MESSAGE from Hikki

Hey, I got married!

Thank you, to everyone.

Sono sposata!!!!

Grazie a tutti.

Data l'inaspettata intensità' dei media riguardo le nostre nozze in Italia, per favore permetteteci(al mio fidanzato e a me) di esprime i nostri sentimenti con parole nostre.

Vorrei inviare un messaggio ai miei fan in Italia, e a tutti i membri della stampa italiana (ed a tutte le altrepersone curiose).

Non credevo che la notizia del mio matrimonio con un "normale" ragazzo italiano potesse incontrare così tanto entusiasmo in Italia.

Ai miei occhi, il mio fidanzato è solo il "mio uomo" e per lui io sono solo "la sua donna". Molti giornalisti hanno chiesto come ci siamo incontrati. A dire il vero, la storia è abbastanza noiosa... Ci siamo conosciuti attraverso un amico comune. Lui è più giovane di me, ma per certi aspetti più maturo. Ero attratta dal suo coraggio e dai suoi valori sulla famiglia, sugli amici, sul lavoro, sulla vita, sull’amore... E quando ho conosciuto la sua famiglia, ho capito da dove nasceva tutto.

Sono toccata ed entusiasta del caldo benvenuto di tanti italiani... Ma vi devo pregare di rispettare la privacy del mio fidanzato e della sua famiglia. Essere il bersaglio dell'attenzione del pubblico può diventare molto stressante e spaventoso, e mi renderebbe molto triste vedere la mia nuova famiglia pressata o minacciata per colpa mia.

Circolano voci che alcuni fan vorrebbero organizzare un viaggio nel luogo del nostro matrimonio. Sono sempre stata grata per il supporto di quei fan che mi sono fedeli, ed è davvero incredibile sentire l'emozione che condividete con me, e quindi mi spezza il cuore dovervi dire tutto questo, ma vi chiedo di capire che un matrimonio non è uno spettacolo. Spero un giorno di incontrarvi in circostanze più adatte.
E con questo noi vorremmo condividere le foto del nostro matrimonio con voi, sperando che allevi qualsiasi tipo di caos nel giorno del matrimonio.

Grazie di cuore.

Hikaru Utada

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Salve a tutti,

Come ormai tutti sapete sono il fidanzato di Hikaru e lavoro come bartender in una struttura alberghiera londinese.

E’ un lavoro dignitoso che mi permette di vivere discretamente aiutandomi a soddisfare le mie esigenze quotidiane come qualunque persona al mondo.

Appartengo ad una famiglia umile, onesta , amata e rispettata dalla gente del mio paese; una famiglia che mi ha insegnato l’amore per il prossimo, l’onestà, il senso del sacrificio e del lavoro.

Una famiglia che non m'ha fatto mai mancare nulla e, soprattutto, una famiglia che mi ha insegnato ad andare incontro alla vita sempre con ottimismo e coraggio.

Vi sembrerà' strano sapere che un ragazzo di provincia come me, che svolge un lavoro normale , abbia una relazione con una superstar come Hikaru, e bene si ragazzi, all'inizio anch'io stentavo nel crederci.

Le nostre strade si sono incrociate e con il passare del tempo abbiamo imparato a conoscerci scoprendo di avere molte cose in comune tra le quali, in primis, l'amore reciproco e profondo che c’è fra noi.

Ad essere sincero, quando lasciai la mia amata Puglia per cercare di costruire il mio futuro in quel di Londra, non avrei mai immaginato di ritrovarmi nella situazione odierna, ma se questo è quello che il signore ha deciso per me, io confido in lui.

Con questo breve messaggio voglio solo presentarmi a voi, fans e giornalisti ,ma sopratutto a voi italiani,che siete la gente di cui vado fiero, chiedendovi di rispettare e dare il massimo supporto a colei che in futuro sarà' la mia sposa, al Sig.r Teruzane colui che in futuro sarà' il mio secondo papà e ultima ma non per importanza la mia famiglia.

Vi ringrazio sapendo che voi capirete.

Un grosso salute

Francesco.

Due to the unexpected intensity of media attention in Italy regarding our upcoming marriage, please allow my fiancé and I to express some of our feelings in our own words.

A message to my fans in Italy, and members of the Italian press (and other curious people)

I never thought that the news of my marriage with an Italian guy "normale" would be met with so much excitement in Italy.

To me, my fiance is just "my man" and for him I am just "his woman." Many journalists have been asking how we met. The truth is quite boring---we met through a mutual friend. He is younger than me but in some ways more mature. I was drawn to his courage and his values regarding family, friends, work, life, love---and when I met his family, I saw where it all comes from.

I am touched and excited by the warm reception of so many people in Italy… but I must implore you to respect the privacy of my fiance and his family. Being the target of public attention can be very stressful and scary, and it would sadden me greatly to see my new family under duress or in danger because of me.

I heard rumors about some fans possibly organizing a bus tour to the location of our wedding. I have always been grateful for the support of my fans who remain loyal to me, and it is truly amazing to feel the excitement you share with me, and so it pains me to have to say this, but please understand that a wedding is not a show. I hope we can meet one day under more appropriate circumstances.

We would like to share our wedding photos with you all. I hope this will help to alleviate any potential chaos on the day of the wedding.

Thank you.

Hikaru Utada

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Hello Everybody!

As you probably already know, I am Hikaru’s fiancé and I work as a bartender in a London hotel.

It’s a decent job that gives me a decent life, just like anybody else. I come from a modest family background: honest folk, loved and respected by the people in my home town and who taught me what honesty, love, sacrifice and work all mean. They never let me want for anything and above all, showed me how to face life with optimism and courage.

I guess it must seem strange to think that a suburban guy like me, doing a normal job, gets together with a superstar like Hikaru. Indeed, when it all started, even I found it difficult to believe.

Well our roads crossed and as time went by we got to know each other and found that we had loads of things in common, among which, and most relevant, our deep and reciprocal love.
To be honest, when I left my beloved home town in Puglia in an attempt to create a future in London, I never imagined that I would be where I am today, but if the Lord has made this decision, so be it. I trust in Him.

I introduce myself to you, fans and press, with these few words, and especially to all Italians, the people I am so proud of, and I ask you all to offer support and respect to the lady who is to be my future wife, also to Mr. Teruzane who will become my second dad and, last but not least, to my family.

Thank you all for your understanding.

With my very best wishes

Francesco.

On March 11th, a massive earthquake and tsunami hit North Japan, taking the lives of countless people, leaving many survivors homeless, in the cold, with no gas, no electricity, no running water, and in fear of radiation leaking from a nuclear power plant.
This is the biggest natural disaster recorded in Japanese history in a thousand years.
After the earthquake I gave 400 ml of my blood to a blood bank, and made a donation to Japan's Red Cross. At times like these, we need to help one another, do what we can the each of us. Please help Japan, it doesn't matter how much you give. One way to make a donation is through your country's Red Cross, by specifying its use for Japan's earthquake and tsunami victims.

There is something we can all learn from what is happening in Japan. For decades we have depended on nuclear power. It has made possible quick economic growth and a "convenient" society, but also a lifestyle that is very wasteful.
This catastrophe has made many of us in Japan realize that we have been taking many things for granted---food, energy, daily supplies, running water, resources, life.
You don't have to wait until you lose everything, to learn that what you have is precious. If we all save energy, use only what we need, and live responsibly for what we consume, we can make the world a safer, more peaceful place, for us all.

All of us in Japan are very grateful, we are all touched deeply, by the support we have received from overseas. Thank you. I wish you all love, and peace.

Hikaru Utada

Hi, I wrote about this on twitter but I figured I ought to do the same here.

I'm doing a show tonight (in about 6 hours) in Yokohama, and for those of you overseas, or just people who can't come to the show, I wanted to let you know that the entire show will be broadcasted live on Ustream. Yeah, baby!

I guess most of you know already, but just in case...

Live Broadcast Time: 2010/12/8 (Wed.) 19:00 JAPAN TIME (GMT +9 - be sure to calculate your local time )

Ustream "WILD LIFE" Live Broadcast Account Page Main Channel (700kbps; recommended for users viewing the concert on a PC)

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wl1

Sub Channel (300kbps; recommended for users viewing the concert on an iPhone/iPad)

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wl2

See ya soon!

After recovering my "HP" somewhat in London, I took the Eurostar to Paris. I wonder how many years it's been since my last visit...?

Over the few days I stayed in Paris, the weather was almost like London, with rain showers every now and then.

But look at this nice rainbow! I don't remember seeing a rainbow like this over the backdrop of gray skies before, pretty sweet :)

Au revoir!

Kuma guarding the Buckingham Palace :)

The second night at the O2 Academy Islington was amazing, a very very nice ending to the tour. Great crowd, thank you all so much!

I can't believe the tour is over! Looking back it feels really short, but the first show in Honolulu feels like AGES ago. The show evolved quite a bit over this one month, and I learned A LOT and grew with each show, it was a great experience and I'm so glad we were able to make it happen. I really enjoyed it.

Now I think I'll rest a bit.

Good night!

I found this awesome little piano in a piano store in London! How could I not ask for a photo to be taken?

OK, there's one thing I'd like to clarify, for the honor of a certain lady who's a friend of mine and works for me as well!

She's on my tour, and she keeps getting mistaken for my Mom... which is REALLY ridiculous because she just turned 40, and she actually looks really young for her age (I don't know how she does it but she has like, no wrinkles whatsoever), and she has really short hair right now which makes her look like a young Japanese boy lol

I couldn't believe it at first, but I guess you Americans seriously cannot tell our age!

On top of that she's pregnant right now and her stomach is getting pretty noticeable LOL

So if you see her be gentle with her :)

Yes, so, my first ever concert in the Eurasian continent tonight was a blast, and tomorrow night, same place, same time, will be the final show of this tour. We'll make it a good one!

By the way, I was surprised by how many Chinese folks came out tonight! Are you guys like taking over Europe? lol

PunKuma!!

Oh man, I just realized I have to do another set of illustrations for tomorrow's show...

Don't wanna do the same thing so I'll have to think of some other idea for London...

hmmmm...