Darryl Hall and John Oates are coming to Japan again. It will be the pop/rock duo’s 11th trip to Japan and will see them play their 100th gig here. That puts them second only to Eric Clapton, who’s been here 16 times and played 157 shows. Fifth on the list is Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, who is scheduled to make his 10th trip in April.
• The beautiful Kuroki Meisa (photo) is just 16 and is already an up-and-coming actress and model. She has been chosen as the image character for the new Esprique cosmetic brand from Kose. She made her TV debut last year in a Fuji TV drama series. This is one girl to watch out for.
• TV celebrity Shimizu Kei (43) and his wife, former idol singer Kosaka Miyuki (42), appear in a new, and what must be a world record-size, poster. Photographed by Shinoyama Kishin (64), the 300m-long poster is to mark the launch of the new Premacy sedan from Mazda, and is located below Tokyo Station. Shinoyama is famous for his photogrpahs of female actresses and models. One of his best-known books is 1991’s “Santa Fe,” featuring actress Miyazawa Rie. It was one of the first high-class photo books to show female pubic hair, and remains the best-selling book of its kind.