Michael Jackson (47) caused another crowd panic in Shibuya last night when he decided to try his hand at pachinko. He had the “Maruhan” pachinko parlor in Shibuya all to himself after it closed at 11pm, but a crowd quickly gathered outside and the police were called in to keep order. Jackson was seen to wildly enjoy the unique Japanese game, which combines pinball with the gambling of slot machines. It’s illegal to win money in the parlor itself, but the media didn’t mention if he had to slip around the corner to a separate booth to pick up his prizes. Earlier in the evening, he held a private party at an exclusive French restaurant in Aoyama. About 100 people were in attendance, including the glamorous Kano Sisters, former X Japan member Yoshiki (40), and actress Mizuki Arisa (29).
• Drumming group Kodo are to play this summer’s Fuji Rock Festival. They will be the first instrumental group to perform on the festival’s main stage. Though in no sense a rock group, Kodo have wowed music fans in Japan and worldwide for the last 25 years and are sure to be a big hit at Fuji Rock. They have performed in 43 countries, including Norway for a concert commemorating the 100th Nobel Prize ceremony in 2001.
• Actress Ishiki Sae (29) is expecting her third child. She made her return to work yesterday on an NHK show, only to announce that she was five months pregnant. She married American-Japanese entrepreneur and former model Sarfen Satoshi (29) in 2002, as her acting career was hitting a peak.
• Actress Mimura (21) is seriously involved with Japanese-born Korean conductor Kim Seikyo (36), according to today’s issue of the weekly magazine Flash. The couple are said to have met on the set of last year’s movie “Kono Mune Ippai no Ai wo”. Mimura is an up and coming name, and starred in the movie “Chakushin Ari 2” (One Missed Call 2). Kim was born in Osaka, where he is a resident conductor with the Century Orchestra.