Arashi

Arashi （嵐）, which is the Japanese word for a storm, is a Japanese popular group consisting of five boys from the Johnny & Associates stable. They made their sudden debut in September 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii from the Pony Canyon Music

Arashi （嵐）, which is the Japanese word for a storm, is a Japanese popular group consisting of five boys from the Johnny & Associates stable. They made their sudden debut in September 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii from the Pony Canyon Music Company. The group members are (in alphabetical order) Masaki Aiba (相葉雅紀, b. Dec. 24, 1982), Jun Matsumoto (松本潤, b. Aug.30, 1983), Kazunari Ninomiya (二宮和也, b. June 17, 1983), Satoshi Ohno(大野智, b. Nov. 26, 1980), and Sho Sakurai (櫻井翔, b. Jan.25, 1982).

This group is widely known for the members' good looks and for the group's smartly executed, powerful dances. The fans' ages range from the low teens up to the mid-forties. On the day of their debut single "A・RA・SHI", more than 80,000 fans showed up to attend their debut event. Since the debut single, the group has released more than 10 singles, including "Hadashi No Mirai (The Barefooted Future)" and "Jidai(Generation)" and 4 albums in the hit chart including their first single collection album. Their first four singles, "ARASHI (Storm)", "Sunrise Nippon (Sunrise Japan)/HORIZON", "Typhoon Generation", and "Kansha Kangeki Ame Arashi" attracted many people because they all dealt with nature. The cheap cost of 500 yen also attracted people to buy their 7th, 8th, and 9th singles. Arashi's produces a wide range of different types of music, including rap, house, and hip-hop. In 2002, Arashi established a music company of their own called J-Storm.