It's a podcast too (link is on the page).
I, Michishige Sayumi, have always loved Morning Musume ever since I was a kid.
The first CD I bought with my own money was "Koi no Dance Site".
I saved my pocket money little by little, and finally bought it.
I was so happy, I have no idea how many times I listened to it.
I tried to subtly hint at my parents, "Hey, what do you think if I entered Morning Musume?"
I said it as a joke, but I was actually serious.
During the 6th Gen audition, with a total application of 14,000 people,
the ones left before the final audition was just 5 people.
In the audition's waiting room, there was a really cute girl there.
I wonder if it's because I know she's from Tokyo, she seemed refined to me.
But because I was shy, I didn't talk to her at all.
We were called one by one, and were told there will be 5 people left.
The cute girl I saw earlier, came back into the room with tears in her eyes.
"Just 5 people..."
She expressed her joy with her whole body.
Somehow that crying figure of hers was so cool.
"Ah.. Tokyo people expresses their joys like this. They cry like this."
Oddly, I was convinced.
That cute girl, is a same 6th generation as me, who later became my best friend, Kamei Eri-chan.
I, Morning Musume '14's Michishige Sayumi, passed "LOVE Audition 2002"
and became the 6th Generation member of Morning Musume.
The same generation member as me, Kamei Eri, gradually became a good friend of mine.
Because the both of us were shy, we didn't open up immediately.
However, Eri slowly showed me her real self.
At any rate, she was someone who is overflowing with kindness.
She shows her emotion fully. Whether it's laughter, anger or tears.
She doesn't hide her emotions.
I don't show my feelings like her.
Without realizing it, we were always together.
When we're having fun, or when we're annoyed with each other, we had the same sensitivity.
For some reason, we were a perfect match for each other.
The great thing about Eri is if she thinks something is wrong,
doesn't matter who the person is, she would say her opinion about it.
Because of that, by receiving a number of encouragements from her,
I think I began to change little by litte.
It was a dream of mine to start a blog.
I want to express my own thoughts and feelings in my own words.
I was concern with the number of visitors on my blog when I first started.
I was always carrying my phone with me.
At one point, Eri said, "When we're together you're always looking at your blog."
That's right, even when I'm with Eri, I would get concern with my blog and always faced my phone.
I knew it was bad, but I thought this would be the only time for me to dedicated myself to my blog.
That time with Eri, I wish I could recover it. When I was thinking it, she said to me, "Just once, let's talk properly!"
I, Michishige Sayumi, because of my blog, Kamei Eri-chan told me..
"Sayumi, what was the reason you wanted to start a blog in the first place?
Wasnt it because you want to convey your feelings in your own words?
But now you're just concert about the amount of followers, doesn't that change your purpose?"
She was right.
Eri has always been calmly watching over me.
When I had to become Morning Musume's leader, naturally I can't help but be anxious about it.
Eri jokingly mailed me, "You're fine just as you are".
After that, another mail came, "It's not fine just as you are, it's going to be fine because of who you are. Eri is so happy that Sayumi is leader."
I was so happy... I cried.
Eri... I was so happy when you came together with me to my hometown, Yamaguchi.
Even my Grandpa and Grandma was delighted.
I was surprised when you said, "It unexpectedly looks kinda like a city, huh".
Surrounded by the sea and the greenery, while walking with Eri, your smile at that time, I won't forget it!
The podcast ends here but there was a few more in the post itself.
As always, feel free to correct any mistakes I made (I'm not fluent in Japanese). But it was really beautiful. T^T