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Yoshiki Revives X Japan World Tour, Japan Shows | September 16, 2008 |
 Yoshiki, the drummer and leader of rock band X Japan, made his first public appearance in several months yesterday. He arrived - 40 minutes late, as always - at the Yoyogi Olympic Plaza in central Tokyo in a black Lamborghini Murciélago with his name and a promo for the RockStar energy drink splashed across it. He delighted the 10,000 fans who had gathered for the PR event by announcing that the band will play live shows in Japan at Christmas and on New Year's Eve, though the venues have yet to be decided, and plan to release some new material. X Japan will play a rescheduled concert in Paris on November 22, followed by shows in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and South Korea. There was no mention of a rescheduling of the show originally slated for New York last weekend. The shows were planned as part of a summer world tour but postponed because of injuries Yoshiki suffered while performing in the spring. He has spent the last few months recuperating at his home in Los Angeles and looked in good form yesterday, though he said he is still on the road to recovery. He also said that he is to do the music for a series of events in the U.S. in 2010 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary movie maker Kurosawa Akira (profile). To see more photos and discuss this story, see our Japanese Music forum.
• Japan Zone reported a week ago that TRF member Yu-ki (41) was forced to drop out of an upcoming Avex musical due to medical problems. At the time, the plan was to completely drop her part in "Kokoro no Kakera" as there was no time to find a replacement. But it was announced yesterday that her acting parts will be taken over by actress Nakamura Machiko (34), while singer Suzuki Ami (26) will add another seven songs to her performance. The musical is part of Avex's 20th anniversary celebrations. Yu-ki is said to be recuperating at home and is unlikely to be able to attend the show.
• NTV announcer Saito Maria (30) revealed on her blog yesterday that she formally quit the network at the end of August. She joined NTV in 2000 but got married in 2002 and had her first child later that year. She took two and a half years off for maternity leave before going back to work. She became pregnant again in October 2006 and once again took maternity leave.
• Japan's oldest living movie director is still going strong. Shindo Kaneto (96) gave a press conference at the Film School of Tokyo yesterday for his latest release. "Hanawa Chiredomo" is based on his own youth, in particular his elementary school days, and was filmed at the end of last summer. "I turned 95 during the hot summer months making this movie. I thought that it might be my last work so I put everything into it," he said, adding, "But if my health allows, I'd like to make another one."
• He's one of the more familiar faces in Japanese TV drama and movies but Ibu Masato (59) is also a singer. And tomorrow he releases his first ever hits collection. The double album "Ibu no Subete" (All About Ibu, a pun on the classic movie title "All About Eve") contains 24 tracks, including his 1983 hit "Kodomotachi wo Semenaide". The song was a cover of the Sammy Davis Jr. hit "Don't Blame the Children." Ibu established himself as a serious actor who often played the bad guy but in recent years has had more comic roles. He is currently appearing in Kitano Takeshi's "Akiresu to Kame" (Achilles and the Tortoise). A generation of Japanese remember him as the voice of Deslar in the classic anime series "Uchusenkan Yamato" (Space Battleship Yamato).
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