[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #92 Quiet Rise to Global Fame. Just How Far Across the World has the Obento Spread?

I’ve asked countless people at events held in the US, “What aspects of Japanese culture or lifestyle have you picked up on through watching anime?”

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

2014.02.26

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #91 Japan’s Otaku Girls Paving the Way for a Better World with Anime Cultural Diplomacy!

It was the lectures I gave on a tour of Italy and the Czech Republic in December 2007 that set the stage for my career in cultural diplomacy. Now, in January 2014, I’ve headed various projects in 25 countries and 125 cities all over the world.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Fukuoka｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.02.19

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #90 Interview with Morning Musume ’14 Member, Kudo Haruka – Part Two – What is it that “Silver Spoon” and Morning Musume Have in Common?

A world-loved manga magazine teams up with Japan’s top idol group. This is the second part in my interview with shōnen manga loving, Kudo Haruka, on her cover shoot with Morning Musume ’14 and Shōnen Sunday magazine.

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2014.02.12

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #89 An Exclusive on the Morning Musume ’14 Photo Shoot for “Weekly Shōnen Sunday” Magazine and Interview with “Silver Spoon” Fan, Kudo Haruka

There are many things in Japan that are so mundane for Japanese people but are completely novel for the rest of the world. One of these things are weekly manga magazines.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Japan｜ Fukuoka｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Manga｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.02.05

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #88 There’s More to Japan Than Just Tokyo! Loco-dols “LinQ” Sharing Their Love of Fukuoka with the World

I first began my work in cultural diplomacy in 2008, and as I discovered, the more countries I visited in this line of work, the greater my feelings towards my own country, Japan, grew.

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

2014.01.29

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #87 Up-close with Idol Cover-Dance Teams – The Gems of Cosplay Events in Asia

I have written about the popularity of cover-dance in Asia one of my previous articles.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Thailand ｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.01.22

[JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!] #86 Sakurai Takamasa & Uesaka Sumire’s New Year’s Discussion – Part Three – Otaku Girls in China and Uesaka Sumire are Very Much Alike

This is the final installment in the three-part series of my talk with Uesaka Sumire as we discuss the paths we look to follow in our line of work in cultural diplomacy.

JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN! | Other Areas｜ INTERVIEW / SERIALS｜ Anime｜ Talent/Idol｜ JAPAN! JAPAN! JAPAN!｜

2014.01.15