[ET - MAG] Aiba - 2011 Chiba Walker (Winter)

Magazine: Chiba Walker
Date: Winter, 2011
Language: English

Aiba Masaki's star shines bright in various fields like singing, TV dramas. commercials, and variety shows. He's been co-hosting "Tensai Shimura Doubutsuen" for 7 years now.
AIBA: I've been surrounded by animals even before I started doing the show. We have a dog at home. When I was small, we'd often go to Safari parks. I fell in love with the chameleon when we featured one in the show. It looks so cute especially when it sticks its tongue out to catch food. I used to hate reptiles but now I've grown fond of them. (^_^)

Animals can help relieve stress don't you think?
AIBA: True. Every time I feel their warmth, I realize that 'this is alive'. I'm taking care of something that has life. You don't take care of pets just because you find them cute right? You have to be ready for it. People also grow when taking care of plants and animals because of the responsibility that comes with it. I'd like to raise a big dog some day.

But you can't take care of a pet here in Tokyo right?
AIBA: Yeah cuz I live alone. But we have a dog in Chiba that's about 13 years old now. He still recognizes me every time I go there. If I have some free time, I take him out for a walk. I love animals, but I love Chiba too. I'm a true blue Chiba native. Nobody's forcing me to do so but I'll always do my best to represent Chiba.

[Translations - Mag] Aiba - Myojo 2010.08

5x100 Interview

1. What time did you sleep last night?
- Around 1 AM

2. What time did you wake up this morning?
- 8:30 AM

3. What was the first thing you did after waking up?
- Slept again... for around 30 minutes.

4. How long did you prepare before leaving the house?
- I left after about 2-3 hours. Usually I leave after an hour.

5. What did you have for breakfast?
- Curry

6. How much cash do you have on you right now?
- Left my stuff in the car so I don't have money right now.

7. What are you wearing right now?
- Shirt, jeans, and sandals

8. What do you have inside your bag?
- I don't have my bag with me.

9. How will you describe your mood today using weather terms?
- Good

10. What's the latest thing you bought?
- DVD

11. What made you laugh lately?
- "Denpa Shounen" (Airwave Boy)

12. What made you cry lately?
- None.

13. What is the most annoying thing you have experienced lately?
- None.

14. The most shocking thing lately?
- Bumping into Shimura Ken-san in the street.

15. What made you heart flutter lately?
- Going to the movies. The scent of popcorn made my heart flutter. (haha)

16. The most exciting thing that's happened to you lately?
- Eating ice cream

17. The most depressing thing that's happened to you lately?
- Feeling sore everywhere after trying to get some exercise.

18. What's been bothering you lately?
- None

19. Most recent mistake
- None.

20. Most recent news that caught your attention
- None.

21. Most recent home appliance that caught your attention
- I bought a new electric fan. Took it home after using it in my stage play's dressing room.

22. Most recent picture you took with your cellphone
- Mt. Fuji

23. How many messages do you receive in a day?
- 5's about right.

24. Aside from calls and e-mails, what other cellphone functions do you usually use?
- I use the alarm everyday. I also check the weather report through my phone.

25. What cellphone strap do you have on your phone?
- Kinashi Cycle
** If I'm not mistaken, Tunnels' Noritake-san gave it to them. Nino said so in his interview. **

26. The thing that you want most
- None.

27. The person you want to meet the most
- Mike Tyson. Just watched his movie.

28. Place where you want to go the most
- Brazil. I wanna join the Rio Carnival.

29. What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "summer"?
- Live concert.

30. Do you love summer?
- Love it!

31. Beach person? Pool person?
- Beach person!

32. Favorite treat during the summer?
- candied apricot

33. What's your favorite shaved ice flavor?
- Lemon

34. Are you the type who finishes his summer homework right away?
- Not really.

35. What was your favorite game when you were still a kid?
- Baseball

36. If you were to do a part-time job, what would it be?
- I want to be a receptionist

37. If you had super powers, what would it be?
- The power to bend a spoon
** with his mind? He can bend one with his hands! lol. With a lot of effort though. **

38. What do they call you at home?
- Masa

39. What type of women do you like?
- Marishan from Kinnikuman (Muscleman) is my ideal woman
** I don't know the anime, sorry. **

40. Do you want to meet up with your girlfriend everyday?
- It depends on her. We don't have to meet up everyday though, for me.

41. Do you want to hear from her everyday?
- Once a day is enough.

42. Text or call?
- Whichever.

43. Do you prefer to go out or just stay home with your girlfriend?
- Go out.

44. Do you act differently towards a girl once you fall in love with her?
- I guess I become livelier.

45. What's the most important thing when it comes to romance?
- Thinking about your partner

46. What will you do for the person you like?
- Make her happy

47. Do you care about the past relationships of the person you like?
- I'll try not to.

48. Have you had your heart broken?
- Of course

49. What happens when you get your heart broken?
- I get depressed

50. What conditions do you have for your future wife?
- None.

51. What will you say to propose to the girl you love?
- How should I know? I've never been married (haha).

52. How many kids do you want to have?
- 2,3 kids maybe?

53. What name will you give your children?
- Masaki junior. I'll go western. (haha)

54. What defines a man?
- Chest hair

55. What defines a woman?
- Her hands

56. Disregarding gender, what kind of person do you want to be friends with?
- Someone with a good vibe

57. Disregarding gender, what kind of person do you not want to be friends with?
- An insensitive person

58. If you could trade places with another member of Arashi, who would it be?
- I'll trade places with Riida and go fishing

59. What will you do if your friends asks you to sing Arashi songs in the karaoke?
- I'll sing A.Ra.Shi

60. Ohno's amazing for...
- He's our leader! Everything about him is great.

61. Sakurai's amazing for...
- his muscles

62. Nino's amazing for...
- his love for games

63. Jun's amazing for...
- religiously taking his vitamins

64. Aiba's amazing for...
- nothing

65. How will you describe Japan to foreigners?
- I'll boast about my hometown, Chiba. I'll even tour you around! (haha)

66. Favorite word
- "gozoroppu"
** gozoroppu = internal organs **

67. It makes you happy when you hear it.
- Complements

68. Favorite color
- It depends on my mood

69. Favorite season
- Summer

70. Why?
- Makes me feel good

71. Favorite scent
- I love the smell of the sea. Brings back old memories.

72. Favorite sound
- Can't think of one.

73. Favorite bento side dish
- Anything deep fried

74. Best impersonation
- None

75. Phrase you say often
- None

76. Collection
- None

77. Most precious possession
- Arashi

78. Weakness
- None... Errr... can't tell you.

79. Who has the greatest influence on you?
- Magic Johnson. Played basketball with him once.

80. First thing you look at when you meet someone for the first time
- Eyes

81. What house rules do you have at home?
- Not to burden other people

82. Favorite animal
- Dogs
** for someone who's seen different kinds of animals? lol... He must really love dogs. **

83. What's your greatest weapon?
- I'm daring
** I think so too... Well, I'm just basing my assumption on how he dresses. He's bold. **

84. What do people think of you?
- I'm foolish

85. What would you do if you were Prime Minister?
- I'll look for a replacement right away. I'll be like "I can't do this! Sub please!"

86. How many hours should there be in a day?
- 24 hours is enough

87. What does being an "adult" mean?
- Learning to sacrifice

88. When will/did you consider yourself as an adult?
- I'm still immature

89. What does "Arashi" mean for you?
- My treasure

90. Where do you usually stay when you're at home?
- On the sofa

91. At home, do you walk barefoot, wearing socks, or wearing slippers?
- Barefoot or slippers

92. What do you do when you're depressed?
- None

93. What will you do when you get home?
- Watch some DVD

94. What can't you live without?
- None

95. What's missing in your life right now?
- None

96. What do you wear when you sleep?
- Jerseys

97. If you only had 3 days left before the end of the world, what will you do?
- Go somewhere I've never been. I'll go with whoever wants to go with me.

98. What will you say to your 10-years-after self?
- "Are you having fun?"

99. What's your dream?
- Live each day without regrets

100. Your last words please.
- Great job everyone!

[Translations - Mag] Aiba - Duet 2010.11

Do you have a particular set of guidelines in creating your concert opening speeches?
I just base my greeting on what I feel at that moment. Every time I ask the audience "Are you having a good time?!", I ask them wishing that they are having a good time. I remember saying "Are you guys excited?!" and "I'm so high!". I say "I'm high" cuz I'm really feeling high! I'm at my max after 5 songs, fast isn't it?! (haha). The other members seem to have decided on a fixed greeting huh? That's the difference between type A and type AB (bloodtype) people.

What things do you bear in mind during your concerts?
I make sure to have fun, to give the fans a good time, and to be grateful. I don't really need to constantly remind myself about those things cuz those are the things that I always think of when I'm on stage. I also make sure to look at as much faces as I can. I might have waved at the audience a lot too.

How did you come up with your costumes for this concert?
I'm into Lady Gaga's eccentric style. I also try to be experimental when it comes to clothes (haha). The outfit I wore for my solo was a bit eccentric.

Please tell us something about the production set.
The set was amazing. We had fire, water, and a lot of stuff. Name it, we have it (haha). How do you call that "hanging in the air" thing? Okay, whatever it's called, that part's terrible! It was suuuper hard cuz I was supposed to mirror Matsujun's actions.

What were you doing while the other members were performing their solos?
We had no time to even catch our breath. After a performance, we had to run to our next spot. But whenever I had some extra time, I'd sit near an electric fan and cool myself down while making an "a～～～～" sound (haha).

What was the most moving scene you saw in this concert tour?
I was moved by this. It's beautiful. I feel recharged whenever I look at it.


How will you describe your most recent concert tour?
Happy. It was a happy time. I was happy to see thousands of people unite over our music.

How do you feel about your upcoming dome concert?
I hope that the fans have a good time again, and for us to have fun doing it. Everyone can bring their heartaches to the concert and leave it behind when they go home. I'm looking forward to spending time with everyone. We will have to change the contents of the concert though. Riida's turning 30 within this tour. I'm also turning 28 (haha).

What things did you get to see while you were doing your nationwide concert?
I felt so alive! We were all alive!

Currently
I got myself a pet monkey. I've always wanted one. Well actually, my brother's moving out so it'll just be our parents at home. I knew they'd say yes if I asked them to take care of a pet monkey so I did and they said yes. So yeah, it's more like THEY got themselves a pet monkey. She's cute! I was talking to the pet shop attendant and he said that it took them 3 months to look for a female squirrel monkey.

Squirrel Monkey
Photo from Google Images

When I went home 1-2 months after she was born, she was clinging to my parents all the time. We named her "Omusume" (daughter). My mom chooses weird names doesn't she? I wanted to name her "Chibita" (small and chubby) (haha). My parents brings her over to my place once in a while but she doesn't want to come to me! She's nice to the people she likes but it'd take time to woo her. They're quite different from dogs who get comfortable with people easily. Even though I want her to get used to me, I can't raise her at my place. If I did, I'd have to leave her alone cuz I also have to go to work. Plus it's hot over at my place. (haha). I do have a wooper looper at home.

Wooper Looper/Axolotl
Image from Google Images

A friend gave it to me saying that he heard me say that I wanted to have one and that's how I ended up having a wooper looper at home.(haha) I put it in a fish tank. The water temperature should be between 20-25 degrees Celsius so the poor guy has a hard time during summer. I call him "Kadokichi-kun". He doesn't need to eat much. I only feed him once every 2 days. But I have to be constantly aware of the water temperature. If the water temperature goes up I have to cool it down at once. Sometimes when the heat's too much that I even wake up from sleep, I run to the fish tank and put in ice packs to cool it down. (haha)