In this world dominated by K-Pop, very few people know about Arashi. Even when the Japanese pop group finally opened up to the world through their social media channels, some people reading this post might probably wonder what Arashi is.
Unfortunately, Arashi suddenly announced their hiatus last January 27, 2019, so let me give you a brief but meaningful introduction to the unknowingly popular Japanese group to many before you miss the boat.
Arashi (嵐) is a word that means “storm” in Japanese. This name originated from Mr. Johnny Kitagawa, the group's agency president, that the five-member group will “create a storm throughout the world.”
Alas, the group did create a storm throughout the world. But they did it silently—dethroning the Korean boy band BTS and Taylor Swift in international music charts.
This phenomenal Japanese all-male pop group started out promoting a prominent volleyball tournament in Hawaii as teenagers. With a self-titled single A.RA.SHI, as their first and the theme song of the sports tournament, they rose to the top of the music charts in Japan and has consistently been doing it ever since that day.
We can discuss many topics relating to Arashi, especially that I have many things to say about them as their fan. But for now, let's get down to the basics first so that whenever there are queries about them or something related discussed in future posts, I would always refer back here as the fundamental information resource guide.
So, let’s get started. Ikimashou!
SATOSHI OHNO
Known to fans as リーダー (Leader), Ohno first made the fans laugh because he got this nickname-slash-title when he participated in a janken or a rock-paper-scissors game to determine who will be the group’s leader against fellow member Sho Sakurai. This happened when they were still young and had just started in the entertainment industry.
Some may characterize Ohno as an idol with no idol traits, but he is well-loved by his fans despite these eccentricities. One of his most notable characteristics is having a deep interest in fishing—a hobby that makes people think more of him as less of an idol.
Still, his group presence is essential and indispensable because of his incredible talent in singing, dancing, and acting. You could listen to him for hours when you hear his crystal clear voice.
Mr. Leader is also a talented visual artist. He had collaborated with different Japanese artists and even displayed his works in art exhibits.
SHO SAKURAI
Among all the members, Mr. Sakurai is my beloved. He is the soul of this blog because I won't be able to make this without his inspiration—more about that in another post.
Sakurai-san is known as the intellectual idol among the five members of Arashi. He is the group's designated rapper and is known to be the first Johnny's idol to have written all the rap lyrics by himself.
Being an intellectual idol, Sho graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from Keio University, a prestigious Ivy-league school in Japan. He also hosts a segment in a news program titled News Zero every Monday. This segment in the news program is, of course, the namesake of this blog.
Mr. Sakurai also topped the survey as “The Celebrity that I Will Vote as Japan’s Prime Minister" not only because of his intelligence but also because of his family background.
His father is Shun Sakurai, a former top government honcho who served the Abe administration. At the same time, her mother is an heiress to some businesses and an English professor at Komazawa University. His two siblings, Shu Sakurai, is a rugby player, while Mai Sakurai is also a journalist for NHK, the government-owned media institution in Japan.
MASAKI AIBA
He is known as the funny one in the group (aside from Ohno) and is a charming guy who never fails amuse his fans because of his funny antics, including his Aiba-English.
His Aiba-English has already made numerous fans burst into laughter because of phrases like “Very, very danger!” (while feeding a crocodile), "Very cuticle!" (Very cute), and "Do you like bird? (referring to chicken, while feeding a cheetah), and many more.
Aiba is also known to be the animal lover of the group. He hosts Tensai Shimura Doubutsen, an animal-centered variety show where celebrities are tasked to interact with different animals. In fact, some episodes featured Cong. Chavit Singson's Baluarte in Ilocos and even the Malabon Zoo.
Some people may think that he is not as popular as the other members, but his presence in the group is vital because Arashi would not have the image they have now had not been for these peculiarities.
Aiba-kun is the only member from outside Tokyo—he lives in Chiba Prefecture, a rural area in Japan, before joining the group.
KAZUNARI NINOMIYA
Nino, as his fans call him, is known as arguably the best actor among the five. He was awarded the prestigious Japan Academy Prize, which is a counterpart of the Oscars, or even the FAMAS Awards here in the Philippines.
He also starred in the Hollywood film Letters from Iwo Jima and has been rubbing elbows with Clint Eastwood since that day.
Despite these achievements, Nino has an otaku image among the fans because he likes games and reads manga. He seems to have an introverted image because he refuses to go outside and would rather spend his whole day playing video and computer games.
His name once again made into the headlines when he announced that he would marry a long-time girlfriend. Despite the backlash from fans, Ninomiya-kun continued with his decision and married the woman only known to the public as “A-san.”
JUN MATSUMOTO
If you have watched the Japanese version of Meteor Garden, MatsuJun is no stranger to you. MatsuJun is arguably the most popular among the Arashi members. Apart from his portrayal of Tsukasa Domyouji, or the Japanese Dao Ming Si, he is also widely popular as Shin Sawada in Gokusen.
(Fun fact: Contrary to popular belief, Meteor Garden is not in any way the original. Its story was adapted from a Japanese manga called Hana Yori Dango. There was, in fact, a 1995 movie about it. But more on this in a separate post.)
But more than that, MatsuJun is famous for his long-rumored romance with his Hana Yori Dango co-star, Mao Inoue. In fact, his fans are already on the lookout to prove if this rumor is true or not after Nino got married and considering they will be on hiatus for a while.
Is their hiatus an impending prelude to a series of marriages? Better stay tuned and find out. (Note: I’ll update this post once it finally happens!)
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