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Kiroro’s Chiharu celebrates the birth of her 3rd child
Singer Chiharu Tamashiro (32) of the duo Kiroro is now a mother of three. She gave birth to her newest child, a daughter, on September 29. The baby girl came two weeks earlier than anticipated, but she weighed in at 2,938 grams and is said to be healthy. Tamashiro, who married in 2005, already has…
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Meisa Kuroki to star in live action “Space Battleship Yamato”
With Stardust Promotion looking to terminate its contract with actress Erika Sawajiri (23), it appears that rising star Meisa Kuroki (21) may be filling in for her in the live-action “Space Battleship Yamato” movie. […] Along with Sawajiri, Kuroki is one of several actresses who were initially considered for the role of Yuki Mori. With…
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Shakespeare in Okinawa
Long a fan of HIFF (Hawaii International Film Festival), I’m happy to see a Spotlight on Okinawa for this year’s festival. Three films shot on location in Okinawa will be shown: “Gunjou (Cobalt Blue),” “Manatsu no Yo no Yume (A Midsummer’s Okinawan Dream)” and “Nada Sou Sou (Tears for You).” While the three films featured…
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COS Lecture Series 10/1/09 & 10/2/09
Professor Masahide Ishihara will be our first speaker with two different presentation on October 1st and 2nd. Both presentation will be held in the Tokioka Room (Moore Hall 319) at 3:00 pm. Professor Ishihara is a linguist at the University of the Ryukyus. More information on his talk to follow in the coming weeks. October…
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BEGIN’s Masaru Shimabukuro down with flu
At least two more celebrities have been affected by the spreading flu in Japan: Toshiaki Kasuga of the comedy duo Audrey and guitarist Masaru Shimabukuro of Okinawan band BEGIN. […] Meanwhile, Shimabukuro of BEGIN caught the flu in Fukuoka during the band’s current tour, though the type of flu was not mentioned. As a result,…
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Yu Yamada to star in “Koi no Karasawagi”
NTV has revealed that its next “Koi no Karasawagi” (“Much Ado About Love”) drama special will air on September 25. Based on the variety show of that name, this will be the sixth in a series of yearly specials that started in 2004. Like the previous specials, “Koi no Karasawagi: Love Stories VI” will consist…
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Meisa Kuroki as Gray in Mamoru Oshii’s “Assault Girls”
A film by Mamoru Oshii pretty much guarantees that I’ll want to see it but add Meisa Kuroki (and two other fantastic actresses) and I’ll want to see it on opening day. The movie is set to be released in Japan on December 19, 2009. I couldn’t find an official movie website but I found…
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Oricon: impressive way of life – Tokyograph
As part of a recent survey, Oricon asked a thousand men and women to identify female music artists that they admired for their way of life. Namie Amuro ranked #1, noted for being a top artist while overcoming various challenges in her personal life, including being a divorced, single mother. (Link: “Oricon: impressive way of…
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Seibun Tokuhara, Johnny Ginowan, hirara to perform at the Okinawan Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii
We’re just about two weeks away from the 27th annual Okinawan Festival held in Honolulu, Hawaii, and like every year the event features several guest artists/groups from Okinawa. Performing at this year’s event is utasaa (Okinawa folk singer) Seibun Tokuhara, one of the top musicians of Ryūkyū minyou and classical music in Okinawa, ukulele musician…
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27th Annual Okinawan Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii
Wow, it’s already that time of year? This year HUOA‘s Okinawan Festival, its 27th year, will take place on September 5th and 6th. As always, it’s a great place to learn more about the Okinawan culture (you’ll still need to check-out Karakui.com for your pop culture fix, tho 😛 ) and other neat stuff like…
Karakui 