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Japan's best-selling single finally gets CD release, Guinness record
Sat, February 23, 2008 (3:47pm EST)

The children's song "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" (sung by Masato Shimon) has recently seen a comeback in popularity, thanks to new stuffed toys that began appearing in UFO catchers last year. First released in 1975, the song sold an estimated 4.55 million copies during its time.

With new toys and merchandise on the way this April, Pony Canyon also decided to re-release the song, this time on CD. It goes on sale on March 5 with the same features as the original release, including the cover art, bonus illustration, and B-side (Kenichi Nagira's "Ippon Demo Ninjin"). The only new addition is a DVD that includes an animation that aired on Fuji TV's kids show "Hirake! Ponkikki."

While Pony Canyon was preparing for the re-release, staff members suggested submitting the song for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. They contacted the Japanese branch, asking if there was a "children's song" or "food song" category. When the branch asked the head office in England, they found out that the song qualified for the title of "Japan's best-selling single."

Although the song's success was well-known throughout Japan, no one had ever submitted it to Guinness before. At last, it will be officially recognized in the 2009 edition of the Guinness book. A certification ceremony will take place later this month.

The 64-year-old Shimon, who is now retired, received only 50,000 yen for the original recording in 1975. In response to the good news about the song, Pony Canyon relayed that he had no comment.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Rin Asuka stars in "Kuchisake-Onna 2"
Sat, February 23, 2008 (4:35pm EST)



16-year-old actress Rin Asuka has been cast as the lead in "Kuchisake-Onna 2," the follow-up to last year's horror flick "Kuchisake-Onna" that starred Eriko Sato. However, this smaller production is more of a prequel, depicting the birth of the legendary "slit-mouthed woman."

Asuka plays Mayumi, a cheerful high-schooler on the track and field team who is the youngest of three sisters. One day, her older sister's ex-boyfriend disfigures her face with sulfuric acid, leading her to soon become a terrifying killer.

The movie, which has already been completed, opens on March 22.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Cream Stew moving to golden time
Sat, February 23, 2008 (4:55pm EST)

Comedy duo Cream Stew is moving to golden time in April, TV Asahi has announced. The network is shuffling their variety show "Cream Nantoka" from its Monday night time slot to Wednesdays at 7:00pm, where it will compete against Fuji TV's highly popular "Quiz! Hexagon II."

"Cream Nantoka" started in October 2004 and was the first show hosted by the pair. It was originally a 30-minute program airing after midnight, but its success during its first year led TV Asahi to expand it to a full hour, starting at 11:15pm. It now has average ratings of 10.7%, reaching its highest (14.2%) last month.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Kirin's Tamura makes acting debut
Sun, February 24, 2008 (6:47pm EST)

Comedian Hiroshi Tamura (of Kirin) is taking on his first acting role in the NTV drama special "Tokyo Daikushu" that was announced last month.

The drama depicts love stories set at the time of the bombings on Tokyo during World War II. Maki Horikita and Tatsuya Fujiwara are starring as one couple, while Eita and Yuki Shibamoto play another pair. Tamura plays a wounded soldier who returns to a devastated Tokyo and begins a desperate search for his fiancee, a nurse (Ryoko Kuninaka).



NTV will broadcast the two-part drama at 9:00pm on March 17-18.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Shokotan apologizes for tactless comment
Sun, February 24, 2008 (9:40pm EST)



Last week, an MSDF destroyer collided with a fishing boat, resulting in two missing persons, a father and son. The incident was widely discussed in the media, but one comment by idol Shoko Nakagawa drew some criticism.

During a discussion on TBS' live program "Sunday Japon," Nakagawa lamented the loss of the two men, referring to them as if they were dead. However, she corrected herself at the end of the show, saying that she had gotten too emotional and that she hopes the men return alive. She later repeated her apology on her blog.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Hayato Ichihara stars in "Wild Life" drama, movie
Sun, February 24, 2008 (4:36pm EST)



Masato Fujisaki's popular manga series "Wild Life" is being turned into a television drama and a live-action movie, both starring young actor Hayato Ichihara.

The manga tells the story of a veterinarian named Tessho who uses his extraordinary hearing to save animals' lives. It began serialization in Shonen Sunday in 2003 and ended last month. In 2006, it won a Shogakukan Manga Award.

Movie distributor GAGA initially had plans for a film adaptation, and they teamed up with NHK to first create a television version. Filming took place at the end of last year and included locations in Thailand and China. Three episodes were originally planned, but the death of a giraffe led to the cancellation of one of them. The other two episodes, dealing with an elephant and a panda, will air on NHK's Hi-Vision satellite channel on March 24-25.

The movie starts shooting next year and is scheduled for theatrical release before the year ends. Africa and the North Pole are said to be possible locations for the film.



For the television drama, Ichihara's supporting cast includes Riisa Naka, Tetsuji Tamayama, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, and Akira Emoto.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Arashi announces "5 dome tour"
Sun, February 24, 2008 (5:40pm EST)



Pop group Arashi has announced that they are doing a concert tour of the five major domes - Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The only other Johnny's artists who have done a "5 dome tour" are SMAP and KinKi Kids.

The tour, titled "ARASHI Marks 2008 Dream-A-live," consists of 10 performances, starting in Osaka on May 16 and ending in Sapporo on July 6. The total audience is expected to be about 440,000 people.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Tickets for next month's three X Japan shows at Tokyo Dome are said to have sold out in a matter of seconds. Most of the 150,000 tickets for the hugely anticipated March 28-30 shows went on sale at 10am yesterday. Demand has been heavy on ticket sources such as the official fan site of group leader Yoshiki and sites such as J Rock Revolution aimed at overseas fans. Through the pre-sale, Japan Zone was fortunate enough to get hold of four tickets for the March 28 "X Japan - Night of Destruction" show. The group performed together last October for the first time in ten years, shooting a live video for the song "I.V." on the rooftop of the Aqua City mall in Tokyo.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Amuse forms new company, gives Emi Tawata major label debut
Mon, February 25, 2008 (1:33am EST)

Management agency Amuse is establishing a new company called AZEAL. Within the first three years, the company aims to sign three music artists who have the potential for nationwide tours that will attract hundreds of thousands of fans.

The first artist signed to the firm is 23-year-old singer Emi Tawata. Originally from Okinawa, she was a member of her school marching band. After finishing high school, Tawata went to Canada for language studies, and she became a singer for a street jazz band while she was there.

After returning to Japan, Tawata started composing and songwriting. In 2006, she began performing in Okinawa and last year released a single titled "Negai no Sora," which achieved #1 on Okinawa's indie charts.

Tawata will make her major label debut (on a newly-formed label named techesko) with a mini-album called "Infinity," which includes "Negai no Sora" and a reggae cover of Fumido's "Yura Yura." The album goes on sale April 23.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Tsukasa Suzuki leaving The Plan 9
Mon, February 25, 2008 (5:20pm EST)

The five-member comedy group The Plan 9 will shrink to four at the end of this month. Tsukasa Suzuki has announced that he is leaving the group, due to differences of opinion with the other members.

On his blog, Suzuki wrote that he is aiming to continue working alone as a comedian, stage director, and writer.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Yu Aoi's first drama lead in "Osen" adaptation
Mon, February 25, 2008 (4:49pm EST)

NTV is producing a drama adaptation of Shota Kikuchi's "Osen" manga series, which currently runs in Kodansha's magazine Evening.



The drama will feature rising actress Yu Aoi in the lead role. Aoi has starred in several movies and currently stars in the WOWOW series "Yu Aoi x Yottsu no Uso: Camouflage," but this will be her first lead in a television drama on a major network.

Aoi plays Sen Handa, the "okami" (proprietress) of a long-standing restaurant in one of the lower parts of Tokyo. Though she is normally airheaded and loves to drink, she has an impressive mastery of a wide range skills, from cooking to ceramics to calligraphy. While the drama follows various events surrounding the restaurant, one of the series' highlights is its illustration of Japanese food and culture.

Filming starts at the end of March. The show begins in April, airing on Tuesdays at 10:00pm.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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The media is in a flurry over a young African-American by the name of Jero (26) who's set to shake up the music industry. No, he's not a visiting rap star, but the first foreign singer to make a name in the traditional world of enka for many years. And in a clever marketing move, the Philadelphia native's heartfelt Japanese ballads are in stark contrast to his hip hop fashion. Real name Jerome White, Jr, he came to Japan in 2003 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, determined to fulfill a promise to his late Japanese grandmother to become an enka singer and appear on the annual "Kohaku Uta Gassen" song show. He achieved the former with the recent release of his debut single, which is set to be the highest-ever pop chart entry by a solo enka singer. According to Oricon, "Umiyuki" will be ranked No.4 in next week's general chart and No.1 in the enka-kayou chart. Though the song's title translates as "Ocean Snow" and conjures up images of the Japan Sea, Jero admits the only ocean he's seen was in California. But he is the real deal, with good looks, an excellent voice, and fluent Japanese, who tactfully includes natto and umeboshi among his favorite foods (both are commonly quoted examples of food that gaijin can't eat). He studied for a time at the Kansai Gaidai University school of foreign languages, and performed on NHK's "Nodo Jiman" amateur song contest in 2003, something that must have made his grandmother Takiko very proud. With his talent and marketability, his chances of fulfilling that second promise with a Kohaku appearance are looking good.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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[JAPAN] Director Koichiro Yama#a arrested for punching convenience store worker

Mainichi Daily News reported, 揇irector Koichiro Yama$hita was arrested Saturday for attacking a convenience store worker late Friday night while drunk, police said.

ct_subang

si mamat JERO nih bley nyanyi Enka tu...

dasaaaaatttt

ct_subang

wahh..star studded cast!!

tp Ryo "wild-sided"??cm ermmm....kekek...(krg marahlak org tuu... )

whitedove

haha tak marah pun!   pasal among K8 members pun buleh tahan ganasnya dia, maklum la nak kena keep up kan

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Tae Kimura gives birth
Tue, February 26, 2008 (5:20am EST)



Actress Tae Kimura became a mother on Saturday, giving birth to a baby girl. The good news was announced through her agency's website on Tuesday.

Kimura has been married since 2005 to an advertising company employee.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Batman's Japanese directors revealed
Tue, February 26, 2008 (6:11am EST)

Anime News Network reports that the Japanese directors for the "Batman: Gotham Knight" anthology have been announced.

The project, consisting of six animated shorts, was revealed last December. While the stories are written by an American team, the animation is being handled by Madhouse, Studio 4癈, and Production I.G.

Five Japanese directors have been recruited for the project, including Shojiro Nishimi, the character designer and overall animation director for "Tekkon Kinkreet." The other directors are Futoshi Higashide, Hiroshi Morioka, Yasuhiro Aoki, and Toshiyuki Kubooka.

The anthology will be released on July 8 in North America, available on DVD, video-on-demand, pay-per-view, and digital formats.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Hiroshi Abe now a husband
Tue, February 26, 2008 (3:29pm EST)



43-year-old actor Hiroshi Abe is now officially married, it was learned on Tuesday. Last November, he announced that he was engaged to a 28-year-old woman. They held a private wedding at the start of this month, and last week they formally registered the marriage.

The two had been dating for about a year and a half when Abe proposed in August. They have already started living together in a Tokyo apartment.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Fist of the North Star" mangaka draws art for Shinji Tanimura album
Tue, February 26, 2008 (3:48pm EST)



On March 19, singer Shinji Tanimura is releasing a request album titled "Ongaeshi." For the cover art, he has tapped mangaka Tetsuo Hara, best known for "Fist of the North Star." This is Hara's first artwork for a CD jacket.

Tanimura, who requested the art in December, commented that Hara's drawing of the singer reminded him of his younger days.

Source: www.tokyograph.com