Nippon No Arashi, the new textbook about the members of Arashi going around Japan and teaching students about Japanese cultures, made it to school libraries this week. And only school libraries, because Arashi fans seem to be going absolutely bonkers that they can’t get a copy of this book for themselves. Unlike all of those…
The Wall Street Journal’s Japan Real Time blog featured an interesting post today regarding what is slated to be J-Pop juggernauts SMAP first concert in Shanghai. Ticket sales for the concerts have been put on hold and one Singapore-based news outlets says the shows themselves have been canceled entirely. The reason for the move? Speculation…
Masashi Tashiro, former member of blackface doo-wop outfit Rats & Star, went and got himself arrested for possession of cocaine. Tashiro’s been hitting low after low this last decade, as he has also been caught filming upskirt videos and possessing other illegal drugs. Read all about it here. Now for the timely commentary, sort of….
AKB48 member/drone Yuko Oshima appeared on some World War II special recently. Quizzed about who Japan fought in the war, she blunders a few historical facts up, such as thinking Japan fought Italy. Whooops! Read the whole account thisaway. Hmmmmm, never would have guessed being thrown into a J-Pop army at a pretty young age…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6pzZ_IGQAg”] One of J-Rock heavyweight Bump Of Chicken’s strongest qualities, aside from a goof-tastic name, is their ability to convey a very specific emotion through their music. Read that last sentence literally – Bump do one feeling really well, and I’m not sure if they can come close to capturing other ones (joy, anger, stubbed-toe…