Country Musume Audition

Country Musume Audition was an audition to find members for the Japanese pop group Country Musume.
Country Musume was created by , a Japanese celebrity who is famous for his strong Aomori dialect and his love for farming. According to an interview, Tanaka had thought: “If Tsunku can produce Morning Musume, I will go head-to-head with my own version of an idol group, Country Musume.” Although the idea may seemed a bit outrageous, it was a logical move for Tanaka, a nature and farming lover, to create an idol group who can live the principle of “half-farming, half-entertainment industry” by actually working and living at a farm.
Auditions started in March, and 1,230 candidates had signed up. The audition process was televised on "Idol wo Sagase", and nine finalists were selected. The four-week-long audition cycle included not only voice and dance lessons, but a physical challenge: working on Hanabatake Farm in southern Hokkaido. The purpose of the physical challenge was to determine how responsible the girls were and how well they worked as a team to fit the image of country girls from Hokkaido, as the auditions were open to girls from all of Japan, not just Hokkaido.
==Audition Details==
Unknown.
==Finalists==
9 people went to the finale, where Tsunku and Tanaka is watching a VTR of the girls.
Name and Age 	Birthplace 	Occupation 	Height	Measurements 	Song (Original singer)
Hamasaki Yoko (浜崎洋子), 21 	Kanagawa Prefecture	University Student 	 	B: 82, W: 63, H: 92	Tonari no Totoro (Inoue Azumi)
Kobayashi Azusa (小林梓), 22 	Tokyo Metropolis 	Having had the experience of appearing in commercials 	 	B: 84, W: 59, H: 84	Mirai e (Kiroro)
Yanagihara Hiromi (柳原尋美), 19 	Chiba Prefecture 	Having had the experience of appearing in movies and dramas	 	B: 78, W: 58, H: 70	Haru -spring- (Hysteric Blue)
Nitta Mayumi (新田真由美), 22 	Tokyo Metropolis 	Domestic helper 	 	B: 81, W: 57, H: 83	
Ishibashi Yuko (石橋木綿子), 20 	Hokkaido 	Domestic helper 	 	B: 88, W: 67, H: 90	
Sano Kaori (佐野香保里), 19 	Tokyo Metropolis 	Swimming instructor 	 	B: 85, W: 66, H: 90	
Yamaguchi Ai (山口 愛), 24 	Hokkaido 	Former race queen 	 	B: 83, W: 54, H: 87	
Togashi Asami (富樫あさみ), 20 	Hokkaido 	Local agricultural cooperative work 	 	B: 83, W: 61, H: 80	
Toda Rinne (戸田鈴音), 18 	Hokkaido 	Graduated high school this spring, former chorus group 	 	B: 78, W: 59, H: 83	
After airing this, they go home to the girls who passed. They first visit Yanagihara telling her she has passed.
She tells her parents and elder sister (and their reluctant cat). We get to see and hear their responses. Next up Kobayashi. They tell her (and her dog) she passed. She calls her father. Next up is Toda. She also calls her father telling him the news.
==Trivia==
*Tsunku said about Yanagihara Hitomi: A voice that scratches your ears can sing well or badly!! (ギッと耳をひっかく声は うまい・ヘタを歌える!!)
*During the selection process they were teasing viewers saying they didn't know how many members they would add to the group. After selecting three people, they're also announcing who will be the fourth member, before saying: no, it's these three.
Category:1999 Auditions
Category:Country Musume