Sunday, September 26, 2004
>> Forecast for the remainder of the year
Okay, there’s still a lot of work left to do here but the limited time I have available to update this site is being used towards posting new entries rather than site tweaking (or fixing :P). I have yet to get the comments up (one good thing is that there are no longer any sp@m comments) and I still haven’t switched to the new template for the rest of the blog. So, I’ll ask again for any volunteers (of course this will mean that I’ll no longer be able to use MT’s free version but what the hey) to help me with the website. See my previous post for more info. Nifee!
>> DVD Vision Japan’s exclusive interview with MAX
Nifee to DVD Vision Japan’s Editor In Chief Matthew Anderson for letting me know about their website’s exclusive interview with the J-pop group MAX. The interview took place at AnimeFest 2004 and was conducted on Sunday, September 5th, at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas. The interview includes a lot of nice pictures of the churakagi members so check it out!
>> Forever Churasan
Actress (singer, gravure idol) KUNINAKA Ryoko (25) reprises her role as KUNINAKA Eri (or ‘Erii’) from the hit NHK morning drama serial “Churasan”. The current 5-episode “Churasan 3” is being shown during NHK’s Monday Drama Series time slot with the first episode of that series garnering a viewership of 14.4% — a record.
The “Churasan” series is considered Kuninaka’s ‘life work’ and she has been quoted as saying that she wants to keep the feeling she had when filming first began for the series which aired in Japan from April 2001.
All of this would not have been possible without the large fan base of “Churasan” who voted the series number one for NHK’s “My request for the program I want to see one more time” (my translation) this year. Also, the supporting cast of “Churasan” (who also continue to take part in the continuing series) create a very warm atmosphere which adds to the real star of the show and perhaps the least mentioned, its location and theme: Okinawa. This may also be the reason that “Churasan” has been compared to another successful (and long-running) drama, “Kita no Kuni kara” which besides having as strong a cast as “Churasan”, featured Hokkaido as its backdrop.
Extra “Churasan” Facts:
The original series aired from April 2, 2001 and was comprised of 144 episodes with an average viewership of 22.2%. The theme song for the series was Kiroro’s “Best Friend”. The second series, “Churasan 2”, had a March 31, 2003 start date and was made up of six episodes with an average viewership of 11.8%. In addition to an opening theme song (“Ryukyu Moon”), an ending theme song (“Tooku de…”) was also added — both sung by Ryoko and written by O-pop recording artist MIYAGI Mamoru. The current series (simply titled “Churasan 3”) began airing on September 13 of this year and will have a total of five episodes. Kiroro’s “Best Friend” has been brought back as the opening theme song with the ending theme song, “Meguri Aeta ne”, sung by Ryoko. Ryoko will be releasing a DVD on November 17th called “Otokeshiki” which will include three PVs (Promotion Video) as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the PVs and private footage.
Cast members for “Churasan 3”:
UEMURA Eri (formerly KOHAGURA Eri): KUNINAKA Ryouko
UEMURA Fumiya: KOHASHI Kenji
UEMURA Kazuya: SUZUKI Shougo
UEMURA Shizuko: MAYA Kyouko
KOHAGURA Keibun: SAKAI Masaaki
KOHAGURA Katsuko: TANAKA Yoshiko
KOHAGURA Hana ‘Obaa’: TAIRA Tomi
KOHAGURA Keishou: Gori (from the comedy duo GARAGE SALE)
KOHAGURA Nanako: SATOU Aiko
KOHAGURA Keitatsu: YAMADA Takayuki
KOHAGURA Shouko: YAMAGUCHI Ayumi
SHIBATA Kouzou: MURATA Takehiro
SHIBATA Youko: YO Kimiko
SHIMADA Daishin: KITAMURA Kazuo
SHIMADA Mizue: TAN’AMI Yatsuko
JOUNOUCHI Maria: KANNO Miho
NISHINOMIYA Haruka: KONISHI Manami
SHIMABUKURO Shouichi: KAWATA Hiroki (from the comdey duo GARAGE SALE)
YONABARU Makoto: MIYARA Shinobu (from the J-hip hop group DA PUMP)
SHIMOYANAGI Satoko: TODA Keiko
KANESHIRO Masahide: FUJIKI Hayato
TSUJIUCHI Mihoko: OKUNUKI Kaoru (new cast member)
TSUJIUCHI Aiko: TSURUOKA Moeki (new cast member)
In the past series, Nana (TAKUSHI Nanako) from MAX had a recurring role as Yugafu’s waitress and the members of BEGIN were also featured in a few episodes. Also starring in what seems like a very limited role (as such her name was not mentioned in the regular cast) is MAEHARA Eri (who is the significant other of YONABARU Makoto and Eri’s best friend from Okinawa).
Sites of Interest:
Official NHK Monday 9 Website for “Churasan 3” (will only be online for the length of the drama).
(They’re offering a Goya-Man screensaver on their site for Windows and Mac OS 8 to OS X.)
Official NHK “Churasan 2” Archive Website.
An English fan site for Churasan, Kiroro and Ryoko Kuninaka: http://churasan.mkbmemorial.com/.
Related Entries:
Churasan 3 to Begin Airing From September 13th
Churasan 3 Coming in October
Churasan 2 to Air on NGN
Kuninaka Ryoko CD Single Debut
A Closer Look: Ryukyu Hime
Uchina Pop Culture: 05.09.2001
Sunday, September 19, 2004
>> 2004 Okinawan Festival Pics
>> BEGIN at the 2004 Okinawan Festival in Honolulu
Behind-the-scene look at BEGIN’s guitar tech tuning the Ichigo-Ichie (pictured is the ‘Artist Model’). The Ichigo-Ichie is an instrument that was produced by the group in conjunction with K. Yairi guitars. A less expensive (about half the price of the artist model) called the ‘Nirai’ model is also being sold.
My vantage point from behind the stage at the Nidaime Teishinkai Hawaii Shibu tent gave full view of the screen and freedom from the 1000+ spectators on the opposite side of the stage.
And the crowd goes wild!
The band had the crowd on their feet for the songs “Kariyushi no Yoru” and “Ojii Jiman no Orion Biiru [Beer]” with several close-ups of a fan (implanted?) wearing a promotional t-shirt for the latter song during its time on stage. They performed all of their hit songs (i.e., from their two shimauta albums) and the song that first brought them in the J-pop radar, “Koishikute”. Not surprisingly, the encore song was “Nada Sou Sou” with the crowd chanting — instead of ‘encore …’ or ‘hana hou …’ — ‘nada sou sou, nada sou sou, nada sou sou’.
I personally think that this was one of the best Okinawan Festivals since the year with the fireworks off of Waikiki Beach. The outdoor stage was one of the best we (local performing arts groups) may ever get to use for the festival, and if not for the blaring sun, it would’ve been perfect in the daytime too.
This stage is hot. I mean really hot.
I’m sure that the group made many new fans here in Hawaii and I’ve already received several inquiries as to where people can go to buy their albums. Places to go to in Honolulu are Bookoff or Hakubundo. On the web, I highly recommend CDJapan.co.jp or YesAsia.com.
Related Entry: A Closer Look at BEGIN
Thursday, September 16, 2004
>> Sing Along with BEGIN Part 1
Here’s Part 1 (although I can’t promise there’ll be a Part 2 in time for the BEGIN concert) of my Sing Along with BEGIN feature. Today I have the romaji to two (technically three if you count in the alternative version of “Nada Sou Sou”) of the group’s popular songs. I’m also including a link to a printable version so that you’ll be able to take it with you on the road. :)
“NADA SOU SOU”
(LYRICS: MORIYAMA Yoko; MUSIC & ARRANGEMENT: BEGIN)
FURUI ARUBAMU MEGURI, ARIGATOUTTE TSUBUYAITA
ITSUMO ITSUMO MUNE NO NAKA, HAGEMASHITE KURERU HITO YO
HARE WATARU HI MO, AME NO HI MO, UKABU ANO EGAO
OMOIDE TOOKU ASETE MO OMOKAGE SAGASHITE, YOMIGAERU HI WA, NADA SOU SOU
ICHIBAN HOSHI NI INORU, SORE GA WATASHI NO KUSE NI NARI
YUUGURE NI MIAGERU SORA, KOKORO IPPAI ANATA SAGASU
KANASHIMI NI MO, YOROKOBI NI MO, OMOU ANO EGAO
ANATA NO BASHO KARA WATASHI GA MIETARA, KITTO ITSUKA, AERU TO SHINJI, IKITE YUKU
HARE WATARU HI MO, AME NO HI MO, UKABU ANO EGAO
OMOIDE TOOKU ASETE MO SAMISHIKUTE, KOISHIKUTE, KIMI E NO OMOI, NADA SOU SOU
AITAKUTE, AITAKUTE, KIMI E NO OMOI, NADA SOU SOU
“SHIMANUCHU NU TAKARA”
(LYRICS, MUSIC & ARRANGEMENT: BEGIN)
BOKU GA UMARETA KONO SHIMA NO SORA WO BOKU WA DOREKURAI SHITTERUN DAROU?
KAGAYAKU HOSHI MO NAGARERU KUMO MO NAMAE WO KIKARETEMO WAKARANAI
DEMO DARE YORI DARE YORI MO SHITTEIRU
KANASHII TOKI MO URESHII TOKI MO NANDO MO MIAGETEITA KONO SORA WO…
KYOUKASHO NI KAITE ARU KOTO DAKEJA WAKARANAI
TAISETSU NA MONO GA KITTO KOKO NI ARUHAZUSA
SORE GA SHIMANCHU NU TAKARA
BOKU GA UMARETA KONO SHIMA NO UMI WO BOKU WA DOREKURAI SHITTERUN DAROU?
KEGARETEKU SANGO MO HETTEIKU SAKANA MO DOUSHITARA II NO KA WAKARANAI
DEMO DARE YORI DARE YORI MO SHITTEIRU
SUNA NI MAMIRETE NAMI NI YURARETE SUKOSHIZUTSU KAWATTEYUKU KONO UMI WO…
TEREBI DE WA UTSUSENAI RAJIO DEMO NAGASENAI
TAISETSU NA MONO GA KITTO KOKO NI ARUHAZUSA
SORE GA SHIMANCHU NU TAKARA
BOKU GA UMARETA KONO SHIMA NO UTA WO BOKU WA DOREKURAI SHITTERUN DAROU?
TUBARAAMA MO DENSAA BUSHI MO KOTOBA NO IMI SAE WAKARANAI
DEMO, DARE YORI DARE YORI MO SHITTEIRU
IWAI NO YORU MO MATSURI NO ASA MO DOKO KARA KA KIKOETE KURU KONO UTA WO…
ITSU NO HI KA KONO SHIMA WO HANARETEKU
SONO HI MADE TAISETSU NA MONO WO MOTTO FUKAKU SHITTEITAI
SORE GA SHIMANCHU NU TAKARA
“NADA SOU SOU (SANSHIN UCHINAAGUCHI VERSION)”
(LYRICS: MORIYAMA Yoko; MUSIC & ARRANGEMENT: BEGIN)
NACHIKASHI ARUBAMU MIKUTI, KAFUUSHI DOONDI KUTUBA KAKI
ICHIN ICHIMADIN CHIMU NU UCHI, KUKURU KA KYURU ANU FITU YU
HARI WATARU HI N, AMI NU HI N, UKABU ANU CHURASA
NACHIKASA YA TUUKU, UMUYOONATIN UMUKAJI TU MI TI, KAJI TACHURU HI YA, NADA SOU SOU
ICHIBAN FUSHI NI NIGAYUN, KURI GA WA NU NARE NA TI
YUMANGI NU SURA MIAGITI, CHIMU FUKURA MACHI, UNJUTUMEYUN
NACHIKASA TI N, FUKURASHA TI N, UMUI YA ANU CHURASA
UNJU NU BASU KARA WASHIGATA
MIRARI RI BA, KANAJI ICHIKA, AYURUNDI SHINJI, IKITI N KA
HARI WATARU HI N, AMI NU HI N, UKABU ANU CHURASA
NACHIKASA YA TUUKU, UMUYOONATIN SABISHISA NU, KUISHISA NU, UMUI YA MASATI, NADA SOU SOU
AIBUSA NU, AIBUSA NU, UMUI YA MASATI, NADA SOU SOU
As a bonus for reading this far into this entry, I have three of these songs encoded in AAC available in my public folder for a limited time due to space constraints.
For more info on the group read this post: A Closer Look at BEGIN.
>> Going Cuckoo for Cocco’s Stuff
(Pictured: Cocco’s 1st single “Countdown”) ALTHOUGH I’ve known of Cocco’s music from the release of her first album, “Bougainvillea” (Speedstar Records, 1997), at that time the thing that interested me the most was that she provided an alternative voice (i.e., style) to the other artists from Okinawa who were breaking into the J-pop scene (e.g. AMURO Namie, DA PUMP, AHANE Ayano) in the nineties. 1997’s “Tsuyoku Hakanai Mono Tachi” — Cocco’s 2nd single — was catchy enough of a tune to turn my attention her way, but I went on to listen to other artists and put that song in my queue for later reference.
Cocco Announces Retirement
Popular Okinawan singer Cocco unexpectedly announced her intention to retire in April.
A Cocco poster exhibition is currently on display at Ryubo Hall in Naha City… Also on display are letters written by Cocco, photos, and CD’s. The exhibit has attracted many teenagers and people in their twenties.
Cocco’s latest CD and video set, “Fuka Fuso” (Windblown Open Air Burial) was released on Feb. 21 only in Okinawa, and has been racking up brisk sales. Her CD’s have also been popular with many mainland tourists visiting Okinawa. [THE OKINAWA TIMES WEEKLY TIMES 2001.3.3]
Now, seven years later and three years since Cocco went on a self-imposed hiatus from the music biz, I’ve rediscovered her music and I’ve become cuckoo for Cocco’s stuff (read: I’ve become an extreme fan of hers).
(Pictured: Cocco’s 1st album “Bougainvillea”) DOESN’T it sound weird to become a fan of an artist that’s on hiatus? What if they end up never recording again or worse, their catalog of recordings goes out-of-print. Luckily, Cocco’s discography consists of four original albums and one best of with unreleased tracks, eleven singles, and a collection of video clips that’s available on DVD and VHS (of which the DVD will soon be rereleased at 1/3 the price of the original in September) — all are still available. I was able to find three of the four albums (yup, I didn’t own any up till now) at a used music shop that were still in good to perfect condition, and I was able to find all of her singles online at my favorite import music stores.
The first thing I got my hands on was a limited release DVD of her most recent recording (but you’re saying she’s on hiatus, right? I’ll explain later) called “Heaven’s hell”, a documentary of Cocco’s “Gomi Zero Daisakusen” (the great zero rubbish operation) project and an end to her hiatus with her first public concert in two years. More than her music, it’s Cocco the person/the artist that pulls you into her world and the documentary captured every precious minute of it. She explains the reason she decided to go on hiatus (at the time she was actually retiring from the music biz) was not because she wanted to go back home to Okinawa but rather, she wanted to get away from singing for business by making a clean break from it.
Upon her return to Okinawa, she found that the place she called home had become ugly with garbage littered beaches so what did she do? She embarked on her new hobby: going to the beach and picking up the littered garbage. For the two years since her retirement, she would head to the beach with an empty trash bag in each hand and pick up enough garbage to fill her bags with and head home thereafter. Cocco would sing (the “garbage song”) while working on her hobby, and it was during this time that she had an epiphany: she really loved singing and she missed it dearly.
The “Gomi Zero Daisakusen” project was her way to get the community (i.e., the young people of Okinawa) involved in and aware of this problem through her music — ahh. With the help of volunteers, she held an event on August 15, 2003 (the day that all Japan wishes for peace on Earth), that would not only mark her comeback as a singer/songwriter, but also bring people together and create a buzz for her hobby.
The documentary is one of the best I’ve seen relating to music. I’ll openly admit that tears welled in my eyes through the power of Cocco’s sincerity and her song, “Heaven’s hell”. If you get into any J-pop artist, I highly recommend Cocco and you should start with this DVD documentary (hey, and it’s also subtitled in English!). It seems a bit awkward to end here, but I’m finally feeling sleepy (it’s almost 2:00 am) so I’ll continue this entry in a day or two with Cocco’s discography and profile.
Links:
Cocco’s Official Website
Cocco’s Record Label Website
As a special treat, I have two songs of hers up in my public folder. (Both songs are encoded in the AAC file format.) I’ll have the lyrics of each song up in my follow-up entry. Enjoy!
>> ORANGE RANGE’s iTunes Playlist
This is pretty cool. ORANGE RANGE has an iTunes Celebrity Playlist up on the iTunes Apple Japan site. The list of ten songs (with a short comment for each) was compiled by the band’s guitarist NAOTO:
- Pure INTEC/Carl Cox — my current favorite DJ mix
- BERLIN TRAX/Takkyu Ishino — an essential track to get me hyped up for our live shows
- Louden Up Now/!!! — when it boils down in recording (BabelFish trans.)
- Richard D. James ALBUM/Aphex Twin — for those sleepless nights
- Spokes/Plaid — listening for sleepless nights
- Wild is Mine/Quruli — music to chill-out with after a show
- Xtrmntr/Primal Scream — for long road trips
- Travelator/The Egg — this song psyches me up.
- Usual tone of voice/Air — makes me want to pick-up the guitar
- ILL Comunication/Beastie Boys — I listen to this when I’m doing push-ups (two sets of ten every day)
The group’s current single, their 6th, is “Rokomôshon [Locomotion]” and their upcoming release is “Chesuto [Chest]” which will be released on August 25th. (Hover your mouse’s cursor over the image for more info.)
>> ISSA The Player
Perhaps he’s trying not to fall behind his bandmate or a fellow Okinawan J-popster,regardless, ISSA’s (25) been one busy guy. Although he’s said to be dating gravure idol Yuu Abiru (18), ISSA was recently caught by the paparazzi with popular multi-talent Kou Shibasaki (22)! Several years ago, ISSA was rumored to be going with ex-SPEED member Takako Uehara following the filming of the love story “Dream Maker” which featured both stars in the main roles.
>> The Off Note/Disc Akabana Weblog
I’ve had this weblog on my RSS newsreader for a few weeks now but I only had a chance to look through the entries today. Now I’m thinking, “I wish all entertainment (music for this discussion) labels were like this one”. The off note-blog- is the brainchild of masaru0801, who blogs about the latest news of the artists from the disc akabana and off note (also written as offnote) record label. The blog provides OMGs (Okinawan Music Geeks) with an invaluable resource on the web by providing detailed information on the label’s album releases as well as concert schedules. Sadly, it’s only in Japanese so be sure to visit the blog with your trusty e-dictionary or web translator.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
>> Churasan 3 to Begin Airing From September 13th
NHK has announced the air date for the latest installment in their very popular “Churasan” series, “Churasan 3” (yup, titles don’t get any easier than this), to begin from September 13th. There will be a total of five episodes (“Churasan 2” had six of them) and the show’s heroine, Eri, played by the ultra cheerful (and über cute) Ryoko Kuninaka will sing the theme song this time around too. The song “Meguriaetane” (めぐり逢えたね) will be released on September 29th from Pony Canyon. Ryoko’s song from the second series of “Churasan”, “Ryukyu Moon”, also happened to be her debut single and she later released a full-length album called “Furusato” (pictured) in February of this year. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what else they (NHK and their writers) can do with the series.
[Update: The song “Meguriaetane” is the ending theme song while Kiroro’s song “Best Friend” (from the first series) is the opening song. Also being featured in the 5-part drama is “Chest” from the ultra-popular group Orange Range.]
>> One Year Later, A New Single for hiro
In addition to the forthcoming release of hiro’s (ex-SPEED) jazz project album, Coco d’Or (album cover pictured), in early August, she’ll also release a new single called “Hikari no Naka de” on September 23rd. It’s been over a year since she last released a single with “Ai ga Naiteiru” from July of 2003. “Hikari no Naka de” will be featured on the soundtrack to the live action flick “Devilman” which will premiere in Japan this October. It’s nice to see that hiro’s keeping herself busy with these music projects.
>> DA PUMP’s EPISODE II
DA PUMP’s 5th album, EPISODE II, was released on July 7th with three different versions: two versions with a CD+DVD (the DVD for the first pressing version contains two special tracks), and a version with only the CD. With the exception of the CD+DVD first pressing version, the CD contains 13 tracks including a song that I think is absolutely awesome, “流(ryu)STYLE”. The DVD includes 3 PVs (promotion video) and the first pressing version comes with a making of RYU STYLE and an interview with the members. This album is filled with songs that are self-produced by the group so it’s definitely one to keep an eye on.
>> BEGIN’s 15th Anniversary Gigs
BEGIN will commemorate their 15th year in showbiz with special concerts beginning next year (the group’s debut year is 1990 if you haven’t been keeping track). They will perform at the Nippon Budokan (a dream venue for any musician) in Tokyo on March 17, 2005, and follow that up with a performance on March 21, at the Osaka-Jo Hall. Way to go guys! [via Yahoo! News Geinoukai]
>> BEGIN1990
The watch/countdown for BEGIN is well, beginning. ;)
They launched their brand-spanking new Official Website (it’s called BEGIN 1990 because that’s the year they debuted on Teichiku) today (which according to Japan time equals yesterday) and it’s totally interactive so check it out!
Look Further:
Official Production Company Website
Official Record Label Website
>> The First Batch of Remixed News
I just finished uploading a bunch of my past ‘remixed’ posts from OkinawanMusic.org. I’ll have more up as the weekend rolls along.
Sunday, September 12, 2004
>> We’re Back!
Haisai! I’ve worked out most of the kinks but there’s still a ton of work to do for the blogging side of things (yes, that includes entries too!). I hope you like the new look and I’ll still be tweaking things in the background but for the most part, it’s all good. :)
Things to take note of regarding the weblog: I’m running the latest MovableType (v3.11) and I still need to work on the new commenting system (this will hopefully mean zero comment spam from here on out) so please do not submit any comments until further notice. Nifee!
[Update: I’ve only had a chance to test the site with web browsers for Mac OS X. It should (I’m about 100% sure of it) load properly for Mozilla Firefox (learn more about it here) on Windows and I’ll test it with IE/Win as soon as I can.]
[Update 2: In case you’ve been looking around the site, you may’ve noticed a lot of gibberish on the ‘home’ page. It’s simply filler from the Lorem Ipsum generator till I have something to put there. ;) Also, I’ll be working on a new favicon to replace the old pop.i-o one. The design I have in mind is of a sanshin’s ‘headstock’ and I’m looking to have it completed in a week or two.]
