Latest News from Japan Zone & Japan Store

World-famous fashion designer Miyake Issei (67) was among the winners of this year’s 17th Praemium Imperiale prizes. The awards are presented each year by the Japan Art Association. The awards ceremony was held at Meiji Kinenkan hall in central Tokyo, with honorary patrons Prince and Princess Hitachi attending. Each of the five winners received ¥15 million, a diploma and a medal. Miyake won in the sculpture category, as his designs are famous for their use of modern materials and 3-dimensional quality, such as the famous “Pleats Please” brand. The other award recipients included architect Taniguchi Yoshio and pianist Martha Argerich.

• Stevie Wonder is coming to Japan at the end of this month to promote his first new album in ten years. He’s also bringing an 11-member band, so there is obviously some serious PR going into the new album, “A Time to Love.” Though his music is often used in TV shows and commercials, he will be making his first studio appearance on a TV music show. According to Universal Records, he will arrive at Narita Airport on October 31 and stay in Japan for six days.

Hollywood star Steven Seagal (55) is in town at the moment, promoting not only his latest movie but also a new CD. The actor appeared on the Tokudane wide show this morning, speaking fluent Japanese and doing a pretty good PR job. His latest action film, “Into the Sun” was filmed entirely in Tokyo and Seagal’s dialog is almost all in Japanese, and Kansai-ben no less! He is married to a Japanese and has two children working in the entertainment business here as well as his own aikido dojo. But his American roots are there to see in his new CD, a blues album called “Songs From the Crystal Cave.” He collaborated on the album with such major names as Stevie Wonder. Asked during the Tokudane show for a comment on Sylvester Stallone’s new “Rocky 6” project, Seagal grinned as he said that Sly obviously didn’t get much work these days.

• Seattle Mariners star Ichiro has provided plenty of drama in his career, but he is soon to make a dramatic debut of a different kind. He will play himself in a 3-night special of the popular Fuji TV detective series “Furuhata Ninzaburo,” which will air over the New Year. In typical Ichiro fashion, he will be trying to pull off the perfect crime. The outfielder is said to be a huge Furuhata fan and has all the DVDs of the series. Since 1994 there have been three series and five specials, with big-name celebrities playing the villain each time (basically a ripoff of the Columbo concept). Star Tamura Masakazu (62) is perhaps one of the most impersonated actors on Japanese TV.

• Congratulations to baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines, who won the Pacific League playoffs and will be in the Japan Series for the first time in 31 years. Managed by the popular Bobby Valentine, the Marines are a fairly low-profile team but have former MLB star Benny Agbayani. In the Japan Series they will be up against the fanatically supported Hanshin Tigers.

Takuro (34), vocalist of the popular rock band Glay, and his wife, popular model Iwahori Seri (28), are the proud parents of a new baby. The time and date of birth and the sex of the baby were not announced. The couple married in May of last year and held an elaborate wedding reception last March.

• German movie star Bruno Gantz (64) is to star alongside Matsudaira Ken (51) in next year’s film “Balto no Gakuen” (Baltic Paradise). The movie is based on the story of how Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was first performed in Japan 87 years ago by a group of German prisoners of war in Tokushima Prefecture. The movie, to be directed by Deme Masanobu, is scheduled for release next June. The film is part of the current EU-Japan fest that encourages collaboration and friendship between the two economic and cultural powers, though the recently re-married Matsudaira, who is all smiles while on stage doing his popular Matsuken Samba routine, is a lot less friendly when facing the media.

Japan’s hottest actress, Ito Misaki (28), is said to be romantically involved with Da Pump vocalist Issa (26). The two were recently spotted on a date and photographed by the women’s weekly magazine Josei Seven. They left a Tokyo restaurant holding hands and took a taxi to an izakaya before ending up at Issa’s Tokyo apartment. Ito was spotted leaving early the next morning. The popular and boyishly-handsome Issa has been linked with several young female stars, while the beautiful Ito seems to be ever-present on TV screens in commercials and drama series such as the recent “Densha Otoko.”

• Talento Kanda Uno (30) has said that marriage is not yet on the cards for her. She was recently spotted yet again on the arm of a wealthy bachelor by the weekly gossip magazine Friday. The 35-year old heir to the country’s largest pachinko business lives at Roppongi Hills, Tokyo’s most fashionable address for young entrepreneurs, and is heir to a family fortune of over ¥100 billion. He and Uno have been romantically linked for several years but have always been very coy with the media.

Southern All Stars kicked off their first Japan tour in seven years yesterday in Hiroshima. And it’s the biggest tour in their 27-year career – with a set based around their latest album “Killer Street”, they’ll be playing to about half a million people at 21 shows in 11 cities across the country until New Year’s Eve. Some venues will be small, like yesterday’s 2,000-seater, but they’ll also play five domes, seating 30-50,000. The new album waltzed straight to the top of the latest Oricon charts, making it their 16th No.1, and has already sold about 1.1 million copies. The double album is their first original release since 1998 and was about 3,000 studio hours in the making.

• The popular NHK documentary series “Project X” is to be taken off the air by the end of the year. As part of its efforts to rebuild its tattered image and deal with budget problems, the national broadcaster is revamping its schedule across the board. Over a million people are refusing to pay their annual subscription fee due to an ongoing series of scandals.

• Getting a lot of airtime is promotion for the upcoming wrestling/variety event “Fighting Opera, Hustle Mania 2005.” Taking place at the Yokohama Arena on November 3, the event will feature pro wrestler Ogawa Naoya – who has turned “hustle hustle” into one of the most popular phrases of the day – as well as celebrities such as Hard Gay and kyogen actor Izumi Motoya in a new ponytail, and plenty of scantily clad ladies.

Shofukutei Tsurube (photo, 53) was just one of the celebrities who came out in force yesterday to congratulate actor turned samba singer Matsudaira Ken (51) on his marriage and bask in some of his limelight. Kicking off a nationwide tour in Shizuoka yesterday, Matsuken was beaming as he told fans of his recent marriage to former idol singer Matsumoto Yuriko (37). It’s really quite remarkable how his kitsch show, wearing a red and gold lame kimono and singing his “Matsuken Samba II” hit from last year, continues to be so successful. Everybody who had any kind of press conference yesterday took the opportunity to congratulate Matsudaira and his new bride. They included enka singer Yamakawa Yutaka, who’s celebrating 25 years in showbiz, and idol singer Matsuura Aya (19), former Morning Musume members Tsuji (18) and Kato Ai (17) and flamboyant flower designer Kariazaki Shogo (47), who were promoting the “Alegria 2” circus show. Another was rakugo (traditional storytelling) star and celebrity Tsurube, who was awarded the “18th Japan Best Megane Dresser Award,” given to famous people who look good in glasses, and was also celebrating his 31st wedding anniversary. Other winners of the award this year included foreign minister Machimura Nobutaka (60), model/actress Ishikawa Asami (27), actor Terao Satoshi (58, sunglasses category!) and journalist Torigoe Shuntaro (65), who last week underwent surgery for cancer.

Actor turned samba singer Matsudaira Ken (51) has got hitched again. Married to the beautiful Daichi Mao (48) until their divorce in January of last year, this time around he’s tied the knot with former idol singer Matsumoto Yuriko (37). The two appeared together on the popular TV Asahi samurai show “Abarenbo Shogun” back in 1991 but only started a romance in October of 2004. They registered their marriage yesterday. For many years, Matsudaira was the macho face of the sword-wielding Abarenbo Shogun, a part he played 830 times between 1978 and 2003. But after his divorce from Daichi, he underwent a huge transformation, dressing in gold lame kimono and singing and dancing the samba. The song “Matsuken Samba II” was a huge hit with people of all ages and kept him in the spotlight for the whole year.

(By the way, “goal in” is one of those strange Japanized expressions that sound like English but make no sense. It’s used for situations where somone manages to make it across the marriage finishing line.)

• Pop duo Puffy are to work with Cindi Lauper (52) on her new album of self-covers. “The Body Acoustic” marks her 25th anniversary in showbiz and includes collaborations with such established names as Jeff Beck and Sarah McLachlan, so the inclusion of Puffy is quite an honor. Of course, the huge success of their US animation series “Hi! Hi! Puffy AmiYumi” has not harmed their market value. And they are an ideal match for a cover version of Lauper’s landmark 1983 hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

Later this month 16-year old singer Satomi is to release her debut single under the guidance of the man who brought the world such bands as Oasis, Primal Scream and Teenage Fanclub. Since 1999, British music industry mogul and founder of Creation Records Alan McGee has been running the Poptones label, and the high school student from Yamaguchi Prefecture was the first artist to be released on his new Hiptones R&B imprint, with the 12-inch record “Toxic Love” in June. A label spokesman said the beautiful youngster has all the makings of a major star. The former All-Japan aerobics champion dreamed of becoming a dancer and only sang in public for the first time at a music festival in Cannes in January. She made her UK live debut at the famous Ronnie Scott’s club in London in May. Her debut single “Heartbreaker” is due for release in the UK on October 24, though an import version will be available from Tower Records in Japan from tomorrow. Check out a sample on her Japanese label Aozora Records – this girl is going to be BIG.

• Former boy idol turned racing car driver Kondo Masahiko (41) is to release his first new original song in almost eight years. The as-yet unnamed single will be released in December, just ahead of the 25th anniversary of Macchi’s show business debut. January 1 will see the release of a boxed set of his 43 singles issued between 1980 and a 2002 self-cover. Largely unknown to younger music fans, his fame in the 1980s was such that the new single will get lots of media attention. In November, it will be used as the opening theme for the Fuji TV show “Friday Entertainment.”

• Russian pop duo tATu are pretty much yesterday’s news. But they haven’t disappeared just yet, and are in fact visiting Japan for the fourth time to promote their new album, “Dangerous and Moving.” The young pair made no friends here on their last visit two years ago when they failed to turn up for a live performance on the TV Asahi show “Music Station.” They promised not to cancel today’s recording of the TBS “Utaban” show scheduled to air on the 27th. Their record label said the pair want to go shopping and clubbing while in Tokyo, but most of all want to eat some good sushi. They are due to attend a fan event at Tokyo’s Club Asia tomorrow night.

Today is the “Taiiku no Hi” (Sports Day) national holiday.

Singer Wada Akiko (55) yesterday bid a tearful farewell to her mother, who died last week of a brain haemorrhage. The funeral service was held at a temple in Osaka, and was attended by several hundred people, including many celebrities. Others sent their condolences by telegram, including one from Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro. When the background music during the service included Wada’s 1996 single “Mother” family, friends and fans alike were all in tears. After the service, Wada struggled through a press conference, and told how her mother had held on until she could reach the hospital. Within ten minutes of her arrival at her mother’s bedside, she was gone. She was 85.

• Later this month will see the movie revival of the classic detective series “Abunai Deka.” Yesterday, stars Tachi Hiroshi (55) and Shibata Kyouhei (54) appeared in their customary dark shades at a PR event in Yokohama. They arrived, accompanied by Miss Universe Japan Machimoto Eri, in an 22m-long, ¥50-million limousine, to the delight of 2,000 fans. “Mada Mada Abunai Deka” is the first movie in the series for seven years and is set to open on October 22. The movies are based on the hugely popular TV series of the same name that ran from 1986.

The Shochiku movie studio announced this week that SMAP star Kimura Takuya (32) is to play the lead in the latest samurai movie by director Yamada Yoji (69). In “Bushi no Ichibun,” Kimutaku will have his first period drama role, as Mimura Shinnosuke, a retainer to a feudal lord who loses his sight after tasting poison intended for his master. He loses his job, and his wife seeks the help of a powerful local bureaucrat. But she is raped, leading Shinnosuke to plot his revenge. The movie is Yamada’s third samurai flick after many years directing the “Otoko wa Tsurai Yo” series. He received an Academy Award nomination for “Tasogare Seibei” (Twilight Samurai) in 2004, the year he made “Kakushi Ken, Oni no Tsume” (The Samurai’s Hidden Sword).

• Actor and model Shoei (31) is engaged to freelance announcer Abe Wakako (31), it was announced yesterday. The athletic Shoei, who became an overnight star several years ago when he appeared on the TBS “Muscle Ranking” TV show, has chosen the Taiiku no Hi (Sports Day, October 10) national holiday to register their marriage. Abe is a 3rd-dan in kendo and also a proficient swimmer and skater. The couple are both busy so the wedding ceremony and reception will have to wait until next year. Shoei has a regular part as a ninja on the long-running period drama series “Mito Komon,” while Abe has several regular TV and radio jobs in the the Fukushima Prefecture area. They are said to have first met four years ago on a local TV show but romance didn’t bloom until the autumn of last year. They have been living together in Tokyo since June.

• Appearing at a book signing for her latest collection of essays, actress Kuroki Hitomi denied that she and her husband are separated. Wednesday was her 45th birthday, but she still hardly looks a day over 30, which is part of the secret to her huge popularity among people of all ages. She won a literary award in April for an essay on life with her 44-year old ad-man husband and their 7-year old daughter.