ASAYAN

ASAYAN (あさやん), also known as Asakusabashi Young Yohinten (浅草橋ヤング洋品店; Asakusabashi Young Western-style Products Store) was a variety program and talent search show which aired on TV Tokyo from 1995 to 2002. Many Hello! Project groups and members were discovered through ASAYAN auditions produced by Tsunku, with the most memorable being Morning Musume. Producers Tetsuya Komuro and Matsuura Max was also prominent in several of the other auditions. Suzuki Ami and CHEMISTRY also came from ASAYAN auditions.
==Cast==
===MC===
* Ninety Nine (ナインティナイン)
** Okamura Takashi (岡村隆史)
** Yabe Hiroyuki (矢部浩之)
* Nagasaku Hiromi (永作博美) (from 1995 to September 1998)
* Nakayama Emiri (中山エミリ/中山亜微梨) (from January 1999 to 2002)
===Narration===
* Kabira Jiei (川平慈英) (from 1995 to April 1998)
* Matsuo Takashi (松尾貴史) (from 1999 to April 2001)
* Yamada Hisashi (やまだひさし) (from April 2001 to 2002)
==DVD==
*[2005.07.08] Asakusabashi Young YohintenTamashii no Zaiko Ossou Dai Sale DVD-BOX (浅草橋ヤング洋品店　魂の在庫一掃大セールDVD-BOX)
==Publications==
*[1999.12.xx] ASAYAN 男子高校生 1998 Super Boys File
==Hello! Project Auditions aired on ASAYAN==
* [1997] Sharam Q Josei Rock Vocalist Audition (Winner: Heike Michiyo)
* [1998] Morning Musume Member Tsuika Audition (Winners: Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari and Ichii Sayaka)
* [1998] Geinoujin Shin Unit Audition (Winners: Shinoda Miho, Kominato Miwa, RuRu, Inaba Atsuko)
* [1999] Morning Musume Dai Nikai Member Tsuika Audition (Winner: Goto Maki)
* [1999] Morning Musume Dai Sankai Member Tsuika Audition (Winners: Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Tsuji Nozomi, Kago Ai)
==Auditions aired on ASAYAN==
===Sports Auditions===
* [xxxx] Dai Liga Audition (大リーガーオーディション; Big Liga Audition)
** Producer: Orestes Destrade Cucuas
*** Winner: Tsujita Osamu (辻田摂)
* [1997] J Liga Audition (Jリーガーオーディション)
** Producer: Ramos Ruy (ラモス瑠偉)
*** Winners: Okayama Kazunari (岡山一成), Takaki Narita (高木成太)
===Music Auditions===
* [1995] Komu-ro Garçons (ASAYAN Idol Group Audition 96) (コムロギャルソン(ASAYANアイドルグループオーディション96))
** Producer: Komuro Tetsuya (小室哲哉), Cozy Kubo (久保こーじ)
*** Winner: none
* [1996] ASAYAN - Ranpatsu Vocal Audition (ASAYAN-乱発ヴォーカル・オーディション; ASAYAN - Random Vocal Audition)
** Producer: Max Matsuura (マックス松浦)
*** Winners: Nakamura Yuri, Izawa Mari (formed YURIMARI), Noriko Shuto (took the stage name SHU:DO), Miyake Ai, Ishida Miki, Sano Yumi (formed Like uncoloured velvet)
* [1997] Dansei Vocalist Audition (男性ヴォーカリストオーディション; Male Vocalist Audition)
** Producer: Asakura Daisuke
*** Winners: Itou Kinji, Nagai Yasutaka (formed Pool Bit Boys)
* [1997] Saiki ni Kakeru Geinoujin Audition (再起に懸ける芸能人オーディション; Celebrities Who Wants to Come Back Audition)
** Producer: Komuro Tetsuya
*** Winner: none (project was terminated). 
===Model Auditions===
* [1996] CM Bishoujo/Bijou Audition (CM美少女／美女オーディション; CM Beautiful Girl / Beautiful Woman Audition)
** Company: BIG ECHO (Karaoke Advertising Girl)
*** Winner: Higuchi Asuka (樋口明日嘉)
** Company: Mitsui Rehouse (三井のリハウス) (Rehouse Girl, fronting the company in commercials)
*** Winner: Ikewaki Chidzuru (池脇千鶴)
** Company: Mitsui Rehouse (三井のリハウス) (Rehouse Lady)
*** Winner: Hoshi Naoko (星直子)
* [1998] Danshi Koukousei Audition (男子高校生オーディション; High School Boy Students Audition)
** Producer: Dai 1-dan Paris Collection Model (第1弾・パリコレモデル)
*** Winner: Aikawa Juri (相川寿里)
** Producer: Mandom Corporation (Mandom "Asis" Commercial)
*** Winner: Nishimura Souhei (西村聡平)
==Trivia==
* The audition Komu-ro Garçons (ASAYAN Idol Group Audition 96) spawned no winners, and rumors said that it was actually a "record company audition", as several of the participants were approaced when the auditions finished and were offered record deals. Amagata Naomi, Kobayashi Yumi, Fukui Mariko (福井麻利子), Ishii Yuki (石井ゆき), Sasaki Yuuko (佐々木ゆう子), and Ahane Ayano became solo singers, taeco (西川妙子), asami (由野麻美), and kaba (椛島永次) formed dos, Watanabe Maiko (渡辺麻衣子), Fujita Atsuko (藤田阿津子), Makinoda Aya (牧野田彩), Sugawara Shouko (菅原晶子), Yamada Yukiko (山田由紀子), Yoshikawa Yayoi (吉川やよい ), Yamazaki Kazue (山崎和恵), Honjou Yuu (本城優), Amano Megumi (天野恵), Kurumizawa Hiroko (恒崎裕子), Nakanishi Mina (中西美奈), Hosoya Hanae (細谷英絵), Katouda Takako (河東田崇子), Aida Miho (逢田美穂), and Koizumi Yoshiko (小泉静子) became L☆IS, Oizumi Megumi (大泉めぐみ) became the front singer for FBI, and Katagiri Hanako (片桐華子), Taguchi Rie (田口理恵), Okushi Erika (大櫛江里加) became Say a Little Prayer.
*Famous losers from the ASAYAN - Ranpatsu Vocal Audition are Masuda Yuri (who joined move and took the stage name yuri), Matsumura Yumi (who took the stage name Myu:), Fujiwara Misaki (who joined the band Acacia Orchestra as the vocalist), Moringa Hatsumi (became a solo singer), and Seto Cathrine (who became an actress).
* Fukui Mariko (福井麻利子) participated in both Komu-ro Garçons (ASAYAN Idol Group Audition 96) and ASAYAN - Ranpatsu Vocal Audition but didn't win. She later became a solo singer.
* Four winners made it to the New York lessons in the Saiki ni Kakeru Geinoujin Audition: 1 浅見貴子, 2 柴田恵梨, 3 Suzuki Sachiko (鈴木早智子, former member of Wink), 4 Kurumizawa Hiroko (西崎ひろこ, former solo singer as well as a former member of L☆IS). Suzuki left midway as she didn't want to share rooms. The audition was terminated.
* Yuge Tomohisa (弓削智久) and Arakawa Tomohiro (荒川智大) were finalists in the Danshi Koukousei Audition.
* In 2000, ASAYAN aired their top 100 moments. A clip of Nakazawa Yuko scolding the new second generation members of Morning Musume on May 10, 1998 placed first.
* In April 2020, Comedian Okamura Takashi was under fire after telling a radio listener who asked if he should stop going to sex shops, “Hold off. God never gives you a challenge you can’t overcome....after Corona, pretty girls will become sex workers in short order.”Twitter
==External Links==
*Official Site (archived)
*DVD release (2005)
Category:Tsunku
Category:Hello! Project
Category:Morning Musume
Category:Up-Front Agency
Category:1st Generation Morning Musume