Monthly Archives: May 2009

Tsurube Headed for Montreal

Shofukutei Tsurube, Dear Doctor


Though he spent decades working his way up as a rakugoka, Shofukutei Tsurube (57) has broadened his appeal way beyond the field of traditional storytelling. And now that he finally has his first leading role in a movie, he hopes to take it all the way to next year’s major awards. The first stop for “Dear Doctor,” directed by Nishikawa Miwa, will be the competition at this summer’s 33rd Montreal World Film Festival. The event will be getting all the more media attention in Japan because the country has claimed the top prize in two of the last three years. In 2006, the Grand Prix win went to Okuda Eiji’s “Nagai Sampo,” while last year Takita Yojiro’s “Okuribito” went one better by also claiming the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. “If it happened twice, Tsurube can make it happen a third time,” the star quipped. In Dear Doctor he plays a physician who has earned the trust of the residents in a remote mountain village, only to suddenly disappear. As the villagers search for him, an unexpected truth emerges. With his distinctive smile, Tsurube is one of the most popular figures in Japanese showbiz, with an appeal that spans all ages. The Montreal festival runs from August 27 to September 7. Also featuring will be “Nisesatsu,” the directorial debut of comedian Kimura Yuichi (46) which has been selected for the First Films World Competition. Based on a major counterfeiting case around the end of World War II, it stars veteran actress Baisho Mitsuko (62).


Sanma, Shinobu’s Daughter Makes First Appearance

Imalu


What do you do with your life if your mother is one of Japan’s top actresses and your father is perhaps the country’s most recognizable comedian? Enter show business, of course. And so with much fanfare, Imalu (19) made her first public appearance yesterday. The daughter of actress Ohtake Shinobu (51) and comedian Akashiya Sanma (53, profile) actually debuted as a magazine model last month but the media had never been able to use anything other than still photos and soundbites. She spoke to fans at an FM Yokohama event held at the Queen’s Square mall, and the appearance of music producer Tago Kunio (35) made it clear that her career will move in that direction, too. She said that she has been taking voice lessons a couple of times a week since last autumn. Her choice of career, common enough for the children of celebrities, has led to a mixed reaction. There has been quite a bit of online criticism, saying the world can do without more so-called “ni-sei,” or second generation, celebrities. After finishing junior high school in Japan, Imalu graduated from a high school in Victoria, Canada last June.


Oizumi Yo Marries Fuji Producer

Oizumi Yo

Actor Oizumi Yo (36) announced on Friday night that he and Fuji TV producer Nakajima Kumiko (39) tied the knot earlier in the day. The two first met in 2006 when Oizumi made his national network debut in the medical drama series “Kyumei Byoutou 24jikan” (Emergency Room 24 Hours). They were reunited for last year’s drama series “Loss:Time:Life,” and romance bloomed. They timed their marriage for after Oizumi and the Team NACS theater group, which he formed while at university in his native Hokkaido, ended a nationwide run in April. Though hardly known outside of Hokkaido, Oizumi was one of the biggest names in northern Japan in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to the popularity of his show “Suiyo wa Doudeshou” (How Do You Like Wednesday?). As sales of the show’s DVDs spread south to Tokyo (my wife was an early fan!), he developed a growing cult following and started making appearances on the national networks. He quickly landed big roles in TV dramas and movies such as “Gegege no Kitaro” and “After School.”


Earlier stories:


A Star in the Making (Sep 19, 2005)


Japanese King of Rock Dies

Imawano Kiyoshiro


Rock singer Imawano Kiyoshiro died of cancer of the lymph nodes at a Tokyo hospital yesterday. He was 58. He revealed on his website in July 2006 that he had thyroid cancer, and doctors recommended throat surgery. But with the risk of it bringing his singing career to an end, he elected for radiation therapy. Just a year and a half later, he had recovered enough to take part in a John Lennon memorial concert in December 2007. A couple of months later, he was able to perform a full comeback concert at the Nippon Budokan in February 2008. He broke down in tears when his son Tappei (20) and daughter Momoyo (17) presented him with flowers on stage. But last July the cancer was found to have spread to his pelvis and he was back in hospital. His wife Keiko (53) and children were with him at the end. Sometimes called the Japanese King of Rock, he was known for the phrase “Ai shiaterkai,” which roughly means “Are you loving each other?” He formed the rock band RC Succession while a high schooler and drew media attention with his makeup and colorful stage costumes.


X Japan – Believe the Hype

X Japan


X Japan do like to play publicity games, and I have to wonder if their hugely loyal fans treat it as a game or not. Yesterday, just two days before they are scheduled to play two nights at Tokyo Dome, the band finally announced that bassist Heath will take part. Any issues between Heath and the other members of the band – they are all with separate management – have been put aside for the moment. The official story was that he was having an “internal struggle about the direction of his musical career” and he cut himself off from everyone. One real casualty of this was a pair of scheduled shows in Korea on March 21-22, which were indefinitely postponed. With the show said to be costing ¥3 billion to stage and all 100,000 tickets selling out within minutes of their release in March, a cancellation would have sent fans into a frenzy. Meanwhile, the worst-kept secret in J-rock was put to rest as former Luna Sea guitarist Sugizo (photo, right) was formally announced as the official sixth member of the band. The first stage of his integration was in March last year, when he was a support member for their reunion gigs at the Dome. And in April he stood in for sick band leader Yoshiki at a press conference. He has big boots to fill, with the late guitarist Hide still idolized by fans, but he has been part of the X Japan “family” since Luna Sea’s debut in 1992.


No Midlife Crisis for These Ladies

Atsushi, You


A couple of examples today of middle-aged women showing they’ve still got what it takes. Dancer Atsushi (30, photo left) has acknowledged for the first time his romantic relationship with actress You (44, photo right). He spoke yesterday at the opening of his “Power of Life” charity photo exhibition at Tokyo Hipster’s Club. Romance between the two has been rumored since a weekly magazine ran a story in 2006, but they have steadfastly refused to comment. Asked if they had plans to marry this year, Atsushi laughed and said, “I don’t know.” He is a dancer with rock band Dragon Ash (profile). You, who looks and sounds a lot younger than her age would suggest, is a former pop singer who won critical acclaim for her role in the 2004 movie “Dare mo Shiranai” (Nobody Knows). She debuted as a singer in 1985 and fronted the pop band Fairchild from 1988-93. She has been married twice, to a guitarist and an actor.

Iwasaki HiromiMeanwhile, singer Iwasaki Hiromi (50) announced that she and stage actor Kon Takuya (40) got hitched on Wednesday. The two first met when they appeared in “Les Miserables” in 1998 and have been living together for the last seven years. Sentimental types that they are, they decided to get married last November 12, their shared birthday, and registered their marriage at 11:12am. Iwasaki, who became a star in the mid 1970s while still in high school, was married from 1988-95 and her two teenage sons are being raised by their father. She released a new album in April and will make her return to TV drama for the first time in ten years later this month.