Monthly Archives: February 2005

Actress Tanaka Reina (photo, 24) has owned up to her relationship with L’Arc En Ciel guitarist Ken (36). Appearing at a PR event for the dubbed version of the Hollywood movie “Racing Stripes,” she was asked about the romance, revealed in the latest edition of the weekly gossip magazine Friday. “We have a good relationship,” she said. Tanaka does the voice of the main character, a zebra who wants to be a racehorse.

• Fuji TV announcer Otsubo Chinatsu (38) announced this week that she is engaged to be married. The only details revealed about her fiance are that he is an employee at a foreign company. The couple plan to get hitched in March. Comedian Amano Hiroyuki of the duo Kayeen offered his congratulations when asked for a reaction by reporters – he and Otsubo were considered to be on the verge of marriage in 2000.

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.

Popular young enka singer Hikawa Kiyoshi (27) has entered the Oricon chart at No. 1 with his latest single “Hatsukoi Ressha” (First Love Train). It is the first enka song in 18 years to go striaght to the top of the charts, and only the third ever to do so. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “It’s thanks to the support of my fans.” Duh! Hikawa’s highest chart showing to date was last summer, when he reached No. 2 with the single “Banba no Chutaro”.

• The management offices of actress Yoshinaga Sayuri (59) and actor Nakai Kiichi (43) were recently broken into. According to the Shibuya police station, Yoshinaga’s office on the 6th-floor of an apartment building was found to have been broken into on the evening of February 10. Meanwhile, on February 13, Nakai was walking his dog near his Setagaya ward home when he noticed the door of his office was open. He contacted his manager, who notified the police. Nothing was reported stolen in either case.

It’s been a good week for the folks at Studio Ghibli. First it was announced that star director Miyazaki Hayao (64) is to receive an honorary Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The award is in recognition of his many record-breaking and critically acclaimed anime masterpieces, a long list that includes “Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.” Later, the studio announced that it was becoming independent of publishing house Tokuma Shoten. The new company will be located in Koganei in western Tokyo, with Miyazaki, director Takahata Isao and producer Suzuki Toshio on the board of directors. Studio Ghibli was established as a subsidiary of Tokuma in 1985, but had been supporting the struggling publisher for some time. A major restructuring has put Tokuma back in the black, allowing Ghibli to break free. The newly independent company will give Miyazaki even more greater dominance in the anime field.

Mochizuki Rumi (33), a former member of the “sexy group” Giri Giri Girls, had her wedding ceremony on Friday. She tied the knot with a 33-year old company employee on Christmas Eve after an 8-year relationship.

• Actor Kashiwabara Takashi (photo, 27) appeared recently at a press conference with a shaven head, a common symbol of repentance. He was apologizing for his involvement in a punch-up that took place at the New Year with a man in his 40s over a parked car blocking the road. The man is pursuing the matter at the Tokyo District Court and it looks like Kashiwabara won’t be back at work for a while.

• Japan got off to a flying start in its World Cup qualifying campaign last week, squeaking out a last-gasp 2-1 win against North Korea. The match, which aired last Wednesday on TV Asahi, drew a very high audience rating of 47.2%, the best number the network has seen in almost 50 years. The best figure in recent years for a soccer game was 66.1% for the Japan-Russia game at the 2002 World Cup, which was shown on NHK.

Among the dramas in the spring lineup is Fuji TV’s provisionally titled “Magari Kado no Kanojo.” The theme is one that is very popular at the moment, that of the “loser dog.” In Japanese “make-inu” refers to a woman in her 30s who is unmarried and without children, which marks her out as a failure in Japanese society. You get the impression that the media is trying to shame women into getting married and having kids, thereby solving the problem of a rapidly aging society. Make-inu poster girl, actress Sugita Kaoru, recently married a wealthy businessman and can’t stop telling the world how happy she is. In Fuji’s new drama, Inamori Izumi (32) is a beautiful and successful career woman, but her age is a big hurdle in her rivalry with the also beautiful Shaku Yumiko, who is still in her 20s. The drama is based on a bestselling book that lists 10 ways not to become a make-inu, with one episode focusing on each.

• Shaking off any make-inu tendencies is Fujimori Yuko (36), a former member of the “sexy group” CC Girls. She announced at a press conference this week that she had married a 37-year old TV production company president last October. They plan to hold a ceremony after Golden Week.

Morning Musume member Abe Natsumi (23) made an apologetic comeback on Monday. She was on two months forced leave after it was revealed in November that she had plagiarized other people’s work in a book of essays and on radio appearances. Natchi gave a press conference in Tokyo together with MM and Hello! Project producer Tsunku. Both bowed deeply six times as a show of their remorse. She will make her first return to the stage on Friday.

• At the Tokyo District Court, disgraced celebrity Tashiro Masashi (48) was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment. He was serving a suspended sentence for drug possession when he was caught with amphetamines and marijuana in September and arrested for the fourth time. His wife has also started divorce proceedings against him.

• TV commentator and sports journalist Masuda Akemi (41) has married a 40-year old financial planner. The two met through musician SunPlaza Nakano last October. Masuda represented Japan in the marathon at the 1980 Los Angeles Olympics.

Actor Hagiwara Kenichi (54) has been arrested for the fourth time. The arrest results from threatening phone calls he made to producers of the movie “Toukou no Ki” last year, after he was kicked off the project. Known for his sometimes erratic behavior, he assaulted staff and cast both verbally and physically during production. His role was given to Nagashima Toshiyuki. Hagiwara, or “Shoken” as he is popularly known, was arrested for marijuana possession and drunk driving in the 1980s. And just last October he was arrested for professional negligence resulting in injury after he caused a traffic accident.

• Singer Iwai Sayuri (36) recently made her comeback after having her first child last summer. But she told fans at her show in Tokyo that she’s off to the US for two years in April. She will accompany her doctor husband, who will be doing cancer research in Houston, where she plans to study English and jazz.

The trend for Hollywood remakes of Japanese horror flicks looks set to continue. The latest plan is to do a new version of last year’s hit “Chakushin Ari” (One Missed Call). Directed by Miike Takashi (44), it starred Shibasaki Kou and had the tag line of “Death cannot be put on hold…” The new movie was announced at a press conference Saturday for the Japanese sequel, which stars up and coming actress Mimura (20) and Seto Asaka (28). As with the original, “Chakushin Ari 2” is based on the keitai culture, with a “chaku-melo” (ring melody) signalling imminent death.

• The US anime “Hi Hi Puffy YumiAmi” is to make its way across the Pacific. Starring the pop duo Puffy, the series has been a hit since last November on the Cartoon Network. It will air in Japan on the SkyPerfect satellite channel from November. There’ll be a chance to get a sneak preview at next month’s Tokyo International Anime Fair.

Fuji TV announcer Umezu Yaeko (27) recently married a director at the same company, less than two months after they started going out. Not surprisingly, she is expecting a baby in September. Deguchi Takao (30) is a direcor of variety shows, and was an american football player in college. Umezu is a regular on several shows, including the long-running afternoon variety show “Waratte Ii Tomo.” When a marriage takes place soon after a couple meet, it is referred to as a “speed kekkon” or just “speed kon.” In this case it’s a “cho speed kon” (super fast marriage).

• Celebrity Rikiya (57) is in a Tokyo hospital and has undergone surgery for cysts on his liver. He is expected to make a full recovery and return to work in a couple of months. His large physique and deep voice make him perfect for gangster roles, which he has played in many TV shows.