Ringohan fan-club mailings updates & translations

[HEDOfloe]

Are you a member of the fan club frecklegirl?

[frecklegirl]

^ yes, I joined while I was in Japan. My membership will run out in October though.

[frecklegirl]

I know this hasn't been updated in a while, but I revised the Oct. & Nov. 2006 translations and posted a new Dec. 2006 translation. They are linked in the first post of the thread. (As is usual for me recently especially with Ringo stuff, obama917 looked over my translations so they should be quite accurate.) Perhaps no one cares about such old stuff at this point, but I wanted to make a show of good faith that I intend to translate the email newsletters starting from the earliest stuff I have (but I don't have anything past Oct. 2010, I believe).

[frecklegirl]

Wasn't sure where else to put this... I just re-joined Ringohan!! yaaaayy

Or I should say... 反群井　沙蘭 joined Ringohan, since kanji names are for some reason essential when joining. I used a meaning-based kanji last name the first time I was a member, but it makes no sense in Japanese. This time I spent way too much time figuring out a better phonetic-based one, even consulting with Japanese people.

I was only a member from 2006-2007, so it'll be cool to be a part of things again. I can't promise more translations of the newsletters will result--I already have a backlog--but maybe!

[Entry№1]

^ Even without direct translations, it'd still be great to have someone in our ranks with an ear to the ground. I have no idea what SR is up to right now (aside from the unreleased TJ back catalog/"hard disk" stuff going on), and I'm not sure if it's just the English fans out of the loop. I know there's been new policies implemented against file sharers in Japan that have a lot of people spooked. I've wondered if SR's recent quietness since "Jiyuu e Michizure" has something to do with it. /speculation

[frecklegirl]

oh... my... word. The Ringohan members-only site...!! I never fully explored this before, and also my Japanese wasn't good enough to grasp everything, but there is SO MUCH STUFF THERE. IT IS A TREASURE TROVE. There's...
- an Ariamaru Tomi mini-site, with liner notes by Ringo
- liner notes by Ringo for SG songs
- a series on the places mentioned in Ringo lyrics, with maps, photos, and descriptions (I AM ALL ABOUT THIS)
- a mini-site about her UK visit this summer (OMG)

and more. So much more. Photos, slide shows, videos, screensavers. But those were the things I cared about. As well as the obvious: fan club-exclusive goods (going WAY back, though a lot is sold out) and Ringo's blog.

All the newsletters since the very beginning are archived there. It started in 2003. The first newsletter interview (May 2003) is about cats!! And Mayonaka! She says she's living with her mom and Goethe (Ringo's black cat) is always getting into fights with her mom's white dog Jack. O M G

I think it's basically an extension of what Ringo's old site used to be until it closed around the time of Utaite Myouri's release, and I guess all that functionality continued under a paywall.

I'll try to translate/share what seems the most interesting...

[deadgrandma]

Pls share those UK visit photos if possible!!!

[TurtleFu]

Originally Posted by frecklegirl

- a series on the places mentioned in Ringo lyrics, with maps, photos, and descriptions (I AM ALL ABOUT THIS)

You know I actually wanted to do this on my own, scour Ringo's lyrics for any places, put them on my Google maps, and then make a self-guided Ringo tour of Japan.

I am going to have to eventually join her fanclub, I guess!

[teattum]

Originally Posted by frecklegirl

I'll try to translate/share what seems the most interesting...

Given the fact that there is not so many news about shiina ringo (I'm not talking about all this perpetually recycling DVD/CD stuff)
Given the fact that Electric Mole forum is the last site I know for being updated with these rare news.
This is a very burden that you impose to yourself for the forum.

We must be grateful to you, so I can't help to thank you soooo much for this.

I'm sorry for saying that, it's just that we are in limbo with upcoming ringo career, and you seem so wondered by these things that you have made me ... earnestly longing!

[Nimh]

Originally Posted by frecklegirl

my Japanese wasn't good enough to grasp everything, but there is SO MUCH STUFF THERE. IT IS A TREASURE TROVE.

That's funny, I feel the same way about the Ringo-related books I got. When I bought them my Japanese reading sucked. Now when I pick up Ringo File I'm like "Holy ****....readable!"

This stuff, and other books and academic articles about her and such, will keep me tied over when the inevitable retirement happens.