Asada Mao has a new coach

Ice-skater Asada Mao (19) will get a new coach after losing to Kim Yuna (19) during the Vancouver Olympics earlier this year. It has been reported that the only reason for her loss was the difference in coaches and that her talent was equal, if not better than Kim Yuna's. This sentiment was echoed by Arakawa Torino, former Olympic gold medallist, who serves as Mao's mentor. It is hoped that this change will help Asada Mao in the next Winter Olympics. (Enatme)

Ayaka's contract with Hello! Project is over!

Hello! Project (HP) has officially ended its contract with singer Ayaka Iida (22) on 31 March this year. This is in accordance with her plan to suspend her career indefinitely in order to seek treatment for her Graves' disease.

Her husband, Mizushima Hiro (26), is also lessening his workload so that he can take better care of her.

A source from HP has said that "We have also handled the fan mail and fan reception. For your long time patronage, we thank you very much.". (Entame)

Random (and rather unreliable) Japanese Celebrity Polls

The results of some polls that I found on this blog, it's just for fun and not meant to be taken seriously, so don't get angry if you don't see your idol performing well!

Who are you admiring?
01 – Domoto Koichi
02 – Nakamori Akina
03 – Goto Maki
04 – Masuda Takahisa
05 – Domoto Tsuyoshi
06 – Saijo Hideki
07 – Funaki Kazuo
08 – Matsumoto Jun
09 – Akanishi Jin
10 – Kusanagi Tsuyoshi
Am I glad Matsujun's above Jin!

When you are feeling down, who would you like to cheer you up?

01 – Domoto Koichi
02 – Nakamori Akina
03 – Masuda Takahisa
04 – Sawajiri Erika
05 – Domoto Tsuyoshi
06 – Kamenashi Kazuya
07 – Matsumoto Jun
08 – Funaki Kazuo
09 – Ohno Satoshi
10 – Fukuhara Haruka (Mine)
Arashi!!!

Celebrities you would pay a lot of money just to meet in person once.

01 – Domoto Koichi
02 – Nakamori Akina
03 – Iwasaki Hiromi
04 – Sawajiri Erika
05 – Kamenashi Kazuya
06 – Matsumoto Jun
07 – Nokubo Naoki
08 – Koizumi Kyoko
09 – Akanishi Jin
10 – Domoto Tsuyoshi
Take that, Bakanishi! >:( Jun beats you hands down every time!

From who would you like to get a wake-up call?
01 – Domoto Koichi
02 – Sawajiri Erika
03 – Masuda Takahisa
04 – Domoto Tsuyoshi
05 – Funaki Kazuo
06 – Matsumoto Jun
07 – Kamenashi Kazuya
08 – Fukada Kyoko
09 – Fukuhara Haruka (Mine)
10 – Goto Maki
I really like both of them so it doesn't matter who wins!

Gomaki and Sawajiri Erika seem to feature very strongly in these polls! Huh why aren't there more guys that I like, such as Teppei or Hiro!

Erika Sawajiri is getting divorced!

It has emerged that actress Erika Sawajiri is planning to get a divorce from her husband.

The 24-year-old actress has revealed that she is planning to divorce 45-year-old filmmaker Tsuyoshi Takashiro.

Sawajiri commented on her website: "I'd like to announce that I've decided to divorce my husband Tsuyoshi Takashiro, and my family is currently mediating a settlement."

The couple got married in January last year. (Manichi Daily News)

Oguri Shun and Yamada Yu no longer living together!

After five months, Oguri Shun (27) and model Yamada Yu (25) have stopped living together. The two, who had previously went on a holiday to Hawaii together, had purchased a 200 million yen apartment in Tokyo, in which they had lived in together. Ealier, there had been talk of the two of them getting married.

Though the reasons for the move out are unclear, it seems that there Oguri Shun had a shift of values as he started to place more emphasis on his work. A third party might also be involved. (Entame)

Manabe Kaori caught lying about her age

Gasp! It seems that Manabe Kaori has been lying about her age all this while! Previously, it had been stated that she was born on March 31, 1981, but after the anullment of her contract with her agency, it was discovered that her actual date of birth is 31 May 1980. This information comes from the official records of Ehime Prefecture. There is a discrepancy of 10 months and though Manabe was supposed to have turned 29 in March, she actually welcomes her 30th birthday within a month.

A source was quoted as saying that "For idols in the industry to change their profile is not uncommon. Perhaps by pretending to be younger, it appeals to the firm, who is attempting to audition for a variety of crew".

This public discovery will certainly come as a blow to Manabe as doubts about her profile continue to surface. (Entame)

Japanese Lady Gaga Fans Dress to Impress!

A while back on Saturday April 17th 2010, Lady Gaga played the first of two sold-out shows at Tokyo’s Yokohama Arena. These were the only two Tokyo-area stops on her sold-out-all-over-the-world “Monster Ball” tour. Lady Gaga is popular everywhere on the planet, but her Japanese fans really love her and go all out whenever she comes to visit them. Her fans were also were out in force last July at Summer Sonic 2009, staying past last train to see Gaga live. Since then, her Japanese fan base has grown exponentially, thanks to word of mouth from her “Little Monsters” as well as heavy radio and video play of her hits. Her latest single/video “Telephone” featuring Beyonce (who is also uber-popular among young Japanese women) can be seen and heard all over Tokyo at any time of the day or night – from clubs to shops to parties. (Tokyo Fashion)

Check out some of my favourites:

Being young helps.

I like the traditional touch shown by these two ladies. : D

Japanese are at least light years in front of Singaporeans when it comes to dressing up, and not just for concerts.

Incidentally, this was the concert that Matsumoto Jun and Sakurai Sho went to see together! Apaarently they arrived for the concert, met up, and then left separately again. Jun said it was an amazing concert!

I've been in love with Liz Lisa and I've never realised it till now

I saw the label Liz Lisa in a Hong Kong department store, and I remember seeing the salesgirls and the clothes and thinking,"Oh god, this is exactly the type of store I've been looking for!". Unfortunately, my mum wasn't didn't think the clothes were nice (we obviously have very differing tastes) and hence wasn't willing to shell out so much. At that time, I didn't even realise it was a Japanese label (I didn't even remember the brand name), I just thought that it had a very country-style, sweet lolita, kawaii feel to it. And lo and behold, I found some pictures that I loved on the internet and realised that it was from the same brand... LIZ LISA! Check out their site here.

I love the blouse of the girl on the right!

I like her boots, dress, hair ribbon, Starbucks coffee... Everything!

And I like how she looks so light and breezy here.

If Singapore weren't so hot and humid and I wouldn't get too many stares from my narrow-minded fellow countrymen (no, even that is worth it), I'd save up like crazy to buy Liz Lisa. But they aren't in Singapore! Probably realised that no one, no, only one person, me, would buy their stuff. Actually I just did some rethinking and it's actually quite practical to wear in Singapore. I mean, it's not even thick or all long-sleeved or anything, SO WTF IS WRONG WITH SINGAPOREANS' DRESSING SUCH THAT WE CAN'T EMBRACE SUCH PRETTY CLOTHES?!?! I need to learn to stop dissing my country, seriously.

Blah, school = *#!@$&

In case anyone has been wondering why I haven't been posting much lately, it's not that I've decided to neglect my blog, but because:

1. I've been feeling so blah lately.
2. There isn't any exciting entame news for me to post, exciting meaning related to Arashi/ KAT-TUN/ others.
3. My exams are coming (in less than a week, my friend kindly reminded me today).
4. My laptop isn't %#$@& here yet!!!

So do keep on checking back, but for those who can't be bothered to keep on checking back, feel free to email me, I'll email you back when I start updating (properly) again.

Please, talk to me!

Hi everyone, pleasepleasePLEASE talk to me, either through formspring/tagboard/comments/email I WILL REPLY even though I hve loads of schoolwork I just love typing out long replies so I will throw aside whatever work I have in order to reply. :))

how are you ??I love you :)I am from saudi arabia

Hello!
I love you too! ^_^ I don't know why you love me but aww it doesn't matter. I'm from (hot and humid) Singapore, and I'm doing okay but not too well, what with exams, homework and what not. I promise I'll update more over the weekend/ when I have time!
PS(to you and everyone else): Who is/are your favourite idols and why? HAHAHA IT CAN BE JUST 'CUZ THEY'RE HOT AND KAWAII LIKE MATSUJUN.

Ask me anything and I will answer you. That is, to say, I'll try.

Skirts for men?!

“Skirt men” (suka-to danshi, スカート男子), are becoming a common sight in the Harajuku district, wearing skirts over their jeans. These men’s skirts resemble something more like aprons and there are no girly frills in sight! Apparently the wear is becoming more and more popular in Tokyo now, especially in Aoyama and Harajuku. (Japan Trends)

Akanishi Jin leaving Johnny's Entertainment?

It was reported yesterday that Akanishi Jin, may be leaving Johnny's Entertainment after his CM contract expires. It seems that had tried to leave Johnny's earlier, but could not do so due to his CM-related contracts as well as other reasons. Jin is the only KAT-TUn member not to join the band on its world tour, but it had been assumed that his hiatus was simply temporary.

Also, popular member of SMAP Kusanagi Tsuyoshi has said that he is looking to study abroad in South Korea. He is quite well-known there and has extended his stay. (Entame)

Couple gets married through "Love Ride" reality program Ainori

Ainori, a popular TV program in Japan in which 7young men and women travel the world riding a pink bus, has matched another couple! Fuji TV has  released the news that Moriken proposed to Kuu on 10 November last year but only made the news public a few days later. Apparently, the speed of the marriage had led some sceptics into believing that Kuu was pregnant, but this has not been confirmed yet. (Entame)

You can read more about this Ainori reality program here.

Happy Birthday, Hiro!

Happy (belated) birthay!

Yay!

Leaked photos of Akanishi Jin partying with a blond foreigner!

It seems that once again, Akanishi Jin (25), member of popular boyband KAT-TUN, has been caught playing around. Well known for being a playboy, he has just been caught for being intimate with BoA here. This time, photos of him being close with a sexy-looking blond have been leaked on the internet. Apparently, the two of them had been drinking heavily.

It has been lamented that Jin should spend more time in Japan working hard to please his fans instead of partying around, but it has been quoted that Jin is just being a typical boy and that everyone should not get so uptight about all these incidents. (Entame)

Ayase Haruka's overly cute website

Ever seen Ayase Haruka's website?

Only someone as pretty as her can get away with something so cutesy!

Koike Teppei

Hey this guy is so cute! Turns out he's 167cm, I always thought he was less than 160cm tall! Aww he looks so sweet!

And last but not least...

HAHA!

KAT-TUN's Ueda Tatsuya together with Kobayashi Ryoko?

Apparently, KAT-TUN member Ueda Tatsuya (26) has been spotted with actress Kobayashi Ryoko (20) on a date this week. The report states that both of them had met during the stageplay "Romeo & Juliet" last spring, and ended up falling in love with each other. The couple even held hands during interviews, and there had already been speculation about their relationship then.

Some of Ueda's female fans are actually delighted over the news, as there had been some uncertainty over his sexual orientation due to his neutral image. (Entame)

Oh, to find someone who knows Matsumoto Jun on Omegle!

A few days ago, I came up with a crazy quest: To find someone who knows Matsumoto Jun on Omegle. For those of you who don't know, Omegle is this web service where you get to chat with a random stranger online. It's quite fun (at least to me) as long as you don't meet some pervert or someone who just wants to advertise. Anyway, I suspect most Omegle users come from Australia, US, China, Indonesia etc, so it was almost impossible to find anyone who knew him! Click to enlarge the images.

Attempt 1:

Attempt 2:
Well, at least he tried!

Attempt 3:

Attempt 4:

Had quite a funny chat with this guy/ girl, look what happened later!

Attempt 5:

My hard work finally paid off!

But turns out this girl just did a search on him!

NOTE: In my conversations, I always said that I'd just watched a show that Jun had just acted in and found him hot, the Googled him, but obviously that is  SO NOT TRUE. I just didn't want to sound to crazy for fear of scaring people away.

Ohh, I went for tuition class early yesterday and was watching Gokusen on my iPod when I paused and asked another girl (who was early too) if she knew who the guy on the screen (Matsumoto Jun) was and OMG she said yes!!! Hahaha turns out she was Jun-baited by Hana Yori Dango then watched Gokusen that's like everyone-except-me's story!

Shimane no Bengoshi and how I have no movie partner

I rewatched Shimane no bengoshi over the weekend! The story doesn't really have a plot and there is no real "conclusion", but it's a real tearjerker at some parts and anyway I love anthing with both Nakama Yukie and Kagawa Teruyuki in it! I didn't ralise it was a manga until this time, though, when they advertised for it in the end. Haha, all my favourite shows come from mangas!

I want to watch My Rainy Days as it's one of the few Japanese movies that receive good ratings by Singaporean reviewers, but there's no one who'll want to watch with me! See the review by TODAY newspaper here. Everyone wants to watch stuff like Diary of A Wimpy Kid or When in Rome. Oh, actually I want to watch them too!

Akanishi Jin and BoA get close

It seems like Akanishi Jin (25), the only KAT-TUN member not to join the band on its world tour, was getting up close with Korean superstar BoA (23) in a nightclub just two weeks ago on March 23rd.

Akanishi Jin, who was wearing a black coat, had been in the VIP section of a popular nightclub with Japanese pop star Crystal Kay, who was wearing a grey jacket. They were deep in conversation.

After 2AM, Korean superstar BoA was spotted next to him. She was wearing sexy clothes and had revealed thae tattoo that she has on her back (see below). BoA and Akanishi Jin were drinking cocktails and tequila respectively. Suddenly, Jin pulled BoA close to him in an embrace, but apparently they did not kiss. The three of them, Jin, BoA and Crystal Kay have been close friends for a while now.

Meanwhile, KAT-TUN has announced that it will release a new song without Akanishi. (Entame)

Grr my translation isn't good enough to understand almost half the article and Google is not helping! One of the reasons why although I like Jin's looks, I don't really like his character. :(

Fish in a teapot

Look at the newest addition to my desktop!

And there's fish inside, too!

Yay! :)

"White Goat" paper shredder makes toilet paper!

It seems that Japanese have devoloped a fixation for novel toilet paper products. Remember this post? Well, not they've come up with something that's more eco-friendly: a machine that takes in waste paper and gives out toilet paper!

The "White Goat" paper shredder ensures that your data will not land in the wrong hands by making rolls of toilet paper out of the paper it shreds. It will take the “White Goat” 30 minutes to produce one roll of toilet paper using approximately 1800 shredded sheet of A4 size paper which translates to production of 48 toilet paper rolls in 24 hours operation. The other ingredient in producing your toilet roll is water; it takes about 10 to 15 liters of water every other day in order to operate the “White Goat”.

It comes with the dimension of W1830 × D810 × H1800mm and it weighs about 600 kg. According to the company by using “White Goat” provide a easy information management by keeping all the paper documents within the company and at the same time contributing to waste reduction. The price tag for “White Goat” is around 9,000,000 yen and it will go on sale from the end of August.

pictures~

There's nothing interesting going on now, so here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Videos!

1. Pocky ad by Nakama Yukie, one of my fave actressess! Senseless but still interesting!

2. KAT-TUN lip balm. Someone give me the Kame and Jin flavours please!


3. Akanishi Jin's infamously ticklish collarbone in action! Hear how hard the host laughs the first time!

That's what I'd do, too!