Question 1

My parents are English, so I think The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were big. But my parents liked others, my mother adored The Beach Boys, while my father enjoyed Deep Purple.

Question 2

When I was a teen, Britney Spears was all the rage. I thought she was cute, but I was not a fan of her music.

Question 3

I think Ayumi Hamasaki has been around for a long time. I think she has stayed popular with her singing talent, looks, personality, and interesting personal life.

Question 4

This is a tough question, I think the guy who sang "Apple Pen" came and went quickly.

Question 5

I think K-pop stars can speak English a little better when compared to their Japanese counterparts.

Question 6

I would like to meet Baby Metal and I would ask them, "Do you really like heavy metal or do you pretend to?"

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
were big	大衆的
adored	惚れ惚れ
all the rage	大人気
been around for a long time	人気がある
counterparts	相方

Question 1

I don't have much knowledge about the various idol and idol groups from the 80s or 90s as my parents were living in the United States at that time. I asked a friend of mine and she said that Akina Nakamori was a big name during the 80s. I've listened to one of her songs and I like the lyrics and tune that she applies in her music. I heard that her life had a tragic turn of events when her lover left her for another woman, resulting in a suicide attempt.

Question 2

One of the idols that I've long admired is Sashihara Rino. She used to be a member of the legendary girl band, AKB48. I've always thought that her personality is charming and I have found her on multiple occasions standing up for herself. There was a time when Matsumoto Hitoshi made a denigrating remark on her but she stood her ground and questioned what he intended to achieve by asking such questions. I personally think that Sashihara has managed to survive and beat the whole flawed system of AKB48 by making a name for herself and continuing to succeed after her graduation from the group.

Question 3

Minami Takahashi has stayed popular over the decade. I believe that she stays true to her character and appears in many different kinds of tv shows that are targeted towards a specific group of audience. She is also quite active on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram allowing her fans to "stay in touch" with her.

Question 4

There was an incident that I will never forget. It's about an ex-AKB48 member, Minami Minegishi. I wouldn't say that she lost her popularity really suddenly, but her fame took a turn for the worse. She was spotted entering a hotel with a man who turned out to be her lover. This went against one of AKB 48's strict no-dating rules and she was temporarily banned from the group. Later on, she shaved her head bald during a live-stream from the official AKB-48 account on Youtube. I'm sure that many people had no idea about this incident.

Question 5

I think the answer has a lot to do with marketing strategies that vary from one group to another. I remember a psychologist who was interviewed on BBC saying something that relates to K-pop idols being equivalent to commodities that has a particular appeal to different groups of people. Perhaps that is why more people can relate and actually spend money in "purchasing" those commodities.

Question 6

I would definitely love to meet Sashihara Rino. I'd ask her a pretty simple question - would you go on a date with me? If she answers yes, then that'd be one of the highlights of my life. If she answers no, then I'd wake up from an unpleasant dream.

Tough Vocabulary

Question 1

1

Question 2

2

Question 3

3

Question 4

4

Question 5

5

Question 6

6

Tough Vocabulary