Author's Note: "IDOLS in Thailand" is a four-part series on the growth of idols and idol culture in Thailand, and how the modern Thai idol industry was largely influenced by Japanese idols. I would like to extend my thanks to my informants in Thailand, who have graciously lent their time to show me the history of idol culture in Thailand and acquaint me well with it, so that I may pass it forward. In recent years, Japanese idol culture has become wildly popular overseas. But, in one particular country in Southeast Asia, Japanese idol culture has spawned a local idol culture unique to that country itself and a number of performers / groups that largely follow the Japanese idol concept. That country is Thailand.
Long-running Japanese idol group Morning Musume ’19 has added three incredibly cute new “musumes”, who will form Morning Musume’s 15th generation. Two of them were picked from a recent Morning Musume ‘19 LOVE Audition, and one member will be joining them from the Hello! Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido trainee division. In a live-streamed announcement, they were greeted cheerfully by the current Morning Musume members.
Morning Musume。’18 is a Japanese idol group who leads the conglomeration of groups within Hello! Project. They started up in 1997 and have been going strong since then with their rotating line-up. They’re most recent single which is their 66th, successfully ranked 2nd place on the Oricon charts on their opening week.
After ℃-ute made history by being the first Hello! Project group to perform in Mexico, a tradition had been formed. ℃-ute managed to have a blowout concert in Mexico City again in 2016 followed by Juice=Juice in 2017. Continuing the tradition, on November 10, 2018, Morning Musume。’18 came to Mexico City. Hello! Project’s leading idol group wasn’t content with a mere performance though, so sit down with me and let’s take a look at what the entire experience was like.
While 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of idol group Morning Musume。’s formation, it also marks the end of 10th generation member Kudo Haruka’s six-year tenure in the group. She joined in September 2011 at only 11 years old and formally graduated from the group on December 11, 2017 at the legendary Nippon Budoukan.
2017 is shaping up to be a very iconic year for Hello! Project, for better and worse. Among the many announcements and events that have happened already, the ones that stand out the most are: the recent disbandment of °C-ute, the announcement of Country Girls’ new shuffle style and slowdown, the announcement of Haruka Kudo’s graduation, Momoko Tsugunaga’s upcoming graduation. Now we have another huge set of announcements that were made in today’s Hello! Station (being mentioned in the same order they were made in the video).
On June 23, 2017, Morning Musume ‘17 concluded their spring tour titled Morning Musume '17 Concert Tour Haru ~THE INSPIRATION!~ at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.
Having had the pleasure of travelling to see various idols perform, I had never gone to the popular ‘Naruchika’ events that Hello! Project started back in 2013. I finally had the opportunity to go during my most recent trip to Japan (specifically to a Morning Musume。‘16 Naruchika concert in Shunan), and I can speak from personal experience on why they are as amazing as fans make them out to be. First thing’s first though: what does ‘Naruchika’ even mean? Naruchika is a shortening of the phrase ‘Narudake Chikakude’, which essentially means ‘being as close as possible’, which is what the concert revolves around. While it is completely normal and expected to be able to go to small venues in small towns and see indie idols perform, it’s not exactly the case when it comes to major idols such as AKB48 or Morning Musume。‘16. More than anything it ends up being a logistical issue. There’s much more money to be had in big venues, which is important considering the heightened costs that come with more popular idol groups. It’s an unfortunate but understandable situation. The general idea behind Naruchika is to kind of re-capture that feeling that we get when we go to small indie lives. The closeness you feel by being in a live house or small venue, where it’s easier to interact, be noticed and overall experience everything that is happening. Not only that, but this movement was designed to cater to some of the smaller towns where fans may not necessarily be close enough to larger areas like Tokyo or Kyoto where they may not be able to afford the trip to the bigger cities or may merely not have the time to make that kind of a trek. As a result, these places which have fans who would like to support their groups in the same way as fans in the big cities end up being left out. Thus they get to deliver to the small-town where people don’t have as easy access to the idols they love. This all turns into a multi-faceted situation where more people get to experience the idols they love and everybody is happy. The concept kicked off with a °C-ute and S/mileage crossover concert tour in 2013 that hit smaller locations within areas like Hokkaido, Gifu and Kochi. Unsurprisingly, these were very successful and as a result have continued every year with various groups, the most recent of which being Morning Musume。‘16. So now that I got to experience one, was it all it was cracked up to be? You bet! Having only been to Tokyo in my trips to Japan, I decided to give this a go. I made the long trek south to Yamaguchi Prefecture via the Shinkansen. It was about 6 hours when I finally arrived in the town of Shunan, which is almost at the southern tip of the main island of Japan. With my minimal communication skills, I was able to manage my way around. I got up early the next day and went to the venue to discover a lot of local fans who I tried to chat with, along with fans from all over the country who made the long trip for the idols they love. Interestingly enough, I was the only foreigner that I was able to spot. The concert itself was really cramped, but really charged. The most exciting part of the whole experience was that everyone could clearly see the group and everyone could get noticed by the group. When it comes to idols, oftentimes those are the most important things. It was a very personal experience and I enjoyed it thoroughly (even if I didn’t win any of the raffle). Incidentally, if you’ve gone to any of the overseas Hello! Project performances then you have an idea of how a Naruchika is, since these concerts tend to be modeled in that way.
So if you’re a fan of Hello! Project groups, I can’t recommend enough that you do your best to make it out to a Naruchika concert at some point. With the rare exception like Berryz Kobo going to Bangkok in 2015, Naruchika concerts are held exclusively in Japan. It’s a very endearing experience from a fan’s perspective and also opens opportunities to see areas of Japan you may not go to normally! - Teepu Recently, A-To-J Staff Writer/Correspondent, Alita, attended Suzuki Kanon's final concert with Morning Musume。’16 and here is her report!
「Alita has been living and working in Japan for over 8 years. She has followed Hello Project since discovering Morning Musume。in 2001. Kanon Suzuki was the third "oshi", or favorite member, that she has seen off and she has no plans of leaving the fandom any time soon.」
Amazon Limited Edition: Here
Amazon Standard Edition: Here HMV: Here Wani Books Listing: https://www.wani.co.jp/event.php?id=5067 No Country For Tall Men Page: https://www.facebook.com/NoCountryForTallMenExports/ Sakura’s Official Blog Post: http://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12151567014.html |
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