Morning Musume ’26’s Okamura Minami is holding a birthday event, and its venue is shrinking dramatically — from Shintoshi Hall (994 seats) in 2025 down to I’M A SHOW (398 seats) in 2026 — sparking discussion on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. Posters in the thread were split on whether this reflects a genuine drop in popularity or simply fans scattering due to new members joining, with some pointing to other members’ venue histories, like Sasaki Rikako’s, for comparison.
What people said
1AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:06
2025
Shintoshi Hall [994 seats]
2026
3AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:07
She turned into such a beautiful young woman… so why?
6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:08
Well, Shintoshi Hall usually only seats 600-700 anyway
but still, this is way too much of a downgrade.
7AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:08
Miimi's not THAT unpopular, is she?
9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:10
Miimi doesn't really have antis, but she doesn't get much attention from DD types (fans who don't commit to one member), so I get why her birthday event would struggle.
17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:12
Re: #9
She's just… totally inoffensive.
That's actually the worst thing you can be as an idol.
10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:10
Shintoshi Hall's capacity varies by member, but for Hello! Project it maxes out at just over 700.
Sometimes it's under 600.
13AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:10
Whenever new members join, it's always the current youngest member who takes the hit.
15AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:11
Feels like she could've landed a slightly bigger venue than this, honestly.
21AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:14
If anything, plenty of people probably like her.
But that's as far as it goes.
22AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:15
Miimi wasn't in Beyooooonds, right?
24AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:15
Isn't she just too nice a girl?
Any hint of a boyfriend?
25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:16
Baseless guess here,
but it feels like her fans have been drifting toward Nagano Momoha.
29AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:19
Re: #25
Tons of fans are flowing from Angerme into Beyooooonds — no way it's reversing just for her, lol
27AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:18
Maybe her popularity dropped because she was Kato Taka's (a staff/producer nickname) favorite?
30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:21
Re: #29
The ones flowing from Angerme to Beyooooonds are Rikamiko's (a fan nickname pairing two members) fanbase
Miimi and Nagano both draw a different crowd than that.
32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:22
Sasaki Rikako
2025: Setagaya Egret Hall (933 seats)
↓
2026: Hiratsuka Hall (368 seats)
33AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:22
Well, isn't Nagano Momoha basically an upgraded version of Okamura Minami?
Both the local-idol-turned-idol-cyborg type.
45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:30
Re: #33
Not sure if fans are really moving over, but if you're gonna get hooked on someone's fan interactions, it'd be Nagano.
35AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:23
Miimi's such a capable member — she can pull off cute performances AND cool ones, it's a shame.
68AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:40
Re: #35
That's because even you don't oshi (actively support) her.
79AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:45
Re: #35
She's cute like little baby-talk sounds, haha
39AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:25
What's the actual reason Miimi's unpopular?
46AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:31
Re: #39
Because in Hello! Project, 'Okamura' means Homare first, no contest.
40AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:25
Couldn't they book Shintoshi Hall this time?
41AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:25
Miimi, this must be rough… come on over to Angerme.
42AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:26
They keep saying she's going viral, but Beyooooonds itself is struggling with ticket sales for its tour too.
49AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:33
Re: #42
Then they should've just let the group disband instead of ignoring the age limit to cram in new members and keep it on life support.
43AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:27
I don't personally know anyone who switched over, but I can kind of sense Okamura's fans drifting toward Nagano.
47AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:31
Even if they couldn't book Hikōsen Hall (the 'airship' venue), Ranma Hall's open year-round anyway.
48AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:32
Everyone's crying 'too small, too small,' but it's probably just first-part, second-round tickets anyway.
Background and Discussion Points
The “birthday festival” is a Hello! Project tradition — a solo event for each member — and turnout capacity tends to be read directly as a barometer of popularity. That said, venue size can also shift based on day-of availability, event timing, and the organizers’ budget, so judging rising or falling popularity from seat counts alone may be premature. The thread also raised Sasaki Rikako’s case, whose venue shrank from 933 seats to 368, suggesting a broader trend of scaled-back venues across Hello! Project events generally rather than something specific to Okamura. Others pointed to fan dispersion from new member additions as a possible factor, though it’s worth noting these remain unconfirmed guesses with no official statement behind them.
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