The comments were typically Iijima in that they easily shocked. Her request for
advice from visitors to her blog elicited over 300 replies, many from men
predictably willing to meet her and alleviate her plight.
Despite Iijima lamenting a lack of lustiness, recent reports suggest that may
not necessarily be the case. In July, women's weekly Josei Jishin caught Iijima
meeting with a guy at a posh hotel.
A couple of weeks after that, Shukan Asahi itself reported that Iijima had
developed a very close relationship with Hiroyuki Nishimura, 30, the maverick
operator of anything-goes online bulletin board Ni-Chaneru. Iijima works
part-time for an IT company in which Nishimura is a director, and she has made
no bones about how much she likes his bones. After posting on her blog footage
of the interview she undertook with him to get the IT job, Iijima also remarked
about her feelings for the board operator.
"I quite fancy this Hiroyuki," the weekly quotes Iijima writing.
Despite the attraction, some pals say it's unlikely Iijima and Nishimura have
consummated their relationship.
"Ai is pretty free and easy and it's common for her to whine to her friends
about a lack of decent sex. She also complains about the fact that as soon as
she leaves her home, the paparazzi are there to swoop on her so she basically
has to remain cooped up in her apartment all the time," an Iijima buddy tells
Shukan Asahi. "I guess if she's holed up inside all the time, she would be
getting a bit bored.
Shukan Asahi (9/7)Iijima won't be offering any insight into her relationship
with Nishimura, refusing to divulge any details even for Shukan Asahi, for
which she was once a columnist. She wouldn't open up when the weekly approached
her for a comment.
"Considering everything your magazine has done for me, I'd really love to help,
but in this case, I'm really, really sorry, I just can't cooperate with the
story," Iijima tells Shukan Asahi. "I'm really, really sorry."
Copyright 1999-2007, Mainchi Daily. Used with permission. All rights
reserved. Ryann Connell is a Staff Writer and Senior Desk Editor for the
Mainchi Daily News. No content may be reproduced in whole or part without
written permission. Please contact us via the link below for re-print and
syndication policies or visit Mainchi Daily at http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/
for more information on Mainchi stories.
