AYAKA KIMURA

木村絢香

 

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Ayaka was born in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan on October 30, 1981. She attended the Canadian Academy International School, located on the man-made island of Rokko Island in Kobe. Then at age 14 when her parents separated, she lived with her mother, and together they moved to Hawaii. In Hawaii, Ayaka continued her education by entering the Mid-Pacific Institute. After graduation, she attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She worked part-time as a waitress at a curry house in Ala Moana Shopping Center called "Coco Ichibanya".

In 1998, Ayaka's friend Mika Todd formed a singing group consisting of themselves (Ayaka and Mika) plus three other friends April Barbaran, Chelsea Ching, and Danielle Delaunay. The group began performing at a small restaurant in Waikiki. While performing there, the group was spotted by ex-Sharan Q drummer Makoto, a musical acquaintance and a former bandmate of ex-vocalist Tsunku. Tsunku in turn is the producer and mastermind behind Hello! Project. Makoto convinced Tsunku to sign them into Hello! Project, and soon (1999) Mika's group headed to Japan and became Coconuts Musume. As for the name of the group, "Coconuts" refers to the group's origin in Hawaii, and "Musume" refers to its sister relationship to another popular Hello! Project group, Morning Musume.

Ayaka has been made more well-known by her famous "Ayaka No Totsugeki Eikaiwa!" (Ayaka's Surprise English Lesson), in which she surprised random Morning Musume members and forced them to learn English phrases with her.

In late 2004, Ayaka began hosting a morning radio show on MobaHO! called "Hello! Music Resort", which was moved to a 6 PM time slot and retitled "Hello! Music Latte" on April 1, 2005. She's also the co-host on the Monday edition of "Afternoon Paradise" (with Tokutake Hirofumi). Ayaka also hosted "COCONUT KISS" (in which she brought back her English Lessons) every Wednesday from the 11th January to the 26th July 2006. Another radio show she previously hosted was called "BLEND KISS" with her best friend Satoda Mai of Country Musume (itself a continuation of "KISS THE COCONUTS!", which Ayaka hosted with Mika Todd), but it was cancelled early Summer 2005. In May 2006 Ayaka was the month's guest host of "HaroPuro Yanen!" radio show. For the last two weeks of the month Satoda co-hosted with her, after Ayaka told of how they've become even closer friends recently than ever before, and promised to bring Satoda in - so she did!

Ayaka occasionally appeared in "Musume DOKYU! Eruda Yonchoume no Hitobito", and now in its replacement "Uta Doki!". In 2006 she acted in the play "Kotobuki Coffee" - from the 31st August until the 10th September (which is now available on DVD).