Kakizaki Memi: Hustle Press gravure and interview

The Hustle Press website is doing solo gravure sessions with all the members of Hiragana Keyakizaka46. This week, it's Kakizaki Memi. As you'll see, she is an amazing model. I'll post a few of the photos and translate the interview that goes with them.

"Hiragana Keyaki's youngest member, 15-year-old Kakizaki Memi. This girl, who says 'I want to become a doll,' really is so cute that she seems not of this world." (Hustle Press)

Keyakizaki Memi -- Timetable on days off

1am-10am - sleep

10am-noon - loll around (games)

noon-12:30 meal

12:30-7pm - shopping

7-7:30pm - meal

7:30-9:30pm - TV

9:30-11:30pm - bath

11:30pm - 1am - get ready for bed

-- You sleep until 10am. Why do you then "loll around" for two hours?

In winter, I don't like the cold. I like to stay wrapped up in a blanket. So I hang around in bed (laughs).

-- Yes, I guess it's cold in Naganao, and there's a lot of snow.

When a lot of snow falls, we shovel it. On a school-day morning, we have to clear a path before we can go to school. We make a big snowman and put it in front of the doorway. Then we put on coats and earmuffs and all kinds of protection and go to school.

-- That's a lot of effort just to get to school. Tokyo cold must seem like nothing to you.

No. It's cold everywhere (laughs). I don't like cold.

-- What time do you get up on a school day?

Before 7 o'clock. But I'm not good at getting up (laughs). In order to get up by 7, I have the alarm go off at 6 and every ten minutes after that.

-- Do you hear the alarm?

I think: "Oh, it's the alarm. So noisy!" and stop it. When it rings again, I stop it again. And so on. Just before seven, it starts to feel dangerous, and I go "Aw...!?" and get up (laughs).

-- On days off, when you're lolling around, you're playing games?

I'm into the 3DS. I'm always playing Pokemon and games like that.

-- The one that came out last year, Sun and Moon?

No, not that one. Older ones like Black and White and Diamond and Pearl. Before I notice, two hours have gone by (laughs). There are also times when I'm lolling around listening to music.

-- You like UVERworld, don't you?

I love them. The first song I heard was The Over. The lyrics were so moving. After that, I listened to various songs and became a fan.

-- Is there a phrase in some lyric that particularly struck you?

Hmmm. I like them all. The songs each convey an overall story.

-- Do you listen to idol music?

In second year middle school, I came to like Nogizaka46 and listened to them. But I'm not very familiar with other idol groups.

-- What Nogizaka46 songs do you particularly like?

They're all good songs. But I especially like Saitou Asuka-san. When I started to listen to them, Hadashi no Summer [note: in which Asuka is centre] hadn't come out yet, and I liked Senpuuki, etc. So cute.

-- When you're finished lolling around, it's time to eat. What do you like?

I like tomatoes. I like fresh tomatoes, but I love tomato juice. I drink some every night before I go to bed. At first, I liked tomatoes but not tomato juice. But I want my skin to be white. There's lycopene in tomatoes, and I heard that it makes your skin whiter, so I made the effort to drink tomato juice and came to like it. Whether it's made my skin white, though, I don't know (laughs).

-- Well, you are pretty white, aren't you. After eating, you go shopping until the evening.

Generally window-shopping. Unless I'm going to meet someone, it's mostly just wandering around looking.

-- Mainly for clothes, etc.?

I often go to shops selling Lolita fashion. I'm just looking, but I stay there a long time. I keep thinking: "So cute!" I long to wear it.

-- What genre of Lolita?

I like gothic lolita and classic lolita, in black and subdued colours. But I've never worn it. I want to wear some in the future.

-- Do friends or family-members go with you when you're window shopping?

I don't have any friends who would go with me to look at lolita fashion (laughs). I usually just enjoy wandering around by myself. I'm shy, so I don't talk to the store people much, but I have become a bit friendly with some of them.

When you go out, is there anything else you do besides shopping?

I go hunting mushrooms. In a jersey and a down jacket and high boots, to protect my legs. My father loves the out-of-doors, and has taken me out into the mountains to do various things ever since I was little. Since first grade, as far as I remember. In the mountains, we pick mushrooms and wild vegetables.

And you enjoy that?

I enjoy it. There are lots of mushrooms that aren't edible, you know. Some with funny shapes, and others that really look poisonous. And there are some that start out white and egg-shaped and then open into big umbrellas. I can't touch them, but I still look for them (laughs).

-- What kind of mushrooms do you hunt (laughs)?

I enjoy finding weird-looking mushrooms, even when I know they're not edible. Of course, the ones I bring back myself are ones that are good as tempura or in a nabe (note: a light stew). Once we found a place where a lot of mushrooms were growing. They looked like an edible variety, so we picked them. Then we consulted someone about them. They were slippery, like nameko [note: a popular Japanese mushroom], and were a mushroom called numerisugitake. But it turns out that they look exactly like another mushroom called false numerisugitake, and can be confused with it. I find things like that interesting.

-- I imagine there are bugs in the mountains. Don't you hate them and scream?

I don't like bugs. But rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles are okay. When I was little I would often go into the mountains and catch them.

-- When you go mushroom hunting, do you go with your family?

That's right. We really get along.

-- But when you were on Keyakitte, Kakenai? you said you were in a stage of hating your father. (laughs)

But we eat meals together, watch TV together. Before, I said that I go shopping by myself, but sometimes I go with my father. Ever since I was little, my father has often chosen my clothes. 

-- Not your mother?

My father chose them. His preferences fit with mine.

-- You don't hate your father at all (laughs).

But I guess he misses when I was little and he could hug me all the time (laughs).

-- In your 24-hour schedule, when you get home you eat and watch TV. What kinds of programs do you watch?

I like comedy shows and watch all kinds of them. I like London Hearts, etc.

-- Do you study on free days?

When I do it, I do it all at once, and on my free days I can be as lazy as I like (laughs).

-- What subject are you good at?

I'm not sure about "good at," but compared to other subjects I like math. You can't forget the formulas, but I can understand how to do it. When I solve a problem and get the right answer, it makes me very happy.

-- You spend two hours in the bath.

Yes. Lately, I've been using bath salts, and I love soaking in the bath. Before I realize it, it's gotten very late.

-- What do you do in the bath?

I just space out. I think about things. Not very deep things (laughs).

-- Are there any bath salts you particularly like?

The one I like recently is called Bakkanto 爆汗湯. It causes a lot of perspiration.

-- Oh, for body care. What else do you do to make yourself prettier?

After the bath, when I'm getting ready for bed, I do a lot of massage. Legs, face.... I use a kassa plate. I can't watch TV or anything while I'm doing it. I have to concentrate.

-- A real massage. But getting ready for bed takes you an hour and a half.

I do 30 minutes on each leg. I keep doing it. I don't know if it's okay to stop (laughs). While I'm doing it, I get sleepy and go to bed.

-- Have you seen the results of doing so much?

Results? Those will come later! (laughs)

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This should get the ball rolling. Especially since I think we are about to see quite a bit more of the Hiraganas on Keyakitte, Kakenai? and/or other shows. The number of tweets about Memi has approximately doubled in the past day.

She wants to be a "French doll," but has no trouble with stag beetles, picks mushrooms in the woods and helps shovel snow. She is clearly her father's darling. He even chose her clothes.... I guess her confidence comes partly from constant love and approval. And her ability to pose was probably practiced in thousands of childhood photos.

She may or may not be a great singer or dancer, but she was clearly chosen at least in part because of her preternatural beauty, which management could see was ready to be brought out.

I didn't fully understand the part about math, with what looks like a double negative, so if anyone can understand it more clearly, please let me know. The link to the original blog post is in the first paragraph of this post.

The interview must have been done before the handshake session on January 15, where she finally wore a gothic lolita outfit.

I have a bit of interest in mushrooms myself, so here are the scientific names of the ones she mentioned, in case you want look them up: the nameko is pholiota nameko (or pholiota microspora); numerisudake is pholiota adiposa; and false numerisudake is pholiota aurivella.

The Japanese doesn't specify whether she's doing the snow-shovelling all by herself, or with others. We know she has an older sister, and we have a photo of a snowman she says her sister made, so I'm imagining that they do it together.