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Okinawan Pop and Japanese Chindon: happyfunsmile
While looking through our blog stats I found that there are a few of you who are finding us with the keywords “okinawan” + “music” or “pop”. So, I decided to google “okinawan pop” and happened upon a chindon band out of New York City called happyfunsmile: happyfunsmile performs an eclectic mix of okinawan pop,…
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What Do These Three Have in Common?
Konishiki – a retired sumo wrestler and popular celeb Rimi Natsukawa – one of Japan’s top vocalists Jake Shimabukuro – ukulele player extraordinaire The answer? An hour-long music special called “Melody Club” that I still hear people raving about although it aired on Hawaii’s KIKU-TV station on January 7, 2007. (The lowdown on the show:…
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Currently at the Top of My Playlist
The PV for melody.’s latest single, “Finding My Road” (released on February 14), is pretty cool but it’s the song that I’m totally grooving too. If you’re not familiar with melody.’s music, seek out the English-language version of “Close Your Eyes” and “Our Journey” — also in English — which was coupled with her November…
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Yu Yamada + Kanebo = Cool Desktop
Well, we said it was only a matter of time before we’d see a Yu Yamada desktop for her new Kanebo gig. Enjoy! [Via 壁紙fan!]
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Yu Yamada’s Next Single to be CM Song for Kanebo
Ever heard of a J-Pop group by the name of Y’z factory? I have, but I won’t blame you for having not heard of them. The singer from that trio that you should know about is 22-year-old Yu Yamada who is slowly making her way around the Japanese entertainment biz. We’ve seen her model for…
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Another Desktop
Download a desktop over at Yahoo! Japan for a promo featuring our favorite actress from Okinawa, Yukie Nakama. You’ll have to correctly answer all of the questions on the quiz in order to download the desktop (one type, three different screen sizes). Although it’s all in Japanese, it’s multiple choice and answers are provided if…
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Takako Uehara Sokenbicha Desktop Available
Well, we blogged about Takako Uehara (ex-SPEED) and her part as the image character for Sokenbicha back in the beginning of the month, and now the kind bottlers of Coca-Cola Japan have a couple (there are three in all but only two of them with Takako) of desktops available for download. (In case you don’t…
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Get Spooked
You can’t live in Okinawa and not hear a ghost story or two. During my stay in Shuri, I was told that Japanese soldiers can be seen marching down the Shuri streets at midnight and about a haunted park up the street from where I lived. Christopher Luna links to a book called The Ghosts…
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999 Hits as of December 24, 2006
Whoa, not too shabby for a blog focusing on Okinawan pop culture. This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 😀
Karakui 