Thursday, January 27, 2005
>> Yukie Nakama’s a Beautiful Older Sister Now
On her way to superstardom, Yukie Nakama (25) has been chosen to be Matsushita Electronics’ (the National brand) 5G (that’s fifth generation for those not in the know) “Kirei na Onêsan”. Her first CM (commercial) is set to air in mid-March for a product called “Soie” (taken from katakana so the actual product name in English may be different). Yukie follows these “Kirei na Onêsan” actresses: Maki Mizuno, Nanako Matsushima, Nana Katase and Miki Nakatani. What do they have in common? Save for Nana Katase, all women exude a quiet elegance that Yukie definitely possesses. (Katase is more the bright, cheerful type in case you were wondering.) Way to go Yukie!
>> Monkey Waterfall in Concert
Monkey Waterfall—a dance theatre production with masks and stilts—will hold a concert on February 4 & 5 (a Friday & Saturday, 7:30pm) at Windward Community College. Please visit the website for ticket information.
Using masks, movement and music, Monkey Waterfall tells “stories that amuse and enchant audiences.” The performance is not recommended for children under 8 years old.
Co-founded by Yukie Shiroma and Ben Moffat, Monkey Waterfall has performed in England, Scotland, Spain, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and across the mainland.
Teachers and their students are featured in the program. Cheryl Yoshie Nakasone, an Okinawan dance master, will appear in a piece choreographed by her student, Yukie Shiroma. [via the WCC concert website]
Nifee for the link Charlene!
Sunday, January 23, 2005
>> Uta-Hime Mama
Congratulations to Chitose and the new addition to her family: a healthy baby girl! Chitose gave birth to the 2821 gm baby girl on the 20th of January at 4:59am (Japan time). On her online diary, she mentions that there’s now another special birthday that follows her own (Chitose turned 26 on January 5th). Way to go Chitose! [via the Chitose Hajime Fanblog]
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
>> Daichi Grows
Ex-lead singer of J-Pop unit Folder and the “Michael Jackson of Japan” (comparison is to the pop icon’s Jacksons days), Daichi Miura (17), returns to the scene after a five year hiatus. Daichi’s showbiz career began at the age of nine where he wowed audiences with his slick dance moves and strong singing chops (hence the “MJoJ” moniker) and took a break from it all when his voice began to change at the age of twelve. Fast forward to 2005 and we find a 40cm taller Daichi who is set to continue with his pop career. His forthcoming single entitled “Keep It Goin’ On” (AVCD-16056) will be released by Avex on March 30.
Monday, January 17, 2005
>> Wedding Bells for Kiroro’s Chiharu
Wow, what a day we’re having! Chiharu Tamashiro (27) of the J-Pop duo Kiroro (the other half is Ayano Kinjou in case you were wondering), announced today her plans to marry a fellow Uchinanchu. Chiharu was introduced to her husband-to-be five years ago by a friend. Does this mean the end of Kiroro? Of course not! Besides announcing her wedding plans, she (and perhaps more importantly to fans of the duo’s music) also stated that there will be no changes in Kiroro. Chiharu is planning to continue on her own pace and release songs that will make people happy. She joins fellow Okinawan J-Poppers Eriko Imai (ex-SPEED) and YUKINARI (DA PUMP) who got married (but not to each other *heh*) in 2004. Congrats Chiharu!>> Yukie Nakama Brings in the Crowd
Continuing with her big new year’s splashes (rather smashes) is Yukie Nakama’s (25) latest TV drama (or dorama) offering: “Gokusen” (9pm Saturdays, NTV). Yukie returns as Kumiko Yamaguchi in this Kozueko Morimoto created manga with the first episode (aired 1/15) garnering a viewership of 26%! Her drama’s first episode beat out NHK Taiga drama’s “Yoshitsune” (which, btw, is looking very good) at 24%. Here’s an additional bit of trivia for you: the theme song for “Gokusen”, “NO MORE CRY” (on sale 2/2 from Pony Canyon), is by the Okinawan soul duo D-51. Way to go Yukie and D-51! I hope this is the vehicle that pushes D-51 into the top of the Oricon hit charts!>> Radio Go Go Goya!
Being that my updates to the Sampler Sunday feature is a bit, um, few and far between, how about giving
Saturday, January 15, 2005
>> Yu Yamada, Okinawa’s Sexy Idol
Many a female idol have crossed Okinawa’s shores to find fortune and fame waiting for them in Naichi (the Japan mainland). For the most part, the idols that we’ve seen up to now have been cute (e.g. Ryoko Kuninaka) and (stunningly) beautiful (e.g. Yukie Nakama). (I did a side-by-side comparison of the two a while back.) Now let’s welcome Yu Yamada (20), Okinawa’s sexy idol, to the stage. Who does Yu count as her own idols? She lists Cindy Crawford for her beautiful body and Penelope Cruz for her slim, yet natural look. Here’s more on Yu:- Birthday: July 5, 1984
- Place of birth: Okinawa
- Bloodtype: O
- Height: 170cm
- Her “3 Size”: B83/W58/H83
- Likes: shopping, writing, dance, calligraphy, swimming
>> Beni Arashiro’s Kosé CM is Up!
As reported more than a month ago, rising J-Pop star Beni Arashiro’s Kosé CM (for their Visée line of cosmetics) is up. You’ll also find a wallpaper (800x600 & 1024x768) and screensaver (PC-only [buggers]) available for download.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
>> Nidaime Teishinkai Hawaii Shibu at KZOO
You might as well get used to seeing this image as I’ll probably be posting it on the first Sunday of every month. :)
Nidaime Teishinkai Hawaii Shibu (the Okinawan folk music club I belong to) welcomed in the New Year with a short “live” at our local Japanese-language radio station KZOO. Some of us were there about a month ago for the inaugural First Sunday at KZOO (the name I’m giving it) but that was for the HUOA Culture (music) Club (or something like that—I’ll have to ask them to come up with a more hip name *heh*).
A nice early evening in Manoa.
It rained on Friday and Saturday so Sunday’s rainless weather made the drive to Manoa Valley quite nice. Half of the group had just arrived when I got there so we didn’t waste any time getting some practice in.
Once again, I’m not in any of the pics. :(
Of course it would’ve been nice to stay home since we’re just a day out of 2005, but meeting up with everyone really made my day. (Not to mention that this is one heck of a bunch of really nice peeps.)
Yeah, I know. Not a steady-looking shot huh? (Read on.)
We had only prepared three songs to perform tonight and since we had a bit more extra time than anticipated, Kiyoshi Sensei added in a fourth song (“Gusuku nu Mê”) for good measure. Allison Y. and I didn’t have to perform any additional songs so that was a relief. :) I took the (unsteady) shot above while holding onto my sanshin under my arm and I’m dubbing it the Richie Shaky Effect™. :P Next month, the HUOA Culture Club returns to KZOO!
Saturday, January 01, 2005
>> These Four are Blessed with Song
Happy New Year! What better way to start off the new year with a new entry for a brand spankin’ new J-pop group? bless 4 are a singing group of four siblings (ranging in age from 22 to 12) who have lived in the U.S. I think this may be a first: the group is under the BMG Japan record label, while the majority of J-Pop artists from Okinawa are under the Avex label. A look at the group’s discography shows that their first single was released back in May 2003—a track called “Good Morning! Mr. Sunshine” (BVCR-19606).I first became aware of the group when they appeared on NHK’s popular music program “Pop Jam” (11/5/04 air) during the show’s Break Radar segment (which introduces new acts). They sang a song called “Gajumaru no Shita de” (there’s an Okinawa prerelease [BBR-10] and a mainland Japan one [BVCR-19635]) and garnered an 83% rating from the audience which put them in the number two spot (out of five artists). On January 19, the group will be releasing their 4th single titled “123” (BVCR-19638). Let’s wish bless 4 the best of luck for 2005!
>> OkinawanMusic.org Remixed!
Bye Bye 2004!
Hello 2005!
OkinawanMusic.org is now up to speed with the pop blog. You should be seeing something close to the bottom image unless you’re running a PC with the IE web browser. If not, try emptying your web browser’s cache. If you’re still seeing something weird, email me at riccin[at]internet-okinawa[dot]com. (Or better yet, if you’re using IE/Windows, switch to a better web browser. :P) Once again, Happy New Year!
>> Happy New Year!
