tokyographers

(Okay, since I don’t have time to put together one huge post about Japan Nite, and since there are too many pictures I want to post, I’m breaking this up into smaller parts, one for each band.)

Anyway, as I’ve mentioned before, the Japan Nite 2008 tour came to Los Angeles for its final show last weekend. After an amazing show last year, I definitely didn’t want to miss out this year, and this time I got to stay for the whole event!

The show was at the Knitting Factory again, but on a different stage. The turnout seemed to be smaller this year (perhaps last year was the exception because of GO!GO!7188?), but I guess it’s a pretty reasonable size for this type of concert. It’s just disappointing that more people don’t show up, especially when tickets are so cheap.

But whatever. First ones to take the stage are SCANDAL, a band composed of 4 high school girls from Osaka.

From left: Tomomi (bass), Haruna (vocals, guitar), Mami (guitar)
In back (sorry you can’t really see her): Rina (drums)

These girls play a really energetic brand of pop-rock, though I have to say they’re going to need to work a bit on their stage presence. They’re still young, though, so they’ve got plenty of time to improve. They’ve already got talent, so I can only see them getting better over time.

They did try to interact with the crowd, and they were partly successful, getting a good number of people clapping and raising their hands up in the air. They also did a short “Japanese language time” with phrases from Osaka-ben (”maido” and “ookini”), but after seeing the same thing from Oreskaband before (and I really like Oreskaband), I guess it fell flat on me.

My favorite song from their set was “S.L Magic,” though “Space Ranger” and “Koi Moyou”(”Love Pattern” as it’s titled in English) were also good. I was looking forward to “Playboy,” since it was my favorite from the songs on their MySpace page, but in the end I think I like the sound of the recorded version better (that one always gets me energized).

The bassist Tomomi is my favorite from the group, as I felt like she was having the most fun up there on stage. She just kept rocking out with a big smile on her face, occasionally sticking her tongue out for kicks. I mean, they all seemed like they were having fun, but Tomomi left the strongest impression. And in every picture I’ve seen of the group, she just looks the happiest. =)

I definitely enjoyed their performance, but it’s much closer to cute pop than something I could really rock out to (like detroit7, but I’ll get to them later). And I couldn’t help but feel that a lot of the guys in the crowd were into them largely because they’re cute high school girls jumping around on stage in skirts. Sure, that’s part of the appeal, but for me, the music always comes first.

They were selling a CD+DVD of “Space Ranger” for $5, but I waited too long to get it and it was sold out before I could pick one up… sad =(

Overall, SCANDAL is a band I’m hoping to hear more of in the future, even if their live performance was personally a little disappointing. They have a chance to be a really fun and powerful band, and I think this tour was a great opportunity for them, in terms of both exposure and experience.

(By the way, credits for all pictures in these posts go to my brother.)

So Anime Expo isn’t hosting Utada like I speculated (yet), but it is bringing over the otaku queen, Shoko Nakagawa. Awesome. I can’t wait to see what kind of antics she’ll pull. And I really hope the rest of AX’s lineup gives her good company.

In other news, I’m still trying to get through this hectic week (and next week) to catch up on all the news. Fortunately, I do have some help from staff members 千秋 D. and gloomybear, who just posted a translation of a Bennie K interview (I’ll be posting the link on the front page once I get an additional system set up this weekend). So they deserve some credit.

As I predicted, a busy weekend meant little time for updating the news. I just got back from Easter celebration with the family and then the Japan Nite concert, and I have work in a few hours, so the news will be light and late today. I’ll catch up over the course of the week.

As for Japan Nite, it was awesome, and I’ll be putting up a post about that too in the near future.

Some personal news! This Friday, I’m starting a new job. I’m really looking forward to it, especially since it’s in the Japan-related industry. I won’t say much more about it here, but maybe I’ll be able to share some details in the future.

The reason I mention it is that it’s going to affect the Tokyograph news schedule. I’m switching from a nighttime job to a regular daytime job, which means that I’ll no longer be available in the early afternoon to read the news from Japan and update right away. I still plan to keep the news output at about the same rate, but new stories will now be appearing several hours later than usual. I’m hoping it’s not a big deal, but I’m mentioning it so that I can point to this post when people start asking why the news isn’t as fast as it used to be.

(By the way, if you saw the recent poll about being a day person or night person, I fall under the latter category. And on top of that, I have to retrain my sleep schedule!)

On a related note, the past couple days I’ve also been a bit behind in the news - this is partly due to me trying to finish off everything for my old job, and partly due to the awesomeness that is Super Smash Bros. Brawl (yes, I’ll admit I’ve been slacking in favor of some video game time).

Updates in the near future may also suffer, due to the job transition, the Easter holiday, relatives visiting in a week from now, and yes, SSBB. In particular, I may not get much news done this Friday (as I finish my old night-time job on Thursday and then start my new daytime job the next morning) and this Sunday (spending Easter with the family, then going to the Japan Nite show). Don’t hate me for late news.

If you have any questions or concerns about all of this, drop me a line in the comments or by email. Also, if you’d like to help out in improving the site’s news coverage, feel free to offer your services
Anyway, wish me luck with my new job (and everything else)!

I had quite a few stories in my backlog, so I’ve cut some out to keep this update reasonably short (or long).

• Back in February, talento Becky was at a PR event. The previous week, a tabloid had run an article claiming that she was dating young actor Yuya Yagira, and they supposedly went on a date to a game center. When the question came up during the PR event, Becky admitted that they had met, but denied that there’s any sort of relationship. According to her, she just gave him a ride for work, and that he didn’t even ride in the passenger seat.
• Comedian Kenji Tamura encountered a case of an eat-and-run last month. At the yakiniku restaurant he owns, two men came in and ate 11,360 yen worth of food (which is roughly $113 by today’s exchange rate of nearly $1-to-100 yen) before stealthily disappearing.
• For those who missed out on the news, the “Hana Yori Dango” movie finished its overseas shoots a couple weeks ago, traveling about 25,000 kilometers for the entire trip. They first went to Hong Kong, then flew to Los Angeles and Las Vegas (at Orleans and at Bellagio). Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see any of it.
• Someone paid over 1.6 million yen for a collection of posters for all 48 films in the popular “Otoko wa Tsurai yo” film series, which ran from 1969 to 1996. The posters had been confiscated from a delinquent taxpayer and subsequently auctioned off online.
• Early this month, model Izumi Mori publicly acknowledged that she has a boyfriend, though she didn’t say who. Two years ago, she was reportedly seeing a former Johnny’s Jr., but it’s not known if that’s the same relationship as her current one.
• Cosplay retailer Cospa Inc. is giving everyone a chance to become Char Aznable. In June, the company will release a 7-piece costume, including cape and mask. They previously produced a Char costume through its luxury line that retailed for 65,100 yen, but the new outfit is a much more affordable 13,440 yen.
• Jazz pianist Yosuke Yamashita gave a daring display last week when he performed with a burning piano on a beach in Ishikawa. He was of course wearing a protective suit, and he played for a full 10 minutes before conceding to the fire’s smoke. This isn’t the first time he’s done this, though - he made a name for himself back in 1973 with the same feat.
• Nippon Broadcasting System once again apologized for the Kumi Koda comment, but the president apparently has gone even further and taken drastic (though dubious) measures to help prevent a similar incident in the future. HALF of the show’s staff have been replaced and are being retrained (no word on exactly how many people that is). Koda’s incident was taken very seriously by the station, especially since the show had been pre-recorded and should have been checked beforehand.
• Retired celebrity Ai Iijima may have to find work again, as she revealed on her blog that she is quickly going broke. On March 7, she wrote that she had 160,000 yen and some change, but by the next day that amount had dropped to only130,000. Then on the 11th, she wrote that she had gone to the movies and karaoke and had bought some DVDs, leaving her with only 98,000 yen.
• All you fujoshi may be happy to know that Japan now has its first true fujoshi portal site (here) . The site was launched on Tuesday by TreasureNet. So what exactly does this mean for the future of the fujoshi movement? I have no idea.

Still falling behind…

• Koyuki and Haruka Ayase in a new Panasonic Viera CM [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Sanspo, Sponichi]
• Mika Nakashima’s Rolling Stone cover [Pic: Oricon]
• Yu Yamada, Moe Oshikiri, and Yuri Ebihara at a CanCam event [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Sanspo, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]
• Maki Horikita at the opening of the new “Doraemon” movie [Pics: Oricon, Nikkan Sports]
• Yuna Ito on stage with Celine Dion [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Sanspo, Sponichi]
• Eiko Koike and Toru Nakamura at the opening of “Seppun” [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Oricon, Sports Hochi]
• Yuuki Aikawa winning Race Queen of the Year [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]
• Kenichi Matsuyama at a promotional shooting for “Detroit Metal City” [Video: Yahoo]
• Rin Asuka, Mayuko Iwasa, and Yukie Kawamura at a PR event for “Kuchisake-Onna 2″ [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Sports Hochi]
• Maki Horikita, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Eita, and Yuki Shibamoto at a press conference for “Tokyo Daikushu” [Pics: Oricon, Sponichi]
• Naomi Kawashima and others at the Hair Coloring Awards [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Mainichi, Sanspo, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]

Time to play catch up from more than a week ago. Looks like I’ll be skipping a bunch of stuff:

• Mai Satoda promoting Monster Farm Online [Pics: Oricon, Sports Hochi]
• Miho Kanno promoting fashion brand 23-ku [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Sports Hochi]
• Yuika Motokariya and Christina at an after-recording event for “Beyond the Break” [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Nikkan Sports, Sports Hochi]
• Takashi Miike, Hitomi Shimatani, and others at a production announcement for “Keitai Sousakan 7″ [Pics: Oricon, Sports Hochi]
• Maki Horikita wearing a wedding dress as a guest model for Yumi Katsura’s bridal collection [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Sports Hochi]
• Takako Matsu and others at the Yomiuri Theater Awards [Pics: Oricon, Sports Hochi]
• Ryuta Sato and Chatmonchy at a press conference for “Gachi Boy” [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo]
• Etsushi Toyokawa, Lena Tanaka, and BoA at a press conference for “Inu to Watashi no 10 no Yakusoku” [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]
• Megumi at a preview screening for “Penelope” [Pics: Oricon, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]
• Yuna Ito at a radio event with Hilary Duff [Pic: Sanspo]
• Nana Eikura and Yui Ichikawa at a Red Cross campaign [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]
• Yui Aragaki and others at the Golden Arrow Awards [Pics: Mainichi, Sanspo, Sports Hochi]
• Rosa Kato promoting Toyota Passo [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Sponichi]
• Maki Horikita and Shoko Nakagawa at the 12-sai no Bungakusho [Pics: Mantan Web, Oricon]
• Miki Fujimoto and Takao Horiuchi at an event for “Okitegami” [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Sports Hochi]
• Mika Ninagawa’s charity nude project [Video: Yahoo]

Sorry to everyone about the slow updates for Daily Japan and the misc. news. There’s a bunch of stuff in the backlog, but I just don’t have the time to get to it since the main page news takes priority. My schedule’s been pretty hectic lately, and I hope it eases up in the near future so I can take care of this stuff - though don’t get your hopes up since the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl may just keep me away from doing my work!

• Comedian Norio Nishikawa went on a trip to France last month with his wife. When they were checking out of their hotel, Nishikawa stepped outside to smoke a cigarette while his wife was waiting inside with their luggage. However, one of their bags disappeared, containing a large sum of cash and other valuables. Fortunately, their passports and plane tickets were safe, but they arrived back in Japan with only 2 euros left.
• Akihiro Nishino of comedy duo King Kong revealed last week on his blog that he dislocated his right shoulder. He was enjoying himself at a music event, getting drunk enough that he had to be carried to a taxi by his younger colleagues. When he woke up the next morning at home, he realized he couldn’t move his right hand and went to the hospital.
• Taiyo Sugiura (the husband of Nozomi Tsuji) and Tsunku had an amusing exchange on their blogs recently. Tsunku chided the actor for his forgetfulness, and Sugiura quickly apologized on his own site. What was it all about? It turns out that they had gone out to eat in Roppongi, and Sugiura had left behind a glove belonging to his baby Noa.
• Last April, FRIDAY reported that Kyoko Fukada and Ryuji Sainei were an item, but Horipro denied the rumors on behalf of both celebrities. Last week, the same magazine published a fresh article about the pair on a yakiniku date, followed by them spending the night at Fukada’s place. However, their agency is still sticking to the story that the two are just friends.
• Saturday marked a special milestone for the stage version of “Saiyuki.” It was the 1900th performance as the starring role for 87-year-old actress Mitsuko Mori, which extends her record for most performances as a sole lead. She has played that part for 47 years and has not once skipped a show. For the curtain call, she was joined on stage by 11 Johnny’s artists, including Masahiko Kondo and Noriyuki Higashiyama. They cheered her on towards reaching 2000, which she will be very close to by the end of this year.
• The general ticket sale for X Japan’s 3 reunion concerts (March 28-30) opened on Sunday morning. Not surprisingly, the 150,000 tickets only lasted a few seconds before it was announced that the shows were completely sold out.
• Two people were recently arrested for selling unauthorized DVDs of Koichi Domoto’s stage performances, including “Endless Shock.” It seems that they have sold approximately 1,000 discs of secretly-filmed footage in the last 4 or 5 years. Their final transaction took place last month near the Yurakucho station, selling a Kanagawa woman 7 DVDs for 65,000 yen (~$606).

• Kaho and Kazuma Sano at the premiere of “Tokyo Shojo” [Video: Yahoo] [Pics: Oricon]
• Lou Oshiba and Saki Fukuda promoting the new “Keroro Gunsou” movie [Pics: Mantan Web, Oricon, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]
• Maki Horikita and Ayaka promoting the new “Doraemon” movie [Pics: Oricon, Sanspo]
• Satoshi Tsumabuki being announced as the star of NHK’s “Tenchijin” [Pics: Oricon, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]
• Riko Narumi, Mariya Nishiuchi, Maki Tamaru, and Nicole Kidman at the Japan premiere of “The Golden Compass” [Pics: Oricon, Oricon, Sanspo]
• Tadanobu Asano and Chara in Los Angeles for the Academy Awards [Pics: Sanspo, Sponichi, Sports Hochi]
• BoA, DOUBLE, and others at the Kobe Collection fashion show [Pics: Oricon]
• Idoling’s Ruri Koizumi in her first photobook [Pics: Sanspo, Sponichi]
• Shota Shimizu at a special performance for his major label debut [Video: Yahoo]
• The Possible performing at a release event for their new single [Pics: Oricon]
• Saki Aibu in a new CM for internet service provider OCN [Video: Yahoo]
• Miwa Asao in a promotional clip for Asahi Beer [Video: Yahoo]
• Karina celebrating her 24th birthday [Pic: Sports Hochi]
• Gravure idols Mayuka Okada and Junne at a mini-live for their CD debut as Pink Pie JacK [Pic: Sponichi]