That desire is already realized in the concerts.  Some many know it but for anime beginners it could be a hard thing to understand.

Japanese people like to bring any kind of dreams into being, with the endless efforts, the engineers and animators again did such a great job.

They finally brought the anime characters into real world.  Characters sing and dance in the concerts, which was not rare in the past either, but this time they look like real human with complete 3D figure.  Faces changes along with emotion, and detail expression like hairs, fingers, foot steps, eyes blinks, and natural looking body moves impress us just like we are enjoying their concerts in the real world.

This concerts were already carried out in 2010, however, the rumors of this concerts never fade away from fans topics.  Some say Miku and Luka should have shows in the 2012 Olympic games in London, which is not a joke but fan’s serious request.

Just one look at the show, like it or not, this instantly takes your attention and after all you would be surprised with the quality of the show.  I, too, was amazingly impressed with this show, and I could not move from the screen for views by repeating many times.

Also about the music of Hatsune Miku or Megurine Luka is made by using Vocaloid machine, which was invented by Japanese music instruments company called Yamaha. Through Vocaloid, no singers for the CD is required. The voice is made by synthesizing the computer sound, however, the “voice” really matches well with the animation characters.

Actually, the CDs of Hatsune Miku were accepted all over the world, not only in Japan. This new production can easily go over the language barrier that used to exist when the real human voice was recorded.

As this way, the singers are sold through CDs, online download, and ” real concerts ” of 3D characters.

This time Yoshiki composed the theme song for Golden Globe Award of the United States for the first time in the history of Golden Globe Award.  Yoshiki says that it’s such an honor to do that, and he added that he never dreamed this kind of event over himself when he started X JAPAN.

Yoshiki is already recognized as the icon of Asian rock stars, but fans and people around him know his talent is not limited only in rock music.  Yoshiki’s talent has no border.

Together with the increasing popularity, Yoshiki once composed a song for Emperor of Japan.  It means, at that moment, nobody in Japan can deny his irreplaceable talent of music. Also Junichiro Koizumi, the ex-prime minister of Japan, often said he is a fan of X JAPAN. After all, Prime Minister Koizumi invited Yoshiki to the welcome meeting for American President, George Bush in Japan.

As we all know, X JAPAN broke up in 1997. However, their fans never forgot their music.  When they got back in front of us as X JAPAN by reunion, lords of fans filled the concert stadiums of Japan in 2007.

More than 35 countries gave them concert offers soon after the reunion. This is really incredible.  Who imagined this phenomena when they said ” that’s it ” in 1997?

Yoshiki writes super hard rock music, moreover, he also writes tear-dropping beautiful songs that never leave from human heart.

He is already in the middle of 40′s in his age.  But he never looks old.  Anything related with Yoshiki, or X JAPAN never gets old.  Fans know it.

Some months ago, a new unique film reached my attention. That was a film making story about a famous Japanese Sushi Chef, called JIRO.

He runs a small sushi restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, the name of it is Sukiyabashi Jiro.  But the Sushi restaurant is always full of sushi lovers who made reservations for dinner some months before the tasting day.

Jiro is renowned not only in Japan but also worldwide.  Michelin gave Jiro 3 stars, which means this restaurant is ranked as the top level in the world.  In Tokyo there are more than 1000 or maybe much more sushi restaurants, and it’s said Tokyo has 160,000 restaurants approximately.  Among them, only 11 restaurants got 3 stars in Tokyo. Jiro is the one out of 11.

He was sometimes  picked up as focus of TV program before in Japan.  With all he is over 86 years old,  his sense of talk was incredibly sharp and he had absolutely strong philosophy in the work of sushi chef.  He says he has not yet seen the top of the sushi cooking,  what’s more,  he says he doesn’t know when he would be able to see the satisfactory taste as the final top level.

In a sense, he might be said to be stubborn.  However, that’s really a nature of Japanese chef’s nature.

When the director of the film first came to Jiro,  it’s said that Jiro refused it because filming often disturbs his work, and he has no more interest in promoting himself through media.  As the time runs, Jiro noticed director’s passionate attitude to get to know the secrets of sushi.  After that, gradually Jiro changed his mind and started becoming friends with the director.  And with the friendship,  the filming finally started.

The film of sushi chef Jiro is finally completed.  I’m also a sushi lover.  I want to see it somehow.

**a little note:  His restaurant is crowded and needs reservation. Also it’s expensive.  There are not many menu.  Usually when we take our seat, chef starts making sushi after some confirmation for favorites. Then we just eat when he makes for us.   This is not usual style in Japan, but this style certainly exists especially when the chef has pride in his cooking.

Firstly,  Okinawa is small islands situated in the south part of Japan being far from the main island.  It’s a tropical weather place just like in Hawaii.

Long ago when I was first in Hawaii, I thought these 2 places, Okinawa and Hawaii, are pretty similar, especially in the heart of the people.

That’s why people in Hawaii also like this song of Okinawa, Nada sou sou.

There are 2 good cover versions, which are by Teresa Bright and Kealii Reichel.  Both are really great Hawaiian singers.  Please enjoy.

Click here for Kealii Reichel’s Nada Sou Sou or Ka Nohona Pili Kai.

Also a New Zealand singer, Hayley Westenra also sings this song in her beautiful voice.

I don’t often watch TV in Japan, so she might be on Japanese TV programs sometimes but as far as I know, I’ve never seen her on TV.

A news says that she has career as a  Japanese AV ( adult video ) actress in the past, and if it’s true, that might be a reason for less exposure in Japanese TV programs.

Probably she has been focused in the magazines or some fans’ media also in Japan.  Actually I found some videos of her works on YouTube. They seem to have been uploaded by Japanese fans.

If the news is true, she is the most famous or popular Japanese girl in China now.  I don’t know the reason for that popularity in China.

I remember that in China some Japanese stars, such as Momoe Yamaguchi and Noriko Ssakai, became famous through TV programs of Japan.  But the news says that Sara Aoi is the most famous ever in China among Japanese girls.

I will try to collect more information about her from now on.

Detail of the news is not enough.

About a year ago, she got married an Austria born actor. The happy time for two of them were for 1 year only, and Ayumi Hamasaki expressed the reason for this result is because she does not want to leave Japan especially in this timing after the heavy damage of earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

They seem to have been planing to live in the USA together.  Ayumi says that for the first time, it could be a kind of matter of place to live.  If so, it could be overcome by traveling between Japan and the USA.  But at the end, she says she noticed it’s an issue of minds of the two.   It means she and her husband are no longer in love for each other.

I’m not sure about this news in the detail,  so this information is just a quotation from Japanese news service.

I think it already started, as I didn’t check it, I hope it’s still running OK.

I found one of the radio programs which was  recorded with Toshi, the vocalist of X JAPAN, as a special guest.

As far as I hear that, it seems a good program for X JAPAN and Yoshiki fans.  The talking style is pretty casual and he also plays the piano suddenly in the program.  That’s cool for listeners.

On the recorded program, Toshi also sang the new song, Jade, accompanied by Yoshiki’s piano.  Toshi’s vocal is really beautiful in this program, although it’s not the live act or recording sound, Toshi can gives us his amazing voice right away at request.  It’s an amazing thing, as we know, it’s also really hard to keep high note of X JAPAN songs whenever the vocal play is requested.  But Toshi is capable on any requests as he proved in this program.

Not many fans of X JAPAN know that Toshi is not only a vocalist but also a real good player of guitar, piano, or even drums.  He is also highly admired musician in Japan, but when Toshi appears with X JAPAN members, he needs to take the lead vocal part, that’s why we scarcely see his musical instrument playing scenes.

As my personal impression, I think Toshi respects Yoshiki as the leader of X JAPAN, so Toshi doesn’t often claim his requests to Yoshiki although they have been real good friends since they were kindergarten kids. ( Please refer to this page for more info )

We know Yoshiki speaks good English as he lives in Los Angeles.  He often takes interviews from media or at some events in English without interpreters.  Only some Japanese accent still remain in Yoshiki’s English but no problem for us.

Again, Toshi also speaks English in this program and it’s clear and good both in conversation and in the song !

I, again, think Toshi is a little shy in spite that he acts strongly on the live stage.  In any interviews, he is really quiet and refrains from talking aggressive.  He is always gentle in the interviews.

Of course Yoshiki knows well about Toshi’s character, so I understand Yoshiki handles Toshi with care in the radio program.  Also it’s easy to know their friendship here in this conversation.

Anyway, it’s a nice program.  I hope they will keep on !

We can’t judge if what he does is just magic we know or human super power.

For example, he puts milk and sugar into coffer cup through the AIR ! without using hands.  Also he takes hamburgers out from menu a board picture into real thing.  He changes what we eat in front of us into different food before our eyes….

It’s sure that he uses professional magician’s techniques too, but audience are always faced with incomprehensible happening just before their eyes.

Cyril Takayama recently has special TV programs a few monthly in Japan, also he is famous in Taiwan or some other Asian countries.

Cyril Takayama got the top prize of magicians in the USA in 2006 ( or 2007, not sure) as the Magician of the Year.  His magic quality is proved now in the world, including the sacred place for magic, Las Vegas.

He speaks English and Japanese, as his father is Japanese, he was raised in Japan some time in his whole life in OKinawa or in Tokyo.

Can you believe your eyes ?

Much more Cyril Takayama magics are found on Youtube.

Ryuichi Sakamoto’s works are really touching in our heart and its range is really wide.

Some may remember that he used to be a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, which was the first active Japanese band also in other countries.  The band was using Japanese taste melody in the music but the they made use of all the possible techniques like computer, synthesizers, or new electric skills in the works they created.  Yellow Magic Orchestra was the first Techno POP music in Japan.

After the success of the YMO,  Ryuichi Sakamoto became a famous Japanese music maker among the advanced music fans in the world.

Next, he played an actor’s role in the movie, Merry Christmas Mr. Laurence. In this movie, he composed a really beautiful theme song. Also this movie created a sensation in Japan or in the world with more talented actors like David Bowie and Takeshi Kitano.  Director was Nagisa Oshima, one of the Japanese highly acclaimed directors.

After that, Ryuichi Sakamoto kept producing more great works.

In 1987, he worked for Academy winning movie, Last Emperor.  The theme song he composed got the Academy music award.

Ryuichi Sakamoto never stopped after that huge success in his music life.  He often collaborated with other unique musicians in Japan and in the world.  More hit songs were born from his never lasting talent, and that was a real contribution to the music industry of Japan.

He is a very smart person. Often he has talks with his friends on Japanese TV programs, through which we understand how he thinks of music and his life with his clear explanation.

If you’ve never experienced his music, please check them.  His music has something deep that we never forget once the music he plays flows through our heart.

Many of good films can’t get enough understanding without good background music.  Movie directors in Japan, including even the genius director, Hayao Miyazaki,  were very lucky that they all lived in the same time with Joe Hisaishi.

Joe Hisaishi expresses any kind of human emotion in the music, it means his scores for films helped movie viewers feel the correct emotion in the movies and Joe’s music led them into the world of screen play.

Joe Hisaishi’s frist work on Hayao Miyazaki film was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds.  Joe Hisaishi still says that Nausicaa is the most unforgettable among his works.  He also says maybe he can’t compose that level of music now.

Probably he would keep on composing more masterpieces, however, the music quality of Nausicaa is still outstanding in Japanese film musics.

While, for fans, the most popular work of Joe Hisaishi seems ” Summer ” which was written for the film, Kikujiro, by Takeshi Kitano.

Apparently this melody has Japanese taste. And through this music, most of Japanese fans, me too, remember our summer days with bright sunshine, beautiful rivers with transparent water, the chirp of a cicada from woods, and nostalgic scenes we played with friends.

SUMMER seems to be liked by foreign countries’ people.  The feel of summer might mean the same over the countries’ border.

Also some fans say that the most tear-dropping work of Joe Hisaishi is ” One Summer’s Day”, which was used in the highest grossing movie of Japanese film history, called Spirited Away.    This tune gives us a real sentimental feeling. Some say they remember the time when they were innocent and naive to anything in the world in their childhood, and they tried their best in their life. In the movie this song is played when Chihiro eats a rice ball in the movie, and she starts crying when eating it.　Many had the same kind of experience in the past Japanese time, so they become sympathetic to Chihiro also by the magic sense of music.

When we listen to Joe Hisaishi’s music, recently we don’t need such memories in background because the music is already independently fantastic enough.  But it’s also true that his music bring us such memories of movies and our life with tremendous amount of emotion.

Long live Joe Hisaishi