Monthly Archives: May 2006

Rock trio Remioromen have topped the charts for the first time. Formed in 2000, the band released their first single in May, 2003. They’ve grown into one of the hottest acts of the moment, and their previous album “Ether” and singles have done well but never got past the No.2 spot. But following the long-term success of last November’s single “Konayuki”, the new album “Horizon” was by far the best seller on Tuesday’s daily chart. It’s a good example of the power of media tie-ups. Konayuki appeared in the popular Fuji TV series “1littoru no Namida”, while “Taiyo no Shita” was used as a movie theme song. Two other songs from the album have been used in TV commercials. Check samples from the album at the official Remioromen website. Meanwhile, the album knocked Def Tech’s “Catch the Wave” into the No.2 spot, while the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are down at No.3 with “Stadium Arcadium”. Veteran rocker Yazawa Eikichi takes up the No.4 to No.6 spots with the three volumes of his greatest hits, “Your Songs 1 – 3”.

Enka singer Mori Shinichi (58) used a press conference yesterday to take a few digs at his ex-wife. The event was held to promote his new single, due for release on May . But he clearly had another agenda. He and former pop idol Masako (47) divorced in March of last year, but this was the first time for him to speak about it in public. He denied claims made in Masako’s recent autobiography that he had been stingy in refusing to share his assets, estimated at about ¥750 million, or pay alimony. He pays ¥400,000 a month in child suppport for their three sons, quite a bit more than the average worker’s salary. He added that he had discussed the amount with lawyers and tried not to base it on common sense rather than the fact that his children have showbiz parents. He complained that Masako and Hori Takeo (73), founder of the Hori Pro management agency, were too obsessed with money and business and that the matter should have been discussed only within the family. After also taking a jab at another Hori Pro singer, Wada Akiko (56), for supporting his ex on her weekend show, Shinichi said he would probably watch Masako’s live appearance on last night’s “Kayou Concert” on NHK. Masako has just recently made her singing comeback, with the single “Barairo no Mirai” (Rose-colored Future), saying that she was forced to do so for financial reasons.

• Toyokawa Etsushi (44) and Terashima Shinobu (33) are to bare all for the camera. The pair have been cast as adulterous lovers in the movie “Ai no Rukeichi” due for release this winter. Like the 1997 hit movie “Shitsurakuen”, the movie’s main talking point is likely to be its sex scenes, so the producers were concerned about getting “serious” actors for the lead roles. “Toyoetsu” and Terashima are both award winners and sure to bring class to the racy story. The novel was serialized in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun business newspaper from November 2004 till this January and became popular among company employees, many of whom got their pulses racing reading it on their way to work.

Comedian Fujimori Shingo (photo right, 23) and actress Ueno Juri (19) are the hot young couple of the moment. The pair were recently spotted leaving Fujimori’s home by photographers from the women’s weekly Josei Jishin. Today’s issue of the magazine reveals they have been dating for about five months. Fujimori and partner Nakata Atsuhiko (23) make up the Yoshimoto Kogyo comedy duo Oriental Radio, who have stormed onto the variety scene in the last year. Their high-paced Buyuuden routine (the word means “martial story”) has shot them to the top of the comedy ranks far quicker than most. Event though the term “wakate geinin” (young celebrities) is used to describe the current ranks of comedians, most have spent years honing their skills on the theater circuit and are in their 30s by the time they become regulars on TV. And “OriRaji”, as they are known to fans, have hardly pursued fame at the expense of their education – Fujimori is a graduate of the prestigious Meiji University, while Nakata is still studying at the equally elite Keio University. Ueno had her breakthrough in the 2004 hit movie “Swing Girls”.

• Today’s issue of another women’s weekly, Shuukan Josei, reveals that two members of the rock trio Remioromen are married. Vocalist Fujimaki Ryota (26) married his university sweetheart in 2004 and they had a son last year, while bassist Maeda Keisuke (26) is also a married man. Hardly groundbreaking news but the revelation comes as a surprise for the many female fans of the popular group.

• Orange Range have topped the Oricon charts with their latest single “Champione”, the first time a World Cup theme song has managed the feat. But for the Okinawan group it is their 9th consecutive No.1. They have reached 11 million CDs sold in a career still a month shy of three years. Two of the members, brother Ryo (20) and Yoh (22), still play soccer in Okinawa.

• Actress Yonekura Ryoko (30) has taken sick leave from the shooting of her upcoming TV series. The star of Fuji’s July series provisionally titled “Woman Wars” developed a fever and lost her voice but is expected to be back at work in a matter of days.

Johnny’s boy band KAT-TUN played to another packed house at Tokyo Dome yesterday. It was the third night at the 55,000-seat venue and finished off their successful debut tour. Their first single, “Real Face” is on the verge of becoming a million sller. But while the show marked the end of a very big first step for the band, the media had another question for them. They wanted more details of the rumored romance between Kamenashi Kazuya (20) and veteran pop idol/actress and divorcee Koizumi Kyoko (40). Koizumi has been silent about the affair, so no comment was really expected. Kamenashi simply said “I’m sorry” and bowed to the cameras. He was much more animated on stage, as the six members belted out a 28-song set with two encores, all ending up in tears.

• Also in tears was actor Watanabe Ken (46). The Hollywood-based star was in Tokyo on Saturday to greet the audience at the premiere of his latest domestic film. “Ashita no Kioku” (Tomorrow’s Memories) is a heart-wrenching drama about a man who develop’s Alzheimer’s Disease in middle age. Watanabe, who not only stars but is executive producer, has obviously invested a lot of emotion in the project and is often moved to tears when he talks about it. He himself battled with leukemia just when his career was reaching a peak in the early 90s.

• Pop duo Puffy finished off their national tour in the rain on Saturday. They played to 3,000 fans in Hibiya Park in Tokyo to round off the tour, which is to mark the 10th anniversary of their 1996 debut, “Asia no Junshin”. They will release a new album, “Splurge” on June 24 and embark on a US tour from July 8.

• Among the celebrities giving thanks to their mamas yesterday was actress Ueto Aya (20). The young star was promoting Lotte’s Ghana chocolate brand and Bic Camera at a Haha no Hi (Mother’s Day) PR event in Tokyo. The young star says she wants to become a mother herself as soon as possible, and there’s sure to be no shortage of takers.

Former Dreams Come True member Nishikawa Takahiro (41) was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment yesterday at the Tokyo District Court. The former DCT keyboard player was discovered in possession of stimulant drugs by police in February. This followed a previous arrest in 2002, for which he received a suspended sentence. This time around, prosecutors had sought a 2-year prison term for the two-time offender. Nishikawa’s brother presented a plea for clemency, suggesting that he would take part in anti-drugs campaigns. But the judge replied that he should do so after having served his time. Nishikawa left DCT in early 2002 to pursue a solo career, which never took off.

• Soul singer Kubota Toshinobu (43) has been forced to postpone two weeks of shows on his his nationwide tour. He was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease after suffering dizziness and hearing loss following a show on May 4, and was told to take two weeks’ rest. He hopes to be back on the road for the May 19 show in Hiroshima.

• Hip hop unit Black Eyed Peas are to play the Nippon Budokan. The chart-topping US group, whose worldwide album sales have topped 18 million, will be making their fourth trip to Japan but this will be the first time for them to play arena shows here. They’re scheduled to play the Budokan on July 13 and 14, after a July 11 show at Osaka Castle Hall.

Actor Nakamura Ryu (29) revealed on his official website yesterday that he recently got married. He and model Takuma Yui registered their marriage on January 23 and held a wedding ceremony in a church on the Hawaiian island of Oahu during Golden Week. Still a fairly minor name, Nakamura had a supporting role in the Fuji TV drama series “Hakusen Nagashi”, which has aired on and off since 1995. In addition to his acting career, he has been a professional surfer since 2000. Takuma runs her own fashion apparel company.

• Hollywood-based actor Watanabe Ken (46) showed off his English skills to the foreign media yesterday. Just the third Japanese actor (after Mifune Toshiro and Ikebe Ryo) to meet the press at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo’s Yurakucho, Watanabe introduced himself in English. Though he answered questions in Japanese, he was largely able to understand them without an interpreter. The Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee spoke about his roles in such films as “The Last Samurai” but was there largely to promote his new film “Ashita no Kioku” (Tomorrow’s Memories). “I wanted to bring to foreign audiences a Japanese movie that didn’t have samurai or ninja!” The movie, expected to open in the US at the end of this year or early in 2007, is a drama that tells of one man’s struggle with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Watanabe is the star and also executive producer.

• Publishing company Kodansha yesterday announced the winners of its 30th annual manga awards. Winning the general category was “Mushishi” by Urushibara Yuki, which has appeared in the “Gekkan Afternoon” manga since 1999. It has also been made into an anime by Fuji TV. The award for boy’s manga went to “Air Gear” by Oh!Great (Ogure Ito), while for girl’s it was “Life” (Suenobu Keiko). The children’s section award went to “Kicchin no O-Hime-sama” (Kobayashi Miyuki & Ando Natsumi).

Hugely popular rock group B’z have sold over 75 million CDs in Japan. And now they are set to become the first Asian artists on Network Live. The US-based online service offers downloads of live performance video by the world’s top recording artists, including the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi and Madonna. Kevin Wall, who was Executive Producer of last year’s Live 8, is the company’s CEO. The service is set to launch in Japan in June, and footage of the upcoming B’z show at the Osaka live house “Nanba Hatch”, scheduled for September 1, will be available on the new service in the autumn. The show itself will be a first for the band at such a small venue, and attended by 1,000 lucky fans selected from those who buy the new album “Monster”, due out on June 28. For those who can’t wait, the next single “Splash!”, out on June 7, will include a DVD with the first available footage of last year’s concert tour. The CD/DVD tieup is also a B’z first.

• Former Fuji TV announcer Uchida Kyoko (29) and Yoshimoto Kogyo employee Kimoto Kimitoshi (32) are to hold their wedding ceremony and reception in July. The couple got married in March and were first introduced by comedian Hamada Masatoshi (42), one half of the Yoshimoto duo Downtown and a co-presenter of Fuji’s sports variety show “Junk Sports”.

• Following yesterday’s story about forged Takarazuka tickets being sold on Internet auction sites, it seems Johnny’s Jimusho have been hit by the same problem. The agency handles almost all of Japan’s major boy bands and the fake tickets were for shows by three top artists during the spring. They were all photocopied from tickets sold through the Lawson convenience store chain and sold online. They were discovered at the concert venues. Like Takarazuka, Johnny’s artists enjoy huge fanbases and tickets can be very hard to find, leading to huge markups and huge potential profits for forgers. Buyers beware.

A bunch of forged tickets for the popular Takarazuka theater revue have been discovered. The tickets for the all-female revue, which enjoys huge popularity and fierce loyalty among its predominantly female fans, had fetched up to ten times their face value on Internet auction sites. The forgeries were for yesterday’s final performance of the Moon Troupe’s show “Never Say Goodbye”, the last appearance for retiring top “male” star Wao Yoka (photo). One 46-year old woman from Takarazuka City went to the local police station after being refused entry to the show. She said she had bought the two tickets, face value ¥7,500 each, for ¥150,000.

• Actor Nishimura Kazuhiko (39) has married calligraphry artist Kunishige Tomomi (27). The couple registered their marriage at the municipal office of Kunishige’s home in Yamaguchi Prefecture yesterday. the couple met on the set of a TV show last summer. Nishimura, who first became known through the Lipovitan D TV commercials and became popular following the 2004 Fuji TV drama series “Botan to Bara”, divorced actress Tachihara Mai (36) in January 2005.

• Boxing sensations the Kameda brothers scored big in their recent fights. Not only did both flyweight Koki (19) and super-flyweight Daiki (17) win their fights by knockouts, but the TBS broadcast pulled in a peak audience rating of 40.8% in the Kanto region. The number is remarkable given that they were not even title fights. Third brother Tomoki (14) is also an amateur boxer.

The veil is finally being lifted on Studio Ghibli‘s latest anime feature. The title song and lead role of “Gedo Senki” are performed by newcomer Teshima Aoi (18). Since February, previews shown at movie theaters nationwide have featured only the song and text, with no mention of who was singing. The studio planned to keep everything under wraps until the official release in July, but was overwhelmed by the number of requests from fans wanting more information. From today, a TV commercial tie-up with Asahi Soft Drinks will feature the song and is the first visual glimpse at the movie and its star. Teshima is described as a tall 18-year old beauty from Fukuoka who is a fan of Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire and Billy Holliday. She did her recording alone in the studio, buts says “When I realize I’ll be standing on stage with (co-stars) Okada Junichi (of pop group V6) and Sugawara Bunta, I get very nervous!” Studio Ghibli’s summer releases have continually broken box office records, but the latest film marks the first time that studio founder Miyazaki Hayao (65) has handed the reins over to his son Goro (39). Goro originally said he’d never get involved in the world of anime and worked as a building design consultant. The closest he got to his father’s work was designing the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, west of Tokyo. But the draw of the family business has proved too strong. His first venture is into a world of dragons and a tale that seeks to remind people of what has been lost in the world of today, based on the “Tales from Earthsea” fantasy novels. The final, 1236th cut of the film was completed on Saturday, according to the Studio Ghibli website.

• Hip hop unit Teriyaki Boyz represented Japan at yesterday’s MTV Asia Awards show. Broadcast from Bangkok to an estimated 100 million homes across the continent, the show was the biggest exposure yet for the unit led by fashion designer Nigo (35). His “A Bathing Ape” brand, which enjoys huge street cred, is gaining increasing popularity across Asia. Naturally the band appeared on stage wearing BAPE t-shirts and launched into a version of “Heartbreaker”, their debut single which was produced by popular French duo Daft Punk. The show was hosted by Kelly Rowland, formerly of Destiny’s Child.

• Morning Musume members Konno Asami (19) and Ogawa Makoto 818) have announced that they will be “graduating” from the pop group. The announcement was made yesterday during the final show of their national tour at the Saitama Super Arena. Konno, who celebrated her birthday yesterday, told fans that she is going to go to college. Ogawa plans to study abroad. The group’s 30th single, unnamed but due for release on June 21, will be the pair’s last.

Today is Children’s Day (Kodomo no Hi), a national holiday and part of Golden Week.

Veteran Rock band Godiego chose a World Heritage Site for their first concert in six years. They played at the Todaiji temple in Nara yesterday as part of an event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of UNESCO. The site was designated in 1998 and this was the first rock concert to be held there. 3,000 fans waited excitedly to catch a rare performance by the legendary group, best known outside Japan for the 70s song “Monkey Magic”. The song was the theme tune for the TV series “Saiyuki” (shown abroad as “Monkey”). With the 15m-tall Buddha as a backdrop, the group also played such hits as “Gandhara” and “Ginga Tetsudo 999”. With the Chinese folk tales that inspired Saiyuki being about ancient Buddhist travelers and Gandhara being an Indian kingdom steeped in Buddhist history, the setting seemed very appropriate. Vocalist Takekawa Yukihide (53) spoke for all five band members when he said that it was an inspirational way to relaunch their career. The band, a rarity in that it is made up of Japanese and foreign members, consists of Takekawa, Mickie Yoshino, Tommy Snyder, Steve Fox and Asano Takami. In their heyday, from the late 70s to the 1985 break-up, they released something like 27 original albums and about 40 in all. They were also the first rock band to perform in China. They reformed briefly in 1999 and played a tour the following year.