Here’s the translation for Maimi’s 1/22 blog update, titled “Closing day“:

Good morning
It’s Maimi

Yesterday was the first day of the Hello! Project concerts in Kobe

Morning Musume’s Ikuta Erina-chan couldn’t appear at the noon performance because of another job,

but Berryz Koubou’s Sugaya Risako-chan
and S/mileage’s Tamura Meimi-chan recovered from their poor health,

so everyone could stand together at the evening performance＼(^o^)／

In the venue,
there were people from the front, all the way up to the top, so I was really happy

I could see everyone’s smiles perfectly, and it made me really happy(*^^*)

Everyone who came,
everyone who cheered,

thank you very much

After that was, what

All of the members of Hello! Project went to yakiniku

Eripon (Erina-chan) returned to Tokyo because of work in the morning, so she couldn’t participate…

But, it was my first time to go out to eat yakiniku with all of the members of Hello! Project like this

There were a ton of people,
so it was a fun dinner…

I took a lot of pictures

(1.2)

It was delicious~
Thanks for the meal

And then,

this morning I woke up around 4:30AM,
and for some reason I thought
“It’s already 7AM I gotta get up“…

When I called my mom to say “Good morning“,

“It’s still 4:30AM Go back to sleep” she said~

The moment I realized I could go back to sleep, I was happy…

Though, it’s a bad thing that I woke my mom up at that time…

Now, with this and that, the day has started

Today is the final day of the concert

It started on 1/2,
and it was the first concert for the new Morning Musume and S/mileage members,
and my grandmother came and watched…

so I have a lot of memories…

Though of course, the biggest is
the announcement of Morning Musume’s Niigaki Risa-san’s graduation…

The first time I heard it I felt like crying…

She’s kind, affectionate to the other members, and a senior I really love…

She’s always said
“Let’s talk some more next time“,

but the timing was never right

But yesterday, I could talk to her a lot

We talked together, and I thought “Niigaki-san’s way of thinking is really cool”

In addition, I’ve thought this for a long time, but I can feel her kindness in the way she kindly listens no matter who is talking to her,

and the way she chooses what advice to give~

A wonderful senior…

I don’t know whether or not we can stand on stage together again before she graduates,

and this may be the last time

Therefore, I will clearly reflect upon it, and stand on stage

Lastly, a picture of Niigaki-san, Eripon, and myself…

(3)

Well well, let’s have a wonderful day everyone

I’m off