Peter's Japan blog

It is finally getting released! The concert dvd of the Asia Tour 2007 is coming out on March 12th 2008. One year after the tour started. The dvd box will contain 2 dvds: one with the concert of 120min and one with a documentary of 210min. That is 3.5 hours worth of documentary and will feature also rare material from previous concerts.

Catalog number: AVBD-91536
Price: 5040 yen

Track listing
1. LABYRINTH
2. evolution
3. UNITE!
4. taskinst
5. 1 LOVE
6. until that Day...
7. M
8. appears
9. part of Me
10. Secret
11. kiss o'kill
12. Not yet
13. SURREAL
14. AUDIENCE
15. Boys & Girls
16. SEASONS
17. glitter
18. independent
19. Humming 7/4
20. Who...

More info to come later probably :)

Source: CDJapan artist mail, official website and AHS.

After 5 years since the last ayu-mi-x in September 2003, Avex releases the new "Ayu-mi-x 6" in two edition: -Gold- and -Silver-. They feature all new remixes from songs of the last 5 albums: Memorial address, MY STORY, (miss)understood, Secret and GUILTY. None of these were featured on any single.

-GOLD- edition:
Catalog: AVCD-23551
Price: 2500 yen
1. Greatful days (PARA ONE remix)
2. ourselves (COLDCUT remix)
3. INSPIRE (ARMAND VAN HELDEN remix)
4. Moments (dj KENTARO remix)
5. HAPPY ENDING (MAD PROFESSOR remix)
6. STEP you (THE YOUNG PUNX! remix)
7. Ladies Night (AFRA & INCREDIBLE BEATBOX BAND remix)
8. Startin' (SHINICHI OSAWA remix)
9. BLUE BIRD (7th GATE remix)
10. Beautiful Fighters (MSTRKRFT remix)
11. glitter (SOUL CENTRAL remix)
12. talkin' 2 myself (STONEBRIDGE remix)

-SILVER- edition:
Catalog: AVCD-23552
Price: 2500 yen
1. No way to say (HIGH CONTRAST remix)
2. GAME (YOJI remix)
3. CAROLS (PLAYGROUP remix)
4. About You (BLACK STROBE remix)
6. Walking proud (CALM remix)
7. alterna (FREEFORM FIVE remix)
8. HEAVEN (DAISHI DANCE remix)
9. JEWEL (STEPHANE POMPOUGNAC remix)
10. part of Me (CARL CRAIG remix)
11. fated (MAKOTO remix)
12. decision (FORCE OF NATURE remix)
13. Together When... (CO-FUSION remix)

(track listings can still change)

Yoshiki from X-Japan announced at a press conference on Sunday the 20th, that X-Japan will hold 3 concerts this spring. One on March 28th and March 30th, and a hide-tribute concert on the 10th anniversary of his death on May 2nd.
He also mentioned the strong possibility for X-Japan to do a concert outside of Japan in Europe and/or the US.

I'm so excited about this because the 2 concerts are during my next vacation to Japan. This will be a dream come true as well. This marks 3 of the 4 concerts that I hoped for in one of my previous posts. Ayumi Hamasaki on the 5th or 6th April, the GazettE on March 28th and X-Japan on March 30th. It couldn't be better. Now the last one, being Hirano Aya ^^; But that is a lot less likely.

During their latest news video from ANN TV, AnimeNewsNetwork showed an subtitled interview with the main "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu" cast: Hirano Aya, Yuko Goko and Chihara Minoru. The interview was done the day after their live performance at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles.

I must say, they looked very good and very kawaii as always. I like how they liked the American fans and I hope they will be invited to some anime convention in Europe as well. Would love to see them as well.

Furoshiki, the traditional Japanese wrapping cloth. Before the time of plastic bags, since hundreds of years, people in Japan used cotton or silk cloths to hold and carry stuff. They had invented useful ways to fold a simple cloth so that it could be used as a purse or to hold boxes, books, water melons and even bottles. But since the introduction of the plastic bag, it has been on the decline and there don't exist many furoshiki shops any more.

The Japanese government is trying to promote the people to use the furoshiki more again.

Here are two video about Furoshiki. (the first one is cheesy I know, but it gets the message across), the second one is from inside the Kakefuda, a furoshiki shop in Kyoto.

You can find folding patterns and other info on Furoshiki.com.

As a first film in this new section of my blog, I chose Wasabi with Jean Reno. I've seen many other foreign films that take place in Japan, but this is the last one I saw, the rest will follow later.

General info
Title: Wasabi
Year: 2001
Languages: French and some Japanese
Actors: Jean Reno as Hubert Fiorentini
Hirosue Ryoko as Yoshimido Yumi

Read more »

I love watching movies and if they take place in Japan, it's even better. In this section I will make some reviews about foreign non-japanese movies that take place in Japan.
I will also try to give some details about errors with Japanese culture, well known places in the movie and some other stuff.

The world famous video of how to fold a T-Shirt Japanese style.
Quick, easy and neat ;p Enjoy ;p

Ayumi just posted a message on her blog on the official TeamAyu fanclub website. She said that she had done an ear check-up last year and the diagnosis was that she is competely deaf in her left ear and that there is no treatment. She said that she will not quit because of this and she wants to be strong to keep on being a professional singer and to still be able to sing beautiful songs for the fans.

It find it quite shocking and sad but on the other hand, it could have been expected. It's quite known among fans that she has been having problems with her left ear since a long time. It all started in 2001 during the rehearsals of her infamous Dome Tour. She started to have problems with her ear and hearing ringing in her ear. This lead to her falling from the stage during the final rehearsel. Just hours before the actual start of the concert, she was taken to the hospital. Against the doctors orders, she returned to the concert hall, brought in in a wheel chair and a sprained ankle. But she was full of energy and couldn't let her fans down. She did all of the 8 planned dome tour concerts and never showed she had any pain. But unfortunately, as a result of the loud noise of the concert, she lost 80% of her hearing in her left ear. Apparently, over the years it had become worse to the point now, that she is deaf in her left ear.

I find it so sad for Ayu ;( but I admire her strength to go on, no matter what. She may look like a diva, but she's a human being too with human problems just like all of us.

Original news source: AHS Forum (from Team Ayu website)
And now all over the web, including BBC front page and other.

Ayu & her 4 doggies are sooo kawaii !! She loves them very much.

And Matsumoto & Hamada are just wonderful how they tease her :D
A must watch!!