Following up his appearance in this year’s NHK taiga drama, the enigmatic Gackt led a historical parade in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture on Saturday. Dressed as medieval warlord Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578) in full armor and riding a white stallion, Gackt led the parade of about 450 people wearing samurai and other period costumes. The Kenshinko Matsuri festival is an annual event that centers around the famous warrior, most recently portrayed by the rock singer in “Fuurinkazan”. The event, started in 1926 and held this year for the 82nd time, is based around the famous battle of Kawanakajima between Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. The lead up to the battle is also the climactic scene of this year’s taiga series and, though yet to be aired, was already filmed earlier this month. A much larger crowd than usual, the 50,000 spectators were impressed with the touch of “authenticity” Gackt brought to the event, and he returned the compliment by encouraging them in their recovery from the recent earthquake that caused heavy damage to the region.
• Fashion model turned actress Yamada Yu (23) did some cleaning up in a Shibuya park on Sunday. For the “Shibuyamada Beauty Fiesta”, she and 50 other volunteers, including comedian Haraguchi Akimasa (31), painted over graffiti in Miyashita Park near the capital’s youth mecca. The urban beautification project also included the nearby Yoyogi Park.