Index of answered questions
« CAREER »
☆ Did Kyary release any EPs/singles/etc. before “Moshimoshi Harajuku”?
High School Singer is a project allowing high school students to record a song and release it as a ringtone in order to make their debut as a singer. Kyary participated and recorded the songs “Miracle Orange” and “Love Berry”. She also oversaw production of a Studio Ghibli cover album titled “Kyary Pamyu Pamyu no Ghibli Set” under avex trax.
☆ Does Kyary actually sing live in her performances?
It appears that for most of her performances, she either lip-syncs or at least sings along with a loud support/backing track.
☆ Does Kyary have a YouTube channel?
Kyary has her own official YouTube channel in addition to her personal YouTube account.
☆ How come Warner Music Japan doesn’t upload Kyary’s music videos in HD?
Generally speaking, Japanese labels do NOT offer HD, full-size versions of PVs on their official YouTube channels. You have to pay for the HD version by purchasing the CD+DVD version of the release or buying a digital version online.
☆ How did Kyary come up with her name?
You can find her explanation in the introduction to her autobiography, “Oh! My God!! Harajuku Girl”.
☆ How did Kyary get discovered? Where can I see Kyary’s first street snap?
Kyary tells the story in the second chapter of her autobiography. Her first ever street snap can be seen here.
☆ How many issues of KERA has Kyary been on the cover of?
September 2011, October 2011, February 2012, July 2012, December 2012.
☆ How old was Kyary when she did the Imouto.TV stuff?
This DVD cover says she was 12 years old when it came out. I don’t know how long she did Imouto.TV stuff, so I’m guessing she was anywhere from 11~13 years old at the time.
☆ Is Kyary still modeling for KERA and Zipper, or is she just a singer now?
She still models regularly for both, but since she’s busy she doesn’t appear in it nearly as much as she used to. Kyary was never a full-time model for either magazine, however.
☆ Isn’t it scandalous that Kyary appeared in Weekly Playboy?
“Weekly Playboy” is very different from the American magazine “Playboy”, in that it mostly shows high-quality ‘gravure’ shots (which are not always sexual or revealing). Very little of the magazine contains nude photos if any are included at all.
☆ Is the “Kyary no March” video a PV?
That video is played during her live performances when the song is played, and when screens are available.
☆ What are the words that the old man is cutting down in the “Fashion Monster” PV, and what do they mean?
The old man in the video is slicing poles with the things she hates written on them.
2:20 - コンサバ (konsaba). Means “conservative”.
2:23 - チャラ男 (charao). I usually translate this as “player” since the idea is that they’re pretty much douchebags, but in Japanese this refers to guys who have tan skin, blonde/light brown hair, are generally really superficial, and spend a lot of time just trying to pick up chicks.
2:25 - 野菜 (yasai). Yasai means vegetable(s).
2:28 - 徹夜 (tetsuya). This means “staying up all night”.
☆ What did Kyary have to do with that Ghibli album?
She basically oversaw production of the album and mixed one track on her own (the “Way Way Mega Remix” at the end of the album). I don’t know any specific details about her involvement since I don’t own a copy of the album.
☆ What is the official spelling of Kyary’s name? How is it pronounced? How come everyone seems to have difficulty pronouncing it?
Click here for the post I made about the official spelling. Her name is pronounced in Japanese as “Carrie Pamyu Pamyu”, not “Kyah-ree”. For many Japanese people, the name is a tongue-twister even though their mistakes may all sound correct to foreigners (but seriously, try saying it five times fast).
☆ What product did Kyary use in that Beauty Labo video?
It’s called “Awa no Neguse Naoshi” (Foam Bedhead Corrector). Basically it just makes your crazy bedhead nice and straight, which is why they woke up Kyary for the video :)
☆ What’s the name of the song in her “an” commercial? Who are those guys in the commercial?
The song is “Kyary ANAN”, while the commercial itself features appearances by the comedy duo 2700.
☆ When are Kyary’s NicoNico Douga live stream broadcasts?
She used to have them every other Saturday at 5:00 PM JST, but since her sudden rise in popularity she only does NND live broadcasts for special events.
☆ When/what channel does Kyary’s show “Catherine” come on? How can I watch it? Where can I download it?
”Catherine” broadcasts every Tuesday from 11:00 to 11:30 PM on Fuji TV. I currently do not know of any places to download episodes of the show, but it can be watched through Keyhole TV.
☆ Where can I find Kyary’s schedule for events and TV/radio appearances?
You can find a complete listing on her official website (in Japanese).
☆ Where can I watch the making-of videos for her PVs?
The making-of videos for “Tsukema Tsukeru” and “CANDY CANDY” can be watched on her official YouTube channel. You can also watch some behind-the-scenes footage of “Fashion Monster” in this episode of “HARAJUKU KAWAii!!!”.
☆ Who is Nakata Yasutaka? How did she meet him?
Nakata Yasutaka is half of the duo capsule, and produces, writes, composes, and arranges all of Kyary’s music. He met Kyary for the first time at the 2010 Harajuku Collection.
☆ Will Kyary ever hold an international tour?
Kyary will be holding her first ever international tour starting in February. Please check kyarychan for the most recent updates on her international tour.
« DANCERS/STAFF »
☆ Do Kyary’s kid dancers dance for anyone else?
Her first group of kid dancers attended events for their dance school TOKYO KIDS, and were also the same dancers in NHK’s “Vegetarhythm” video. Some of them have “graduated” from the group and formed “TEMPURA KIDZ”, and many new children have been added.
☆ How can the kid dancers miss so much school?
The smaller children mostly only appear at events during the summer, on weekends, or during events scheduled after school hours. Kyary has some older dancers in this group that take over when the Kyary Kids (who are all in middle/junior high school) can’t attend.
☆ Is P-chan a girl or a boy? Why does he dress like a girl?
P-chan is a boy who is currently in the seventh grade. As the only boy in TEMPURA KIDZ and formerly in Kyary’s group of kid dancers, I guess they dress him as a girl to keep him from sticking out conspicuously and drawing attention away from Kyary/their dancing.
☆ What are the names of the Kyary Kids?
A thorough post of the first generation of Kyary Kids can be found here. More children have been added to the group since then.
☆ What do the Kyary Kids look like when not in costume?
Amane has her own Ameba Blog, where she often posts pictures of herself with the other kid dancers. You can find more pictures of the kids out of costume on their respective Twitters and blogs.
☆ Who are the lion back-up dancers in Tsukema Tsukeru?
I honestly don’t know anything about them other than the fact that they’re male.
☆ Who is MAIKO?
MAIKO runs the dance school the Kyary Kids go to. She also choreographs all of their dances.
☆ Who is the fat pink lady in “PONPONPON”?
According to this article, the dancer is 小宮美穂 (Komiya Miho) from the dance school Tamakko Bubbles in a fat suit.
☆ Who is the new boy in the Kyary Kids?
Noa is an 8 year old boy who is the new single boy in Kyary’s group of kid dancers.
☆ Who is the rabbit guy in “Fashion Monster”?
His name is Mat Kastela, but he’s currently going by the name of “Mat K” for his modeling/idol activities. He also has a Twitter and Ameba Blog.
« FAN »
☆ Can overseas fans join her fan club?
Unfortunately, no. It’s expensive (probably even more expensive than the membership fee) to send things abroad on a regular basis, and fan clubs offer exclusives that oftentimes cannot be redeemed by international fans, so Japanese fan clubs are usually closed off to those who aren’t living in Japan. Here’s the translation of the section regarding that from their FAQ:
■Can I join even though I live abroad?
“KPP CLUB” is limited to sending membership certificates and news domestically within Japan. Since you wouldn’t be able to receive our full services, as a general rule [membership] is limited to those who live within Japan.
☆ Can you buy Kyary merchandise through her official website?
No, the merchandise portion of her official website is only a catalog for the items available exclusively at her live events.
☆ Do Kyary fans have an official name?
Kyary just formed her own official fan club (Japanese residents only), but her fans don’t have a collective name like K-Pop groups do. Some international fans have taken to calling themselves the “Kyarmy”.
☆ How can I contact Kyary?
Click here for methods on sending messages or packages to Kyary.
☆ If we wanted to send Kyary fanmail, could you translate it into Japanese for us?
No, unless you are willing to pay me to translate for you.
☆ I want to give Kyary a gift. What do you suggest?
The fan gifts I see most often in her pictures are accessories (bracelets, glasses, hair accessories, etc.), shark items, candy/snacks, collages, and things she can put in her room (like Happy Tree Friends stuff). She seems to appreciate things she can use though, like her shark oven mitts.
☆ Kyary deleted the karaoke videos from her personal YouTube. Where can I find them?
They are still some that have been uploaded to Tumblr and are floating around, but I don’t have copies of them. I’ll reblog them if I see them.
☆ What artists would you suggest that have a similar sound to Kyary’s?
If you like Kyary’s music, you might also like other artists produced by Nakata Yasutaka, who writes/arranges all of Kyary’s songs. Check out Perfume, MEG, and COLTEMONIKHA for starters.
☆ Where can I buy Kyary’s music online?
Check out CD Japan, YesAsia, iTunes, or Amazon. I personally prefer CD Japan for physical copies.
☆ Where can I buy Kyary’s books internationally?
Kyary’s books can be purchased at Kinokuniya bookstores, and also online at CD Japan.
☆ Where can I find guitar chords for Kyary’s songs?
This website has chords for “CANDY CANDY”, “PONPONPON”, “Kyary ANAN”, and “Tsukema Tsukeru”.
☆ Where can I find official instrumentals for Kyary’s songs?
No official instrumentals of Kyary’s songs have been available for purchase in any way.
☆ Where’s the best place to find pictures of Kyary before she became super famous?
The best place to look is her Ameba blog, which she’s been posting in since about half a year after appearing in KERA for the first time. If you go to the archive you can look at her old blog entries, although some of them are private now.
« FASHION »
☆ Does Kyary choose her own outfits?
For things such as commercials and television appearances, her stylists probably put together a majority of the outfit for her. She does choose her own outfits for smaller events and for going out.
☆ What brands of clothing does Kyary often wear? Where can I buy them online?
Browse through my Kyary’s Fashion posts for an idea of the brands she likes to wear. All posts have links to purchasing the item, but some may require a shipping service to buy.
☆ What brand of circle lenses does Kyary usually wear? What false eyelashes does Kyary use? What brand make-up does she like to use?
I have no idea. Please do not ask about these types of personal items that I can’t confirm.
☆ What brand of shoes is Kyary wearing in “PONPONPON”?
Kyary is wearing Doc Martens boots in that music video.
☆ What does “Furisodation” mean?
“Furisodation” is a combination of the word furisode, a very formal long-sleeved kimono that young women wear to special events, and the suffix -ation (from the word ‘celebration’). Furisodes are worn on Coming of Age Day, a special day every year in Japan where all the people who have turned 20 since the last Coming of Age Day celebrate the fact that they are now legal adults. Since Kyary turned 20 in 2013, the song is a birthday song celebrating her new status as an adult. Because of this, she drinks alcohol in the music video (which is why the effects steadily become more crazy and also why she pukes at the end), falls in love with the monster guy, and smokes (20 is the legal age in Japan for smoking).
☆ What is Kyary’s style called?
Kyary’s style of fashion is referred to as “aomoji-kei”. Basically, aomoji-kei is about wearing whatever you want to wear without caring whether or not you look attractive, cute, or sexy. Many times, people who wear aomoji-kei fashion tend to switch between different styles a lot just depending on whatever they like and what they think is fun, so that’s why it may seem like there’s no definitive look for it. Below is a quote from the Japanese Wikipedia page for aomoji-kei:
Aomoji-kei fashion is a girly, casual fashion that isn’t meant to curry favor with men. Compared to those who support akamoji-kei, [those who wear aomoji-kei fashion] tend to like fashion from Harajuku more than the gyaru fashion originating from Shibuya, and have a strong tendency to like casual, creative fashion. Its level of support mainly comes from late teens to early twenties who adopt the fashion [based on] the things they think are nice without caring about the viewpoints of the opposite sex.
☆ What other Japanese celebrities dress like Kyary? Are all Japanese people like that?
The Japanese tend to wear a lot more conservative, subdued colors than other parts of the world, despite what Japanese street snaps may make you think. Because of that, there really aren’t that many people in Japan who are willing to be as colorful and out there as Kyary off-stage, or even on-stage. You will mostly only see people dressed in flashy outfits in fashion areas like Harajuku.
☆ Where does Kyary get her nails done?
She gets her nails done by Nakayama Chieko at a salon called five star nails. You can check out more designs by Ms. Nakayama here on her official Ameba Blog.
☆ Where is the salon that Kyary always goes to to get her hair done?
Valentine is located in Shibuya, Tokyo at Jingumae Block 5, 17-11. If you’d like to visit, here’s their official website and Google Maps location.
☆ Why are her eyes so puffy? Is she alright?
The ‘puffy eye’ look has recently become a make-up trend and even one of Kyary’s main points of her signature look. It may also be from a lack of sleep since she seems to be more of a night owl.
☆ Why doesn’t my copy of “Moshimoshi Harajuku” have the extended remix of “PONPONPON” on it?
The extended mix of “PONPONPON” is exclusive to the iTunes Store version of the album.
« KYARYCHAN »
☆ Can you follow me back, please? Can you promote my blog on kyarychan?
I don’t do follow-for-follows or blog promotions.
☆ Does Kyary know about this Tumblr?
Her staff was made aware of it last summer, and Kyary has tweeted a link to this Tumblr before, so I’m pretty sure she does. I’m not sure how often she checks it though.
☆ Do you have a Twitter account we can follow? Do you have official accounts on other websites?
You can follow my translations of Kyary’s Twitter (including non-picture posts) at @kyaryeng. I don’t have accounts on any other websites for kyarychan however, including YouTube.
☆ Do you plan to do any more “Kyary’s Fashion” posts?
I’m currently taking a break from them, but you are always free to look through previous posts or submit your own.
☆ How come you don’t post download links for Kyary’s music?
I’d much rather see you all support Kyary and buy the songs for yourselves, whether digitally or physically.
☆ How do you know what Kyary is wearing for your Kyary’s Fashion posts?
I either just recognize the brand and look it up online, or I use magazine scans to do some research since they list the brand, price, and sometimes the catalog name of the product.
☆ How many languages do you speak?
Just English and Japanese. I’m not completely fluent in Japanese however. I can also read French :)
☆ If I want to reblog one of the pictures in a photoset you’ve posted, should I credit you?
I try as often as I can to include the original source the picture came from. Please cite that as the source rather than yourself or my blog.
☆ What are your tips for those of us who are serious about studying Japanese?
Read my post about it here.
☆ What theme are you using? How did you add the two sidebars?
I’m currently using a tweaked version of Zuvia’s “Nocturne” theme.
☆ Where can I send you a private message?
Use the fan mail function on Tumblr, or e-mail me at kyaryeng@yahoo.com.
« PERSONAL »
☆ Does/did Kyary play any sports?
According to “Oh! My God!! Harajuku Girl”, she participated in track during junior high.
☆ Does Kyary have any pets?
Kyary doesn’t have pets at her apartment.
☆ Does Kyary have a Tumblr?
No, Kyary does not have her own active Tumblr account. It appears as if her staff has reserved the URL ‘pamyurin’, which links to some of her official pages and features the PV for “PONPONPON”, but it has not been updated.
☆ Does Kyary speak English?
No, Kyary does not speak English or any other language, although she has probably taken it as a class in school like most Japanese people. Kyary uses Google Translate when responding to messages in other languages; her international staff has also posted messages for her on Twitter in English and French.
☆ Does Kyary use any social networking websites?
She has a personal Facebook which is only used to communicate with her real-life friends and family, as well as a Twitter, Ameba Blog, and GREE Blog.
☆ Has Kyary had any plastic surgery?
It’s hard to say, but in my opinion her looks haven’t changed much from her Imouto TV days (when she was 12 years old) save for her eyes, which look different since she rarely goes without her false eyelashes and circle lenses. She may have had double eyelid surgery, but it’s also just as likely that her eyelids naturally formed a fold there as she got older.
☆ How is Kyary so pale?
A tweet by Kyary reveals that she avoids going outside, covers up exposed skin, uses parasols and sunblock, and stays in the shade when she can to avoid tanning. Those alarmed by her obsession with being pale should note that this is fairly common in East Asian cultures.
☆ How much does Kyary weigh?
I have absolutely no idea since it isn’t listed on any of her official pages, but I would guess something low like 88-95 lbs since she’s naturally thin and relatively short.
☆ How old are Kyary’s parents?
As of 2012, her mom is about 54 years old, and her dad is about 63. She was born about 10 years after her parents were married.
☆ Is Kyary attending or planning to attend university?
Immediately after graduating from high school, Kyary began working full-time as a model and singer. She explains in her autobiography that she was a poor student and will likely not attend in the future.
☆ Is Kyary dating anybody right now? If not, who is that guy who I’ve seen posing with her?
Rumors were going around in March 2012 that Kyary has been dating actor Kotani Shotaro, but Kyary denied they were in a relationship. (See my original response to this here, which goes into more detail about the rumor and includes a picture of the two together.) In the past, Kyary dated a model named Suzuki Gon, which is the boy she took pictures kissing with.
☆ Is Kyary living on her own now? Where does she live?
She currently lives in an apartment by herself somewhere in the Tokyo area.
☆ What are some slang terms Kyary uses a lot?
You can find short explanations ofsome slang expressions she uses here.
☆ What comedians does Kyary like?
She says in “Oh! My God!! Harajuku Girl” that she likes the comedian (groups) 2700, Yuttari Kan, Savanna, and Canaria.
☆ What did Kyary want to be when she was a kid?
Kyary says in “Kyary Bon” that she never particularly had a dream career as a kid. She jokes a bit about how she thought of working at an aquarium because she likes sharks though.
☆ What does Kyary use to take pictures? What app is she using?
Kyary takes pictures with her white iPhone. She uses Instagram to put filters and borders around her photos.
☆ What is Kyary’s Instagram account?
There is an Instagram account called ‘kyarypamyupamyu’ that has her official website listed on it, but she hasn’t confirmed on any of her official websites that it belongs to her.
☆ What is Kyary’s religion?
Kyary has not stated it publicly, but most Japanese people are not religious.
☆ What K-Pop groups does Kyary like?
She appears to be a big fan of BIGBANG, with special interest in leader G-Dragon, and once posted a snapshot of herself listening to a song by T-ara. Kyary has also confessed to being a fan of 2NE1.
☆ When did Kyary begin her blog? Did she start blogging before she first appeared in KERA?
Kyary’s first blog entry was posted on March 24, 2010, after she began appearing in KERA.
☆ Who are Kyary’s best friends?
Her closest friends from school seem to be two girls nicknamed Secchan and Bon-chan.
☆ Why does Kyary sometimes write swastikas on her pictures?
The swastika is traditionally used as a symbol of peace in some East Asian cultures as well as in Buddhism, and don’t carry the same stigma it does in the West due to the symbol’s affiliation with Nazis.
☆ Why is Kyary always taking pictures of herself sticking up her middle finger?
It might be really offensive to Westerners, but in Japan it generally isn’t considered offensive at all. So even though it looks really terrible that Kyary is giving everybody the middle finger, the gesture doesn’t have the same connotations in Japan and is pretty much only used as a play on American culture, or to point to things.
« TRANSLATIONS »
☆ Can you please translate the last part of “Choudo Ii no” which isn’t included in the lyrics?
It’s hard to make out what she’s saying, so I won’t translate it.
☆ Can I use your English translations to translate ___ into ___?
Yes, but you MUST give credit to kyarychan. If you don’t cooperate, then I will lock content or stop posting on this blog until you give proper credit to me for my translations.
☆ Can you translate videos of Kyary? Can you watch and describe her Nico Nico Douga live streams?
No, it’s too time consuming to translate videos. Also, her NND streams are usually at inconvenient hours for me (around 3 or 4 AM), so I don’t often watch them.
☆ Do you plan to translate “Kyary Bon”?
I may translate it when I finish “Oh! My God!! Harajuku Girl”.
☆ Why do you leave huge gaps between each line in her blog entries? Is this a normal thing in Japanese blogs?
This is fairly common on Japanese blogs for some reason I can’t explain. I leave the spaces because I copy-paste the whole entry into Tumblr and translate line by line to make it as similar to her entries as possible.
« TWITTER »
☆ Does Kyary ever reply to fan tweets?
She does occasionally, but mostly she only replies to friends, co-workers, etc.
☆ Does Kyary run her own Twitter?
Kyary’s the one who posts on her Twitter. Her staff also runs an official staff account.
« OTHER »
☆ What is a double A-side single, and what makes it different from ‘normal’ releases?
“Double A-side” means that the single has 2 title tracks. There isn’t really a difference except that usually, artists will promote both songs as the ‘lead track’ from the album instead of just one, hence why Kyary performed both “Furisodation” and “Kimi ni 100 Percent” while promoting the single.
☆ Why does she sometimes wear a surgeon’s mask?
In Japan, if you’re feeling sick or don’t want to get sick (i.e. flu season), you wear one of those disposable masks.
☆ Why is it that the month on magazines is a month ahead of the actual date it’s released?
Fashion magazines usually are released a month or more earlier than the actual date on the cover. I guess this is to give people time to buy clothes from that issue that will suit the particular time of year.
