Love In Kyushu In San Francisco: An Interview with LinQ

J-POP Summit offers a variety of content at each of its booths every year and a regular favorite of the event is the Travel Pavilion which features several booths dedicated to promoting travel to various regions of Japan. J-POP Summit has featured music guests at the Travel Pavilion in the past, notably YANAKIKU, and this year was no different. Ayaka Ooba, Mayu Kishida, and Kokoro Araki of Fukuoka-based idol group, LinQ were the guests at this year's event and would appear at both their booth and perform on the Travel Pavilion Stage both days. Though the the three were technically graduated members by this point, they came representing the group and were officially titled "LinQ OG" in all official J-POP Summit materials. This interview was a fun one, and one of the few times we've interviewed only certain members from an idol group rather than the entire group as a whole. Note that we chose to credit the interview to "LinQ" as this is how they referred to themselves so we decided to honor that. So be sure to check it out and keep an eye out for more content like this in the future!

LinQ debuted in 2011 and being based in Fukuoka they serve as a cultural bridge between it and the rest of Japan. Their name stands for "Love in Qshu" a reference to the island of Kyushu where Fukuoka is located. They have a very large and varied lineup that is split into two groups titled "Lady" and "Qty". Besides releasing singles as LinQ, they have also collaborated with many other groups and have released many collaboration singles and unit releases. Also the songs "Furusato Japan" and "Treasure" have been used as ending theme songs for the popular Yo-Kai Watch series. J-POP Summit marks LinQ's first appearance in the US.

A-to-J:本日はインタビューありがとうございます。自己紹介をお願いします。
A-to-J: Thank you for the interview! Can you please introduce yourselves?
Ayaka:はい、えーLinQの大庭彩歌です。２７歳で、歌とダンスが好きです。今日は楽しみにやってきました。よろしくお願いします！
Ayaka: Yes. I’m Ayaka Ooba from LinQ. I’m 27 years old and I like singing and dancing. I am very excited to be here today. Thank you for having us!
Mayu:はい、LinQの岸田麻佑です。アメリカに来たのは初めてです。歳は２６歳です。おととい来たんですけど、すごくみなさん優しくて、英語あまり喋れなかったんですけど、心が通じ合った気がして、楽しんでます。よろしくお願いします。
Mayu: Yes. I’m Mayu Kishida from LinQ. This is my first time to be in the U.S and I’m 26. We arrived the day before yesterday and we have been enjoying the trip because the people here are so kind and make me feel like we can talk to each other even though I can’t really speak English. Thank you.
Kokoro:はい、LinQの新木こころです。１９歳です。アメリカは初めてだったんですけど、英語も今ぼちぼち頑張って覚えて、コミュニケーションがとれるようになれたらなって思います。
Kokoro: Yes. I’m Kokoro Araki from LinQ and I’m 19. I’m here in America for the first time, so I want to try to learn some English now so I’ll be able to communicate.
 
A-to-J:みなさんは先日LinQ としての活動を停止しましたが、今日は再びグループ代表としていらっしゃいました。この一通りの流れというのはどんな風に決まったんでしょうか？
A-to-J: You all recently left LinQ, but are here at J-POP Summit representing them, how did that come about?
Ayaka:はい、このメンバーが選ばれたのは、アメリカが大好きな３人が来ました。
Ayaka: Yes, because all 3 of us love America, we were picked to come here.
LinQ:（笑）
LinQ: (Laughs)

A-to-J:「LinQ」というグループ名は「Love in Qsyu（九州）」に、ちなんでいるそうですが、九州や福岡について馴染みのない人たちのために少し教えていただけますか？
A-to-J: LinQ’s name stands for “Love in Kyushu” can you tell us a bit about Kyushu and Fukuoka for those that aren’t familiar with the area?
Mayu:メンバーも九州の出身のメンバーで構成されてるんですけど、すごい九州っておいしいものが沢山あって、県ごとに違うんですけど、今日は福岡出身のメンバーが丁度３人集まったんですけど、福岡の代表だと、豚骨ラーメン、もつ鍋、明太子だったり、最近は海外からの観光客のみなさんも多くなってきて、「豚骨ラーメンのおいしい店教えて！」って道ばたで聞かれたりもよくします。
Mayu: LinQ consist of the members from Kyushu (Qshu). Each prefecture differs but in Kyushu, there are a lot of delicious foods. All three of us here are from Fukuoka, and Fukuoka’s signature foods are tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen, motsunabe (large intestine hot pot), and mentaiko (spicy cod roe). The tourists from overseas have been increasing recently and it isn’t rare that I am asked about a good tonkotsu ramen restaurant in Fukuoka.
 
A-to-J:皆さんは今回ここにトラベルパビリオンを促進するためにいらっしゃっていますが、日本に旅行に行く人たちは他の地域を差し置いてでも福岡地域を旅行先に選ぶべきだと思いますか？
A-to-J: You’re here promoting the Travel Pavillion [A travel-centric series of booths at J-POP Summit.], do you think that those going travelling to Japan should choose the Fukuoka region to travel to as opposed to others?
LinQ:もちろん！（笑）
LinQ: Of course! (Laughs)
Mayu:やっぱ何だろう。日本て言ったら東京とかそういう所が代表的に挙がっちゃうと思うんですけど、最近ほんとに観光地...
Mayu: Well, Tokyo and those big cities are major places that most people think of when you think about Japan and I get that, but lately, for sightseeing spots…
Ayaka:んー、福岡はごはんがめっちゃほんとおいしいんですよ。だから、絶対福岡がいいと思います。なんか田舎すぎず、都会すぎず、すごく暮らしやすい街なので、なんかね、どんな人でも楽しみやすい。
Ayaka: Hmm, the foods in Fukuoka are very, very delicious. So I think Fukuoka is the best (to visit). It’s neither too small a town nor too big a city and is a very comfortable place to live, so it’s an enjoyable place for everybody.
Kokoro:どこ見ても観光地みたいな。写真撮っても全然、なんか、いっぱい建物とかでも有名な所とかも多いので。
Kokoro: Everywhere in Fukuoka is worth visiting. There are many famous places and buildings too that make for good photo spots.
Mayu:最近は糸島っていう福岡の海がすごく人気になってきて、これからの冬にかけては、牡蠣がすごく、そのまま目の前で焼いて食べれたりします。
Mayu: Lately, Ito island, on the sea of Fukuoka is getting popular. In the winter there you can taste fresh oysters that are grilled in front of you.
Ayaka:オイスター？
Ayaka: Oyster?
 
A-to-J:「LinQ」の曲やスタイルについて、よく知らない人達のために少し教えていただけますか？
A-to-J: Can you tell us a bit about LinQ’s music and sound for those that aren’t familiar with it?
Ayaka: LinQはよく一般的に言われるアイドルの可愛らしい曲っていうより、アーティストに近いかっこいい曲だったり、沢山踊れる曲だったり、その中でも可愛い曲もあって、レディーとキューティーって、LinQの中でも分かれてるんですよ。大人っぽいレディーと、可愛らしいキューティーっていう。なので、いろんな幅がすごく広いのがLinQだなと思います。
LinQ has songs that differ from the normal cute idol songs and has cool songs closer to artists/singers. There are songs that you can dance to and also some songs that are cute. The songs are split up in "Qty" and "Lady" within LinQ. "Lady" is more mature and "Qty" is more cute. I think LinQ has a wide variety of songs.

A-to-J:LinQの曲の中で、気に入っている曲はなんですか？
A-to-J: What are your favorite songs within the LinQ catalog?
Kokoro:個人的に？あ、個人的には「Telephone」ていう曲があるんですけど、ちょっとオルゴールチックな、女の子の好きな人へ電話をかけたいみたいな思いが込められてる曲で、LinQの（曲の）中でも可愛いに近い曲になってて、女性の方が多いです、その曲を好きって言ってくれる方が。
Kokoro: Personally? Yeah, personally, I like the song called “Telephone” which has the melody of a music box, and is about a girl’s hope that she wants to talk to her crash on the phone. It’s one of the cute LinQ songs. I know many girls actually love this song.
Ayaka:あとは「ハレハレ☆パレード」っていう曲を昨日もミニライブでさせてもらったんですけど、LinQを知らない方でも、「あの曲ノレるね」とか「いいね」って言ってくれる方が多くて、初めて聞いた人でも手を振ったりとかもできる曲なので、「ハレハレ☆パレード」は結構人気曲です。
Ayaka: Also, I like our track, “Hare-Hare Parade”. We got to have a mini live yesterday and performed this song. And a lot of people were like: “This song makes me move!” or “I like it!” even though they didn’t know about LinQ. “Hare-Hare Parade” is the popular song that makes you put your hands in the air even if it’s your first time listening to. 

Hare Hare Parade MV

A-to-J:LinQに入る前の音楽経験などあれば教えていただけますか？
A-to-J: What were your musical backgrounds before joining LinQ?
Mayu:音楽経験...　それぞれダンスを個人的に習いに行ったりとかはあるんですけど、音楽的には...
Mayu: Our musical background… I know some of us take dance classes personally, but I’m not sure about musical background…
Ayaka:吹奏楽でした。ブラスバンド。
Ayaka: I was in a brass band club.
Kokoro:あー吹奏楽でした。
Kokoro: Oh, me too.
Ayaka:あとギターも習ってたりとかして、音楽はすごく好きでした。
Ayaka: Also, I used to take guitar class. I’ve always loved music.
 
A-to-J:なぜアイドルになりたいと思いましたか？
A-to-J: Why did you want to become idols?
Ayaka: Well… in Japan, a group called Morning Musume was like…
Ayaka:あのー、モーニング娘。っていうのが、日本に、
A-to-J: Oh, I know.
A-to-J:知ってます。
Ayaka: Yeah, you do? I’ve loved them since I was an elementary school girl, and I really wanted to be in Morning Musume. So, I’d wished to be an idol since then.
Ayaka:あ、知ってますか？小学生の時から本当に好きでなりたかったんですよモームスに。だから、小学生の時から、アイドルになりたかったです。
 
A-to-J:LinQとして活動停止して以来、みなさんは今ではどんな活動をしていますか？
A-to-J: Since leaving LinQ what are your current activities?
LinQ:（笑）
LinQ: (Laughs)
Ayaka:個人。個人の仕事を増やしています。今までは歌とダンスが多かったんですけど、まぁ演技だったり...
Ayaka: We have more individual jobs now. So far we’ve been singing and dancing a lot, but now we do things such as acting…
Mayu:今度、舞台に出るんですけど。挑戦するんですけど。それが来月, 違う、再来月？１０月、来月になるのか。１０月に福岡で舞台をやります。
Mayu: Next time, we are challenging ourselves to act in theatre. It’s going to be next month, no, next, next month? In October so it’s next month. We are going to have a play in Fukuoka in October.
 
A-to-J: 今後やってみたいことはありますか？
A-to-J:  Do you have anything that you want to try in the future?
Ayaka:えー、なんか、いろんな、他の国とかいろんな世界に周りたいです。で、ライブして、LinQの良さだったりをいっぱい広めたいなと思います。
Ayaka: Oh, I would like to go around the world and have concerts there to spread LinQ’s awesomeness.
 
A-to-J:みなさんは現在のLinQの活動や音楽をまだ定期的に見たり聴いたりしていますか？
A-to-J: Do you still keep up with LinQ’s current activities and music?
Ayaka:はい。
Ayaka: Yes.
Mayu:はい、しますね。
Mayu: Yes, I do.
Kokoro:私は、お姉ちゃんも一緒に同じグループでやってるので、あの、常にお互いの活動とかは見合ったりとか、話し合ったありして、「今日はこういうことやったよ」とか動画とかも見たりします。
Kokoro: Yes, my older sister is also in the same group, so we watch each other’s work or videos and talk to each other like about what we accomplished each day.
 
A-to-J:アメリカに来るのは今回が初めてですか？もしそうでしたら何か面白い食べ物を食べたり遊びに行ったりしましたか？
A-to-J: Is this your first time in the US? If so have you had the time to try any interesting foods or do anything fun?
Ayaka:カニとエビ。
Ayaka: Crab and shrimp.
LinQ:（笑）
LinQ: (Laughs)
Ayaka:エビめっちゃもう、昨日、あのベトナム料理？
Ayaka: Plenty of shrimps. Was it Vietnamese food yesterday?
Kokoro: 海鮮がすごい好きで、カニとエビをいっぱい食べました。
Kokoro: I love seafood so much. We ate a lot of crabs and shrimp.
Ayaka:食べたね。カニもめっちゃ食べたね！
Ayaka: We were stuffed. It was a lot of crabs!
Mayu:味付けが日本と違うので、すごい、一口一口「感動」とか「おいしい」とか言って。
Mayu: We were like “Amazing!” and “Delicious!” with every bite because the seasoning is different from Japanese food.
Ayaka:おいしかった。
Ayaka: They were very good.
 
A-to-J:今週末はここ、J-POP Summitでファンのためのパフォーマンスを控えていますが、LinQを代表して初めてアメリカに来て、どんな感じですか？
A-to-J: You’ll be performing this weekend for the fans here at J-POP Summit, what is it like representing LinQ in the US for the first time?
Kokoro:あ、でもなんかノリがいい。
Kokoro: Yeah, I love their vibes.
Ayaka:いい！全然違う。
Ayaka: Yeah! Completely different.
Kokoro:なんか、曲がなってるだけでもちょっと見に来て、こうノってる感じ。
Kokoro: It was like… even if some music was on randomly, they came to peep in and eventually they were moving their bodies to the music.
Ayaka:そう、日本人はやっぱシャイな人が多いので、「一緒にこうやってー」って言ってもしてくれる人あんまいないんですよ。ファンの人とかしかいないんですけど。ねぇ、今日初めて見た人でも一緒に。
Ayaka: Yeah, many Japanese people are shy, so they wouldn’t do what we say at our concerts. Only passionate fans do it. But today, people saw us for the first time and still had a blast.
Mayu:「一緒にやって」って言わなくても、目が合った瞬間に体ノって来て、嬉しいです。
Mayu: We don’t have to say: “Let’s do it together!” I’m so glad that they seem to like to move their bodies with the music from the moment we make eye contact.
 
A-to-J:LinQとして活動中に起こった、何かおかしな話や面白い話などありますか？
A-to-J: Do you have any funny or interesting stories that occurred during your time in LinQ?
LinQ:ハプニング話？（笑）
LinQ: Funny stories? (Laughs)
Ayaka:いっぱいあるね多分。
Ayaka: Probably, we have a lot.
Mayu:衣装...早着替えが多いんですけど、後ろのホックがとまってなくてピローンて開いたまんま一曲踊ったりとか、結構！
Mayu: Costumes… We always have to change the costumes quickly. So, we had to perform a whole song with the hook on the back open, always!
Ayaka:靴が違ったりとか。
Ayaka: And, we accidentally wear wrong shoes.
Kokoro:やっぱ人数が多いので、大きい舞台裏とかでも結構バタバタで、もう、「あれがないこれがない！」みたいになって、最終的にステージ出たらスカートパッカーみたいな、めっちゃあります。
Kokoro: You know, there are a lot of girls in the group, so we have hard times even at venues with huge backstage areas. We are like: “Where is this and that!?” and eventually we go onto the stage with our skirts open. It happens a lot.
Ayaka:あります。
Ayaka: That happens.
 
A-to-J:J-POP Summit後のそれぞれの予定はなんですか？
A-to-J: What are your individual plans after J-POP Summit?
Ayaka:あ、さっき言ったみたいに、舞台があります。あと今オリジナル曲をね、新しい曲を作っていただいてて、それを今練習しています。
Ayaka: Oh, as we said that earlier, we are going to be in a theatrical play. Also, we are practicing a new song that’s being produced now.
 
A-to-J:最後にファンの皆さんに向けてメッセージをいただけますか？
A-to-J: Lastly can you leave a closing message to your fans?
Ayaka:一人ずつですか？
Ayaka: One by one?
A-to-J:えぇと、お一人ずつでもいいし、みんなででも。
A-to-J: You can go either one by one or together.
Ayaka: [In English] Hello!
Kokoro:日本語でいいのに（笑）
Kokoro: I think Japanese is okay (Laughs)
LinQ:（笑）
LinQ: :(Laughs)
Ayaka: We are LinQ! あのほんとに今回アメリカにLinQとして来させていただいて、ライブさせていただいて本当にアメリカの方達は、コミュニケーションだったりすごく積極的にとってくれてる？何て言うんだろう？一緒に楽しんでくれたり、ライブを楽しんでくれたりして、私たちも本当に楽しんでいます。是非、日本、福岡に来て、LinQのライブも楽しんでもらいたいなと思っていますので、長旅ですけども、福岡、是非、お待ちしていまーす！よろしくお願いします。
Ayaka: We are LinQ! Thank you for having us performing as LinQ here in America. We have been enjoying thanks to you guys in America. We are happy that you enjoyed our concerts and tried to communicate with us a lot. Also, I hope you could come to Fukuoka for our shows there and to have fun together. It’s going to be a long trip, but we’ll be waiting for you all in Fukuoka! Thank you very much!
​
For More Information on LinQ:
Website: http://loveinq.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loveinq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LinQ_official
Ayaka Ooba Twitter: https://twitter.com/ayaka_ooba1
Mayu Kishida Twitter: https://twitter.com/mayu_kishimayu
Kokoro Araki Twitter: https://twitter.com/cocoro_araki
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Linqofficial

The above interview was conducted by Tiffany Fujii who also provided on-site translation. Photography and video by Manuel Figueroa. Japanese Transcription and translation by Mei Itagaki.

Interview with LinQ at J-POP Summit 2017