2018-11-03 18:00:05
Theme：blog

Everyone, it’s been a while. How have you been？

It’s sudden but, I, Mitsui Aika have decided that I’ll be greaduating from Hello！Project and entertainment industry work.

Hello！Project’s 20th Anniversary Commemoration is a special year, and for not being able to make a chance to meet with all the fans like this is something I’m truly sorry for. Everyone the support and cheers from everyone is something I’m very much grateful for.

Thank you so much.

I feel like I should properly convey to everyone with this chane how I came to decide to graduate, it’ll be a little long but I want to write it out.

Even while thinking I’m inexperienced in danec and singing, and that average me would probably not get accepted, it was an audition that dreamed of. That me, in 2006 at age 13 joined Morning Musume。. Me who didn’t know my right from my left, who at first had lot sof things she was uneasy about, but the members awlays were close, in times of kindness, they gave me strict guidance. The members were of course lots of supportive people, they gave me support, and I got to learn a lot from them.

For my time in active duty there was musicals and overseas concerts, I got kouhai too and all kinds of experiences, every day was very fulfilling.
In May 2011, whle I was feeling that way, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my left ankle. It was a longer leg injury than we had though, and at the time, I caused a lot of you worry and trouble.
I felt a lot of things while I was on break from my injuries, I remember what I thought about even now. more than thinking of myself, it was of all the support I got from the lots of you, I realized I existed you know. And at hte same time, whether to return to the stage in front or, if I should continue like this in morning Musume。, even graduating, standing on stage the final time, could I enjoy being together with everyone?…not knowing the answers every day was uneasy. Even then, I believed I could perform in front of you in full again some day, I did my best keeping positive！ When I could walk again without support, just that had me very happy.

However, I learned that unfortunately my bomes were weak from birth, and in April of 2012, I was diagnosed again, and if I continued to dance intensely like we were, then I’d be in the same situation again. The result of thinking about it over nad over, with the feeling that it’d be bad to cause trouble to those around me again, though it wasn’t my intention, on May 18th 2012, I graduated from Morning Musume。.

When thinking aboutmy future after graduating, I thought about what I wanted to do first most, and it was “I want to work at a small restaurant in Kyoto.” I think a lot of people probably didn’t know about that huh？
I’ve loved cooking from long ago, when I was a student it was my hobby, I made things often. Graduating when I returned to my home town, my cousin went along with me to a shop, it was very fantastic, in that moment I thought “I want to work at this shop！” I discussed it with the office, and I had no outside experience, for me who just graudated standing in a store would be troubling so, for now I took the advise that I should pile up more experience in the outside world, I could continue my work in the entertainment industry a little, and at hte office I’d get to study for 1 year. And in that time my interest in English has gotten stronger and I decided to study abroad. For 1 and a half years I studied abroad in New Zealand. Before returning home I got a TOEIC760 score, Me who could barely speak English reach a point i could be confident, I found a new me.

After coming back to the country, I felt like I wanted to do work using my English, through UP-FRONT LINK I got to deliver new to all the overseas fans, the MV lyrics I got to do work providing the English lyrics. And in February of 2016, when I went with Morning Musume。’16 to America, Houston, I realized I didn’t have hte level to do work in English still, and I decided once more to study abroad.

After returning to New Zealand in June of 2016, it’d been about 2 and a half years. The Homestay was only me and Grandma-chan so, for food every day I made things. There I once again realized how fun cooking is, I decided to enter a technical school for cooking in New Zealand. That technical school required a IELTS　6.（IELTS is an internationally commonly used English ability test） That level isn’t that high but, for technical schools in New Zealand, it seems you can study at universities by topic.

I was able to enter the schol I hoped to go to without issue, and every day for 2 years I studied cooking. Actually I go to do work in a kitchen too, every day I studied a lot, days and months passed in a flash. In addition to cooking I learned about nutrition, serving customers, being a barista, costing, and how ot think about menus and stuff too. And I graduate in November. Cooking is really fun, at home and at school, doing work as well and, even still I don’t get tired of it. Going through all kinds of courses, I was able to find someting I like that suited me. I even feel like it’s my life’s work ^ ^

I feel like New Zealand doesn’t have an image as a gourmet region but, for me New Zealand is a plaece I love. the warmth of the people, the majesty of nature, there’s things you can only eat in New Zealand, there’s things you can’t get served, I strongly felt that I wanted to do what I could from here to walk the path of cooking in New Zealand.

After graduating from school, I can get a working visa for a while so, I feel like I want to do what I can with that. Some day it’d be nice to have a shop of my own yah～ I kind of have dreams like that too？ When that happens I’ll announce it to everyone so please come and hang out kay！！

The love I’ve gotten from everyone up to now, the kindness, the especially harsh opinions, the importance of making one thing with lots of people, the fun… I felt lots of it, I got to experience it. It’s something I won’t every forget. Getting to me be a member of Morning Musume。 and Hello！Project I feel pride in that,
From here on too I’m not stopping enjoying things in my own way, continuing to walk my way of life form here, I feel that.
Everyone please take care of yourself too and please do your best kay ^ ^

Really thank you so very much.

Mitsui Aika

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