Saturday, August 06, 2005

>> Namie Panther Coming Soon!

Namie Amuro (27) is set to release her new album “Queen of Hip-Popâ€? (AVCD-17692) on 7/13 and she’s out promoting it with the legendary Pink Panther as a theme. “Namie Pantherâ€? is the name of the character for Namie’s new album and we’ll probably be seeing a lot of it in the coming weeks. The first pressing of the “Queen of Hip-Popâ€? album comes with a limited edition sticker.

[posted with ecto]

>> Namie Panther Coming Soon!

Namie Amuro (27) is set to release her new album “Queen of Hip-Popâ€? (AVCD-17692) on 7/13 and she’s out promoting it with the legendary Pink Panther as a theme. “Namie Pantherâ€? is the name of the character for Namie’s new album and we’ll probably be seeing a lot of it in the coming weeks. The first pressing of the “Queen of Hip-Popâ€? album comes with a limited edition sticker.

[posted with ecto]

>> Elly

Ex-SPEED Eriko Imai (21) is back with a new website and nickname, “ellyâ€?. Having taken a break from show biz after her marriage to 175R’s SHOGO, and the birth of the couple’s first child, Eriko’s giving her fans a HUGE hint (with the new name and website [the old one is still functional tho’]) that she’ll be coming back soon. Chibariyo elly!

[posted with ecto]

>> Elly

Ex-SPEED Eriko Imai (21) is back with a new website and nickname, “ellyâ€?. Having taken a break from show biz after her marriage to 175R’s SHOGO, and the birth of the couple’s first child, Eriko’s giving her fans a HUGE hint (with the new name and website [the old one is still functional tho’]) that she’ll be coming back soon. Chibariyo elly!

[posted with ecto]

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

>> A True Duo

I bet you know what a duo is, right? But do you know what a true duo is? We just need to look at the true duo of Chiharu and Ayano of Kiroro for the best example. Back in January we announced Chiharu’s marriage and the duo’s plan to lay low for a while from the J-pop music scene (incidentally, they released a CM song in the meantime — I guess you can’t get away from it that easily :p). Now it’s Ayano’s turn to announce her own wedding plans to restaurant producer “A” (heh) and she’s also three months pregnant! Man, this is quite exciting (yes, I have no life) as she joins Namie Amuro, Eriko Imai (ex-SPEED) and YUKINARI (DA PUMP), as J-pop stars who have (or will be having) children. Can we already predict the next Okinawan J-pop wave to return 10 years from now? Congrats Ayano!

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

>> DA PUMP and Sahara

DA PUMP’s new single “Like Thisâ€? has been chosen as the theme song for the Japanese release of the Hollywood film “Saharaâ€? starring Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz and Steve Zahn. It’s been about nine months since the group last released a single — especially with the car accident involving SHINOBU (25) — so this’ll be a big release for them. “Like Thisâ€? will be released on June 8th. [Via Yahoo! Japan]

>> DA PUMP and Sahara

DA PUMP’s new single “Like Thisâ€? has been chosen as the theme song for the Japanese release of the Hollywood film “Saharaâ€? starring Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz and Steve Zahn. It’s been about nine months since the group last released a single — especially with the car accident involving SHINOBU (25) — so this’ll be a big release for them. “Like Thisâ€? will be released on June 8th. [Via Yahoo! Japan]

Friday, March 25, 2005

>> Cocco Returns for Good with Singer Songer

My all-time favorite (as opposed to my fave of the moment) female J-Pop singer Cocco must’ve had a blast during her collaboration with Quruli’s Shigeru Kishida because she recently formed a band with him called Singer Songer (Engrish anyone?). The band’s first single, “Hatsuhana Rinrin” (VICL-35816), will be released on May 25th from Speedstar Records (the record label for both artists). There’s also a very short CM (“TV Spot”) of the band’s announcement (at one of Cocco’s concerts?) available on the website although there’s nothing more than Cocco’s dialogue and the listing of each band member’s name. Still, I’m extremely excited about this knowing that it solidifies Cocco’s return to the music scene. Cocco will also be releasing another book of artwork (with photography by nanaco) called “The Bird” (ISBN: 430926832X). The book will also come with a CD of 7 tracks (with track six co-written and performed by Cocco).

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

>> Kiroro + Anime = Theme Song for Mushi King

So, here we thought the lovable female duo known as “Kiroro” would be taking a little hiatus from the J-Pop scene, but they’re back (and so soon)! Kiroro’s “Ikitekoso” (to go on sale July 6th) is set to be the theme song for the anime “Mushi King” from TV Tokyo. This is great news for fans of the duo as their latest single “Kaeru Basho” (VICL-61552, released on 2005.01.21), is/was only being sold in Okinawa. Welcome back Kiroro!

Thursday, March 17, 2005

>> BEGIN’s First Budokan

Congratulations to BEGIN for their first concert at the Budokan! The Budokan is considered to be (i.e. among Japanese music artists) a dream stage and a sign that you’ve really made an impact in the Japanese music culture (another would be performing on NHK’s annual song festival [Kouhaku Uta-Gassen] which the group has already done). [Via Yahoo! Japan News.]

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!

Saturday, January 15, 2005

>> 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.

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!

Friday, December 10, 2004

>> Meet HandMC

High and Mighty Color, the “younger brother” of popular J-Pop group ORANGE RANGE (who just released their 2nd album “musiQ” on December 1st), is set to release their major label debut early next year. HandMC is a six-member group from Okinawa with two vocalists (Maakii [17] and Yuusuke [19]), two guitarists (MEG [20] and Kazuto [20]), a basist (mACKAz [20]) and a drummer (SASSY [20]). In this sense, they seem closer in makeup to the indies band HY rather than ORANGE RANGE, and I suspect that their music may be quite similar to CRIMSON (another indies group). Their debut song “PRIDE” (SECL-140) is set to be used as the opening theme for the anime Gundam Seed Destiny , and will be coupled with the songs “Hikaru Kakera” and “all alone”. The release date is 26 January 2005 and the price for the 4-track disc will be ¥1,223.

Saturday, November 06, 2004

>> Best of 2004 Part 1: J-Pop

It’s almost the end of the year so what better time to start on my picks for the Best of 2004? Today I’ll feature three J-pop singles that have been getting a lot of play time on my playlist. Two are J-pop artists with star status and the other is a part-time singer with a successful acting career. The three singles are relatively new having been released in the second half of this year.

(Namie Amuro: ALL FOR YOU) It’s been several years since Amuro last released a ballad as a single for a TV drama (“Kimi ga Omoide ni Naru Mae ni”), so you know that her record company (Avex) pulled out all of the stops for this one. “ALL FOR YOU” is quite similar to MISIA’s ballad “Everything” for the successful Nanako Matsushima drama “Yamato Nadeshiko” and in a way, I think it can be thought of as a sequel to that song. The single was released on 22 July and was coupled with the song “butterfly” (AVCD-30587).

(hiro: Hikari no Naka de) We thought she had gone vocal with her new jazz group Coco d’Or’s (self-titled) album release in August of this year but hiro surprised her fans with the September release of a refreshing J-pop ballad. “Hikari no Naka de” proves that hiro has one of the strongest (and most distinctive) voices in the J-pop scene. “Hikari no Naka de” was released on 23 September and is coupled with the song “I wanna be your love” (AVCD-16051).

(Ryoko Kuninaka: Meguri Aeta ne) Yes, she’s known more as her character “Erii” from the hit drama series “Churasan”, but Ryoko Kuninaka has a very fitting voice for J-pop music. “Meguri Aeta ne” was used as the ending theme song for “Churasan 3”. It’s an uplifting song that showcases Ryoko’s talent as a singer (her voice at times reminds me of fellow J-pop singer hitomi although their image couldn’t be more different). Time will only tell if her acting career will take priority over her music one as is the case with her closest rival, Yukie Nakama. “Meguri Aeta ne” was released on 29 September and is coupled with the song “Hoshi no Jikan” (PCCA-70090). It should also be noted that Ryoko will release a DVD called “Oto Keshiki” on November 17th that will contain PVs for three of her songs as well as candid shots of her private life.

Sunday, October 31, 2004

>> Top of the Pop

This is turning out to be a great year for Okinawan J-pop artists. Veterans of the scene, DA PUMP, continue their impressive career with the September release of their 21st single, “Mune Kogasu”. Namie Amuro can be seen on CMs for the cosmetic brand Lucido as well as several music shows on the tube for which she’s promoting her double A-sided single “GIRL TALK/the SPEED STAR” released mid-October. We’ve also seen SPEED reunited for a special cause only to continue onto their solo projects at the beginning of the year.

As far as SPEED goes, we’ve seen the career of one of its members (Takako Uehara) take-off due to her screen time success on NHK’s popular morning drama serial “Teru Teru Kazoku”. Eriko Imai got married and had a baby (as well as YUKINARI of DA PUMP). hiro ventured into the Vocals genre with a side project called Coco d’Or and released her first single—a terrific ballad—in over a year, “Hikari no Naka de”. Hitoe continues to be the quiet member of the group.

Ryoko Kuninaka filmed another installment in the Churasan series and released a catchy single, “Meguri Aeta ne”, which is also the ending theme of the drama. Speaking of Churasan, Gorie (the other half of the comedic duo Garage Sale) is at the top of the pop charts with his single “Mickey” (yes, the Tony Basil cheerleader song), and even filmed the PV in Hawaii.

Perhaps the biggest newsmakers of the year will go to groups that cut their teeth in the indies scene and made it big in the Japan mainland’s mainstream circuit. HY seemed to have captured the title but were greatly eclipsed by Orange Range who will be performing in this year’s Kouhaku (considered one of the biggest achievements in an artist’s career). A group that we’ll have to look out for is CRIMSON who with their Okinawa shimauta-inspired song “Shima” (this week’s Sunday Sample), turned up in a cameo on the Churasan 3 series. We also have the R&B duo, D-51, whose song “TOP OF THE SUMMER” was used as the HEY3 ending theme. With the exception of D-51, the other three groups feature heavy Okinawan influences and run the genre gamut from punk to rock ballads.


Special mention should also be made to the experimental pop group Tokyo Eth Musica. Featuring vocalist YongAe, a 4th generation Korean-Japanese, vocalist Miho Hirae from Ishigaki Jima and sound producer Daichi Hayakawa from Tokyo, EthMusica delivers a blend of pop that is as diverse as its cast of members. My one complaint is that their debut album “World Scratch” should have featured more of YongAe’s Korean-language singing which are available as B-sides to their single releases.

Let’s give these artists a big chibariyo to help them keep the momentum going well into 2005 and beyond!

Sunday, October 24, 2004

>> UEHARA Takako’s Crowd

UEHARA Takako (21, ex-SPEED) is keeping up her pace as one of J-pop’s top singers with a live event at Yokohama’s Landmark Tower drawing a crowd of 4,000. Takako is promoting her latest single, “Galaxy Legend” (released 2004.10.20 Avex), a solid J-pop tune written by violinist HAKASE Taro and is the outro theme song for the anime “Uchu Kokyoshi (Space Symphony)”. Interviewed at the event, Takako stated that she (and the other members of SPEED) had visited IMAI Eriko and the latest addition to her family at the hospital. When asked about her own plans for a family, Takako responded by saying that she’s far from ready for it and she’s content with her role as an aunty. [via Yahoo! JAPAN]

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

>> Rimi’s Nada Sou Sou 123 weeks on the Oricon Single Chart

Congratulations to NATSUKAWA Rimi for having her song, “Nada Sou Sou” (released as a single in 2001), on the Oricon (Japan’s version of America’s Billboard magazine) Single Chart for 123 weeks! She now holds the number four spot — number two for solo female singers — with NAKAJIMA Miyuki’s “Chijou no Hoshi” at the top spot with 181 weeks.

Sunday, October 10, 2004

>> BEGIN’s Video Message from Honolulu

A video message of BEGIN’s recent concert in Honolulu has been posted on their official website (www.begin1990.com). Here’s how to get there since the site is only in Japanese (btw, if there’s enough people who’ll ask me for it, I’ll translate [or if anyone wants to volunteer I’ll happily upload it to this site] the message and provide a text-based transcript of the group’s dialogue):

1. Visit www.begin1990.com. (You’ll need Macromedia Flash Player 6 or higher to view the site.)
2. Hover your mouse or trackpad over the final link on the menu and it’ll read ‘SPECIAL’. Click on that link.
3. You should now be in a window that’s giving you a choice between two connection speeds: Broad and Narrow band. (You’ll need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to view the video.)
4. Click on your connection speed and the video will begin buffering momentarily. Enjoy!

(Nifee to Isaac Hokama for the link.)

Sunday, October 03, 2004

>> No Music, No Love Life

My favorite J-pop singer of the moment, Cocco, will do a remake of her 1997 song: “SING A SONG ∼NO MUSIC, NO LIFE∼” for the 25th anniversary of Tower Records Japan. She was chosen to do the song because her debut album was released on the Tower Japan indies label Bounce Records and her song (the one mentioned earlier) was used widely for the store’s promotions (who in Japan hasn’t seen a “No Music, No Life” sticker?).

The remake will be called “SING A SONG ∼NO MUSIC, NO LOVE LIFE∼” and Cocco will be joined by fellow SPEEDSTAR recording artist KISHIDA Shigeru of the group Qururi. A sample of the remake can be listened to on the special 25th anniversary website.

Sunday, September 26, 2004

>> 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.

[Yahoo! Japan]

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

>> BEGIN at the 2004 Okinawan Festival in Honolulu

The best concert of the year? I think so. Not only was the 2-hour outdoor concert free (sponsored in part by Orion Beer), but the band also pulled out all the stops by bringing their tour members (a bassist and drummer) along for the ride (to Honolulu). The stage was perfectly setup for the five-member band and the sound was surprisingly good for an outdoor concert; it also helped that BEGIN is a very good live band and singer Eisho Higa is a very good speaker.



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.

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

Printable Version

“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

Printable Version

“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

Printable Version

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:

1. Pure INTEC/Carl Cox — my current favorite DJ mix
2. BERLIN TRAX/Takkyu Ishino — an essential track to get me hyped up for our live shows
3. Louden Up Now/!!! — when it boils down in recording (BabelFish trans.)
4. Richard D. James ALBUM/Aphex Twin — for those sleepless nights
5. Spokes/Plaid — listening for sleepless nights
6. Wild is Mine/Quruli — music to chill-out with after a show
7. Xtrmntr/Primal Scream — for long road trips
8. Travelator/The Egg — this song psyches me up.
9. Usual tone of voice/Air — makes me want to pick-up the guitar
10. 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.

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

Sunday, July 11, 2004

>> A Closer Look at BEGIN

BEGIN (ビギン) is comprised of three members who are all from Ishigaki Island (石垣島) and friends since grammar school. The trio have been nicknamed as the “Takeuma no Tomo (竹馬の友)” group. The members are: Eishou (also written as Eisho) Higa (比嘉荣昇) on vocals, sanshin, guitar (b. 7/15/1968), Masaru Shimabukuro (島袋 優) on guitar, chorus, ichigo-ichie (b. 9/23/1968), and Hitoshi Uechi (上地 等) on keyboards, chorus (b. 6/23/1968).

THEIR first noted appearance as a group took place in 1988 when they performed for a friend’s wedding party and was discovered by an owner of a live house (nightclub) who invited the group to regularly perform on stage. In 1989, the group appeared on the TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System which is one of Japan’s major TV stations) show “Heisei Meibutsu TV Ikasu Bando Tengoku” (『平成名物TVいかすバンド天国』).

THE group’s real (as in their recording) debut took place in 1990 with the release of their Teichiku Entertainment, Inc. single “Koishikute” (『恋しくて』 CARC-36 and rereleased in 2003 as a maxi-single TECN-10901), which was used as an image song for Nissan Motors. “Koishikute” is still one of their most well-known songs and one that I love singing whenever I go karaoke. ;) It should be noted that they debuted as a band whose style was more bluesy rather than the shimauta (which came almost 10 years later) that they’re currently known for and they can be categorized as J-pop music.

BEGIN’s “comeback” arrived in the year 2000 — 10 years after their debut — with cameos on the hit NHK morning drama serial “Churasan” (『ちゅらさん』 due to the popularity of the show, a third series has been added that will air this year). It could be said that they were in the right place at the right time because the year 2000 also marked their entrance in the shimauta genre of music with their album release “Begin no Shimauta: Omototakeo” (『ビギンの島唄 オモトタケオ』 TECN-20647) and more importantly, the release of the song “Nada Sou Sou” (『涙そうそう』 TECN-12613 which was covered by Hawaiian music recording artist Keali´i Reichel on his album “Ke´alaokamaile”).

“Nada Sou Sou” would also launch the career of fellow Ishigaki islander Rimi Natsukawa (夏川りみ, 30) who released the song (VICL-35238) in March of 2001. The song became a hit throughout Japan and she would later perform on NHK’s annual Kouhaku Utagassen (『紅白歌合戦』Red & White Songfest) which is known for only inviting the year’s most popular artists. The lyricist for the song, folk singer Ryoko Moriyama (森山良子, the music was composed by the group), would also release the song as a b-side to her single “Satoukibi Batake” (『さとうきび畑』MUCD-5003) in December of 2001. (Her son Naotaro has become a famous J-pop singer with his single “Sakura”, so that song seems to bring fortune for all of the parties involved with it.)

2002 saw their shimauta-inspired song “Shimanchu nu Takara” (『島人ぬ宝』TECN-12877) featured as the image song for NHK Okinawa’s “Okinawa Hondo Fukki 30-shuunen (沖縄本土復帰三十周年)” and later in the same year the group would make their first appearance in NHK’s Kouhaku.

IN 2003, the group took a large step as musicians with the release of the Ichigo-Ichie (一五一会), a hybrid between a sanshin and a guitar, made by established Japanese guitar maker Yairi Guitars. The philosophy behind the instrument is to make it very simple so that anyone can learn to play it without any prior knowledge of music. The body of the four-stringed instrument has a very unusual shape and I’m sure that Masaru (and Eisho) will be performing with it at the festival.

SINCE their debut with Teichiku in 1990, the group has released 8 singles, 11 maxi-singles, 11 original albums, 2 shimauta albums, and 1 best of album. In 1992, the group left Teichiku for BMG Funhouse and recorded 3 singles and 3 albums before returning to the Teichiku label in 1997. Currently, they belong to Imperial Records (part of the Teichiku Entertainment, Inc. group) and will be releasing a CD+DVD this month called “Reef Line” (TECI-1068, July 14th), and a maxi-single called “Chikai” (『誓い』TECI-65) on August 11th.

ALSO performing with BEGIN at this year’s Okinawa Festival in Honolulu, will be the Shisars. I’ll have more about the female duo in a future entry.

Thursday, July 01, 2004

>> Guess Who’s Coming to Honolulu?

Nifee to Isaac Hokama who let us in on the latest scoop regarding this year’s Okinawan Festival (September 4th and 5th) — BEGIN, yes, that BEGIN, will be performing for us this year! Isaac recently visited Okinawa to meet the group (hence the above pic) and he so graciously emailed us with a few pics of the group. (The pic below is of Isaac and Dazz [who is the current kenpi recipient representing Hawaii].)
I’ll post more as the date draws nearer, but needless to say, I’m totally stoked about this news.

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

>> Wedding bells for another Okinawan J-pop star

Ex-SPEED member Eriko Imai (20) has announced her plans to marry SHOGO (24), vocalist from the J-pop group 175R (Inago Rider), according to a notice from her official website (dated 5/10). The couple, who met through a friend more than a year ago, are expecting their first child in the autumn. Eriko joins fellow Okinawan J-pop star YUKINARI from DA PUMP who is also expecting a child this year. Wow.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

>> Coco d’Or

Coming off of a successful live performance in Seattle for this year’s Sakura-Con 2004 (an anime convention) has given hiro (SPEED) the confidence she needs to move forward with her latest project: Coco d’Or. The Coco d’Or project, featuring hiro as a jazz singer, will introduce her fans to a mature (she turned 20 this year), sophisticated artist. The cover album will feature jazz standards such as “Fly Me To The Moon” and “Lullaby of Birdland” and is set to be released on the 26th of this month.

Monday, May 03, 2004

>> New Artist of the Year: Orange Range

Congratulations to Orange Range who were one of the winners of the 18th annual Japan Gold Disc Award’s New Artist of the Year! In winning this award, Orange Range (they sing the theme song “Michishirube∼a road home∼”, from the Fuji TV drama Fire Boys) joins these other Okinawan artists Kiroro (13th), DA PUMP (12th), SPEED (11th), and BEGIN (5th). Let’s hope they win the Artist of the Year award next year!

Thursday, April 29, 2004

>> More Details on YUKINARI’s Marriage

A bit more info regarding YUKINARI’s (25) marriage made it in today’s news wire. It seems that his wife, Miho Kobayashi (21, her stage name was Natsu Nishida), is six months pregnant and that he has vowed to show a strong performance as a new father for DA PUMP’s upcoming single, “GET ON THE DANCE FLOOR” (to be released in Japan on 5/12) and their Summer tour which begins in July. Natsu Nishida was a gravure idol and she also tried her hand at womens pro wrestling before retiring in April of last year.

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

>> YUKINARI Getto!

Congratulations to YUKINARI (Yukinari Tamaki, 25) of the popular dance group DA PUMP, who got married to ex-talento Miho Kobayashi (21)!

Saturday, January 17, 2004

>> OLIVIA’s new album “The Lost Lolli”

OLIVIA will be releasing a new album “The Lost Lolli” on Wednesday, February 18. This will be her second full-length album in 3 years and will include an English version of “Sea me”, a live arrangement of “Into the Stars”, and the Lost Lolli Mix for the song “SpiderSpins”. “The Lost Lolli” will have 13 tracks with a limited release first pressing special jacket for Tower Records Japan. OLIVIA’s latest release is “The Return Of The
Chlorophyll Bunny” which was released on the 3rd of December last year. As is with all Avex releases, “The Lost Lolli” will be a CCCD.

Sunday, November 30, 2003

>> SPEED’s new album “BRIDGE” now available

On November 27th, the 4-member J-pop group known collectively as SPEED released a new album called “BRIDGE” (Avex). Their last original album was 1999’s “Carry On my way” (Toy’s Factory) which was the group’s 3rd album. “Carry On my way” was followed by a 2-disc collection of theirs called “Dear Friends” in 2000, and thereafter the members went their separate ways. In December 2001, the group reunited to record a (now out-of-print) single and live album which was recorded during a charity event that aided the victims of the Hanshin earthquake. The group reunited again in 2003 for another charity event yet this time, they stayed together. The result is the album “BRIDGE” which pulled out all of the stops by inviting top songwriters such as Tsunku (Hello Project), CHARA, Tommy february6 (a.k.a. Tomoko Kawase from the brilliant green), and of course, Hiromasa Ijichi.

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

>> New Uehara Takako Kabegami and Screensaver

Uehara Takako (SPEED), the current image girl for Shiseido’s Proudia line of cosmetics, has a new kabegami (wallpaper) and screensaver. Both kabegami and screensaver are available for Windows PCs or Macs. Happy downloading!

Sunday, September 21, 2003

>> Namie’s new single “SO CRAZY”

Everybody’s favorite J-pop diva Amuro Namie will release a new single (AVCD-30504) called “SO CRAZY” (coupled with the song “Come”) on Thursday, October 16. The single will be her 25th since going solo and the 3rd single released so far this year (the others are “shine more” [2003.3.5] and “Put ‘Em Up” [2003.7.16]). She will also begin her nationwide tour from November 29th (2003) to March 26th (2004).

Saturday, September 13, 2003

>> OLIVIA’s “Comatose Bunny Butcher”

With the September 12th release of OLIVIA’s (ex-D&D) latest CD-single “Comatose Bunny Butcher” (CTC1-14271) — her 2nd J-indies single release — we find her slowly solidifying the transition from pop star to underground artist. Her last gig with D&D as a peppy J-pop star compared to her new image as a grungy J-indies star is quite a big leap but one that fits her as well as the song titles included with the current single: 1) Celestial Delinquent, 2) 026unconscious333, 3) 57Sto R M03(*R wa Hanten), 4) Devil’s in me, 5) Bliss Forest. The first single, “Merry & Hell Go Round” (CTC1-14270) — don’t you love these titles — was released on June 27, 2003 and that was preceded by a brilliant English version self-cover album called “Internal Bleeding Strawberry” (VECD-89141) released back in February of this year.

OLIVIA is without a doubt, one of the more interesting artists to watch because she’s doing something totally against the norm which has been and remains J-pop music. Whether by personal choice or by management decision, I think OLIVIA’s finally found her true calling, and the evidence can be heard through her emotionally filled singing. Interestingly, it seems as if her J-indies releases are only being sold through Tower Records Japan who have been supporting Japanese indies artists for quite some time now.

Here’s hoping that she’ll remain underground yet find a fan base that keeps her (as well as her management company) happily headed in this direction.

Wednesday, September 03, 2003

>> SPEED’s Be My Love

The members of SPEED are back together again for another charity event — yet this time they have an official website open as well as a brand-spankin’ new single called “Be My Love”.


The single was released on August 27th from the Avex record label and is coupled with the song “Shuka”. “Be My Love” is the image song for the charity project the group is involved with called Save the Children. When at the group’s new website, the 30 second PV clips for the song are worth checking out.

>> LOVE SCREW

The latest CD-single from MAX is called “LOVE SCREW”. The single was released on August 6th and contains four tracks:

1) LOVE SCREW
2) Don’t Call Me
3) LOVE SCREW (Instrumental)
4) Don’t Call Me (Instrumental)

Sunday, July 20, 2003

>> hiro’s new single and site renewal

hiro (formerly of SPEED) has a new single called “Ai ga Naiteiru” (AVCD-16038 ¥1,000) which will be released on Thursday, July 24th. The single contains 5 tracks: “Ai ga Naiteru”, “Ningyo no Koi”, “LOVE IS SHOUTING OUT” (an English version of the title track), and instrumental versions of the first two tracks. This is hiro’s first single since turning 19, and is her 10th overall single since SPEED disbanded. Her official Avex site has been renewed to commemorate the upcoming release of her new single.

Saturday, July 12, 2003

>> Namie Amuro as hot as ever

Namie Amuro will be releasing a new single called “Put ‘Em Up” on Wednesday, July 16th. With a total of two songs (the second song is yet unnamed) and two instrumental versions, the title song “Put ‘Em Up” looks to be in the same category of hip-hop as her stint in SUITE CHIC (one of my top albums of the year in the J-pop category).


Namie proves that she has the power needed to remain at the top of the J-pop scene. Her official site renewal shows that she has fully regained all of her trademark image and then some — a far cry from her comeback to the scene after taking a one year maternity break.


She’s definitely as hot as ever.

>> AKINA’s 2nd solo release and site renewal

Continuing with the J-pop news…

AKINA’s new single “One wish” is her second since going solo from her group Folder 5.


The single features the songs “One wish” and “Without you” and two instrumental tracks.

AKINA’s official Avex website has been renewed to reflect the release of her new single.

>> DA PUMP site renewal and new single report

As part of Avex’s (DA PUMP’s record label) ongoing new single/album release = site renewal phase, DA PUMP’s website has been updated with a new look.


The single, “Night Walk”, is the group’s 18th and it not only marks their 7th year in the J-pop scene but also their first job as producers.


“Night Walk” is a maxi-single and has a total of eight tracks with four of them “Back Tracks” or karaoke versions of the first four tracks of the disc. The songs on the disc are: “Night Walk”, “Sound of Bounce” (the opening theme for the TV anime “Dear boys”), “Stay with me”, and “Make it hot”.

On a similar note, ISSA (the lead singer of DA PUMP) has his own official Avex website over here.

Sunday, June 29, 2003

>> J-pop new releases for the month of July 2003

• 2nd: Eriko Imai’s “Butterfly” (AVCD-16040) with the themes of the song being “Skies”, “Dreams” and “Voyages”.
• 9th: DA PUMP’s 18th single “Night Walk” (AVCT-30075) marks their 7th year in the J-pop scene.
• 9th: Folder 5 alumni AKINA’s 2nd single “One wish” (AVCT-30076).
• 16th: “Put ‘Em Up” (AVCD-30467) — Namie Amuro’s follow-up to “shine more” (released on March 5, 2003). Produced by Dallas Austin.

Friday, June 27, 2003

>> Eriko Imai’s new single and official website renewal

Eriko Imai (ex-SPEED) has a new single called “Butterfly” which is set to be released on Tuesday, July 2nd. The song will be coupled with “Can U feel me?” and two instrumental tracks. Her official Avex website has been renewed to reflect her upcoming single.

Thursday, June 26, 2003

>> Takako Uehara FinePix Wallpaper

Takako Uehara (ex-SPEED member) kabegami (wallpaper) for Fuji’s FinePix cameras. There are three different ones to choose from with screen resolution sizes of 800x600 and 1024x768.

Thursday, May 15, 2003

>> An online interview with Amuro Namie (from 2000)

While gathering information for a future post on the history of J-Pop stars from Okinawa, I stumbled upon an online interview between Time (magazine) and Amuro Namie from the year 2000.

“Japanese pop diva Namie Amuro grows up”

It’s an informative interview done at one of the most important points of her career — the year she made her comeback (from a year off for the birth of her son) to the J-Pop scene, the sudden death of her mother, and her appearance at the G-8 summit on Okinawa.

Monday, May 12, 2003

>> Kiroro Wallpaper Available

Kiroro kabegami (wallpaper) is available for a limited time (until May 18) at ARSOA’s site. The duo (of Chiharu & Ayano) are the new image characters for ARSOA’s cosmetic products, and they have an online diary up on the site as well. The kabegami is only available for download in a screen resolution size of 1024x768. Enjoy!

>> Save the Children SPEED LIVE 2003

Who didn’t like them? Who wasn’t heartbroken when they heard the group was breaking up? Guess, what? No, they’re still pursuing their solo careers, but they are getting together this year for a special cause — Save the Children 2003.

Since going their separate ways in March of 2000, the members of SPEED (Eriko, Hiro, Hitoe, and Takako) will be getting together for the first time in two years. In 2001, the group got together and recorded a special CD-single called “One More Dream” as well as a concert album called “SPEED Memorial Live”.

For their 2003 live show, the group will be doing 14 shows in 7 different locales with the first show coming up on October 1st in Osaka. The tour is being billed as Save the Children SPEED Live 2003. It’s for a very worthwhile cause so if you’re in Japan during this time, you’re in luck (i.e., please don’t miss it).

Sunday, May 11, 2003

>> Kuninaka Ryoko CD Single Debut

I know I’m kind of late on this one, but Kuninaka Ryoko (Ryouko) has debuted as a singer with her first single having been released on April 25th.


The single is called “Ryukyu (Ryûkyû) Moon” and was used as the theme song for NHK’s “Churasan 2” — a drama in which Ryoko plays the role of Eri, the show’s heroine. Ryoko’s single is released by indies record label, Matrix Records (if you can find their website please leave me an email or a Yuntaku - nifee) with the music written by O-Pop star Miyagi Mamoru. The single contains two tracks “Ryukyu Moon” and “Tooku de…”, and is priced at Yen 1,050 (tax included).

Tuesday, May 06, 2003

>> Folder/Folder 5 to release two CD box sets

One of the last groups to come over from Okinawa’s famous actors school is the J-Pop group Folder/Folder 5. The group began as Folder about six years ago with the release of their debut album “The Earth”. The group’s lineup featured a boy lead singer and six background dancers (all but one of them was a boy).

Daichi, the lead singer, was the first to branch out into a solo career with limited success. Next came Folder 5, the group sans to the two little gentlemen (the other was Joe — nifee to J-Fan for their foresight). This group (of Akina, Arisa, Hikari, Moe, & Natsu) proved to be a greater success than Daichi’s solo attempt and the group has gone on to hold the torch for the past six years.

Of course, what’s another group without another member branching out into a solo career (see my earlier entry on ISSA from DA PUMP)? Folder 5 cutey AKINA has gone to test the waters of the finicky J-Pop listening community.

There’s no doubt that she certainly is one of the cutest of the five, but judging by the lackluster acceptance of their sempai, SPEED, and their attempt at solo careers, the road to fame is long and winding.

So, after six years, two solo career starts, a name change (adding the “5” after “Folder” does count, doesn’t it?), and a member change drop, they have two CD box sets (“Folder/Folder 5 Complete Box” & “Folder/Folder 5 Single Collection”) that will be released concurrently on June 25, 2003.

The complete box spans the groups’ six years in the J-Pop scene and will contain a mix of 8 CD/DVD and will retail for Yen 15,000. The CDs included are: “The Earth (Complete Version)”, “7 Soul (Complete Version)”, “Hyper Groove 1 (Complete Version)”, “Five Girls (Complete Version)”, and “Hyper Groove Party”. The DVDs are: “Folder Clips”, “Hyper Groove Clips”, and “Hyper Groove Clips 2” (which was just released 2003.3.19). Also included are 80 trading cards. The single collection will sell for a modest Yen 3,000 and will contain 15 tracks from the “tensai shonen” period to the current “shojo yunitto” period.

>> Say Hi to HY

I’ve posted an entry over at the main site’s i-O Blog about the J-Pop group HY. This group from Yonashiro (Okinawa) is making a big splash in the J-Pop scene with two indies released albums.

Friday, April 11, 2003

>> Hajime Chitose’s 4th single

Hajime Chitose’s 4th single entitled “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru” (ESCL-2410, Epic Records) is set to be released on Wednesday, June 11. The song is being used as a CM (commercial) song for Marocha 120 and is produced (he also penned the words and music) by Ueda Gen who is responsible for her hit song (and major label debut) “Wadatsumi no Ki” from 2002.2.6.

The single will contain 3 tracks, one from regular contributor Eric Mouquet from the group Deep Forest called “Hakuya”, and a yet untitled track. Her previous single, “Kono Machi”, was released on November 7 of last year and was used as a theme song for the popular NHK morning serial drama “Manten”.

Links:
Official Site
Epic Records Japan site
Sony Music Online Japan site
My Chitose Hajime Fan Site (Note: it’s in the process of being renewed so it doesn’t contain any up-to-date news on Chitose.)

Friday, April 04, 2003

>> ISSA to make his solo debut

ISSA, lead singer from the popular group DA PUMP, will release his solo debut single “PLAY, THIS, SATISFY” on April 23rd. A full album will follow with a release date of May 21st, called “EXTENSION”.


No word on whether or not the group will be disbanded, but being as ISSA is the lone vocalist (the others perform as background singers/dancers/rappers) of the group, what else could this mean? Perhaps his label (Avex) is testing the waters to see if he can stand (or “swim”) on his own.

With the exception of the group SMAP (and to a smaller extent TOKIO), boy bands/groups don’t last that long, anywhere (Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC anyone?). They could follow SPEED’s example and have each member go on to semi-popular solo careers (so far anyway), or stay together a la SMAP or TOKIO despite side “projects” of the more popular group members.

My hope is that they’ll stay together, but who knows, this (i.e., if they disband) may be a good thing. Discuss?

Friday, March 28, 2003

>> Uehara Takako Desktop & Screen Saver

Now available from Shiseido Japan are desktops and a screen saver featuring ex-SPEED member Uehara Takako for their “Proudia” line.

Note: the site is only available in Japanese. The desktop comes in three sizes, and the screen saver is available for Mac or PC. Happy downloading!

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