Maimi featured on Hello! Project Digital Books for December

For the second month in a row, Maimi is the featured member for Hello! Project Digital Books. This month features pictures taken during her filming for the second of the 3 consecutively released solo DVDs, “a rainy day”. Above are the preview images for all four weeks of December.

Maimi Sightings for 11/30

The website for the radio program “Tatekawa Shirano no Sabugaru Tengoku” uploaded this 3-shot of Maimi with fellow ℃-ute members Nakajima Saki and Okai Chisato.

Blog update: “Arm wrestling”

Here’s the translation for Maimi’s 11/30 blog update, titled “Arm wrestling“:

This was written in the morning.
I apologize for the late update.
STAFF

Good morning
It’s Maimi

Yesterday, near Mt. Fuji,
we filmed for next year’s Nihon TV drama “Suugaku Joshi Gakuen”

Mt. Fuji was really beautiful… The fall colors were also beautiful…

I really, really wanted to take a picture, but I missed my chance, and wasn’t able to take one… Too bad

That’s right
Earlier on the FM-PORT program I host every Friday at 10:00PM

“℃-ute Yajima Maimi no I My Me Maimi~”

I received a letter that read “I want you to arm wrestle Berryz Koubou’s Sudou Maasa-chan“

We had a proper match, and I reported the results the following week on the radio,

but I also want to reveal the whole story of the arm wrestling showdown in this blog

The characters…
myself (By the way, I’m wearing a black hairband on my wrist),
Maasa (Maa),
and Berryz Koubou’s Tokunaga Chinami (Chi)

Me “Ah That’s right The other day on the radio, an e-mail came that said ‘Please arm wrestle Maasa“… Let’s do it now”

Maa “Really Haha That’s fine (｀・v・´)”

Me “Ma, Maasa… you seem strong…”

Maa “I’m really strong”

Me “Eh… what’s your grip strength…”

Maa “About 30, I think”

Me “Ehhh Really”

Chi “Ah Okay, I’ll do the starting count… Ready Go”

Me “Ah Wait Will you take a picture too(>_<)”

Chi “OK”

Me “Sorry”

Chi “No problem Alright, ready Let’s… go”

SLAM
(1)

Me “Eh……(・・;) Instant kill… So strong I thought I was probably stronger… ”

Maa “Hahaha”

Me “But… the moment I gripped your hand, I thought ‘Hey, I’m going to lose‘…”

Chi “Ehhh, I wanna do it too”

Me “Wow Chi, it’s impossible”

Chi “Alright, I’ll do it with Maimi”

Me “That’s fine~ Chi looks weak (lol)”

Chi “I really do look weak It seems like I’ll break as soon as I say ‘Ei‘ (lol)”

Maa “Alright, this time Maa will do the starting count”

Me “OK~”

Maa “Let’s… go”

(2) Chi “Ahhh…(*_*)”

(3) Chi “It’s impossible…”

is what the matches were like…

At any rate, Maasa was strong…

She probably has the No. 1 grip strength in Hello! Project

Though I had thought I was the strongest person in Hello! Project, greatness is comparative…

I was defeated

I want someone to challenge Maasa (lol)

Well I will start the day
I’m off

Maimi Sightings for 11/29

Fellow ℃-ute member Okai Chisato uploaded a “mega! beautiful girl” shot of Maimi in her entry on the official ℃-ute blog today.

Full translations of the other members’ entries can be found at blog!project.

Blog update: “Naka-san photo studio”

Here’s the translation for Maimi’s 11/29 blog update, titled “Naka-san photo studio“:

Good morning
It’s Maimi

Wah
It’s already 11/29

When I think “Just recently we entered November“, November is already over

How fast…

Just a month remains in this year

Recently I often make this mistake…

We often write on goods,

and the writing is always ahead of the release

We’re already doing the writing for next year too,

so recently, when I must write today’s date,

I write “2012“

I… I’m living in next year…(・・;)

Earlier, I was writing on goods for a really, really long time, and on the last one I wrote “2012”,

and I reflexively yelled out “Ha(゜ロ゜;” in a loud voice

Near me were Morning Musume’s Niigaki Risa-san and Chisato, and they looked over surprised and called out

“What’s wrong~… Eh Wasteful…“

It couldn’t be helped, so I rewrote it

But again “Ha(゜ロ゜;… Ah~… I can’t do it(T_T)”… I was considerably shocked

Since I made a mistake and wrote 2012, I thought “I must write one year less” and rewrote it

And then… I subtracted one year from the current year 2011 and wrote “2010”…

“Why’d you do that(>∀<)”

they laughed…

I wonder why I did that…(￣▽￣)

Luckily, I was somehow able to complete it after the third time

Good, good

Well, more important than that…

The Naka-san photo studio begins~(^o^)/

First is…

Tada

(1) From behind
Somehow or other, doesn’t it feel like you’re walking together(^-^)

“Hey, hey, Nacky”

(2) The instant she says “Yes“
Her turning around is also cute
And then, I also like the scenery

Right, the last one…
I wonder which I should choose~(^-^♪)

Right(｀・u・´) Okay, this

(3) “Ooo(・з・)-☆”
Nakiko-san…
…Hehe Mischevious

…for awhile, Nacky’s nicknames have become scattered…

Naka-san,
Nacky,
Nakiko-san…

Nacky has a lot of nicknames, huh~(￣▽￣)

Let’s properly use the one that fits the mood

…that said, that was the end of the Naka-san photo studio

Well well, today let’s have a wonderful day too

All the best, everyone

JIJIPRESS video on “Tabioto” event

JIJIPRESS has uploaded a video covering Maimi’s “Tabioto” release commemoration event on their YouTube channel. In the video, Maimi recounts the stories of losing her ticket and having it rain during the photoshoot, shows her favorite picture in the photobook, and talks about how she feels about turning 20 and what she wants to do.

Blog update: “When I turn 20”

Here’s the translation for Maimi’s 11/28 blog update, titled “When I turn 20“:

Hello
It’s Maimi

Yesterday was the release commemoration handshake event at Fukuya Shoten Shinjuku Subnade store for the photobook released yesterday, “Tabioto”

I was able to show my feelings of gratitude shaking hands with everyone one by one, so I was really happy

I think there’s also people who couldn’t come, but it feels like everyone who bought the photobook and everyone who is going to buy it is watching over the last of my teens, so Yaji is really HAPPY

Thank you very much

There was a press event before the handshake event, and I talked about various things like the photobook and turning 20

20, huh~
When I was asked “What do you want to try when you turn 20“, it was really difficult

I was also asked
“What kind of alcohol do you want to try“…

A long time ago on TV,
I watched an episode where someone got drunk and called a house they didn’t know,

so “A house you don’t know… It’s kind of scary” was the sense I had, and I didn’t think I wanted to drink very much…

Well, when I turn 20, I think I will try toasting with my family at least once

Because my family has taken care of me for 20 years (though it’s still 19 years and 10 months…)… and will continue to take care of me from here…(^.^)

for now, I want to go on a family trip
I want to take everyone on a trip with me

Our schedules don’t match up, so it’s probably difficult…

but I want to go with everyone again,

like when my family often took trips when I was little

Right I wonder if this is what I want to do most when I turn 20

Ah… Right now I dropped my cellphone on top of my foot(>_<)… My foot was a nice cushion so my cellphone is alright, but my foot is sore…(￣▽￣;)

It's trivial talk

The conversation got really off-track, but returning to the very beginning,

today I’ll post yesterday’s pictures

(1.2)

The next is a picture from the photobook’s photoshoot

(3) Search for Maimi~ edition

Ah That’s right Tomorrow, I want to do the Naka-san photo studio I wrote about in an earlier blog

I will upload a lot of photos of Naka-san taken when we went to Enoshima for the filming of “Haropuro TIME”

Look forward to it

Well then, let’s enjoy the afternoon too

“Tabioto” making-of DVD on e-LineUP!, event report

The listing for a special “Tabioto” making-of DVD has been added to the e-LineUP! website. The DVD will contain additional content from the photoshoot for “Tabioto” that wasn’t in the making-of DVD included with the photobook. The pre-order period is from 11/28 5:00PM JST (3:00AM EST) to 12/17 11:59PM (9:59AM EST) and the DVD costs 2625 Japanese yen (approximately 34 USD). As e-LineUP! doesn’t ship outside of Japan, Western fans who are interested in ordering will need to use a forwarding service like Tenso. The DVD will ship in late January to those who pre-order it. *UPDATE* The DVD is also available for order at CD Japan, which is probably a much easier and attractive option for many Western fans.

On the subject of “Tabioto”, Oricon’s Web De-View site has posted another article covering Maimi’s “Tabioto” release event. There’s no new information in the article, but it does have 4 new images from the event. The article can be seen here.

Girls News article on “Tabioto” event

The website Girls News has become the latest site to publish an article covering Maimi’s “Tabioto” release commemoration event from 11/27, which contains 7 images from the event and some details not mentioned in previously covered articles. When asked at the event about her favorite picture in the photobook, Maimi picked the ones where she was making hand-made things, and said that she forgot that she was having a photoshoot during that scene. In addition to her comments about wanting to try champagne when she turns 20 covered in the other articles, the Girls News article quoted her as also saying that she’d like to get her driver’s license and go on a trip with her family.

Maimi’s appearance on “Mobekimasu-tte Nani??” uploaded to YouTube

Maimi’s appearance on the final episode of Michishige Sayumi’s USTREAM show “Mobekimasu-tte Nani??” earlier this week has been uploaded to the Mobekimasu YouTube channel. Maimi appears alongside Berryz Koubou’s Shimizu Saki and Tsugunaga Momoko.

Upcoming Maimi events for the week of 11/27

Here’s some Maimi events to keep your eye on for the upcoming week:

■ Maimi and Nakajima Saki will be appearing on Radio Nippon’s “Tatekawa Shirano no Sabugaru Tengoku” on 11/28 (Mon.) from 1:30AM~2:00AM.

■ Maimi will be appearing again on the HBC TV program “Sapporo Bishojo Zukan” on 12/2 (Fri.) from 10:54PM~11:00PM. The program will feature clips from her trip to Hokkaido to promote the Mobekimasu single with some members from the other groups.

■ And as always, Maimi will be appearing on her own weekly radio program on FM PORT “℃-ute Yajima Maimi no I My Me Maimi~” on 12/2 (Fri.) from 10:00PM~11:00PM.

News reports on “Tabioto” event

The release commemoration event for Maimi’s 5th solo photobook “Tabioto” was held today, and it was covered by several Japanese news sites. Interesting notes from the articles include Cinema Today reporting that around 1,000 fans showed up for the event, and this quote from Maimi about her drinking plans when she turns 20-years-old:

Berryz Koubou’s Shimizu Saki-chan told me that when she turned 20, she drank with her family, so I’d like to try drinking too. Champagne and such are cool. I don’t know what kind of flavor they have, but I’d like to try them.

Maimi also talked about the rain during the photoshoot and the incident where she lost her ticket, which she had wrote about in earlier blog updates. Check out more articles and pictures from the event by clicking on the links below.

Nikkan Sports
Daily Sports Online (Image gallery)
Asahi.com
TV Asahi
News 24

Blog update: “Event”

Here’s the translation for Maimi’s 11/27 blog update, titled “Event“:

Hello
It’s Maimi

Yesterday’s Yamada Denki event was short, but there was a concert corner, a rock-paper-scissors competition, and a hand-shake corner

Everyone who came to meet ℃-ute, everyone who supported us from afar, thank you

(1)

Families who came to shop and little kids stopped and watched, and I was really happy

In addition
At this Yamada Denki event,

Ben E. King-san also appeared,

and when we greeted him,
he took a pictuer together with us

With Ben E. King-san A super rare picture

(2)

℃-ute are impressed

Thank you

We also appeared at Yamada Denki’s event last winter,

and at that time we sang the new single “Aitai Lonely Christmas”, which we also sang this year

It reminded me of last year’s event

If I’m not mistaken, on the return from last year’s event, our manager dropped their cellphone on the tracks while talking on it

By the way, on the way back yesterday we visited a souvenier shop

Nacky told me “Leader They have fried dough cake manjuu“, and I bought some

I’ve gotten them as a treat several times,
and they’re really, really, reaaaaally delicious

Though I bought them as a gift for my family, on the bullet train back, I couldn’t endure it and I opened it

(1)

In addition, when I ate one, I couldn’t stop…

“Ah… Just one more…”
I thought, and ate another

When I returned home and gave it to my family,
they said “Delicious~” and were delighted

I want to buy them when I go to Gunma again

And then, today is
the release date for the Yajima Maimi photobook, “Tabioto”

There is a release commemoration hand-shake event at 1:00PM~ at Fukuya Shoten Shinjuku Subnade store

I will show everyone my feelings of gratitude

Well well, everyone have a wonderful weekend…

Maimi Sightings for 11/26

The ℃-ute official Facebook page uploaded this 2-shot of Maimi and Airi yesterday from the filming of “Suugaku Joshi Gakuen”.

Fellow ℃-ute member Suzuki Airi also shared two 2-shots from the filming in her update on the official ℃-ute blog yesterday.

Full translations of the other members’ updates can be found at blog!project.

Blog update: “in Maebashi + photobook”

Here’s the translation for Maimi’s 11/26 blog update, titled “in Maebashi + photobook“:

Good morning
It’s Maimi

Right now I’m in Maebashi, Gunma

The scenery is really nice(*^^*)
It’s soothing

(1)

Now, there’s a river flowing in front of my eyes, and behind that a baseball team is practicing, and far away I can see the mountains
The autumn colors are pretty

It’s peaceful
The best (lol)

Ah Some time ago, I received this from my manager

Tada
(2) My photobook going on sale tomorrow, “Tabioto”

Already tomorrow
Please wait a moment…

I looked at it now~

Let’s see, I think it’s a book where you can enjoy seeing various sides of me, if I do say so myself

Like, in the second half, my outfit and hairstyle become adult-like

I enjoyed the photoshoot for my last teenage photobook with all my might, and there are cheerful and lively parts,

and parts where I am calm and mellow with 20-years-old close at hand…

Ah, I’m nervous about tomorrow’s release(^-^;

Each time I think “I want to make a good photobook” and tackle the photoshoot, and whether everyone will think “Nice photobook“… I’m really nervous

But I relaxed, and enjoyed the photoshoot

I want you to perserve the last teenage Yajima Maimi forever

Everyone, definitely check it out please

And then, from here today we will perform at the Yamada Denki event at Green Dome Maebashi

There are two events,
and the first is at 1:30PM~
and the second is at 5:00PM

The five of us will gather and tanobaru
Those who have time, definitely come please

Well then, let’s have a wonderful day