Picture flash: Arashi blokes, Ikuta Toma w glasses, KimuTaku and his wife etc.

Matsumoto Jun resting during filming (possibly for Natsuniji?)

 And Matsumoto Jun on a train? While I do think that he might take the train sometimes, this guy doesn't really look a lot like him...

Ninomiya in his own clothes.

Ohno (Arashi) and Ryo (Kanjani8) looking pretty chummy. Ohno is so cute!

Ikuta Toma hard at work(?). He looks just as good with glasses~



Kimura Takuya (SMAP) and his wife, Shizuka Kudo.

Sources: Matsumoto Jun filming - Janimoe; Matsujun train - choko44; Nino - choko44; Ohno and Ryo - Janimoe; Ikuta Toma glasses - Janimoe; KimuTaku and Shizuka Kuda - Auragazou

Ueda on his solo concert, toe injury and Akanishi Jin

KAT-TUN’s Ueda Tatsuya has his solo live concert at The First Gymnasium in Yoyogi on September 26. It was reported last month that during KAT-TUN’s concert in Taipei, Ueda broke his left big toe. However, he still continued to perform at the next concert, which was on the next day.
Ueda’s solo concert tour started early last month in which he will have 8 performances in 5 cities. Although his injury is not yet completely healed and it was said that he’s still in pain, he acted like a professional and even ran around the stage, completely focused on the stage director’s instructions.
“SCOOP! Shougeki Shasin” gave a detailed report about Ueda’s accident in Taiwan and had photos showing the sequence of Ueda’s 3 meter jump. “After I jumped, I just thought ‘This is bad’,” he said in a joke.
About his first solo live tour, Ueda expressed that he’s so happy about it and it was his dream to have one. When asked about Akanishi Jin, who have left the group and will perform in 5 cities in the US, all Ueda said is “He is my friend. So I’ll be supporting him in his activities”. (tokyohive)

Taguchi Junnosuke and Komine Rena together in Kumamoto

In September 2009, KAT-TUN member Taguchi Junnosuke (25) and actress Komine Rena (30) went on a trip to Hawaii together. Now, Tokyo Sports has reported that the two of them were in Kumamoto prefecture, which is Komine Rena's hometown. Above is an old paparazzi shot of the two of them.

They were at the Fujisaki Hachimangu Autumn Festival in Kumamoto prefecture in mid-September. The festival is the most famous festival in Kumamoto, and runs from 11-15 September. Usually, about 200 000 people take part in the festival every year.

A teenage girl who saw the couple described them as behaving very naturally. She also said that there were many high school and middle school students at the festival, and some of them were getting quite excited, saying things like "Ah! KAT-TUN's Taguchi!".

Since the two of them were at the festival, it seems almost natural that Junno would have visited Komine's house. On September 24, Komine actually updated her blog. She mentioned that she had returned to Kumamoto to see her grandmother and wished her blog readers well. Previously, there had been some fans who were upset about her blog postings. (Azashi)

Toda Erika digs her nose for "SPEC"

Actress Toda Erika (22) and actor Kase Ryo (35) took the stage at TBS today to present their new drama "SPEC".

Toda stood out in her role as Touma Saya, a weird woman and genius with an IQ of 201 who always has her left arm in a triangular bandage and never stands straight. "About 3-4 years ago I realized that while I need to have pride as an actress, I don't need any kind of womanly pride for acting," Toda was fully motivated about her role. "The director gave me instruction like, 'I want you to pick your nose'. Of course it was a bit shocking at first, but no matter what filthy or cruel things he wants me to do, if he requests it, I'll do it," she explained and stated all the fun she had during the filming while not thinking about her image as a woman.

The drama is a sequel to the series "Keizoku" that aired 11 years ago and has almost the same staff as well as a few actors that already appeared in the original, including veteran actor Ryuu Raita (70). Of course the story will be similar as well and focus on a special team that handles unsolvable cases. That team is being led by Touma as mentioned above and Sebumi Takeru (Kase), a former commandant of the special forces.

Kase had some interesting stories to share from the filming. "Toda has been on a rampage lately. She goes way beyond what is written inside the script, starts to do a lot of ambiguous things, but she's so great that almost everything will make it into the final version," he described her acting.

Toda also said a few things about Kase, "He is always very straightforward, during his performance and in private. However, recently I think he started to reveal his actual true self. He has a very unique side to him and often comes up with the craziest ideas about Touma. It's just fun doing all those absurd things together with him."

"SPEC" will air every Friday and have its premier on October 8. As usual, the first episode will be 15 minutes longer. (Kawaii Joyuu)

Mizushima Hiro clears up retirement rumors

Mezamashi TV's Tokudane segment contacted Mizushima Hiro asking him about leaving talent agency Ken-on, retiring from showbiz and becoming a writer. "I'm bewildered by the inaccuracy of the reports," he commented.


According to Mezamashi TV, Mizushima stated that reports citing that Ayaka is still attached to Ken-on is not true and that she had left Ken-on after her performance at the Kouhaku last year. Furthermore, they are starting up a company to manage Ayaka's music and Mizushima is not stopping acting work.

Information given out by Ken-on and other reports
- Ayaka is just taking a break, she is still with Ken-on.
- Mizushima Hiro is no longer interested in being an actor, he wants to concentrate on writing.
- Ayaka and Mizushima Hiro are setting up a company to manage their work.

Mizushima Hiro's comments
- Ayaka left Ken-on after her Kouhaku performance last year.
- Mizushima Hiro will continue with creative works and that includes acting.
- Ayaka and Mizushima Hiro are not setting up a company to manage their work. The company will be set up only to manage Ayaka's music.
- The two of them will do their best without being attached to a talent agency.
(24th September) Edit : Multiple news reports are citing that the clarification came from an email exchange with Tokudane's Ogura Tomoaki. Mainichi, Sports Hochi and Asahi reported that the email exchange was with Ayaka while Daily Sports Online reported that it was with Hiro. (unleashthegeek)

Whatever it is, I wish the two of them all the best! ^_^

Arashi shows support for HFMD-stricken Miyazaki through short video

Arashi are releasing a video message exclusively for the people living in West Japan, after an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease has hit the area.
As the country’s tourism navigators, the group volunteered to release a 15-second video to air only in Miyazaki prefecture, where tourist numbers have dropped considerably since April.

The highly contagious hand foot and mouth disease had led to the slaughtering of almost 300 000 cattle and livestock, affecting the prefecture’s premium beef industry. For a while, road access in and out of the prefecture had been restricted in order to keep the disease from spreading. This has caused people to think twice about visiting the area.

In Arashi’s video, the five members cheer on the locals.
-“Speaking of Miyazaki, I can think of plenty of things to see! Great food!” Said Aiba Masaki Aiba (27).
-“No matter what, Miyazaki beef is still the best in Japan,” said Ohno Satoshi (29).
-“We support you,” said Matsumoto Jun (27).
The video will be broadcast on local TV stations and at local events held in Miyazaki. (MomoEdgewood's Mediawatch)

Aww, how sweet! ARASHI~

Yamamoto Yusuke has a 21 year old girlfriend?

This week's issue of FRIDAY reports that young actor Yamamoto Yusuke (22) was seen with a woman at his apartment earlier this month. The woman, said to be 21 years old, entered the apartment building together with Yamamoto and spent the night there. The two left the building at different times the next morning.
FRIDAY says that Yamamoto and the woman have been dating for less than a month. Yamamoto's agency also stated that he met the woman about 1 or 2 months ago, but described her as a close friend. The company asserted that work should be the priority for Yamamoto, and they have told him that directly. (Tokyograph)