Actor Takashima Masahiro (39) and his fiancee, theater actress Sylvia Grab (30), will hold their traditional wedding ceremony in Kyoto on July 20. The ceremony will be held at the Shimogamo Shrine, a World Heritage Site that is open to members of the public for such ceremonies. They will then travel with about 50-60 guests for another ceremony and reception in Hawaii. The couple gave a press conference to announce their engagement last December and originally planned to only have a ceremony in Hawaii, as Grab is studying in Boston. She is the daughter of a Swiss father and Japanese mother.
• Singer Hitomi (photo, 29) looks to be making a big comeback. Very popular a few years ago, she pretty much disappeared from the media except for an occasional TV show. Now she’s everywhere again. With a new single, “Love Angel,” coming out August 24, she put on combined fashion show/concert yesterday in Tokyo featuring her own designs.
• The Shinjuku Plaza movie theater is the only cinema in japan that has shown all six episodes in the Star Wars seies. The theater welcomed its 1 millionth Star Wars viewer yesterday. The 26-year old company worker and his girlfriend received a Darth Vader figure and a signed photo of actor Hayden Christensen.
• Rap-metal band Rize and hip hop duo Def Tech played a joint gig at the Shibuya branch of Tower Records yesterday. About 150 fans were chosen by lottery from over 5,000 hopefuls for the event. The bands are both on the same Tensaibaka Records label. Def Tech released their smash debut album in January, becoming the first indie band to sell 1.5 million copies. Rize are on something of a comeback after their brief rise to fame a few years ago.