There are many idol groups out there now working, and many of those really do aspire to be like Berryz Kobo and ℃-ute. They are the idol's idol group. So do the girls themselves know it?

Hagiwara "When there's a new track on You Tube, we have quite a few comments from abroad. That's when I really started to feel it."
Yajima "All the comments from fans around the world came in and more presents were coming from abroad. I can really feel how the fans join together and connect across borders, that makes me happy."

When I went to see ℃-ute's Paris concert it struck me how fans from Japan and Europe as well as other places came and mixed together, in a good way. That, as I get closer to the world, is at the heart of a cultural exchange and diplomacy that I can really believe in. We like the same things. However you feel close to the world, whether it's idols, anime or fashion, if the things that Japan produces can be useful in this connection then nothing makes me happier. In this way, I think ℃-ute is the pride of Japan.

Sudo "The most fun thing about working abroad is getting to meet fans that you wouldn't normally."
Shimizu "We get lots of requests coming from countries that we haven't been to yet. We can feel how thankful people are. It's just the feeling of finally going there, finally meeting everyone."

I sometimes make my way over to Thailand, and when I do I meet lots of friends who are Berryz Kobo fans. The band has performed many times in Bangkok and when they do the fans just can't stop telling me how great it is. I wonder how may fans I will meet again, or for the first time in the next Paris joint gig.


▲Berryz Kobo (Left: Saki Shimizu, Right: Maasa Sudo)