SMAP announced yesterday that they are to go on a 5-city tour from July 30, their first nationwide tour in two years. They will play 21 shows at 7 venues, including the National Stadium in Tokyo. Yoshida Takuro, The Alfee and others performed at a concert there in 1985, and the stadium welcomed the Three Tenors in 1996. But this is the first time that a single group will perform at the venue, built for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and these days better known for hosting the national soccer team. As the name SMAP comes from “Sports Music Assemble People,” the group are selling the stadium shows as a return to their roots. They’ll kick off the tour at Sapporo Dome and finish at Tokyo Dome. They will also play four straight nights at the Yahoo! Dome in Fukuoka and Nagoya Dome, both historic firsts for the venues. The tour will also coincide with a new album, currently in production.
• Popular talento and model Yamada Yu (photo, 20) has ended her romance with actor Ito Hideaki (29), according to this week’s edition of Friday magazine. The two had been seen together a lot last month, visiting each other’s homes in Tokyo. The gorgeous Yamada is one of the most visible faces in the media these days, promoting a wide variety of products from cosmetics to Vodafone. The dashing Ito has been romantically linked to such celebs as actress Mizuno Miki and Fuji TV announcer Nakano Minako.