Archive for 'Celebrities' Category

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! 2012-The Year of The Dragon

Happy New Year , everyone !!   In Japan  last year was kind of a year of  hardships and tragedy, but I do hope this year is full of  happiness and good fortune for everyone.

This year 2012 is a Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese zoidiac. And what is more, personally I am a “Toshi Otoko”(a man who was born in a year with the same Chinese zodiac sign as the current year) . One Chinese zodiac sign comes once in twelve years and now I experience being  my third time  Toshi Otoko in my life this year.

In general on the January 2nd (today) , the Imperial Palace  opens to the public for its visitors to offer congratulations to the emperor ,and the emperor and some imperial members will show up in front and wave to them.

“LIGHTOPIA 2011″ currently held

“LIGHTOPIA 2011″, a festival of light is currently being held in Marunouchi, the business and political center near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo 22nd-29th(daily 17:00-22:00). http://www.kouto-tokyo.jp/

The event is has been annually hosted a few times at the end of a year jointly by  Tokyo commerce  chamber, Mitsubishi Real Estate and other major companies supported by  Tokyo Government, JTA, and other public associations.

At the festival, the venue of the road about 140M long between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace and other adjacent areas are breathtakingly beautifully decorated with illuminations and lanterns which have pictures or messages drawn by  elementary school pupils who are suffers of  the earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku and celebrities ,such as Shigeo Nagashima , the Lifetime Honorary Director of Yomiuri Giants,  Norio Sasaki , the manager of Nadeshiko Japan , some Nadeshio Japan’s members, and so forth.

This year’s subject of the festival is  ”Bonds, Hopes and to the Future ”, which implies we Japanese people strongly hope to regain vitality and energy overcoming the blow of the aftermath and huge grief of the earthquake related disaster and confirm and strengthen the solidarity of the nation so that we can create  bright future.

“The New Words- / The Buzzwords-of -The-Year 2011 ”

“The New Words- / The  Buzzwords-of -The-Year 2011 ” (/２０１１　ユーキャン新語・流行語大賞) awarding ceremony was hosted by U-Can on Dec.1st. http://singo.jiyu.co.jp/

The Grand prix was given to the word “Nadeshiko Japan”, the name of the winner of  FIFA Woman World Cup 2011.    The Top 10 are as follow;

Grand Prix-  ○ ”なでしこジャパン”(/Nadeshiko Japan)

○”絆”（/Kizuna,  bonds）, ○”スマホ”（/Sumaho, smartphone）,○”どじょう内閣”（/Dojoh Naikaku,  a loach cabinet）,○”どや顔”（/Doya Gao, a boastful facial expression）, ○”Kitaku-nanmin, a stranded commuter ”,○”こだまでしょうか？”（/Kodama de shouka?, Is that an echo ?）,○”３.１１”（/3.11）,○”風評被害”（/Fuhhyou Higai,  damages caused by rumor）,○”ラブ注入”（/love injection）

Some of the words are related to the earthquake and tsunami disaster on March 11th, some are contemporary fads of young people, some are expressions used by a politician or a TV personality.

 

Japan Fashion Leader Award 2011

The award ceremony of “Japan Fashion Award 2011″ , a prize given to celebrities who are highly rated for a lot of contributions to spreading of casual fashion in Japan was hosted by Takarajima Inc., a major publisher  on the Dec.6th

in Tokyo.  http://tkj.jp/campaign/fla2011/

The award was given to five popular showbiz females, namely, Tomomi Itano(an AKB48 member), Rinka (a fashion model), Nozomi Sasaki (a fashion model), Becky(a TV personality),and Ryoko Yonekura(an actor).

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“K-ON!” live event in USJ Osaka

A special live performance event of a popular anime series “K-ON!” (http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/k-on/)was held at USJ  (Unversal Studios Japan http://www.usj.co.jp/e/)  in Osaka on this Nov.27th. The five popular voice actors,namely, Aki Toyosaki,Yoko Hikasa, Satomi Sato,Minako Kotobuki,and Ayana Taketatsu, playing the parts of the five main characters of the work appeared wearing the characters’ costumes on the open-air stage in front of the zealous audience of more than 5,000 most of whom were huge fans of the work or the actors.

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The 24th TIFF TOKYO held

The 24th TIFF TOKYO  (Tokyo International Film Festival)was held Oct.23-30  at TOHO CINEMAS and Cinemart Roppongi in Roppongi Tokyo.http://2011.tiff-jp.net/en/

Both foreign and Japanese movies and related staras and staffers were invited.”Untouchable” from France won the Sakura Grand Prix and Award for  Best Actor.

AKB48 CAFE & SHOP AKIHABARA open,and the second “out of Japan” sister group of AKB48, “TPE48″ is launching

A new and the second “AKB48 CAFE & SHOP” opened just in front of  Akihabara station Tokyo on Sep. 29th. http://akb48cafeshops.com/wp/akihabara/

At the cafe consists of four sections, namely “Theater”,”Cafe”,”Private room”,and “Shop”.  At “Theater”, you can enjoy buffet style meals with movies of AKB’s concerts on a large screen. At “Cafe”, you can enjoy special dishes created by AKB’s members ,which are to change from month to month. And “Private Room” whose capacity is 16 people is equipped with DVDs of AKB.  In addition, at “Shop” you can buy original items related to AKB.

Sometimes AKB’ members make “surprise” visits to the Cafe& Shop, which  makes customers amazingly happy.

And here is another new information concerning AKB48 project. On this Oct. 1st,  AKB’s management announced it is going to launch a project of a new sister group of AKB48. The new group is “TPE48″,  which is to be based in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.  Further details of the project will be noticed to public at the end of this year, and the new group is expected to start theatrical performances around the summer in 2012.

TPE48 is to be the second sister group of AKB48 out of Japan, following JKT48 which I wrote about here before.http://www.tenkai-japan.com/2011/09/12/jkt48-project-launched/

Avril Lavigne joins quake aid program to help students study in Canada

Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne expressed support Friday for a charity program aimed at sending young people in areas devastated by the March earthquake and tsunami to schools in Canada, introducing a bag she helped design for raising funds.

Avril Lavigne
Lavigne said at a Tokyo event that she was filled with sorrow on hearing news of the disaster in northeastern Japan and that her heart is with the Japanese people.

Samantha Thavasa’s bag designed by Avril Lavigne

She has joined ”Hope Project” organized by the handbag and accessories maker Samantha Thavasa Japan Ltd. and the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo to allow 150 people between 15 and 30 years of age to take part in a short-term academic program in Canada. Revenue from selling the bag will go to the project.

Lavigne said that getting involved in the project and serving as a bridge between Canada and Japan brings her great happiness.

Ko Shibasaki makes Hollywood debut as Keanu Reeves’ lover in ’47 Ronin’ movie

Popular Japanese actress and singer Ko Shibasaki(柴咲コウ）,29, will make her Hollywood debut in Carl Erik Rinsch’s movie “47 Ronin,” starring Keanu Reeves.

The story of the 47 Ronin is one of the most celebrated in the history of the samurai. This was perhaps all the more so because it occurred at a time when the samurai class was struggling to maintain a sense of itself – warriors with no war, a social class without a function.

This movie, loosely based on actual events, revolves around a group of samurai who plot vengeance on the man who forced their master into suicide and turned them into ronin (literally “masterless samurai”). Reeves will play the role of Kai, a half-Japanese ronin seeking his revenge and falling in love with an older samurai’s daughter, Mika (Shibasaki).

Shibasaki was selected for Mika’s role in a secret audition in Tokyo last November. “Ko has a unique femininity, which we can’t find easily in the West. She has Audrey Hepburn’s elegance and there’s no doubt that she’ll become an internationally accredited superstar,” said director Rinsch at a press conference in London.

Shibasaki was discovered at the age of 14 by an agent and has worked in numerous television shows, movies and commercials.

She became famous outside Japan for her role in the controversial 2000 film, Battle Royale, where she portrayed the cold-hearted and ruthless Mitsuko Souma; her acting career took off with this movie and also raised her international profile particularly in East Asia. Shibasaki also won acclaim for her role in 2001 film, Go, which earned her several awards, among which the Best Supporting Actress Award of Japanese Academy, the Hōchi Movie Award, the Kinema Junpō Award.

Mirei Kiritani to sing theme songs for her movies Ranhansha and Snowflake

Mirei Kiritani (桐谷 美玲),21, will be in charge of the theme songs for the double feature film “Ranhansha / Snowflake,”Kiritani, born Dec.16 1989, is a Japanese fashion model and actress. . This will be her singing debut, and she will perform the songs live for the first time on February 27 at the Girls Festival 2011 event at Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall.

Directed by Taniguchi Masaaki, the two films star Kiritani in separate roles. In “Ranhansha,” she plays a talented young poet in high school who has never known true love. In “Snowflake,” she plays a junior college student who encounters a young man resembling her dead childhood friend.

“Ranhansha / Snowflake” is scheduled to open in theaters this summer.

Arisa Sato, Mirei Kiritani, Emi Takei – Seventeen magazine

Leah Dizon secretly divorced stylist husband

Leah Dizon secretly divorced her husband at the end of last year, tabloid media reported on February 21.

The 24-year-old model of French, American, Chinese and Filipino descent was born and raised in Las Vegas, got her start in the U.S. as a car model, before slowly making her way into the J-pop scene as a gravure model, and then as an idol singer.
In August 2008, one year after her debut, she announced her pregnancy and marriage to her stylist, Bun, 31.

She confirmed news reports that she and Bun had separated and filed for divorce earlier that month, and she is currently seeking full custody of their daughter. According to Dizon, the split was due to “busy schedules and inability to meet regularly differing opinions toward raising children” alongside “irreconcilable differences”.

Dizon is believed to be living with the couple’s daughter in New York where she is studying acting. Sources close to Dizon say she is planning to base her career in New York but travel back to Japan for work.

Chiaki Kuriyama×Ringo Shiina on “Oishii Kisetsu/ Ketteiteki Sanpunkan”

Chiaki Kuriyama (栗山 千明)is going to release her new double A side single “Oishii Kisetsu/ Ketteiteki Sanpunkan” on March 2nd.

Kuriyama,born October 10, 1984,is a Japanese actress and model. She is best known in the West for her roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Volume I, and the Japanese film Battle Royale.

The two songs are written and produced by Ringo Shiina, and played by Tokyo Jihen, which has Shiina as the lead vocalist. This single is the final part of Kuriyama’s “Produce Single Trilogy”; she has worked with Tomoyasu Hotei for “Kanousei Girl” (released in November, 2010) and Kenichi Asai for “Cold Finger Girl” (released on January 26th, 2011).

There will be two versions of the single with different album cover and different track list.

Tak Matsumoto and Larry Carlton won Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards

At the 53rd Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, B’z guitarist Tak Matsumoto earned the prize for Best Pop Instrumental Album, together with American guitarist Larry Carlton. The pair were chosen from the five nominees for their collaborative album “Take Your Pick,” which was released worldwide in June 2010.

Takahiro “Tak” Matsumoto (松本 孝弘),born on March 27, 1961 in Osaka, is a Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter.

Tak’s formal education in jazz was minimal, but when he started working as a session musician, and supporting many tours like TM Network, his musicianship was cemented. His exposure to a myriad of styles helped him to meld his own unique blend, incorporating elements of his jazz training, blues, classical, metal, rock, and ska.

Take your pick – Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto

Masami Nagasawa, Emi Takei attend a Valentine chocolate campaign event

Actresses Masami Nagasawa(長澤まさみ）, 23, right, and Emi Takei（武井咲）, 17, attend a Valentine chocolate campaign event for Lotte in Harajuku. Lotte has opened a chocolate support house for its Ghana brand at Cafe Studio in Jingumae until February 13.

Nagasawa and Takei also appear on Valentine commercial for Lotte’s “Ghana Milk Chocolate“. As with every year, the 2011 edition of the commercial features Nagasawa and her co-star making their very own chocolate hearts. This time, Takei has the honor and it seems like she really wants to find love this year.
Korean girl group KARA’s song, “SOS“, is used as the theme song.

Chocolate is the primary gift given in Japan on Valentine’s Day.

Japan Airlines unveils Samantha Thavasa jet with Yuri Ebihara

Japan Airlines held an event to introduce a new themed jet for popular fashion brand Samantha Thavasa.The jet, a Boeing 777-200 designated JA8983, is decorated with the Samantha Thavasa logo, as well as an image of model Yuri Ebihara (蛯原友里）,31,.

Samantha Thavasa is a Japanese fashion company, known primarily for their popular handbags. It was founded in 1994 by Kazumasa Terada, the current CEO and president.The company’s marketing strategy is typified by its extensive utilization of celebrities and socialites in its advertising. The company’s target customer base are college and working women in their twenties. Their prices are designed to appeal to this age group.In Japan, the company has over 130 retail stores. In late 2006, Samantha Thavasa opened its first U.S. store in New York City.

Yuri Ebihara, a Japanese model and actress, is widely known as “Ebi-chan”, she has been especially popular with young men and women. In May 2010, Ebihara has gotten married to RIP SLYME’s ILMARY.

Ebihara’s face will grace the jet during its three months of service, between February 8 and May 7. Like the Arashi jet, the Samantha Thavasa jet will be used for domestic flights.