I asked Angie about her memories of driving school.
was born on December 25, 2001. Her name comes from her mixed Japanese, Spanish, and Filipino ancestry. She is the mic performer in the all-girl band “Gacharic Spin.” Her motto is the words of her late father: “Speak your dreams and they will come true!!” Dreaming of making a living from music as a high school student, she was scouted by a band leader while singing and playing guitar at a school festival. She joined Gacharic Spin in 2019 as a second-year high school student. She has appeared on multiple radio programs on TBS Radio and TOKYO FM, and was also selected as a guest commentator on TBS’s “Sunday Japon.” This fall, she launched a solo project under the name “ailly.” The first release is the digital single “Radiory,” due for release on September 17th. A multi-talented dream girl.
Angelina 1/3 (hereafter referred to as Angie) is a multi-talented singer who is a microphone performer for the girl band Gacharic Spin and also hosts radio programs on TBS Radio and TOKYO FM.
Gacharic Spin is a popular girls band formed in 2009. Angelina 1/3 joined the band in February 2019. Although she has started her solo career, she will continue to perform as a microphone performer for Gacharic Spin.
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Known as the radio star of the Reiwa era, Angelina 1/3 currently has regular programs such as TBS Radio’s “Angie Radio!! ~ If you speak your dreams, they will come true! ~” (every Sunday from 12:00 to 12:55) and TOKYO FM and 38 other JFN stations’ “SCHOOL OF LOCK!” (every Monday to Friday from 20:00 to 23:55) where she plays Vice Principal Angie.
ⒸTBS Radio “Angie Radio!! ~ If you speak your dreams, they will come true! ~”
This fall, she will be starting a solo project under the name “ailly.” The first release will be the digital single “Radiory,” released on Wednesday, September 17th.
“Radiory” will be released digitally on Wednesday, September 17th. It is the first of a solo project launched this fall under the name “ailly.” Co-written with recording member and guitarist Ayata Kato, it is a solo debut song that expresses her days delivering words as a radio personality, her feelings for her listeners, and her own inner thoughts.
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aily “Radiory” Official Music Video
This dream girl, who is currently garnering attention, says that her biggest passion is motorcycles. In the previous article, we introduced how she obtained her standard motorcycle license as her first and final act of rebellion against her late father, and how her beloved older brother gave her a Yamaha TW225E. This time, we continue the interview. First, we ask about her experiences at driving school.
Angelina 1/3’s favorite bike is a Yamaha TW225E. It’s a highly practical trail bike, but after Kimura Takuya rode one in the 2000 TV drama “Beautiful Life,” a similar customization known as “Ska Tune” became popular. Her bike has been customized without compromising its practicality.
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“Reiwa Radio Star” Angelina 1/3 Loves Motorcycles! Her Favorite Vehicle is a Yamaha TW225E Street Tracker!? [Vol. 1] | Motor-Fan [Motor Fan] Media Platform Delivering Automotive-Related ArticlesThe “Reiwa era radio star” is a motorcycle girl who loves the TW225E. She is the microphone performer for the girl band “Gacharic Spin” and has appeared on multiple radio shows on TBS Radio, TOKYO FM, and other platforms. […]
The first interview is here.
Currently, many driving schools are replacing the CB400 Super Four with the new NX400L. Although the seat height is slightly higher, the weight is slightly lighter, the handling is smoother, and the riding position and handling are a little easier, I asked…
The NX400L training model is the successor to the CB400SF and is currently being introduced to driving schools around the country. It is a training bike that is slightly lighter than its predecessor and uses an easy-to-handle water-cooled parallel twin engine. However, the seat height is about 4cm higher than the CB400SF.
I got my license pretty easily through Asaichi’s lessons! Next time I’ll try a large vehicle?
“The bike used at the driving school I went to was an old CB400 Super Four. The CB is certainly heavy, but it suited me well and I had no trouble with it at all. In fact, at first I was undecided about whether to take the regular motorcycle or large motorcycle course, but when I first tried lifting and handling it, I was able to do it so easily that even my instructor was surprised, and he said, ‘This will be no problem. You can take either the large or regular motorcycle course, whichever you prefer.'”
This is the Honda CB400SF training vehicle that Angelina 1/3 used as the training vehicle to obtain her regular motorcycle license. With the arrival of its successor, it seems that this model is gradually being retired from driving schools across the country.
And yet they still decided to take it from a regular motorcycle?
“That’s right. Up until then I had never even driven a moped, so I thought it would be better to get used to a motorcycle step by step, and so I chose a medium-sized one. I enrolled in driving school in June of last year, and got my license in the fall. I was busy with work at the time, but I took lessons starting at 7am, and after class I went to a nearby public bath that was open in the mornings, took a bath, and after refreshing both my body and mind there, I was like, ‘Now, it’s time to go to work!’ I managed to get the schedule together quite well.”
Come to think of it, on the radio last year you said that your instructor was handsome and it made your heart race, right?
“On the first day of lessons, we were taught the basics in the first hour, and the second hour was taught to me by a rather frivolous instructor. As we were riding tandem to review the basics, I caught a faint whiff of a lovely scent. I hadn’t made a good first impression on the instructor, so I was a little wary of being fooled by something like that.”
Angelina 1/3 is currently obsessed with the TW225E, but her current concern is that she is too busy to go on tours.
” The instructor was a great teacher, and within the first hour everything I didn’t understand just clicked into my head. Then the instructor suddenly said, ‘I’ll show you how dangerous braking is. This is what happens if you grab the front brake lever all at once,’ and I slammed on the brakes. It was a surprise, so I was like, ‘Whoa!’ and my body lurched forward. I suddenly got close to the instructor and was like, ‘Come on!’ (laughs)”
I ended up working with that instructor several times after that.
“But that didn’t work at all. I really wanted him to be my teacher because he was a good teacher. But since that lesson, we’ve had the opportunity to not only say hello but also talk from time to time. I passed my final exam, so when I went to thank him at the end, he said to me, ‘The bike you really want to ride is a large one, right? Your next lesson is for large bikes. Come again.’ That really motivated me to get my large motorcycle license (laughs).”
Angie loves retro-style bikes and the Meguro K3 is her dream bike.
Well, I need to get my large motorcycle license soon. I know you’re busy, but when are you going to go get it?
“That’s right. I’m thinking that if I’m going to get my large motorcycle license, it would be better to do it sooner rather than later. The driving school I went to offered a discount on the tuition fees if I got another license within a year, but that deadline is fast approaching. It’s a bit of a shame that the discount will no longer be valid, but I’m also thinking that maybe I should reset my mind once I’ve gotten a bit more familiar with motorcycles, and then try again to get my large motorcycle license.”
The TW225E is easy to handle even for beginners, and is a masterpiece that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, from city riding to touring, and from paved roads to off-roading. Used car prices have come down compared to the boom days, but as it is the beloved car of one-third of Angelina, the used market price may rise in the future. If you want one, get it soon!
Is there a big bike you want to ride?
“I have already decided on the bike I want and I want to ride a Meguro. When I say Meguro, of course I don’t mean the old classics, but the current model K3. I went to the “Meguro and Meguro Retrospective Exhibition” held at JR Meguro Station in the fall of 2024 and saw the actual bike. At that time, I intuitively thought, “This is it!” It was the K3. I like retro-style bikes with black bodies and chrome accents. There are many other bikes with a similar style, but it was Meguro that really caught my eye.”
Angelina 1/3 said she wanted to get a Meguro K3 once she got her large motorcycle license. It’s a rare revival brand in Japan, a prestigious motorcycle manufacturer that has been around since before the war, but was absorbed by Kawasaki in 1964 and disappeared. It was revived in 2020 for the first time in 56 years as the large K3 motorcycle.
“When I got home, I told my brother about it. He said, ‘There are many different types of motorcycles, and many cool bikes, but when you come across the bike you really want to ride, you know it intuitively.’ After hearing what he said, I felt even more strongly that the Meguro K3 was ‘this is it!’ I thought to myself, ‘I want to be this bike someday…’
Let me know if there are any other bikes you’re interested in besides Meguro.
“I also like Kawasaki’s W series. I also like the current W800 because it has the same vertical twin engine. I guess I just like bikes with that classic lineage. I’ve always loved Kawasaki bikes, so when I get my large vehicle license, I’d like to ride a large Kawasaki bike.”
This popular Kawasaki model continues the tradition of Meguro from years gone by. Based on the Kawasaki 650W1, which was released in 1967, it was revived in 1998 as part of the W series, starting with the W650. The current model, the large W800, has been on sale since 2010, and the light W230 has been on sale since 2023.
Even if I buy a Meguro K3, I won’t let go of my TW225E!
In our last conversation, even after you get your large vehicle license, you have no intention of giving up the TW that your brother gave you, right?
“That bike is a special one that my brother gave me. Even if I buy a Meguro K3, I’ll never let it go. I’ll probably get another bike. I’ll probably end up with two. However, the Meguro has a complete design and I like the feel of it, so I want to ride it as is, but I also want to tinker with the TW a little to suit my own tastes. I’m quite a trendy guy, so when it comes to customization, appearance is the most important thing.”
Angelina 1/3 has been riding motorcycles for about a year. Her love for motorcycles is genuine, and she said she wants to deepen her experience and knowledge of motorcycles.
It’s cool enough as it is now, but if you were to modify it, you might convert it into a long-swing bike, change the handlebars, and take it to the ultimate street-style ska tune, right?
“While I have a desire to tinker with my bike, I don’t actually have much knowledge about bikes, so I consult my brother about what kind of customizations I should do. To me, my brother is the coolest rider. He has a lot of experience with bikes, and he understands me better than anyone else, and he’s an important family member who supports me. I trust that what he says will be correct.”
Angelina’s TW225E, a 1/3 scale bike, is a well-balanced and cool bike with customizations that hit the sweet spot. She says she won’t let go of this bike even after getting her large vehicle license.
The TW is a bike that can be enjoyed in many different ways, so if you talk to the guy about how you want to ride it and how you want to enjoy the bike, I’m sure he’ll be able to suggest some suitable customizations.
“I want to make my TW cooler, and I want to go camping. I want to go on long tours and explore forest roads. There are so many things I want to do with my bike that I’m a little overwhelmed.”
But I find the time I spend wondering is fun (laughs). (To be continued)
3’s life in downtown Tokyo, filled with love, hustle and bustle, song, and laughter, spans the life of her six-person family: her doting father, who resembles Tamio Okuda, her half-Spanish, half-Filipino mother, her two older brothers, and her paternal grandmother. She also shares previously unexplored details about her time as a child actor, the story of how she was scouted by a band after playing and singing at a high school festival, and her encounters with Tamio Okuda (the father of the band world) and Hakusan Kanda (the big brother of the radio world). From her surprisingly fast-paced and intense 22-year journey, to her passionate love for beloved artists like Taro Okamoto and Tadanori Yokoo, to her father’s death when she was in the first year of junior high school, her feud with her mother and reconciliation, to her time as a school dropout, this autobiographical essay is a must-read for anyone wanting to know more about Angelina 1/3.
