J-pop diva Hamasaki Ayumi (29) may have lost the hearing in her left ear but she can still put on a big show. Marking her 10th anniversary in showbiz, she held the Tokyo leg of her Asian tour at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium yesterday. She went through 21 songs and nine costume changes during the show. During the encore the 12,000 fans surprised her with a version of the song “Who…” and a tearful Ayu was presented a huge 50kg cake. She will play 27 shows in ten cities across Japan before heading overseas. Details for the Asian shows have yet to be announced. Since her April 8, 1998 debut single “Poker Face”, Ayu has amassed sales estimated at ¥200 billion (approx. $2 billion). Her memorial single “Mirrorcle World” was released yesterday and is sure to become her 30th No.1. A Sports Nippon article said that she had “miraculously” recovered some of the hearing in her left ear, but it wasn’t mentioned elsewhere and so can’t be confirmed. She was seen removing the ear monitor during the show.
• And speaking of 10 years, that’s how long it’s taken Morning Musume to make their assault on East Asia. Members Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, and Kusumi Koharu visited Seoul, South Korea last year but Morning Musume will be playing their first concerts there this summer. The “10th Anniversary Tour in Korea 2008” will be two shows held at the Jamsil Olympic Park in Seoul on June 1, a week after the group is scheduled to perform in Taiwan on May 24. The group’s 36th single “Resonant Blue” will be released April 16th. The “single V” format, a term used for music singles in DVD format by MoMusu and other artists from the Hello! Project idol group, is out April 23rd.