Typed, Printed, Not Yet Delivered

i'm now done with the postcards i'm going to send for Arashi's 11th anniversary. it's K No Arashi international fans project.

i still haven't figured out how many days or weeks it will take for the postcards to reach Tokyo if i post them through regular international mailbox. maybe i'll give it a month time frame.

so, here they are. one is addressed to Johnny's Family Club, and the other one is to Aiba's radio corner.

now i shall post them with love...

Shoon's Sweet Smile

Shoon-kun, i still miss you~~ T.T

watching your videos made me feel good but at the same time, it reminded me of you more. especially the times when you became dorky and the times when you smiled. :'D

arigatou ne. subete ni. anata no sumairu ga suki desu yo. amai na~

love you too...

BTW, i made a new YT account. i'll start uploading videos later.

山下 翔央 -Yamashita Shoon-

quoting KAT-TUN: "falling in the crazy love.."

it's one of my favourite songs by KAT-TUN, BTW.

okay, now onto the topic of this post. it's about Yamashita Shoon, a cute and funny-without-trying-hard heartthrob. he's an ex-Johnny. he was in Ya-Ya-Yah, a temporary junior unit. Ya-Ya-Yah was dissolved in November 2007 but he still wasn't assigned into any real group. he only appeared in magazines and in TV shows as a junior. then, he thought hard about deciding his path in life. he figured that staying as a junior for a long time wouldn't benefit him. (two other members of Ya-Ya-Yah debuted as members of Hey!Say!Jump! in September 2007. and another member quited Johnny agency in November after that.) BTW, he has one year left before completing his studies as a law student. so, in February 2010, he officially left Johnny agency.

from a fan's point of view, it's sad that he's no longer in JE (Johnny's Entertainment) 'cos it has been fun watching him on shows. but for his sake, it's true that he's better off being a non-Johnny if he's not going to debut soon. Shoon's the kind of guy with a solid vision in his life. so, it's understandable that he doubted whether or not it would serve him any good if he stayed.

the whole thing is sad but necessary. :( i miss him. a lot of people do.

back then, when Ya-Ya-Yah was still around

and the "crazy" thing about it is...i only came to pay attention to him this year. I HATE MYSELF FOR THAT! but "crazily" enough, i couldn't stop ever since. tasukete! see, it just that i don't usually bother to be as supportive to the juniors of JE as i am to the debuted groups. 'cos JE has QUITE A NUMBER of debuted groups and LOTS of juniors. and from the first time i saw Shoon, i wanted to see more of him. he's funny, adorable, lovely, and his smile is super sweet. super sweet, i tell you!

so, Yamashita Shoon was born on the 20th of December 1988 in Tokyo. he's a Sagittarius with blood type A. his younger brother, Reon is also an ex-Johnny. the two of them quite recently joined force to set up a blog for their fans. it's called Flying Sheep's Cafe. the site is closed now, temporarily, i hope.

Shoon, we really miss you. we support you always.

zutto ni daisuki!

Yes, To Be Free!

the official release of Arashi's 31st single, To Be Free, is on July 7th but the full PV is already uploaded.

i watched it and i loved it! it's simple but sweet. nice.

you can watch it here on YT, if it's still available.

and the song itself is great too. it's a mid-tempo pop song with a soothing melody. the meaning in the lyrics is just motivating.

lyrics:

流れる 雲 に 憧れた 僕ら

nagareru kumo ni akogareta bokura
遮る もの など 何 一つ ない

saegiru mono nado nani hitotsu nai
記憶 の 中 に 刻んだ 空 の 色 は

kioku no naka ni kizanda sora no iro wa
あの 日 の よう に, 変わらぬ よう に

ano hi no you ni, kawaranu you ni
(どこ へ 行こう か. まだ 見ぬ 場所 へ)

(doko he yukou ka? mada minu basho he)
時 は 止まらない, 手 を 伸ば して

toki wa tomaranai, te wo noba shite

渇いた まま 僕ら は 駈け出したんだ

kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda
ごまかせない 心 に 気付いた から

gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara
何 も 飾らず, その まま で

nani mo kazarazu, sono mama de
風 に 吹かれ 行く だけ さ to be free

kaze ni fukare iku dake sa to be free

日差し の 中 で 笑い合った 僕ら

hizashi no naka de waraiatta bokura
無邪気 な 声 が 今 も 響いてる

mujaki na koe ga ima mo hibiiteru
溢れる ほど の 想い は 明日 に 向かい

afureru hodo no omoi wa asu ni mukai
輝く よう に, 変わらぬ よう に

kagayaku you ni, kawaranu you ni
(一人 じゃ ない さ, 涙 拭えば)

(hitori janai sa, namida nugueba)
大切 な もの に 気付く の だろう

taisetsu na mono ni kidzuku no darou

透き通った まま 僕ら は 夢 描いたんだ

sukitootta mama bokura wa yume egaitanda
諦めない 太陽 より 煌めく から

akiramenai taiyou yori kirameku kara
流した 汗 も その まま で

nagashita ase mo sono mama de
光 求め 行く だけ さ to be free

hikari motome iku dake sa to be free

振り返る 事 も 出来ず に

furikaeru koto mo dekizu ni
走り抜けて きた 僕ら

hashirinukete kita bokura
上り 下り 繰り返した yeah

nobori kudari kurikaeshita yeah
それ は 時 に 甘く ほろ苦い

sore wa toki ni amaku horonigai

渇いた まま 僕ら は 駈け出したんだ

kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda
ごまかせない 心 に 気付いたから

gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara
何 も 飾らず, その まま で (to be free)
nani mo kazarazu, sono mama de (to be free)

透き通った まま 僕ら は 夢 描いたんだ

sukitootta mama bokura wa yume egaitanda
諦めない 太陽 より 煌めく から

akiramenai taiyou yori kirameku kara
流した 汗 も その まま で
nagashita ase mo sono mama de

渇いたまま僕ら駈け出したんだ
kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda

ごまかせない心に気付いたから
gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara

何 も 飾らず、そのまま
nani mo kazarazu, sono mama de

風 に 吹かれ 行く だけ さ to be free
kaze ni fukare iku dake sa to be free

To be free
To be free

.........................................

translation:

we admired the flowing clouds
nothing at all obstructing them
the colors of the sky we engraved in our memories
are like that day and we hope it won't change
(where should we go? to a place we haven't seen yet)
time won't stop, reach out your hand

we started running even though we were thirsty
because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
without enhancing anything, just as we are
simply going where the wind takes us to be free

we laughed together in the sunlight
our innocent voices are resounding even now
an overflowing amount of wishes that face tomorrow
hoping they will shine, hoping they won't change
(you're not alone, so wipe your tears)
i think you'll realize what's important

we painted dreams even though we'd become transparent
because we'll shine brighter than the unfaltering sun
even leaving our sweat as it is
simply searching for the light to be free

unable to look over our shoulders
we ran through to the end
repeatedly going up and down yeah
those times were sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet

we started running even though we were thirsty
because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
without enhancing anything, just as we are to be free

we painted dreams even though we'd become transparent
because we'll shine brighter than the unfaltering sun
even leaving our sweat as it is

we started running even though we were thirsty
because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
without enhancing anything, just as we are
simply going where the wind takes us to be free

to be free
to be free

★★★★★

K の 嵐 2010 (International Fans Project)

click on the image for the whole view.

so, above is the logo for this project. there are a few options and we can even come up with our own, but i think i'll go with this one. nice, isn't it? so, please spread this news!

more details about this project can be found in this LJ post. just read through, prepare your postcard(s), include the introductory context given, also include the logo, then send it to one of the provided addresses.

the postcard should reach Tokyo in the week of 12-18 of September 2010. the exact date for Arashi's debut anniversary is 15th of September, by the way. 2010 is their 11th year! \(^o^)/

so, i've made the draft of what i'm going to write on my postcard. it's in Japanese writing, so i'll include the English translation so that readers who can't read Japanese kanji and kana can understand. the translation is exclusive for this post only. :)

####################

K (国際 ファン の プロジェクト) の 嵐:

もし 私たち が ハガキ を 送ったら, 嵐 は 世界 中 に ファン が いる こと に 気づ いてくれる でしょう か.

心 に しあわせ が ある 限り, 素晴らしい でしょう. それ で, 嵐 の ファン は 最高 です から. ね~? だから, K の 嵐 SUCCESS!

"五人 で いる. ずっと いる." それら の 言葉 を 本当 に 信じる. ありがとう ね. 全 世界 は 嵐 が 大好き です. Johnnyさん と マネージャーさん と スタッフ の 皆さん もう, お疲れさま です. 本当 に ありがとう! 行こう 行こう 皆!

####################

translation:

K no Arashi (International Fans Project):

will Arashi notice that they have fans all over the world if we send them postcards? [--- this is the introductory context that needs to be included by everyone for this project.]

[then, a prediction on the result of this experiment (project) should be written too. ---] as long as there's happiness in your heart, then it's great. plus, Arashi's fans are the best. aren't they? therefore, K no Arashi is a SUCCESS!

"there are five of us. always will be." i believe in those words. thank you. the whole world loves Arashi. Johnny-san, the manager, and the staff have been working hard too. thank you, really! go go everyone!

..........................................................................

the recipient's address:
Johnny's Family Club (ARASHI - Member Name)
Miyamasu Tower B1F
1-10-10 Shibuya
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8550