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Desktop: Beer and Beni
Or should the title have read Beni and Beer? Well, regardless, this is a match made in heaven when a pop idol like Beni Arashiro becomes the image girl for an alcoholic beverage from one of my favorite beer makers: Orion Breweries based in Nago, Okinawa. There are two different wallpapers to choose from as…
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Album: HY’s 5th album ‘HeartY’
It’s pretty cool to see a band, in this case HY, remain indie and onto their 5th album. “HeartY,” to be released on April 16, follows the album “Confidence” which was released about two years ago. The title of the new album is a play on the H and Y of their group name and…
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Tutorial: Changing sanshin strings
Our second video tutorial! Yay! Today we go through changing those well-worn strings on your sanshin with brand new, curly-curly ones. Be sure to check out our growing (with two!) Video Page for more. 😉
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Lyrics: Misako Koja’s ‘Warabigami’
Warabigami Lyrics by Misako Koja / Music & Arrangement by Kazuya Sahara from the album “Ama Kakeru Hashi (Bridges Over Heaven)” (DM-002) tiN kara nu migumi, ukiti ku nu shige ni Nmari taru nashigwa, wami nu mui sudati irayoo hei, irayoo hoi irayoo kanashi umi nashigwa nakuna yooya heiyoo heiyoo tida nu hikari ukiti yuuiri…
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YouTube: Tink Tink’s ‘Hoshi no Sekai’
It’s always interesting to see new (well, relatively new) O-pop music and in this case it’s the song “Hoshi no Sekai” from the Rinken Teruya-produced duo tink tink. The song was released during the duo’s stint with the mega-hit label Avex (they’ve since returned home to Rinken Records with their latest album “Shiroi Natsu”). Apart…
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Kosuke Atari models for GAP – Tokyograph
Singer Kosuke Atari will soon be making his ‘world debut’ as a model. He has been chosen to participate in GAP’s 2008 spring campaign. The fashion brand has previously used Japanese celebrities in its campaigns; last year, Ken Watanabe, Puffy, and Ai Tominaga appeared in ads. Atari has recently been gaining popularity in Taiwan and…
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Okinawan music and dance performance: ‘Loochoo nu Kwa, Children of Loochoo’
Norman Kaneshiro-sensei emailed information on an Okinawan music and dance performance his group has lined up for March 28, 2008, a Saturday. Titled “Loochoo nu Kwa, Children of Loochoo,” the performance featuring the talented members of Ukwanshin Kabudan will be held at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center (<rant>for those like me who are irritated…
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Web: Uta Sanshin Circle
Found a link to this wonderful website (kept by a fellow Mac user too 😀 ) in my referral log and I thought I’d share it with everyone. The Uta Sanshin Circle is a resource for those who live in (or are visiting) the mainland USA with information on classical and minyou classes. It looks…
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J-pop singer melody.’s first single of 2008: ‘Haruka’
Long a favorite J-pop artist of mine, melody. will release her first single of the year on February 13. The single, “Haruka,” is the theme song for the J-drama “Daisuki!!” from the TBS network. The single will also include the songs “Plumeria” (no doubt a tie-in to her roots in Hawaii) and an English cover…
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Beni Arashiro to release best of album in March
J-pop singer and soon-to-be big screen actress Beni Arashiro (21) will release her best of album on March 5th. The yet untitled album will include her singles from 2004’s “Harmony” to 2007’s “Luna.” Also included on the album will be the songs “SouthernStar,” “BIG BANG,” and “Mellow Parade.” At ¥800 more than the regular version,…
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