[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #105 Overcoming Life’s Setbacks: Struggles of the Japanese Idol

Idols are one of Japan’s national treasures and ever since my life-changing encounter with Takahashi Ai, Tanaka Reina, and the other “platinum generation” members of Morning Musume at their Paris concert in July 2010, I’ve met countless more of them. And I’ve worked with many of them along the way, too.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.05.28

Interview Now ～Acid Black Cherry～

On April 9th (Wednesday), the popular artist Yasu who is also known as Acid Black Cherry came back to Fukuoka. It’s been one and a half years since his last visit so we’re very excited to see what he has to say about his new undertaking, “Project Shangri-la” and hear some anecdotes from his travels around Japan. Fans stay tuned! We will also be gifting some lucky winners with autographs from the man himself!

Interview Now | INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Fashion｜ Music｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜

2014.05.22

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #104 Idols’ Challenge to Rock: A Concert Coming to Shibuya this Summer

I first began my work in cultural diplomacy in 2008 and since then I’ve visited a number of universities overseas and had discussions with students on one topic in particular...

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Tokyo｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Music｜ Anime｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.05.21

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #103 How did “Detective Conan” Change my Life? A Discussion on Anime Production and Japanese “Skill” with Chief Producer, Suwa Michihiko

“Detective Conan” is one of the representative works of Japanese anime. For me, my encounter with Conan was a big turning point in my life.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.05.14

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #102 Are all European Girls who Love Japanese Idols this Shy?

Continuing on from my article last week, in April 2014, I attended Italy’s largest Japanese pop culture event, ROMICS, for the first time since fall, 2011.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Event Reports｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.05.07

Interview Now ～Wake Up, Girls！青山吉能（Yoshino Aoyama）, 山下七海(Nanami Yamashita)～

For this asianbeat special, we will be interviewing Yoshino Aoyama and Nanami Yamashita from the band “Wake Up, Girls!”. They came down to Fukuoka as part of their “Wake Up, Girls! OP-ED CD launch event” and we will later be giving away some signed cards to a few lucky winners!

Interview Now | Japan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Talent/Idol｜

2014.05.02

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #101 Rome’s ROMICS. “Hetalia,” “Attack on Titan,” “Gintama”: The Cross-Border Topics for Discussion are Endless.

Italy is a place that holds a lot of memories for me and my work in cultural diplomacy. In December 2007, I was asked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to perform a series of talks, in Prague, Czech Republic, and in Rome, Bologna and Milan, in Italy, and one of the main reasons that I started to become passionate about cultural diplomacy was because of this tour.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Event Reports｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.04.30

Interview Now ～LM.C～

Maya & Aiji, the Japanese popular visual-kei unit, "LM.C" came to Fukuoka as a part of their “LM.C TOUR 2014 PERFECT FANTASY.” This exclusive interview with them gives us insight into what their tours abroad were like and what some of their first impressions of Fukuoka were.

Interview Now | INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Music｜ Anime｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜

2014.04.24

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #100 Local Idol Concert, Local Landmarks and Local Food – A New Way to Sightsee in Japan

“asianbeat,” the website that publishes these articles, is operated by Fukuoka prefecture. Fukuoka plays a major role as a gateway to all the countries throughout Asia and the world, and I think it’s rather significant that Fukuoka prefecture is the one representing Japan, transmitting Japanese pop culture to the world.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Fukuoka｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Gourmet｜ Event Reports｜ Talent/Idol｜ sightseeing｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.04.23

[Report from Kobori in Bangkok] Thailand's first anime disco cosplay party! Thailand's only anime DJ makes a guest appearance and will make you a disco fan!

From Japan to Bangkok, the extremely popular "Anime Disco" pre-party was a success and many were belting out Japanese anime tunes!

Kobori 's Bangkok Report | Japan｜ Thailand ｜ Bangkok｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Event Reports｜ Trends｜ Hot Spot｜ J-POP｜

2014.04.18

Interview Now ～Mix Speaker's,Inc.～

An exclusive interview with a popular visual-kei band, "Mix Speaker's,Inc." who came to Fukuoka on Sunday, March 9th, 2014 for their “天国への階段 (Tengoku e no kaidan)～rest in peace～” tour. In this Interview, we talked about their impression of Fukuoka, what tours abroad (in Europe and America) were like for them, and what their future goals as artists are!!

Interview Now | Japan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Music｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜

2014.04.17

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #99 “I’m Still the Same Reina that I was in Morning Musume.” Interview with LoVendoЯ One Year on from Their Forming as a Band

Almost four years have passed since Morning Musume’s Paris concert in July 2010, where I first found out about Tanaka Reina.
Of the 8 members who performed at that time, 7 have since graduated from the group, but Tanaka Reina went on to form a band and remains at the forefront of Japan’s music scene to this day

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Event Reports｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.04.16

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #98 Alice Nine’s Tour of China will be a Decisive Test for Japan’s Music Industry

Japanese-brand entertainment on the international scene will take an important step forward this year (2014) with the launch of a concert tour kicking off in China. Beginning in June, Alice Nine will start their Asia Tour, performing in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and South Korea

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Event Reports｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.04.09

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #97 Idols Want to do More Sightseeing, Too! Guiding a Group of Popular Idols Around Taiwan

Being an idol is no walk in the park. At home in Japan they’re constantly busy, but when they also take part in activities overseas and they’re given such tight schedules over such a short period of time, they’re even busier still.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Taiwan｜ Taipei｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Event Reports｜ Talent/Idol｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.04.02

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #96 Japanese Writers and Artists Flock to Taiwan’s Biggest Dōjin Event, “Fancy Frontier”!

On February 15-16, 2014, I took part in “Fancy Frontier,” the biggest dōjin event in Taipei.
Fancy Frontier is often written up in magazines and across online media here in Japan, and it certainly lived up to the hype.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Taiwan｜ Taipei｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Anime｜ Event Reports｜ Trends｜ Hot Spot｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.03.26

Interview Now - Kensho Ono (小野 賢章) -

In this exclusive interview with Ono Kensho, who is the voice of Kuroko Tetsuya from the anime "Kukoko no Basuke (Kuroko's Basketball)," we learn some more about his new CD debut and what he has to say about his hometown - Fukuoka! For a couple lucky people we'll also be holding an autographed card giveaway, so stay tuned!

Interview Now | INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Music｜ Anime｜ Talent/Idol｜ J-POP｜

2014.03.20

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #95 Exploring the X and Y Axis of Western and Japanese Paintings! Wada Ayaka’s (S/mileage) Guide to Paintings Goes on Sale!

“Manet has given me something that I will cherish for a lifetime.” S/mileage leader, Wada Ayaka, often speaks of her discovery of art just like this.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Talent/Idol｜ Art｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.03.19

[Report from Robin in Hong Kong] U900 Themed Restaurants

Popular in Hong Kong! The knit animal ukulele rabbit and bear duo "U900" making their claim to fame!

Robin’s Hong Kong Report | Hong Kong｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Music｜ Event Reports｜ Hot Spot｜

2014.03.17

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #94 A Popular Idol with the Heart of a True Anime Otaku!

In my previous articles, I’ve written about the popularity of “loco-dols” (local idols). I’ve said many times that one of the greatest assets that Japan can boast to the world is our “diversity,” and nothing within the idol genre embodies this greater than locodols.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Fukuoka｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Cosplay｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.03.12

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #93 Maid Café’s Connecting Japan to the World – An Interview with Two of Akiba’s Popular Maids

One aspect of modern Japanese culture that Japan fans get excited about is maid culture.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Trends｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.03.05