshi”, which was the case everytime (Arigatou + personality trait).
Last pairing : Ohno Satoshi x Matsumoto Jun ^w^ Ohno 15, Jun 13. The photo used for Jun was the one where he wears a pale blue sweater and has his two fists cupped under his chin. This one is famous since he’s really cute on it, and indeed, the audience said “kawaii” ~ Concerning his personality trait… “Undress everywhere” HAHAHA We got a footage from Jun at 14 during a concert, where he’s the only one walking down the alley with his shirt open XD Followed by a footage from AAA 2008 (during Lucky Man), a photo from a magazine (he’s in bed, black shirt open of course), and lastly, a footage from Arafes’ Shake it *w* The whole dome screaaamed and Jun was laughing, embarrassed x)
The video ending with a few footages of Oh-chan, Your song was played, and the narration talked about how Ohno wanted to believe they met by fate, not coincidence. Also, because they’re five, happiness and sadness is always shared between them. Lastly, a photo from Popcorn (the shooting for the RE album cover) was shown, with “5nin ga deai ni kansha” (gratitude for the five of us meeting) written below in golden letters =)
When the video ended, members complained about Oh-chan’s use of “personality trait”, with Jun pointing out tank top as an example x) And then, to prove Oh-chan right… Sho got rid of his shirt, and he had a black tank top underneath XDDD
For the last corner, the audience got to participate =D There were five AMNOS colored flags spread around the dome, each delimitating a blog from A to E. Then Ohno explained what each bloc had to do : A bloc, the middle of third base, had to clap hands following the rhythm played and Sho-chan was in charge. The bloc combining the end of first and third bases had to hit their chest (think King Kong XD), and Nino complained when he was assigned this bloc hahaha Then C bloc, the middle of first base, had to clap hands in-between the given rhythm and Aiba was in charge. D bloc, the remaining part of first base, had to snap fingers, also in-between the rhythm, and we got Jun <3 He snapped his fingers towards the camera when Oh-chan announced his name ~ Lastly, the first part of third base had to hit their lap in-between the rhythm, and Oh-chan was in charge (Nino wanted to change with him lol). When the members moved to their bloc, Jun snapped his fingers again towards the camera, one of his shoulders more forward than the other (have the image in my head, but it’s hard to explain @_@).
So we would go bloc by bloc in the letters order, and they would sing at the same time ! =D We got A.RA.SHI, yeaaaaah ! Until the end of the first chorus ^w^ Of course, we shouted our usual parts, and have to admit I almost lost my rhythm doing that lol So kudos to them who had to sing at the same time ~
In the end, when members were asked about their impressions, Nino said the only advantage was that his bloc did it a certain way (“hira hira”, I guess the idea of amusedly ?), so that made the whole thing fun x)
Then Ohno’s last explanation came, and the instrumental of Monster was played, while a very old Arashi photo (they wore red costumes) was displayed on screen. He mentioned NCon issho ni utaou, though I don’t remember why. The lesson last words were : Arashi is made of five personalities. It’s because we’re all different that we’re good friends ^^
The school bell rang, it was 7:30 pm. They got rid of their white coat and lined up in front of the slope. Talked a bit, then Aiba announced Furusato =)
Ohno started singing, and of course he was great ^^ But can’t say the same about Nino who followed right afterwards lol A part of his sentence wasn’t on the same note even though it was supposed to be XD The public around me reacted a bit to that as well. Then Sho, Aiba and Jun, and there was nothing in peticular. We got to sing the second chorus ~
Afterwards they all got down through a different alley, waving to us. Had Sho in front of me, Ohno on my left, Aiba on my right, and after Aiba it was Jun then Nino. At some point the hanamichi came, with Arashi Waku Waku Gakkou 2013 ~ Mainichi ga motto kagayaku itsutsu no jugyou ~ written on it in golden letters and the remaining white part was illuminated in rainbow colors. On the side it was the logo. So Aiba and Jun first rode the hanamichi, and the others got close to ride it as well. Sho walked towards it like Yoshimoto-sensei, so the dome laughed XD It was Jun and Nino on one side, and Aiba, Sho and Ohno on the other.
When Jun and Nino passed by my bloc, Jun pointed aloud to Nino that there was an uchiwa wishing him happy birthday, to which Nino replied “Arigatou ! Minna omedetou !” lol Though have to say, it did make me feel uneasy that Jun would openly mention Nino’s birthday…
When the two hanamichi arrived at the end of the dome, they told us their last good-byes, reviewing quickly every lesson contents and asking us not to forget them. Then they got down and disappeared behind the black curtain.
On the screen a video started : Arashi painting the Waku Waku flag ^w^ They wore brownish/greyish aprons which went to their feet and were barefoot. During it we also got some review footages, like Ohno’s surprising members at Fuji TV x) Besides, at some point Nino said it was bad that four A blood-types were doing this haha (A type people are said to pay attention to details) Ensued a picture with all five of them, members having an A above their head and only Aiba had AB XD Afterwards when it was near completion (only Ohno was painting, since he painted the kanji and other members the colored rays), Sho said this flag had been made using their team work and friendship, and Nino replied “Sugee shaberu na” (like “you really talk big”), which made Sho burst out laughing x)
When Ohno finished the last stroke, the camera changed to one filming from above, and they all looked at the ceiling while encircling the logo with their spread arms. I really liked this picture, with its sense of unity and completeness =)
Finally, the picture faded to the current flag hanging in the back of the dome ^^ Everything was over around 7:45 pm.
Notes :
-I was listening to Japanese, taking notes in French/English/Japanese (but mostly French), and wrote this report in English, so please be indulgent on any mistake, whether content-wise or language-wise >_< My Japanese is still intermediate so I'm pretty sure there are mistakes here and there...
-Thanks a lot to yarukizero and boblemon for their reports, I could check if I didn't misunderstand something thanks to them ^w^ And really, writing a report is such a time-consuming and tiring task that in any case, they deserve a million thanks !
The venue was quite filled with yellow, but there’s a good probability that’s just my imagination and my own anticipation for Nino’s birthday lol Though I did see a girl with a birthday cake hat when I was queuing to enter through gate 21 ~
The bag checks had been pretty thorough when I first arrive (around 3:30 pm), but with the long queue we had at 4:30 pm before gate 21, they decided to go faster (finally). The guy who checked my bag asked for my permission to search in it but didn’t do it lol
After having my ticket handed over back to me, I got a card in a plastic bag from a staff, with the Waku Waku logo and a note saying it’d be used during a lesson. Got excited at that time ~
Now as for the stage !
We had the regular center stage with screens above, a big slope leading to a green square at the front of the dome, and a small green stage at the back of the center stage. On the floor there were drawings between each five alleys, and in front of me it was quite colourful : a school, flower fields, cherry blossoms, a river and a rainbow ~ The next two drawings on the left were also similar to that one, but on the right there was a winter drawing and one I couldn’t quite distinguish, though it had brownish colors. Thus I guessed all seasons were represented, with spring being represented twice.
There were also flowers forming the Waku Waku logo between the drawings and the stage, I found it nice ~
As for the upper part of the stage, there were square flags with the logo next to the screens, and above everything colorful clocks were hanging, time stopped at 5pm. Between the clocks, there were colourful squares.
Concerning the school portraits, I could only see two : Sho and Aiba. Sho had his gray hair pulled back and was wearing black glasses, while Aiba had quite the image of a mad scientist, especially because of the curly hair x) His white glasses weren’t that bad ~
Besides the portraits, there was the school logo, and then the school’s theme : Hibi kore kizuki.
It started a few minutes late. The school bell rang while the hanging cloth with the logo above the center stage rotated on itself while being elevated. On the screens, it started from the logo, then the colors emerged from the dome, on a picture taken from the sky (the music played was Up to you, but not quite exactly it either, have to check tomorrow). Then our sensei were introduced in a really cool manner *w* It started with Jun during a photoshoot (“Matsumoto Jun in photoshoot” was written in English), and he notices the logo on the camera, then changes into his sensei clothes ~ For Sho, it was during a shooting of Ima kono kao ga sugoi, where he gets a pizza who has the logo on it haha Nino's one was during a Bay storm recording, where he gets a postcard with the logo on the back ~ As for his pose after turning into a sensei, it’s right arm up with a fist, and the left one on it. The whole thing makes a right angle, it was cute. For Aiba, it was in the green room for Aiba Manabu, and the logo was on the lenses of his glasses ! x) He put them on, and was so dorky and cute ~ Then for Oh-chan, he was sketching a landscape in a Western-like garden, and in his water pot the water blurred and the logo appeared, everyone went “ohh” at the animation because it was really well done ^w^ The following expression on Ohno’s face was funny x)
And then, they appeared on screen from backstage ! =D They had their white coat on, but as for their clothes : Aiba had a white shirt with green stains, Nino a similar shirt with yellow stains (the middle part was mostly kept white though), Jun a purple polo with black rolled up sleeves and a black collar with something shiny, Oh-chan a blue polo similar to Jun’s one, and Sho was wearing a checked red shirt with military patterns near the buttons. They entered from gate 22, as usual ~ Saying basic stuff like it’s hot, it’s been a long time etc., they went to the stage and lined up there. Sho made us stand up and Oh-chan announced the beginning of school, but didn’t use the word school and his other word made the audience laugh. Then we bowed and the classes started ^o^
Jun asked who attended classes for the first time (raising hands), who already came (of course, more people raising hands), and Sho told us something funny, but I couldn’t grasp it. We also read aloud the school theme.
They talked about noticing things around us, and I don’t remember when but Sho made again a kime pose with his fist up ~ (He had done it before during the introduction video)
They showed us a video of last year, with Oh-chan fishing on the river next to Kyocera Dome in Osaka Oo No one noticed him, though there was a small flag with his name + something written on it on a side of the boat ! And this year, he fished yesterday on the river near Suidobashi station Oo But then again, no one noticed him… Though he did fish something (funa, a “crucian carp” according to my dictionary ; but well, to me it was just a small grey fish x)), and was really happy about it lol He called this experience a great success ! x) Though no one noticed him XD Have to say though that when the camera zoomed out, it showed him having fished the carp behind a building, so people crossing the bridge from Suidobashi station to the dome wouldn’t have been able to see him anyway… (But before he had been in the middle of the river) So that was it for this small lesson about paying attention to our surroundings ~
Next, Nino’s suya suya lesson !
He told us it’d be about something we do everyday. After a few random guesses from the members, he announced the lesson’s theme : sleeping, especially dreams. Taking Aiba as the subject, there was a picture of a dream he often has before concerts : when they appear on stage, there’s no audience… Oh-chan decides to do the concert until the very end though lol As for the pic used on the screens, the members made fun of his green jerseys and his head being backwards (Aiba : It’s the staff fault !) x)
Nino asked a professor about that dream, and it shows that Aiba has a great sense of responsibility towards work =)
Then, Nino shouted “Suya suya set come on !” à la Shiyagare, and Aiba was wondering (and a bit complaining) why was his bed appearing on stage HAHAHA (It appeared between the students’ chairs and the slope) They joked that he could sleep here tonight XD Then Nino asked for Aiba’s “last words” before he goes to his bed lol Of course, Aiba got worked up at the inappropriate use of “last words” x)
Aiba then got close to the bed, and found a deep gray tshirt on it that he uses as pajamas with underwears. He told us he likes having all his sheets white, though at first (he messed up and said something like “hajimete hajimeta” + live alone, and the other members laughed at that x)), everything was all black.
He doesn’t use his cellphone as an alarm o’clock, but the alarm o’clock he received from Yama-chan in a Shiyagare ~ They even played again the recorded message used as his alarm x)
Then time to go to bed for Aiba-chan ! He had some problems getting rid of his shoes, so they told him he could go in with them on, since it’s his bed. He complained though that precisely because it’s his bed, he doesn’t want to do something that dirty lol They also joked about how going to bed wearing shoes is actually okay because it’s just American style, though Aiba replied that of course that can’t be x) So nope, they won’t make him go to bed with his shoes on haha
He got into the right side of the bed, lying on his right side ~ They talked a bit and Nino told him to pass his kind of exam, he had to get 80 points. Then on screen, his score appeared in a corner… 78 ! HAHAHA The bed got elevated, then inclined around 45°, and Aiba was afraid to fall down x) Then… Nino pushed a red button, and the bed slid on the slope to the green square XD At the intersection between the slope and the floor, smoke on both sides of the alley were used ~
When he arrived, they commented that the face he had on was like his morning face lol (Lots of kyaaas around gate 22 where people were lucky enough to see that ~)
We got to see again the video of Aiba-chan’s face during the slide, and it was really funny, he was scared of course XD
Aiba complained he didn’t know when it’d stop rolling, and thought it could go all the way to Suidobashi haha
Then there was a bit of a talk about how Aiba should stop sleeping in his current pajamas (didn’t understand why though), and they mentioned his sleeping with his mouth open and his drooling x) There was some talk about snoring as well, with Jun imitating it.
The subject changed, and Nino said he would now talk about dreaming of what we’d like to. He asked us who had dreamed of Arashi recently, and some of us raised our hand. Then he told us he’d teach us a way of dreaming what we want, and as a test, it’d be a beach date with Sho ! (When the camera focused on him, Sho pointed towards it and raised his fist again)
We were asked to take out the card we were given when we entered the dome, and to smell it. Indeed, it had a fruity smell ~ The members also smelled it, and Nino did it while rubbing it on his nose, he made us laugh.
Sho was asked to go in front of a panel with a beach picture on it, and shouted us a bit “alooooha” while moving his index and small finger XD Then he received props : a huge white, green and red buoy, goggles with a tuba (he said something like shieshieshie while putting them on, though I have no idea what that means ; it made the public laugh though), and a straw hat. He decided that the goggles and tuba were frightening though, not the kind of Sho you want to meet in a dream XD So he just kept the buoy and the hat.
Nino then asked us to watch this image of Sho on the screen while scenting our card, and some beach sounds were played. Sho told us “kono natsu wa boku to summer splash !” (This summer, let’s have a summer splash with me !) that made us laugh, and Nino commented how funny we all looked with a white card before our nose XD
So if tonight, we put the card on our pillow, we should be able to dream of a beach date with Sho-kun, because our brain associated the image with the smell. They gave us an url so that we can answer a survey on whether we dreamt of Sho-chan or not ~ Sho-chan was pointing at the bottom of the screen, and asked Nino to repeat the url again so that everyone had it written down correctly. We were also given a keyword. It’s the first time in the world such a survey is conducted on the subject, so they definitely wanted to have our feedback, and it’ll be used in other lessons.
Then the end of the lesson came. An instrumental version of Beautiful Days was played, and Nino introduced us to an old man who can’t sleep (his picture was on the screen, along with his answers to some questions). What he finds the hardest : not dreaming anymore. Because of that, one never forgets reality… There was also some talk about four basketball Standford students, but didn’t get that part. Afterwards a ranking of sleep by country was shown, and I was surprised to see France first lol (I definitely don’t help these statistics considering my sleep XD) Japan had 470 minutes of average sleep.
As for the sentence summarizing the lesson, it was along the lines of : sleep correctly, then you’ll be able to dream and be happy for 27 years.
Next, Sho’s lesson, charin charin ! ^w^
He started telling us konbanwa and summer splash lol
He threw a coin in the air, and announced that his lesson would be about money. Guess who had a cry of joy and a thankful face ? HAHAHA
Sho asked us who wished they earned more than currently, and quite a lot of people raised their hands. He mentioned the existence of classes about money in England and the US to middle schoolers, compared to Japan where people don’t usually talk about money. Then he announced a money quiz, “Which one is more expensive ?”.
The first question was about a rope used for tug-of-war (A) and a gymnastic mat (B). Aiba and Nino chose the rope and Aiba and Ohno the mat (they had two round signs with A and B written on it to show). Personally chose the mat as well x) At some point Oh-chan was called Taisou no Oniisan (taisou = gymnastics), but he corrected it to Uta no Oniisan lol Then the audience voted as well (through clapping), and more people were in favour of the rope. They were right ~ 70,000 yen against 27,000 yen !
The second question was about a vaulting horse and a horizontal bar. Ohno and Jun chose the first one, Aiba and Nino the second. When he saw that he was with Aiba, Nino complained that he didn’t get this question right lol Then Ohno explained why he chose the vaulting horse, followed by Nino who explained his own choice : there’s only one horizontal bar in schools, so it has to be expensive. The audience voted again, and it was slightly more in favour of the horizontal bar. But again I got it wrong, A was more expensive ! 150,000 yen for the vaulting horse and 100,000 yen for the horizontal bar. As for why the vaulting horse is that expensive, it’s because it’s handmade and only a hundred people make them in Japan. Also, the price reflects the security ensured (there were a few explanations on that).
Afterwards Sho asked us to consider the yen (kanji 円) as a clap. On the screens there was a drawing, showing how the kanji and clapping had similar shapes (the two extreme vertical traits are the hands, and the middle vertical trait represents the hands joining). Thus, 100 yen equals 100 claps, and a 50 yen pencil 50 claps. He asked us to consider yen as claps to the persons who made the product, and to consider how many claps were required to make this one pink pencil. Onwards with a video which had a song from Pride OST (Air), and when the image of a factory appeared, Nino gladly said that he knew this factory x) In this factory, 22 persons were necessary for one thing (can’t remember what), and it added up to 52 people to make the inner part of the pencil. As for the materials, it added up to 64 people considering the workers excavating the kind of rock used (forgot the name…), and 76 persons including the people cutting trees in the US. Finally, adding factory workers in China (the American wood is brought there for something), it amounted to 102 persons for that one pencil.
After the video ended, Sho said something and then laughed creepily, a bit like a crow, and did it twice x)
Then, last explanation of his lesson. Video quoting the habit of Ikenami Shoutarou (Japanese author) : when he rides a taxi, he always give a 100-200 yen tip. By doing that, the taxi driver gets into a good mood, is nice to the next passenger, who in response smiles to the taxi driver, and it forms a cycle of gratitude ~
Next lesson, Aiba’s paku paku ! =)
He started by asking the members if they weren’t hungry, and they commented how it was “the time for this lesson again”. Aiba announced the theme for this year : “Aiba no jirushi no yasai”, so “Vegetables approved by Aiba” ~
Vegetables were brought on stage, and when Aiba asked them what they wanted to eat, Sho said corn, Nino cabbage, and Ohno potatoes. That’s why Aiba announced he’ll use asparagus and tomatoes, the two other kind of vegetables left XD (Complains about why they were asked in the first place then lol) He asked Jun for help, and told us he would teach us how to cook something delicious in five minutes with asparagus, tomatoes and eggs.
As for the recipe, Aiba asked Jun to bring two asparagus, tomatoes, and said he would also use four eggs, soy sauce, salt (he messed up the word when he announced the proportions and the whole dome burst out laughing) and butter. Holding an asparagus in the middle with his left hand and one end of the asparagus with his right hand, he taught us how it breaks down nicely in two around the end of the asparagus if you bent it a bit. Jun was doing the same next to him, but he was told he was bad at it, and indeed he was XD Instead of breaking the asparagus near one of its end, it broke down more in the middle lol Then Aiba explained something about the marks one can see on the asparagus, teaching us which parts are good. Afterwards he peeled the asparagus a bit, cut it, and on with the cooking ! Aiba poured oil in a frying pan, counting one, then two while pouring it, and Nino made fun of him because there seemed to be way too much oil in the frying pan and wondered with Aiba’s “one, two” if he was using seconds instead of real proportions haha Sho mentioned how he’d like to see Aiba’s cooking TV program XD
Aiba added the eggs and salt in the frying pan, and cooked a quick omelette (wasn’t completely cooked on purpose though). He put it back in a plate, then quickly wiped the frying pan, even if the fire was still on (he was a bit in a hurry during the whole thing). Of course, near the end of his wiping, he complained it was hot lol Jun reprimanded him because safety is important and children are watching x)
Then Aiba put butter and the asparagus in the frying pan, and poured soy sauce on it (“one second !” lol). Sho joked about the quantity of soy sauce, implying it would probably end up being too much like the oil XD Then Aiba added sliced tomatoes, the omelette, and mixed everything. He even flipped the pan a bit, and there was some admiration from the audience and the members, as in “sasuga” (of course ; probably because his family owns a restaurant). Then he declared his dish completed ~ Jun was wondering what he had done to help during the whole thing though. Ohno commented how the dish had a Chinese food vibe, and Jun distributed the plates handed by Aiba to the other members. But Aiba was messy in his serving XD Sho only got tomatoes, Nino only asparagus, and Ohno didn’t have much omelette haha Thus Aiba tried to redistribute everything a bit more equally.
They got to eat, and of course, everyone found it good ^^ Aiba then announced the main dish, holding a plate behind his back… And presented asparagus and tomatoes XD Raw, except that the asparagus had been soaked a bit in soy sauce. Sho found them delicious.
Afterwards Aiba asked why seasonal vegetables taste so good, and on to a video. It showed us Aiba in a field ; well, we were told it was, because it was 2:30 am so of course, one couldn’t see much. He went to meet the farmer, and started helping with cutting the asparagus that were taller than 26cm. He had to measure at first, but at some point got used to it and could tell which ones to cut just by looking ^^ He hesitated to cut one asparagus though (because it was really thin but had the correct length), ended up doing it, and ate one end XD It actually had the right taste ~
By the time they were done, dawn had come, and Aiba noticed the nice view and how big the field actually is : three times the size of Tokyo Dome. Also, the farmer thinks his asparagus taste good because they spend five months under snow.
During the video they moved the sensei desk and the chairs in the opposite direction.
Then we were shown a second video : Aiba had been location shooting somewhere else during the day. This farmer, who felt like meeting with his son when he met Aiba, had weirdly shaped hands because of his job (had never seen that Oo Aiba found his hands looked like rocks). Aiba started digging up potatoes, but was told by the farmer that he was doing it the wrong way. Thus the farmer showed him how to do it, explaining he got these kind of hands by doing that everytime. When asked why he doesn’t put on gloves, he replied it’s because that way, he can feel the soil’s condition.
Aiba wanted to eat the potato he had dug up, and asked the farmer several times if it was okay to eat it raw. He got the ok, had a bite… (He had a hard time having a bite, the crackling sound made us laugh) And didn’t say anything but made the farmer taste it XD Farmer’s answer : if you cook it, it’s good. LOL Aiba complained why he let him eat it raw then, since he had asked a few times if it was okay.
Then they explained something about the moon, how it changes the taste of the vegetables. That’s why to the farmer, no day looks like another one, and he lives with the moon (though he doesn’t check it properly, just feel it). Aiba said it had become a life lesson for him.
The paku paku lesson had come to an end, and Aiba gave us a few last words. He mentioned something about a rainbow in a kind of proverb, but I couldn’t grasp it. The instrumental of My girl was played ~ Then, the words summarizing the lesson : “shun wo itadaki, kisetsu zo kanjiyou” (when you eat something seasonal, you can feel the season ; it’s better in Japanese because it’s not the same “season” which is used…).
Next it was Jun's turn for his tic tac lesson ~
A bell rang at the beginning of the lesson.
He said an hour and a half had just passed, and asked us if we felt this time long or short (so short T_T). Then he talked about school bells, like 50 years ago the bell rang differently. Then he showed us an old bell from a junior highschool in Tokyo, Oomori, and explained it’s the oldest school bell in Japan, and also the one that was used at the beginning of classes today. Afterwards he wanted to show us how a bell rings, and pressed for quite a long time a button. A bit of talk, and the bell rang. The sound is made by small hammers hitting a black metallic thing, and each hammer makes a distinctive sound ~
Then Jun announced it was time for some running HAHAHA All members grimaced hearing that, starting with Ohno x) Only one person would be able not to run, all others had to do it with all their might. The members did a janken and Sho won, so he could pick first in the box with four balls (he had to get the gold one not to run). He picked the gold one XD The other members complained they couldn't even try lol
So they moved to the starting line just after the slope, and Nino commented that it was just like Johnny's sports day haha
They all got ready, and when they departed at Jun's signal, they were asked to go back because he had messed up with them lol (In short, when he gave the signal his sentence wasn't finished so it wasn't the real signal x) Like “Yoi… Start !! kara hashitte kudasai”) Thus, back to the starting line again. They got the signal and ran off, only Sho going slowly and waving at the audience ~ The line up for the race was Aiba, followed by Nino, Oh-chan, then of course Sho-chan. After a minute they stopped, and Nino fell right away on the floor, closely followed by Ohno XD They got on their hands and knees afterwards lol
I noticed that the clocks above the stage where stopped at 17h05 by that time.
As for their positions, Sho had run half of the dome, Ohno and Nino about one lap (Nino before Ohno), and Aiba around one lap and a quarter.
Jun thus explained that their positions represented the difference between those who try hard in life and the others. Hearing that, Sho made a face like "ugh, I messed up" lol (Like "yachatta")
When he came back to his seat, Oh-chan had his chin out XD
Next, Jun talked about a letter he had written at 20 years old, during the time of the coming of age ceremony. He had got back the letter from the friend who had kept all of them (they were a group of friends doing this letter project), and was gonna read it tonight !! The letter was still sealed, so Jun as well didn't have any idea of the contents XD
Afterwards, the camera was focused on Nino who was ruffling through the papers on his desk, and then he said "excuse me", followed by some explanation. He told Jun he wanted to read the letter in his stead, invoking things like "it could be embarrassing for you to read aloud", or "there might be some parts you won't be able to read aloud". Truthfully, at that time I did think it may have something to do with Nino's birthday... But nothing happened ><
Anyway so Jun accepted and handed him the letter. Nino opened it, and it contained three pieces of paper. As for the contents :
"To the me of ten years later,
Nice to meet you, Jun of ten years later. (Everyone laughed) I'm the 20 years old Jun. Is the 30 year old Jun enjoying life ? As for me, I'm doing my best."
Then he said he had questions to ask the 30 year old Jun, and added "shitsurei shimasu" (excuse me) before starting. He asked if he was still in the entertainment world, if he was still going as a part of Arashi. He said that he's aiming at being the top in the entertainment world, the top in the idol world, the top in Japan. He also mentioned he’d like to appear on the international scene. He’s doing his best right now, so he hopes his ten years later self has realized his dreams.
Then he asked about his health, if he was doing fine since his health hasn't always been good. For example at the time of the letter, he had gone to the hospital for his knee on that day. Members and Jun had laughed when health had been brought as the subject, and Jun had replied that yeah, he was doing fine.
Next, 20 year old Jun asked about his parents and his older sister, if they were doing fine, to which Jun replied again that yes it was the case. Young Jun then said that if they fight, to make up properly right away.
Followed a question which made the whole dome burst out laughing : Aren't you buying too much clothes ? HAHAHA 20 year old Jun thought he had this tendency.
Next question was about his personality, young Jun wondered if he had changed, though he thought he wouldn't. He also said in order for his personality not to turn bad, not to forget to properly express gratitude, to pay attention to his manners, and “kakkowarui yamete” (I guess it’s the idea of stop trying to look cool, because trying too hard actually makes you look uncool). Besides, even if he’s a perfectionist, he has to accept that he can’t do everything perfectly everytime.
As for who he became at 30, young Jun said he doesn’t know about that but 30 year old Jun would either get an omedetou (congratulations) or a zannen (too bad) lol
Next question was about singing, if he had got good at it. He also said that he wanted to learn foreign languages, compose and write songs, and play the piano. “Iroiro mendokusai koto mo takusan aru to omou kedo, otagai ni ganbarou !” (There are always unpleasant things, but let’s both do our best !)
As for a random comment near the end, he wrote that lately, he thinks a long life is good x) Jun and the dome burst out laughing XD
He then wrote things like “enjoy shite ne !” and “gabanre yo ore” ~
The letter was dated from 2004.01.16, and something about Johnny's top was added. Then there were several info (height, etc.), and the last words were "Everyday enjoy" (in English), so cute.
When the reading was over, members made comments about the politeness used, like "hajimemashite" (nice to meet you) or "shitsurei shimasu" x) Jun said he thought he hasn't changed much, and when asked about his clothes, he replied that he still has stuff from ten years ago and don't think he's currently buying too much.
On to the next part of the lesson, the homework Jun had given us ! We had to write a letter to our self of ten years later ~ Quick vote of who did the homework, and quite a lot of people raised their hands. So he told us someone wolkd read their letter tonight, and a girl on the first floor, third base, at the end of row 30 was chosen. Staff came over imediately and put on her earphones, the apparel you hang around your hips and she got a mic. She was about my symetric, place-wise.
Her name was Natsumi, and she had come with a friend (Jun asked her some basic questions). Then she read her letter, which was quite long, and her dream was to become a preschool teacher. She was inspired by one of her teacher when she was 5, and at the end Sho asked her if that teacher knew (s)he had been such an inspiration. She replied probably not, and Sho advised her to tell her teacher, because that would most likely make him/her really happy.
Jun then told us that as homework, we had to do our best for the sake of our ten years later self who will read our letter.
The last corner of the lesson was a video letter a member would make for his ten years later self. Nino was chosen ~ (They sure teased him a lot tonight x)) Jun took a camera, and they moved to the platform where the bed had appeared. The platform rose a bit.
Nino started with konnichiwa, but corrected himself with konbawa and made us laugh. ("Konnichiwa. Iya, konbanwa kana...") He asked what kind of ten years he had passed, and said that his current self is in Tokyo Dome, where he just ran for a full minute and now feels a bit sick lol Then he said that's it's still alright at the moment, but to pay attention because he's sure his stomach will come out HAHAHA
As for his work he's grateful because he enjoys it.
"Then... I think there's nothing else in peticular" (laughs) ("Ato wa... Toku ni wa nai kana")
He finished saying he's completely satisfied with his current work and private life =)
Finally, Jun went to the last explanation of his lesson, and the instrumental of One Love was played. He mentioned how "genzai" is "present" in English, so the present is a gift from the past. The lesson last words were : You can't go back to that time again, so time is a precious treasure (Jikan wa nido to modoranai. Taisetsu zaisan).
Lastly, it was time for Ohno’s lesson ^w^
He asked us to chat a bit with the person next to us about what we had found the most interesting tonight. A woman on my right said a bit loudly “tegami !” (letter) to her partner, and had to agree with her ~ After a short moment Ohno stopped us, and made a quick vote on who had spoken with a stranger during that time ; they were quite a few raised hands.
Then Oh-chan asked why Arashi are good friends ~ On to a video of Oh-chan wearing a big lion head piece, it went a bit past his neck, and doing “gaooo” at the camera with his “claws” out x) Location : Fuji TV, before a VS Arashi recording. His goal : checking members’ reactions when he scares them hahaha
He hid behind a white wall on the right, the camera also shooting the long hallway ending with automatic glass doors. His position was so funny, a bit like an Egyptian painting XD Basically, his whole body was sticking against the wall, right arm up and bent, and legs spread and also oriented toward the wall. The first member appeared, Jun, and Ohno let him walk a bit to the left past the doors and surprised him from behind, going “gaooo” with his “claws” out x) Jun’s reaction wasn’t faked, he was really surprised and bent his arms against him, fists up, and curled up against the wall. When he realized it was Oh-chan, he asked “What are you doing ?” (Nani shite n da yo), and Ohno just replied “arigatou gozaimashita” lol
Next, Sho ! Ohno surprised him right after he had passed the doors, and he stepped back while raising his fists like Jun and saying “ahh, bikkuri shita !” (You surprised me).
As for Nino, one of the most funny, if not the funniest thanks to the editing : Ohno also surprised him right after he had passed the door, and like the others he raised his fists while doing a scared face. There were quick successive replays of his reaction with a funny music, and that made us laugh so hard x) After realizing it was Ohno and the whole thing was over, Nino said “mou kaerou” lol (I’m going back)
Lastly, Aiba-chan ~ Like he had for Jun, Ohno let him walk a bit past the doors before surprising him, and of course he also raised his fists against him, while stepping back quite a lot. The caption (there’s always a comment after each reaction) was that Aiba’s running while he escaped was like an onee-san (a cross-dresser) XDD The following conversation went :
Aiba : “Uhh, bikkuri shita”
Ohno : Ijou. (The end) (laughs)
Aiba : “Ja, VS Arashi e ikou !” (Then let’s go to VS Arashi !)
Then they put their arms around each other’s waist briefly and walked down the hallway ~
That’s it for the video, which aim was to investigate the members’ personality. Conclusion : every member is different ! x)
Then we got another video, in which Ohno had given a personality trait for each member ^^ First : Ohmiya ! “Ohno Satoshi x Ninomiya Kazunari” appeared on screen, followed a photo of each member (Ohno at 15 and Nino at 13, because they met at that time). Nino’s personality trait : kimegao (posed look) hahaha We got several footages : one from a CM making as Juniors (when the camera got close to the Juniors group, kimegao of Nino), one when Jun was holding the camera across the table and called out “Nino player”, which resulted in a sexy kimegao and Jun said “kakkoii” (oh and before Jun’s “Nino player”, the video opened on a hairstylist ruffling a bit through Nino’s long hair, then Nino ruffling through his hair), and the last video comes from the backstage of AAA 2008, when they arrive at night at Kokuritsu. Every member goes out of the car, and Nino, the third member, does his usual two fingers move (you know, his index and middle fingers goes from his temple to the camera).
Second pairing : Ohno Satoshi x Sakurai Sho ! The same picture of Ohno at 15 was accompanied by a picture of Sho at 14. We got a few footages, like Sho as a Junior (his face was still his “baby” one, as in one couldn’t exactly see the base of his current face ; not sure this is understandable though ^^") dancing and getting close to the camera, or him slightly older (there he had his “current face”) talking on a bridge with the wind blowing strongly. Ohno’s narration at that time was that Sho looked a lot like his friend Nori-kun. As for Sho’s personality trait… Tank top HAHAHA It started with a picture from a magazine where Sho was 13 wearing a yellow tank top, followed by extracts from Arafes (during A.RA.SHI, showing all members one by one wearing sleeves and finishing with a sleeveless Sho starting his “take it so so” (the one in the middle of the song) while moving his hips ; the whole thing was awesomely funny XD), 5x10 (during My Girl, when they all wear the tour tshirt and only Sho has a tank top), and the video ended with a magazine photoshoot, where… Sho was wearing a double tank top XDDDDD (A black one on a white one)
Third pairing : Ohno Satoshi x Aiba Masaki ~ Ohno 15, Aiba 13. Ohno’s narration told us his first impression of Aiba was that he easy to talk to ^^ We also got a video of Aiba presenting a karaage to the camera, which made the person in front of me and me laugh x) As for Aiba’s personality trait : sweat hahaha We got a footage from a concert where Aiba was 16 and sweating profusely, then a footage from Tetsuko no Heya (2009.10.09) where Aiba sweats so much he surprised Tetsuko-san, and she even fanned him in the end XDDD Aiba’s video finished on “Arigatou ! Ase (sweat) by Ohno Satoshi”, which was the case everytime (Arigatou + personality trait).
Last pairing : Ohno Satoshi x Matsumoto Jun ^w^ Ohno 15, Jun 13. The photo used for Jun was the one where he wears a pale blue sweater and has his two fists cupped under his chin. This one is famous since he’s really cute on it, and indeed, the audience said “kawaii” ~ Concerning his personality trait… “Undress everywhere” HAHAHA We got a footage from Jun at 14 during a concert, where he’s the only one walking down the alley with his shirt open XD Followed by a footage from AAA 2008 (during Lucky Man), a photo from a magazine (he’s in bed, black shirt open of course), and lastly, a footage from Arafes’ Shake it *w* The whole dome screaaamed and Jun was laughing, embarrassed x)
The video ending with a few footages of Oh-chan, Your song was played, and the narration talked about how Ohno wanted to believe they met by fate, not coincidence. Also, because they’re five, happiness and sadness is always shared between them. Lastly, a photo from Popcorn (the shooting for the RE album cover) was shown, with “5nin ga deai ni kansha” (gratitude for the five of us meeting) written below in golden letters =)
When the video ended, members complained about Oh-chan’s use of “personality trait”, with Jun pointing out tank top as an example x) And then, to prove Oh-chan right… Sho got rid of his shirt, and he had a black tank top underneath XDDD
For the last corner, the audience got to participate =D There were five AMNOS colored flags spread around the dome, each delimitating a blog from A to E. Then Ohno explained what each bloc had to do : A bloc, the middle of third base, had to clap hands following the rhythm played and Sho-chan was in charge. The bloc combining the end of first and third bases had to hit their chest (think King Kong XD), and Nino complained when he was assigned this bloc hahaha Then C bloc, the middle of first base, had to clap hands in-between the given rhythm and Aiba was in charge. D bloc, the remaining part of first base, had to snap fingers, also in-between the rhythm, and we got Jun <3 He snapped his fingers towards the camera when Oh-chan announced his name ~ Lastly, the first part of third base had to hit their lap in-between the rhythm, and Oh-chan was in charge (Nino wanted to change with him lol). When the members moved to their bloc, Jun snapped his fingers again towards the camera, one of his shoulders more forward than the other (have the image in my head, but it’s hard to explain @_@).
So we would go bloc by bloc in the letters order, and they would sing at the same time ! =D We got A.RA.SHI, yeaaaaah ! Until the end of the first chorus ^w^ Of course, we shouted our usual parts, and have to admit I almost lost my rhythm doing that lol So kudos to them who had to sing at the same time ~
In the end, when members were asked about their impressions, Nino said the only advantage was that his bloc did it a certain way (“hira hira”, I guess the idea of amusedly ?), so that made the whole thing fun x)
Then Ohno’s last explanation came, and the instrumental of Monster was played, while a very old Arashi photo (they wore red costumes) was displayed on screen. He mentioned NCon issho ni utaou, though I don’t remember why. The lesson last words were : Arashi is made of five personalities. It’s because we’re all different that we’re good friends ^^
The school bell rang, it was 7:30 pm. They got rid of their white coat and lined up in front of the slope. Talked a bit, then Aiba announced Furusato =)
Ohno started singing, and of course he was great ^^ But can’t say the same about Nino who followed right afterwards lol A part of his sentence wasn’t on the same note even though it was supposed to be XD The public around me reacted a bit to that as well. Then Sho, Aiba and Jun, and there was nothing in peticular. We got to sing the second chorus ~
Afterwards they all got down through a different alley, waving to us. Had Sho in front of me, Ohno on my left, Aiba on my right, and after Aiba it was Jun then Nino. At some point the hanamichi came, with Arashi Waku Waku Gakkou 2013 ~ Mainichi ga motto kagayaku itsutsu no jugyou ~ written on it in golden letters and the remaining white part was illuminated in rainbow colors. On the side it was the logo. So Aiba and Jun first rode the hanamichi, and the others got close to ride it as well. Sho walked towards it like Yoshimoto-sensei, so the dome laughed XD It was Jun and Nino on one side, and Aiba, Sho and Ohno on the other.
When Jun and Nino passed by my bloc, Jun pointed aloud to Nino that there was an uchiwa wishing him happy birthday, to which Nino replied “Arigatou ! Minna omedetou !” lol Though have to say, it did make me feel uneasy that Jun would openly mention Nino’s birthday…
When the two hanamichi arrived at the end of the dome, they told us their last good-byes, reviewing quickly every lesson contents and asking us not to forget them. Then they got down and disappeared behind the black curtain.
On the screen a video started : Arashi painting the Waku Waku flag ^w^ They wore brownish/greyish aprons which went to their feet and were barefoot. During it we also got some review footages, like Ohno’s surprising members at Fuji TV x) Besides, at some point Nino said it was bad that four A blood-types were doing this haha (A type people are said to pay attention to details) Ensued a picture with all five of them, members having an A above their head and only Aiba had AB XD Afterwards when it was near completion (only Ohno was painting, since he painted the kanji and other members the colored rays), Sho said this flag had been made using their team work and friendship, and Nino replied “Sugee shaberu na” (like “you really talk big”), which made Sho burst out laughing x)
When Ohno finished the last stroke, the camera changed to one filming from above, and they all looked at the ceiling while encircling the logo with their spread arms. I really liked this picture, with its sense of unity and completeness =)
Finally, the picture faded to the current flag hanging in the back of the dome ^^ Everything was over around 7:45 pm.