To be honest, I didn’t know until recent days about Sora Aoi.   Recently she often appears on international news on internet and she seems to be very famous ( or popular ) especially in China.

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.

For Nanako Matsushima 2011was a good year. She played a leading role on a Japanese TV drama called Kaseifu no Mita, and this drama got the NO.1 rating at more than 40% among all the Japanese TV show in 2011.

She Started her career as a fashion model, so not many people expected her to become a good actress at the first time she appeared in Japanese media.

All against it, she proved the talent on new category. Actually public image toward her has been always favorable, she once got NO. 1 prize as the most favored woman in Japan, which was voted by ordinary Japanese people. Her standard image is nice as such, in addition, this time she created new playing style as an actress on this program as this role was a little stoic character. She usually marry and is smiling in front of the fans.

Probably most of all the Japanese enjoyed her program, Kaseifu no Mita, this year.
We expect her more in 2012.

A very sad news reached me just when I was about to go to bed yesterday.  Yoshiko Tanaka, who was a member of Candies, died of breast cancer yesterday.  Although I was not such a fan of Candies back in 1970′s when they were enjoying the popularity boom in Japan,  the 3 members of Candies created huge sensation then in Japan and they were surely Japanese boys’ idols.  

***She is the girl on your right in the photo.

Yoshiko Tanaka died 55 years old.  It’s too young.   Though, the news said that she had been struggling with the cancer since 1992,  19 years in total, for recovery from illness.  she didn’t stop working as actress of movies, but in the end the illness took her away from our sight.

Memories of Yoshiko Tanaka will remain with the image of Candies.  Their fresh and pretty idol looks would never fade away from the hearts of men in the same generation.

 Sad news indeed, but she sang, acted, and loved all through her life.  She left beautiful trace of her life for us, which is a precious legacy of her for us.

Thank you and good-bye, Yoshiko Tanaka, or Soo-chan.  Rest in Peace. 

( For more information about Candies, please refer to: http://www.japanpress.info/archives/407   )

X Japan got re-union ( or should I say, they once agin started ) some years ago. But now Yoshiki is sick with his neck so the band activity is stopped again.

Maybe X Japan will not disappear from Japanese music scene soon because their fans stay with them still.  Yoshiki’s neck seems really bad. When he plays drums, he rolls his neck and it damages the bone. He got surgical opperation last year, so he is expected to come back to the concerts again.

Their last concerts and activity records are visible in  X Japan Returns Complete Edition DVD Box [Limited Edition] at Play-Asia.com. Still they are OK as far as we see it.

They are musicians, at the same time, they are idols of visual era.  Seeing this DVD, I agree.

Namie Amuro has been a popular singer not only in Japan but in some Asian countries.  She was recently reported that Atsushi of a comedian group, LONDON BOOTS, is her new lover and they went to Sedona, Las Vegas and LA in the USA together for secret tours.

Namie Amuro is from Okinawa island of Japan, so she looks a little different from standard Japanese beautiful girls.  Okinawa is now on topic of American military base, but other than that topic, Okinawa is a really beautiful island.

Namie Amuro has been singing as a top singer in Japan for more than 10 years, and it’s an amazing career when thinking of other KOMURO families decadence in the music hit chart.  Namie Amuro would make some hit records by coorperation of Tetsuya Komuro’s composing songs. As known well, Komuro’s big time is totally over and all the Komuro’s songs went out of fashion.

But Namie Amuro kept the top singer status even after that.  It means she can get along without Komuro songs and she is talented enough to stand alone.

Namie Amuro’s new CD is on the top of the chart in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Japan.  Indeed she is a great singer now.

Vivian Hsu was a very popular girl from Taiwan 10 or more years ago. Actually recently we’ve not seen her since then, and some are expecting her to come back to Japan again.

Today, I saw her picture.  She became a little adult looking ( of course ) and she seems to be OK because her face looks happy.

The news says that she started her blog for Japanese fans, which is titled “Vivian Hsu’s Beautiful Day“. 

One of my friends was a huge fan of her and he said that Vivian made Japan and Taiwan much closer.

I also remember she was trying hard to be accepted in Japan.  Her attitude was really touching then.

Now she is grown and maybe she can again contribute Japan – Taiwan relationship. Her character makes us happy.

YUKIE NAKAMA is one of the most beloved actress of Japan now. She came out through TV program, Gokusen.  Gokusen is a totally comical drama of a school with YAKUZA born teacher, Gokusen.

YUKIE NAKAMA acted GOKUSEN here and this program became huge hit at the time with more than 30% rating at highest.

This movie was already sold out at the １ｓｔ issue, and it seems to be a long run sales.

<Information of DVD>

DVD release of the film “Gokusen The Movie” starring Yukie Nakama and Kazuya Kamenashi (from KAT-TUN). A high school teacher, Kumiko Yamaguchi, a.k.a. Yankumi, is now handling the new students of Class 3D. What is going to happen to Yankumi next? Includes bonus disc featuring making-of, interview and more.

YUKIE NAKAMA, GOKUSEN MOVIE

Yoko Kumada DVD is a good sales item now. Her fans are still a lot even though she appears less on TV recently.

This item seems to be a good reputed one among fans.

Please see the link above for more information.

Today there was a news about YUMIKO SHAKU, a Japanese actress.  She seems to be getting married a same aged animal doctor in Japan.

They are said to have met with each other when YUMIKO SHAKU took her pet to the doctor.

YUMIKO SHAKU is a graduate from Gakushuin Women Junior College, and she appears on TV in various fields now.

Probably she would keep on working on TV.  Decades ago, Japanese women often retired the job when they got married, but that is a too old concept for Japanese women.

Japanese music group ( or just an idol group ), EXILE’s new album called AISUBEKI MIRAI E, or For Lovely Future in English translation, is on the top sales for a long time and it reaches at 1.45 million copies release.

This is a very rare news in Japanese music industry. Decads ago, there were many million seller records in Japan. But now, CDs are not sold like the past.

Music already became just consuming products. When we were teenager, records were treasures of our life.  Together with the music, we were raised and our life was influenced by the music of the times.

But the music in Japan fades away with a short on-air time. Download music has no jackets and the visual impact is no more needed. When the records were treasure, jackets also expressed our times.

Anyway, Exile’s new album is beeing sold well in Japan.  This may be the treasure of teenager of Japan now.

One thing we are impressed is that Exile iscompletely a copy of American culture again, it’s like street boy’s fashion, they just copy the American black fashion stream.  

Now the Japanese pop music are almost the copy of black music of America although I don’t think EXILE is a group of musicians, it’s just an idol group, I think.