When thinking about who is King of City Pop, no one is better deserving of the crown than Tatsuro Yamashita. He has many hits, including his album and single of the same name “RIDE ON TIME”, which became a smash hit upon its release in 1980 and reaching #1 in the Oricon rankings. But most notable, in my opinion, is his sixth album and...
GREAT NEWS! It was announced that ONE OK ROCK will hold its first online live <ONE OK ROCK 2020 “Field of Wonder” at Stadium Live Streaming> on October 11th. The performance will be broadcast live from ZOZO Marine Stadium to the world at the same time, and an online live performance that can only be expressed by non-audience will be held. Check this out!
Throughout Grand Sumo’s history, Jesse James Wailani Kuhaulua remains the first foreign-born wrestler to have won the top division championship. Known for his impressive stature, the 450lb, 6’3” Hawaiian transitioned from a high school football player to one of Takasago stable’s recruits. In 1964, he made his official debut as “Takamiyama” in Japan’s Grand Sumo ring. For context, professional sumo is divided into two...
There are many music genres in Japan. Some of you may be familiar with City Pop, or Japanese pop music from the 70’s and 80’s, which has become popular outside of Japan in recent years. Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi, Toshiki Kadomastu, and Anri are all examples of artists from this genre, whose songs have become popular among young people in Europe, America and Asia...
A new project by geishas at Hakone Hot Spring is attracting much attention. The online “Meet Geisha” event lets anyone in the world hang out with Hakone Geishas via Zoom. As with all other tourist destinations in Japan, Hakone Hot Spring has been quiet since the outbreak of COVID-19. Hakone geishas have initiated the world’s first “online drinking with geisha” project to bring rays...
On May 29, 2020, Blue Impulse, the Air Self-Defense Force’s acrobatic team, performed an exhibition flight over central Tokyo to show gratitude for the frontline medical workers during the global health crisis. The performance took many people by surprise. As a precautionary measure to avoid overcrowding, the route information was kept confidential until the last moment. The exhibition flight brightened up the medical workers...
“The Naked Director” must be the very first Japanese programming that became an international hit on Netflix. The series debuted last summer in 190 countries and regions, subtitled in 28 languages, and dubbed in 12 languages. It is about a legendary adult video director Toru Muranishi during the bubble economy in 1980s. The show illustrates the life of “the king of the adult video...
A Japanese TV show “Midnight Diner” is now streamed on Netflix in 190 countries. It is a hit series with 4 seasons and made a big screen movie in Japan. “Midnight Diner” is centered around a small diner in a back-alley in downtown Tokyo. Run by a sage but quiet Master, the eatery is open from midnight to around 7am. The restaurant offers Japanese...
Japanese Movies You Should Watch Now – Tokyo Story (1953) The British Film Institute runs a poll of the Greatest Films of All Time every 10 years. “Tokyo Story” by Yasujiro Ozu is regularly ranked high in the list and placed first in the directors’ poll in 2012. The movie portrays “family bond” and “aging and death” through an old parents who came to...
For 13 beautiful minutes, filmmaker Hirokazu Kishida takes us into the world of Sakurada, a kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto that is about to close its doors forever. The short film Sakurada: Zen Chef focuses on the last two days of this two Michelin star restaurant, and in the process, gives us a hint of the Zenlike life of restaurant owner and chef Isuzu Sakurada....
