Which AKB48 member is most desired for a “Kimono Date” on New Year’s Day?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EmX5qso4goendofvid

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goo Ranking asked males the question of “Which AKB48 member do you want to go on a ‘Kimono Date’ with on New Year’s Day?”, and the result has just been revealed.

All the members look great in kimonos, but who is the most wanted member?

Check out the result below!

10. Sashihara Rino


9. Akimoto Sayaka


8. Watanabe Mayu


7. Kashiwagi Yuki


6. Takahashi Minami


5. Kojima Haruna


4. Ohshima Yuko


3. Itano Tomomi


2. Maeda Atsuko


1. Shinoda Mariko


To figure out who you would choose, watch the members’ performance in kimonos from their special New Year’s show!




source :tokyohive [endtext]

An AKB48 special New Year’s Day program for fans!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RCY4pL0WBgendofvid

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AKB48 participated in a special program titled, “Akemashite AKB! 2011 nen mo Gachi de Ikimasu, Name de Haregi de Zenin Shugou Daishinnenkai Special“, which was broadcasted live via Nihon TV on New Year’s Day.

On the show, AKB48 performed their “Best Hit Medley” in kimonos, and the members divided into teams in order to battle for the privilege of tasting delicious Japanese dishes.

Check out the program in its entirety below!

Part 1




“Best Hit Medley”: “Heavy Rotation” + “Ponytail to Shushu” + “Aitakatta”
-”Slide Quiz”: A member from each team is situated on slides, and teams must answer questions correctly to ensure that their teammate doesn’t get her face covered with powder. If the team guesses wrongly, then the slides shift, and the member on the slide must try not to fall.

Part 2


Continuation of “Slide Quiz”

Part 3


- “Haregi Pair Gesture”: Secret guests who are fans of AKB48 try to guess the gestures that AKB48 is making.

Part 4



- “SHIODOME obstacle race”: Three members from each team try the obstacle race, and the winning team gets to eat sushi which uses the tuna carved by Akimoto Sayaka.

Part 6



- Continuation of “SHIODOME obstacle race”
- “Gachi de Bucchake opinion poll”: They held an image poll to 50 drag queens about “Who seems the best at making money?” from 5 selected members.

Part 7


- “AKB Tsume Houdai”: The battle between “Team Adult” and “Team Young” over how many members can fit into the box at one time in 3 minutes. Water will be come down into the losing team’s box.


source: tokyohive [endtext]

Arashi makes Ashida Mana’s dreams come true!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bfKgcg_9ukendofvid

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Arashi’s popular variety show, “Himitsu no Arashi-chan“, welcomed child actress Ashida Mana to one of the corners. Ashida was featured in the “VIP ROOM” segment, and consequently, this week’s episode was titled, ” Arashi makes Mana-chan’s dreams come true special”!

When questioned about what her dreams were, Mana cutely responded:

- “I wanna eat delicious pickled cucumber!”
- “I wanna sing ‘Lilupuri’ song!!” (“Lilupuri” is a popular anime amongst little girls)
- “I wanna be good at riding a unicycle!”

Did Arashi manage to help her achieve those dreams? Check out the videos below to find out!











source: tokyohive
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AKB48’s sub-unit, French Kiss, reveals PV preview for “If”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBP0i3gPOtgendofvid

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AKB48’s sub-unit, French Kiss, have previously announced that they would be releasing their second single, “If” for January 19th. Recently, the PV preview for “If” was introduced through Mezamashi TV.

It appears that there’s two different sets for the PV. In one, members Kuramochi Asuka, Kashiwagi Yuki, and Takajo Aki are dancing in chic winter outfits. In the other, it seems like they’re suffering some kind of conflict in their friendship.

Check out the PV below! (For additional details on the single, go back to our previous post here.)




source: tokyohive
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An extended look at Horikita Maki’s “back nude” scene from “Byakuyako”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipuRF6n27cMendofvid

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Japanese movie news site eiga.com has released a small clip of the upcoming movie, “Byakuyako” (“Into the White Night”), which features lead actress Horikita Maki in three completely different scenes.

The movie is based on a best-selling novel by Higashino Keigo, which already had a drama adaptation aired back in 2006. ’Yukiho’ (Horikita) is a very beautiful woman who does not hesitate to trick others into great misfortune, starting with an unsolved case of murder that happened during her childhood.

The first two scenes in the clip are of Horikita as a school girl and as a grown-up woman, both of which are uninteresting compared to the third scene, which is a slightly-extended version of her infamous “back nude” scene (as hinted in an earlier trailer).

For this scene, Yukiho seen is taking off her white nightgown, offering the audience a great look at her beautiful pure white back. Afterwards, she gets on the bed and forcefully presses down on ‘Shinozuka Mika’ (Koike Ayame), the daughter of her second husband. The short clip ends with some pseudo-caressing by Yukiho.

In the novel, that scene could easily be described as a rape, so it will be interesting to see how far they will be going for the moments between taking off her nightgown and the caress. The generous exposure of the back alone is already getting interpreted as a big challenge, and a huge change for the “pure” actress Horikita. We’ve reported earlier about the possibility of additional controversial scenes that would be included in the movie, but we’ll see if they make it to the final cut.

Check out the clip below. The aforementioned scene starts around 0:53!





source: tokyohive
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ACIDMAN to release documentary DVD of South American trip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOKaVJp5GQUendofvid

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Punk rock group ACIDMAN has announced that they will be releasing a special compilation DVD titled, “scene of ‘ALMA’ ~Ooki Nobuo Chile & Bolivia Kikou~” on February 23rd.

The two disc DVD release will be a special combination of video compilations and documentary footage. The first disc will feature a documentary of the film process of the band making their “ALMA” PV in Chile and Bolivia and will be lead by the vocalist Ooki Nobuo. The second disc will be video compilations of their music videos such as, “ALMA,” “DEAR FREEDOM,” and “2145 Nen,” as well as off shot footage of the album recording.



source: tokyohive [endtext]

AKB48 releases 2nd trailer for their documentary movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUapWZ8BMp4endofvid

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Previously, tokyohive reported that AKB48 has been working on a documentary movie, “DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 to be continued 10 nengo, Shoujotachi wa Ima no Jibun ni Nani wo Omounodarou?“. Recently, the movie’s second official trailer has been released via AKB48’s official YouTube channel.

In this preview, it features their lessons, behind-the -scene cuts from their live stages, as well as a look back on the many events they held for 2010. You will also see members Maeda Atsuko, Ohshima Yuko, and Takahashi Minami talking about their future selves, 10 years from now.

AKB48’s documentary movie is scheduled for release January 22nd, 2011. In the meantime, get your fix from the trailer below!


source: tokyohive
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Avex releases PV preview for URATA NAOYA’s “Dream ON” feat. Ayumi Hamasaki

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8uH7LXgKZYendofvid

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“Dream ON“, a collaboration track between AAA’s Urata Naoya and Hamasaki Ayumi, will be released on December 22nd, and a teaser of its PV has made its way onto Avex’s official YouTube channel.

Check it out below! (For more details on the single, check our previous posts, 1. 2. 3.)




source: tokyohive
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Hey!Say! JUMP + Tackey & Tsubasa perform at “2010 Best Artist”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWODqGK4l0wendofvid

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The boys of Johnny’s Entertainment have apparently decided to go with medleys for this year’s NTV “2010 Best Artist” show, as Hey!Say! JUMP and Tackey & Tsubasa both delivered a combination of old and new.

Hey!Say! JUMP started off first with a medley of ”Ultra Music Power” and “Arigatou ~Sekai no doko ni itemo~“, followed by Tackey & Tsubasa’s mix of “Venus” and “Ai wa Takaramono“.





source: tokyohive [endtext]

[Updated w/audio] YUI announces new single for 2011!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm_P6VeH7d8endofvid

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Singer/songwriter YUI has announced that her first release for 2011 will be a double-A side called “It’s My Life/Your Heaven“. The new single will come out officially on January 26th, and boasts two new tracks from the artist.

“Your Heaven” was made as a part of the ‘Play You‘ Sony Walkman campaign, which sent YUI to Sweden in order to find inspiration for a song based around the themes, ‘place’ and ’sound’.

The single will also be available early on December 15th via Chaku-Uta cell downloads for fans to enjoy.

More details on the single will be released soon on YUI’s official site, but in the meantime, check out the full song below!



source: tokyohive
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Namie Amuro for ‘Blenda’ + Previews from “PAST < FUTURE” DVD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zErHY4gg64Aendofvid

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December 15th is just around the corner, and for Namie Amuro fans, they couldn’t be more excited. The pop artist will wrap up her ”Past < Future Tour 2010” in Nagoya on the 15th, and its live DVD will be released the very same day. Avex has recently uploaded a 1-minute video with previews of the DVD!



“Past < Future Tour 2010″ will be Namie’s longest tour, spanning 8 months with 73 back-to-back concerts this year. Previously, her “namie amuro SO CRAZY tour featuring BEST singles 2003-2004” held the title for the longest-running tour, lasting seven months with performances in Taipei and Seoul.

To top it all off, Namie also graced the cover on the January issue of BLENDA magazine, which was accompanied by a 4-page spread.


source: tokyohive
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Tamaki Nami + Choshinsei releases preview of “TTL/Time To Love”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJbVy7cQAZQendofvid


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Singer Tamaki Nami will be releasing her new single “Missing You~Time To Love~” on January 12th. The song will be a cover of K-pop’s ”TTL/Time To Love“, which was a collaboration piece between Choshinsei (Supernova) and T-ara.

According to Sanspo, Tamaki is a fan of K-pop, and so decided to cover a Korean song for her next release. Her choice fell upon “TTL”, which was a big hit in Korea last year, and is also a personal favorite of hers (so much so that she uses the song as her ringtone!).

Since both Tamaki and Choshinsei belong to the same label, she approached the boys to work with her for a collaboration. Members Kwangsu, Jihyuk, and Geonil have agreed to participate in her cover, and will also rap in Japanese.


source: tokyohive [endtext]

AYABIE releases PV for “Parade”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaTZEWCurrAendofvid

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AYABIE released their new album “Virgin Snow Color -2nd season-” on December 1st, and the PV for their title track, “Parade” has recently been released!

AYABIE is a visual-kei band which consists of the former members of “Ayabie” (Yumehito, Takehito, Intetsu and KENZO), with Yumehito becoming the new vocalist for the band.

source: tokyohive
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KARA performs “Mister” & “JUMPING” on ‘HEY!HEY!HEY!’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csv5YGM6gn4endofvid

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The ladies of KARA killed it during their December 6th appearance on music program “HEY!HEY!HEY!“.

Performing to loud cheers and claps from the audience, KARA delivered energetic lives of “Mister” and “JUMPING“.

Check out the video below!



source : tokyohive
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HEY!HEY!HEY! revisits every AKB48 appearance on their show!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNTxCxk7Ihsendofvid

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AKB48 appeared on the HEY!HEY!HEY! MUSIC CHAMP episode that was broadcasted on December 6th, and during the show, they revealed a compilation video of every single appearance AKB48 ever made on the program, including their very first appearance back in February of 2007!

Moreover, they showed extremely rare videos, including a corner for covering BoA’s songs, and a collaboration between AKB48 and Idoling!!!

Check out the video below of AKB48’s performances from the past, and compare it to their performance of a special medley on the show!


source: tokyohive [endtext]

AKB48 and Shoujo Jidai (SNSD) joint rehearsal at FNS Music Festival

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aV9BjeKGEYendofvid

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The FNS Music Festival airs live today, and since the list of artists participating in the event is long and impressive, tokyohive will be providing coverage.

In particular, the joint rehearsal of two popular idol girl groups, AKB48 & Shoujo Jidai (SNSD), has caught the attention of fans and Japanese media alike.

source: tokyohive [endtext]

9nine holds new single release event with 1,000 fans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2553tW5sLUendofvid

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Five girls’ unit 9nine held a release event for their new single “Cross Over” on December 1st. Performing their popular ‘propeller dance’ in front of 1,000-member audience, many of their more avid fans started to cry at seeing their idols live.

One of the members, Kawashima Umika, reflected, “I’m happy too, because we don’t have many chances to meet our fans. Today was a fun day for us to be able to communicate with the fans.”


The members said that their next goal is to perform on music shows, since they have yet to appear on one with their current unit.


source: tokyohive
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Alpha releases PV for “Boy Meats Girls feat. HALCALI & RYO”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrmTxBcxwOwendofvid

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Hip-hop unit Alpha released their new digital single “Boy Meats Girl feat. HALCALI & RYO (from Ketsumeshi)” on December 1st, and also revealed the music video for the track.

The video features the three members of Alpha in the role of ‘herbivore’ men – a term used for men who aren’t as interested in girls and are more passive. All the members are shown with vegetables and donning the masks of horses to show their ‘herbivore’ nature.

The girls in the video take on the part of the carnivores and are shown wearing lion heads and being very outgoing. HALCALI joins in on the chorus and shows off a dance that they choreographed just for the video.

The single’s physical release date has yet to be announced, so the only way to purchase the track is through Chaku-Uta.





source: tokyohive
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvIZxPq0hXcendofvid

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We reported previously that pop singer Kuroki Meisa was going to challenge flamenco dance for an NHK special, “Kuroki Meisa Spain Flamenco ~Tamashii no Odori to Deau Tabi~.” Recently, the singer has released a video of her taking flamenco dance lessons with the famous dancer, Antonio El Pipa.

Her lessons were all taught to her in Spanish through the help of a Japanese translator. The video shows Meisa working in a Spanish dance studio perfecting the moves with her instructor. Although she has had previous dance experience, this was her first time dancing in the flamenco style. Despite that fact, she obviously caught on very quickly, even mimicking Antonio’s intense passion for the dance.


source: tokyohive
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Goto Maki releases PV for “Ashiato” off her latest mini album

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6lPSlfyUuUendofvid

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Previously, we reported that Goto Maki would be releasing a new mini album, “Gloria“, on January 12th, and the PV for one of the tracks, “Ashiato“, has been released on the avex official YouTube channel.


source: tokyohive
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