January 2011
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Saiyuki Creator Kazuya Minekura Returns from...
Saiyuki manga creator Kazuya Minekura reported on her blog on Tuesday that she returned from the hospital without incident. She had placed her manga on hiatus and had undergone surgery for ameloblastoma, a noncancerous tumor on her right upper jawbone. She noted that she received thousands of paper cranes to wish her well, and even her doctors and nurses remarked that they have never seen so...
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Hamasaki Ayumi is getting married!
On January 1st 2011, Hamasaki Ayumi has announced that she is getting married on her fan club site “TeamAyu.” According to the announcement on “TeamAyu”, her groom is Austrian actor, Manuel Schwarz who Ayu co-stared with in her PV’s for “Virgin Road“, “Last angel“, and “Love song.”
Their first encounter was during the shoot for “Virgin Road” held in L.A in August 2010, and Manuel appeared in...
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Dengeki's Most Anticipated January Anime Survey
ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Online website posted the results of its December anime survey on Tuesday. The website asked its readers which anime premiering in January do they anticipate the most. The results are as follows:
1. Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season 2. Infinite Stratos 3. Mitsudomoe Zōryōchū! 4. Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? 5. Beelzebub 6. Yumekui Merry 7. Oniichan no Koto Nanka Zenzen...
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natalie ranks their Top 30 music stories of 2010
Japanese news site, natalie, recently revealed their top 30 music articles from 2010.
From January 1st to December 30th, here are Japan’s top headlining articles!
1. AKB48’s 2nd round of choices, the first best 40. 2. Uchida Mayumi wins AKB48’s “JanKen” selection 3. Ozawa Kenji’s mini live! First tour in 13 years 4. A sudden change in Ooshima Yuuko’s top position! Troubles surrounding...
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Watch
The banner event of the year for Japanese music artists is finally here, as the 61st Kohaku Uta Gassen was held today on December 31st, and all the biggest names in the music industry were in attendance. Held at the NHK Hall in Shibuya, the show was hosted by Matsushita Nao and Arashi.
A total of 44 artists performed at the 61st edition of the legendary event, and if you missed the live...
December 2010
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POLL~which is your fave anime this 2010??
visit the page’s side bar to cast in your votes!!
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POLL~which is your fave anime this 2010??
visit the page’s side bar to cast in your votes!!
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Arashi to make appearance on “Johnny’s Countdown...
As many of you already know, Arashi will be one of the hosts for this year’s “Kohaku Uta Gassen“, which will be broadcasted live on New Year’s Eve from 7:00 PM- 11:45 PM. But that’s not the only event the night has in store for Japan’s most popular male group – Arashi is also confirmed to be attending the “Johnny’s Countdown 2010-2011“, which will also be partially broadcasted live on Fuji...
Candy Stripper Fan in Overalls & Pink Beret →
This cute college student with a fuchsia beret is 20-year-old Chiba. She’s wearing Candy Stripper overalls that are printed cartoon characters over a resale t-shirt. Her heart-print bag and cute…
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Pictures from Kohaku Uta Gassen Rehearsal Press...
A rehearsal for the 61st Kohaku Uta Gassen was held on December 29th, and many of the performing stars stopped to have pictures taken at the press conference.
Pictures of AAA, AKB48, Angela Aki, flumpool, Funky Monkey Babys, Hirahara Ayaka, Hiromi Go, Ikimonogakari, Kitajima Saburo, Koda Kumi, Matsushita Nao, Nishino Kana, Perfume, Uemura Kana, and Wada Akiko can be be found in the gallery...
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Ayumi Hamasaki 1st artist to achieve 13...
Ayumi Hamasaki, 32, will soon become the first artist in Japan to achieve 13 consecutive years of No. 1 albums after Oricon Album Rankings announced that her new album “Love Songs” is set to hit the top of the charts on Jan 3. The new album is Hamasaki’s 17th No. 1 album in total since her debut was released in 1999.
A track by Naoya Urata featuring Hamasaki, titled “Dream On,” is also set to...
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EXILE, S/mileage take top honors at 52nd Japan...
The 52nd Japan Record Awards were presented on December 30 at the New National Theatre, Tokyo. For the third consecutive year, EXILE took home the top prize (the Japan Record Award), thanks to their song “I Wish For You.” They are only the second artist to win the award for three straight years, after Ayumi Hamasaki in 2001-2003.
“I Wish For You” was one of ten...
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Kimi ni Todoke Gets 2nd Nintendo DS Game
Namco Bandai Games has launched an official teaser website for Kimi ni Todoke ~Tsutaeru Kimochi~ (“Conveyed Feelings”), a new videogame for the Nintendo DS based on Karuho Shiina’s popular manga Kimi ni Todoke. The “pure adventure” game will ship next spring.
This will be the second game in the franchise; the first one, Kimi ni Todoke ~Sodateru Omoi~...
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AKB48, Shinoda Mariko has a circular loss of hair?
AKB48 member, Shinoda Mariko’s tweet about circular loss of hair has made her fans all worried. Below is what Shinoda tweeted. “I’m at the rehearsal for ‘Kohaku’” at 9:16 a.m. “I’m gonna skip the interview, and go see a doctor.” at 1:59 p.m. “I’m going to the hospital now. I got a circular loss of hair.” at 2:25 p.m. → deleted “I tweeted by accident…” at 2:30 p.m. “I was just kidding.” at 2:34...
Tokyo Bopper Shoes & LEGO Glasses in Harajuku →
This 20-year-old Japanese girl is called 23nyo. We’ve photographed her several times over the last year around Harajuku. Her style is always funky and cute. On this day, she was wearing an outfit…
Handmade Spikes & Green Cheetah Leggings →
Here’s a 20-year-old specialty school student who customized his black leather jacket with some handmade accessories including a spiked armband. He’s also wearing a spiked headband, white v-neck…
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AKB48’s Takahashi Minami reflects on “Kohaku”,...
NHK’s year-end show, “Kohaku Uta Gassen“, is almost here and the lineup for 2010 boasts a cast list of epic proportions, particularly for AKB48 member, Takahashi Minami.
“Rehearsal for us was like a scene from a disaster area“, grinned Takahashi. “The combined number of members, including cameos from SKE48 and NMB48, exceeded the total of 100!” This year, the AKB48 family has grown...
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Kyojin no Hoshi's Kawasaki Refuses Tokyo Anime...
Jun Itō, the editor-in-chief of Akita Shoten’s Champion RED magazine,told manga creator Takeshi Nogami that fellow creator Noboru Kawasaki(Kyojin no Hoshi baseball manga) is refusing an award that would have been given at next year’s Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF).
According to the editor-in-chief, Tokyo contacted Kawasaki about attending the event to receive the award....
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Japanese Comic Ranking, December 20-2 →
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Akiko Wada suffers minor injuries in car accident ...
Singer Akiko Wada (60) was involved in a car accident this afternoon, while on her way to the rehearsal for NHK’s Kouhaku Uta Gassen. She appears to have suffered minor injuries, which became apparent during the rehearsal.
At around 3:45pm on December 29, Wada was on her way to the NHK studio. While her car was stopped for a red light at an intersection in Shibuya, her car was rear-ended...
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Winnners for the 23rd Nikkan Sports Film Awards
On December 28th, the awarding ceremony for the “23rd Nikkan Sports Film Awards • Ishihara Yujiro Awards” was held at Hotel New Otani, and the winners of the awards attended the ceremony.
For the “Fan Award“, “BANDAGE“, which Akanishi Jin stared in, was chosen as the victor. The winner of the “Fan Award” is chosen by fan votes, so at the ceremony, Akanishi thanked to the fans, saying, “I’m...
Kinji Shop Girl in Pink & Purple in Harajuku →
This cute 18-year-old Japanese girl is a student and also works at the Kinji resale clothing store in Harajuku. She’s wearing a mostly pink and purple color palette that includes a Mickey & Minnie…
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Oricon Weekly Charts for January 3rd released!
Below are the latest results of the Oricon Weekly Charts for January 3rd.
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<Single Weekly Ranking>
1. “Dream ON” – URATA NAOYA feat. ayumi hamasaki : 12/22 (40,069)
2. “Arigatou ~Sekai no Doko ni Itemo~” – Hey!Say! JUMP : 12/15 (15,895)
3. “Chance no Junban” – AKB48 : 12/8 (15,775)
4. “Ryusei” – Kobukuro : 11/17 (11,717)
5. “Netsuretsu ANSWER” – Ono...
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Taxi driver steals wallet from Kis-My-Ft2’s...
Authorities in Shibuya have arrested a taxi driver for stealing the wallets from Kis-My-Ft2’s Tamamori Yuta and a member from Johnny’s Jr. (name undisclosed).
According to Sports Hochi, Tamamori and the Johnny’s Jr. member climbed into a taxi together after a rehearsal for a concert. They both stepped out of the cab, however, to warn a fan who was following them from a car. The taxi driver...
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Gundam 00 Film Sells 59,000 BDs to Top Weekly...
The Blu-ray Disc release of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A wakening of the Trailblazer Complete Edition sold 59,000 copies to debut at #1 on Oricon’s overall Blu-ray Disc sales chart for the December 20-26 week. The DVD version sold 26,662 copies to rank #4 on its respective chart. It is the third Gundam Blu-ray in a row to top the chart, and the fifth one to do so.
The Nana...
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Mizushima Hiro’s “KAGEROU” reaches a circulation...
On December 28th, Poplar Publishing announced that Mizushima Hiro’s debut novel, “KAGEROU“, had reached a circulation figure of 1 million! Published under Mizushima’s real name, Saito Tomohiro, it took the book only two weeks to reach that astonishing figure, since the book was officially released on the 15th.
The hype is due in part to Mizushima winning the prestigious “Poplar Publishing...
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ROCK IN JAPAN FES announces 2011 dates
Outdoor music festival “ROCK IN JAPAN FES” has announced the dates and venues for 2011.
This will be the 12th running of the music festival and the festival will move to the Ibaraki Hitachi Kaihin and he festival will run for three straight days from August 5th through the 7th. The performers along with additional ticket info will be released at a later date, but fans should prepare for a...
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Erika Sawajiri, husband Tsuyoshi Takashiro spotted...
Actress Erika Sawajiri, 24, and husband Tsuyoshi Takashiro, 46, are living together again in Barcelona, Spain, according to tabloid Nikkan Sports. Sources close to the couple said that when Sawajiri announced her intention to divorce her director husband in April of this year, the couple had been living apart, but by the latter...
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RIP SLYME rocks thier Xmas live and announces...
On December 25th hip-hop group RIP SLYME held their Christmas live “SWEET 10 X’mas LIVE” at Zepp Tokyo. Not only did they give their fans with a great show but they also surprised them with the announcement of a new album and national tour. RIP SLYME has a tradition of doing one man shows each year on Christmas as they love closing out the year with a simple live event. This year the set list...
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Kamen Rider 1 returns in 40th anniversary film
Next year’s “Kamen Rider” movie, celebrating the franchise’s 40th anniversary, has now been revealed. Titled “OOO - Den-O - All Riders: Let’s Go Kamen Rider,” the film is scheduled to hit theaters on April 1, 2011.
The film is also said to be the first one designated as commemorating the 60th anniversary of the movie studio Toei. In addition to...
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Keisuke Kuwata confirmed as special guest at...
Last month, it was rumored that Southern All Stars member Keisuke Kuwata (54) would be making a special guest appearance on the upcoming Kouhaku Uta Gassen. On Monday, his management agency and record label officially confirmed the news.
Although he will not be part of a team, this will count as his first solo performance at Kouhaku. The last time he was on the show was in 1983, when Southern...
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the GazettE announces two new releases!
2011 is shaping up to be a very busy year for the GazettE.
The visual kei band has recently announced that on March 23rd, they will release a ‘best-of’ album (titled “TRACES BEST OF 2005-2009“) containing songs they’ve released with King Records. the GazettE also has a live DVD in the works from their Tokyo Dome concert, aptly called “THE NAMELESS LIBERTY AT 10.12.26 TOKYO DOME“. But that’s not...
fuut0n asked: That's Ohno's mommy (:
It says that in the sidebar caption in the picture (:
It says that in the sidebar caption in the picture (:
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Fukuyama Masaharu to star in new CM for “Asahi...
“Asahi Super Dry” has picked up one of Japan’s A-list celebrities to star in their upcoming CM. Running with the theme, “Fukuyama’s new countenance for 2011″, Fukuyama Masaharu is literally seen dashing across a silver room for this dynamic CM.
Fukuyama has been extremely active in 2010 – starring in NHK’s Taiga drama “Ryomaden“, he’s also released both a single and a full-length album. His...
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Sato Takeru’s upcoming photobook, “Nouvelles” +...
Popular actor Sato Takeru will be releasing a new photobook, titled “NOUVELLES“, on January 21st, and some of the photos from the upcoming photobook have just been revealed.
The photo shoot was held in Paris, the place that Sato wanted to visit the most, and it will be a whopping 160 pages long. You will be able to see his daily life in Paris, such as him taking a nap, riding on a moped,...
fuut0n asked: That's Ohno's mommy (:
It says that in the sidebar caption in the picture (:
It says that in the sidebar caption in the picture (:
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Yamaha Music Media Adapts 8 Operas Into Manga
The publisher YAMAHA Music Media is releasing eight manga adaptations of classic operas between this month and next March. The series aims to spread the appreciation and enjoyment of works that have been long considered too elite for most people. German literature expert Kyōko Nakano is supervising the series, and each book includes a guide to appreciating opera for new fans. The series lineup...
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Aragaki Yui to navigate her journey in Hawaii on...
Aragaki Yui will star in a new program on BeeTV (mobile broadcasting service) titled, “Aragaki Yui no Joshi-tabi in Hawaii“, which will start distributing on January 1st, 2011.
The purpose of the program is to introduce a “healing” journey for girls, and Aragaki will navigate the roots of Hawaii to the latest information about the state,under the themes of “Gourmet”, “Fashion”, “Beauty”, and...
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Kichise Michiko gets married
On December 27th, it’s been reported that popular actress, Kichise Michiko got married.
According to Sanspo, her partner is a business man who is 10 years older than her, and owns several companies. He’s the same person in which some gossip magazines reported as Kichise’s boyfriend back in March of 2009. It’s been reported that they’ve already been together for 5 years, and have also...
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Japan Box Office December 25-26 2010
New movies include Aibou 2: The Movie which opened at #1 and Inzuma at #2 and Ultra Man Zero at #10. The Kamen Rider film which was #1 last week drops down to #6 this week.
Japan Box Office December 25-26 [1] Aibou 2: The Movie [2] Inazuma [3] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I [4] Space Battleship Yamato [5] Tron: Legacy [6] Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider OOO & Double feat. Skull...
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Oricon announces its results for “Faces of the...
Which celebrities ruled the year of 2010?
Oricon style recently revealed their chart of the “Faces of the year“, in which both men and women voted for Japan’s most popular celebrities from this year. Scope Japan’s top 10 ‘faces’ of 2010 below! (For the complete lists from both male and female votes, check out the link here.) 10. Ichiro (Suzuki Ichiro) 9. Matsuhita Nao 8. Matsuko Deluxe 7....