10th Generation concerns

As each generation enters whether we agree with thier induction or not they are Morning Musume. So as the 10 Generation entered we knew and had full confidence in Tsunku-san to make the right choices. However while we may like or dislike a member do to thier personality it's rare we do so over thier abilities or in this case lack there of.

So you probably figured out the two I speak of all ready, Sato Masaki & Iikubo Haruna. Personally I don't feel they deserve or belong, but as I said earlier they're Momusu. Sato by the looks of it will make it though as we've seen will require continous support. It looked as if for just a momment Gaki-san was losing her paitents having to repeat herself over & over in the featured video. My biggest concern is Iikubo. It appears as if she just doesn't have the ability or talent for dancing. She always seems to be struggling to handle what's going on each moment, like a deer in the headlights. The thought ouccured that if she is having such a hard time in learning & keeping up with the limited performances for the upcoming HiP Concert, how will she do in the Spring tour. It appears that MM had it easy with the 9th Gen. as they came up to speed quickly, though we still see Ikuta Erina by her own initiative seeking more time in her dance lessons. I can't say enough in how impressed & pleased I'm with the 9th Generation. It's hard to believe this January 2nd it'll be thier one year anniversary 8)

Despite my concern about Iikubo lets not forget there was another talnetless and questionable member added a little over ten years ago by the name of Konno Asami. I'm sure she, like Konkon, will be a great credit to her senpais that stuck with her development.

HiP 2012 rehersals

A Happy 23rd Birthday to Gaki-san!



Whether you love her, tolerate or just can't stand her she is the last of the Gokkies, last of Morning Musumes "Golden" years and now Leader for at least a year. Known as the "Happy Girl" in her youth, her now embrassing eyebrow beam & pigtails she has come a long way finding herself Senpai to both Momusu along with Hello!Project now that Takahashi Ai has left us.

Being a fan of the Gokkies of course I'm happy for her to have a chance to shape Morning Musume in her own image. Ai-chan is & will always be a great leader, but now Risa plate is quite full now starting the 10th Generations trainning while finishing / oversee'ing the 9ths. Of course she has help as all previous leaders have. My point is, since Iida Kaori, a lot pressure & weight will be on her shoulders. I have complete faith she will pull it off being so dependable, reliable, a rock that never breaks, but known to weep. Most can't stand her voice *not mentioning names*, though while admitting she doesn't have the greatest voice she does make use of what she has. I for one love her voice, her love of performing & her explosive energy on stage rallying up the fans.

As much as some fans take her for granted a little voice inside me screams "You will miss her when shes gone!". Nothing against Sayumi, but it's going to take time adjusting to her becoming leader. Well enough defending Risa haha *grabs a dagger with a frenzy look in his eyes looking the readers over just waiting* Just kidding! But are you sure about that? Haha! 8)>

This is the part where I throw in a lot of Risa solo's so you can X out now...

Once again A Happy 23rd Birthday to Niigaki Risa 8)



Morning Musume's 10 Generation final audition

Thanks to HiO for finding this HelloProTime being uploaded to YouTube. Frankly I just don't have the time/will to search the web anymore for lastest/current content, but enough about my lazyiness 8)>

So lets just start right off with said footage before giving my opinion(s).

Part 1/2

Part 2/2

The members that stood out for me or at least the ones I'd like to see become the 10th Generation are Ishida Ayumi, Kudo Haruka, Tanaka Fuuka & lastly Murakami Sara.

Ishida Ayumi stood out as the best dancer though Miyagi Ayumi wasn't to far behind. Unfortunately for Miyagi the editor / producer of this documentary largely ignored her so I can't judge her signing for it wasn't featured. Murakami Sara I liked for her signing. No one can replace Ai-chan of course, but this time around I think Tsunku-san is going to place more emphasis on such.

And who do I find best of show/class well the adorable Kudo Haruka. With out a doubt a "shoe in". Was impressed being so young ( though nothing like Sayashi Riho ) her ability at dancing & I'm starting to fall in love with her voice. Of course we'll ALL have to wait & see whom is chossen. However lets not forget that during the S/Mileage auditions a lot of us was cheering for Miyamoto Karin & were DISAPOINTED to say the least that she passed up. Some of us are hoping she'll be a surprise last minute addition to Momusu. The thought of both her & Kudo Haruka together look to be an irresistible pair.

I'm hoping we won't have to face another Sub-member crap routine for MM as was done with S/M. To me if you pass you pass. This Sub-member crud is nothing more then a Public Relations stunt to keep the peoples interest for as long as possible before the fan base drops back down to it's core die hard followers, but that obviously is just my point of view.

Lastly it's going to be bitter sweet this coming 29th see'ing Ai-chan leaving as we discover whom shall be the 10th Generation. 

After watching the English translated version of the audition I was surprised Tsunku-san is thinking about adding all of them at first til he mentioned he'd most likely reduce thier numbers. So I came up with two catagories.

Those I feel are in beyond all reasonable doubt are:
Ishida Ayumi & Murkami Sara

The rest I feel have a 50 / 50% chance.
Kudo Haruka, Ohgami Hinako, Miyagi Ayumi & Tanaka Fuuka

Any others not mentioned I feel have no chance unless Tsunku-san changes his mine & just adds everybody. 

Japan still needs help

Hello all. I've been quite busy of late. Got a new job & have just recently completed the pre-employment trainning for it. Now the new challenge of putting that trainning to use, learning the job hands on & proving my worth. And to think it all starts tonight *UGH! Pulls out hair*

Anyway enough of my mundane life for that's not what few people who read this blog are interested in. As the title implies Japans people are still in great need of aid for the long term. I don't know how well some have been following the events since the disaster ( in which marked its 6 month anniversary today ) and things are not going well for the people as they have essentially been betrayed by the Government. The following article will help to get you caught up: Fukushima  .

Most of us have all ready donated and/or support the people of Japan in our own way. I am merely asking you to consider this option. Some who know Nakamura Hiroko or better know her as/from HIROKOCHANNEL she recently posted a means to give aid to the children. Please read her article & consider her request: Children of Fukushima .

Thank you for your time.

Offline

Not like anyone is going to miss me, but gona be real busy over the next 2-3 weeks. Back when I'm back. In the mean time for those who are concerned about Aika-chan & Riho can read about the status of there health here.

With Aika needing another 8 weeks to recover I'm even more worried they might medically retire her & we may yet have a double graduation.

Take care all.

UFZS / Up-Up Girls

Who exactly are the UFZS / Up-Up Girls? The short short definintion would be Tsunku-san's Rejects. Young women who were inducted into Hello! Projects Eggs division. They, for what ever reason, were not good enough to be added to Morning Musume or S/Mileage ( during its formation ) and thus dumped. I think a reason is they simply got to old ; if you can call mid teens old? For proof you need look no further then Morning Musume's 9th Generation with the average age being 13. I personally had hoped Saho Akari would of been added being only 15, but it wasn't the case. Makes you wonder just how young will the 10 Generation will be?

Anyway I thought it was relevant to mention they recently had thier first mini concert of sorts. The quality isn't to bad however just one camera view.

The following is a list of each member and thier associated color ( T-shirt and/or pen light ).

Sengoku Minami is Red

Furukawa Konatsu is Pink

Sekine Azusa is Orange

Arai Minami is Blue

Satou Ayano is Purple

Saho Akari is Yellow

Mori Saki is Green

The following is the set list of songs sung. Sorry there were a couple of them I didn't recognize. The best that I can tell they didn't sing any songs of thier own.

1.) All for one & one for all - Hello!Project theme
2.) Love & Peace - Morning Musume
3 & 4.) Unkown to me
5.) Sukichan - S/Mileage
6.) Romantic Ukare - Fujimoto Miki solo
7.) Ai Araba It's All Right - Morning Musume

Here's if you're interested in this new group showing some potenial. Although UFA are horrible at promoting even thier own well established groups so we'll see if they get a real chance or be dumped yet again. Proof? They're not even listed on UFA / UFW websites that I can tell.

Reference Website <> Blog <> Profile <> Concert If you get an error message after selecting the member for thier profile just try again.

 Saho Akari 2010 (pink & white shirt ).

It was her performance here that I have

had high hopes for her.

Credit to Hello!SayuNii for the colors / names in English for honestly I only knew Akari-chan.

How to play DVD's outside your region.

A friend of mine asked for instructions ( intended for Windows 7 users ) for his DVD/ROM is locked in Region 1 and had recently bought a DVD of an artist from Japan and couldn't view it. The following is an option other then buying a new DVD/ROM. I don't claim to be an expert using this freeware only what works for me.

The first two steps are optional

First perform a disk clean up, delete internet cookies, history, etc, scan for virus, spy+malware & perform a hard drive defrag.

Second Create a system restore point. It's just good practice to keep your system at optimum performance & prior to installing new program(s).

Third download VLC Player here & install.

Now is a good time to make VLC your default player for DVD media other wise you will lose a Regional change option of 5 total allowed. To do so: Start > type "Media setup" in the search box & select "Start & stop using autoplay for all media & devices".

OR

Lose a regional count & install the Region 2 DVD into your applicable drive. If your drive is locked out your default player ( set by you via Windows ) will attempt to run the media & display an error message. Reguardless cancel your way back to the desktop.

If you forgot where the new player installed itself here is where mine is: Start > Computer > Applicable Harddrive > Program Files (x86) > VideoLAN > VLC > vlc ( application )

Once running click the following sequence: Media > Open Disk > Play. VLC will hunt down & play the default DVD root menu if available. Use your mouse to select from the menu. If VLC didn't find the root menu it will auto start from the beginning, however if you want to manually select it here is that path: Playback > Navagation > DVD Menu > Root.

Ok by now the DVD should be playing & you may have noticed visual defects in the playback. Here is how to clean it up & adjust it for standard DVD quality.

Video > Aspect raito > Default . You may of noticed a " blur " at times when there is a lot of rapid movement. Lets clean that up by Video > Deinterlace > Automatic. Now reselect Video > Deinterlace Mode > Blend.

Ok now the image should be good, but here are two other options to further increase the quailty as follows. Video > Post Processing > Select to your liking. I use the max of X6. The change is suttle, but provides a sharper image.

So far we have been just focused on the top command bar & now for the lower. Pause your mouse over each button below for a description of each icon. You want the one called "Show Extended Settings" Video Effects > Click the "Sharpen" box & adjust to your liking. Also here you can adjust your other standard video settings like gama, hue, etc.

Now if you have a decent sound system or a pair of SkullCandy SkullCrushers ( mini-subwoofer kicks ass! ) Click the Audio Effects > Graffic Equalizer > Enable > adjust Pre-amp
& the other settings to your liking.

Ok the last step click the full screen & ENJOY!

Notes: While in full screen just move the mouse to get back the mini menu or right click on the screen to display the menus to change a setting, etc. Also pressing the space bar will pause play.
Lastly these previously mentioned settings should gain you max video/audio performance for any DVD format media, however feel free to explore, play with & try other settings.
 
To check what your DVD region is set to & how many changes you have let before it locks out follow the following command path: Start > Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Device Manager > DVD/CD ROM Drives > click to drop a mini-menu & select the drive in question >
left click to select then right click to select "properties" > DVD Region tab.

If you have any further questions just leave a comment.

All Credit to JediMasterTrunks for it was he that solved this problem for me a long time ago.

Hangry & Angry's August Single/DVD Release

According to a Tokyohive article the new single will be available onto CD along with a DVD this August 10th.

I'm dissapointed in UFA ( Up Front Agency ) for I agree with Kylon they are horrible in supporting / promoting thier own groups. Only one new single for H&A a year after thier previous CD album release? *sigh* However the groups original creation was to help sale a clothing line.

Anyway other then a couple of re-mixes I'm not interested in the CD, however if you are fan the DVD most likely will be worth it. We all know, reguardless of group, they sound a lot better live then studio recordings. I plan on just getting thier latest single via iTunes when available here on the American side.

If you are new to J-pop / Rock this group of both Yoshizawa Hitomi aka "Yossie" & Ishikawa Rika aka "Rika-chan" are two former singers of the group Morning Musume. Two of many throughout its history .

Yossie doesn't have a blog however Rika-chan does. If you would like to follow her you can find a link here . Note: Google Toolbar / Microsofts Bing can translate text / website for you with roughly 50-70% accuracy. Logic & common sense will do the rest.

The following is thier lastest PV.

Reconquista

Konno Asami aka Konkon makes her debut

For those who are Konno Asami fans Konkon made her debut after months of trainning to become a T.V. Announcer for T.V. Tokyo. Here is a link to both her Official blog and a English translated version here to catch up on. She went on the air live for the first time yesterday around 12:30 hrs JST in what appeared to be a kids land of sorts. I could see a mini Hospitial, resturant, Police station, etc. with in and made a report on the mini T.V. Tokyo station. I do not know Japanese despite being a fan of the culture, but logic / common sense helps at times. Feel free to interpret the following news posts / video in your own judgement. The following are 4 news posts in reference to her debut Article 1 Article 2 Article 3 Article 4 and a edited video of the afternoons broadcast.

All credit to HiO for finding / posting the links

I'm frankly very happy for her. It has been a long 5 years since she left Morning Musume to attend a University in which despite Fan Club or HiP Concert appearances kept a very low quiet profile. I am surprised myself she even started a blog to begin with since to this day she is still a reserved women. Best wishes to her in her new profession. All we have now are the old DVDs to enjoy the days she was on stage melting hearts.

I'm back

After a friend of mine twisted my arm to re-open a blog that no one reads & the most hits I ever got on any post was from a picture of Yaguchi Mari I will give this media another try. Go look at " His " blog it's better then mine anyway http://kumaproject.blogspot.com/ LoL

Cyane

Momusu both old & new.

A short post.

First for those who follow Dorimusu ( Dream Morning Musume ) they have a new website with some videos that can be found on YouTube at Up Front channel . I am still expecting some sort of DVD concert release this late Fall after thier tour is finished.

For those who follow Ogawa Makoto she moved her blog .

Lastly if you follow the 9th generation of Morning Musume they will begin a weekly Ustream broadcast every Wednesday at 8pm / 20:00 hours ( Tuesday for us in the U.S. at 6am / 06:00 hours central time ) starting this week.

P.S. Hiroko is still having issues with Paypal. It will probably be at least 30-45 days before she can get a Japan based Paypal account setup & running. The whole problem is her account was created in the U.S. when she was here attending college & thus subject to America tax laws. You can read more at Hiroko Channel .

All things Japan

Well it has been a long time since I blogged . . . like anyone cares or reads this anyway. So lets start with the obvious, the natural disaster in Japan. What can you say? All I did was stay glued to the NHK - World - English broadcast that was on Ustream for two weeks straight. Sure donating money is easy for it allows you not to get directly involved, but I feel for those affected & wish I could of been there in person to help. I tried over a couple of days to keep a friend of mine informed / relay news casts, but felt I was hindering then helping. That & her own country men/women were doing a by far better job in doing so & lifting her spirits where I could not. Sometimes you just have to acknowledge your limitations. 

At the same time I was ashamed to be an American and further re-enforced my love of Japan over my own country for two reasons. One was the American media way over exaggerating the Nuclear accident & down right fear mongering to the point private citizens here were buying iodine pills & radiation detectors. Eh?!? Two were those intentionally, on the previously mentioned Ustream broadcast, spreading mis-information when the turth was being broadcast on the very channel they are commenting on without a shread of proof. Then there were those adding insult to injury to the people of Japan telling Godzilla jokes, that they derserved it because of either Pearl Harbour or whaling, etc.

For those who wish to continue to follow the real news from Japans NHK-World in English just click the following http://jibtv.com/ then click the " On Air " tab.

Pretty much everyone who are going to donate have all ready. However if you would like to continue to do so long term & what to know beyond all reasonable doubt your donations are getting to the people please goto HirokoChannel and make a direct donation. Though she is currently having problems getting it setup please visit the site once a week for by her own admission it should be up & running in another week or so.

Another way to donate & show or rather wear your good deed with pride you can visit CafePress . 10% of all sales from the " Japan relief " merchandise namely the T-shirts will goto the Red Cross.

Well with all this despair one could use some cheering up. Then by all means if you like Japanese comedy specifically Batsu-games you can download them here Ggakifiles.Blogspot . Some are sub-titled & some not, but if you are a fan like me you'll laugh just the same.

Lastly there is the latest Morning Musume release of thier 45th single. I like the song, not so much the outfits & even less the PV, but as they say "everybody is a critic". It's good to see the 9th Generation finally. I feel they did very well & despite being thrown to the wolves, sort of speak with a Spring concert right around the corner plus school ( people tend to forget about that ), I have high hopes they will do just fine. The following is thier PV. Enjoy courtsey of thier offical YouTube channel.

Maji de suka suka 

Interview with english subs ( view on YT & turn on cc )

The American Media

A Happy Birthday to Linlin.

A Happy 20th Birthday to Linlin formerly of Morming Musume.

Whaa! Where to begin. She joined first as a Hello!Project Egg in January of 2007 then later with Junjun & Mitsui Aika as the 8th generation of the group in the Summer of the same year. Great credit to her for over coming the language barrier though both her & Junjun were largely ingored in the beginning she more then proved herself as a worthy member.

A 2nd "happy girl" to Niigaki Risa she is one whom has an aura about her. A light if you will flowing from her pure heart. One who has mastered unconditional love at such an early age in which impresses me the most. I love her quirks of how she laughs, by dropping to the floor/ground & either pointing or over doing it with arm movements. Also she tends to be gullible at times at the amusement of others. She takes love serious & never for granted for if you are lucky enough to be called a friend of hers you are turely blessed.

After returning to China she's has been quite busy and/or lazy to blog much anymore. It remains to be seen what she will doing for a living, but I'm sure we'll hear something by years end. I can only hope she takes the time to celebrate her birthday with family & old friends.

Linlin's Graduation message & solo

Lillin's Blog

Disclaimer: I am in no way condoning you or anyone else to up/down load Copy Right material. Do with the information below as you will.

If you wish to download her & Junjun's graduation memorial first do the following.

1.) Download & install uTorrent 

2.) Goto the website Hello!Online ( a Hello!Project fan site ) an register

3.) Now that you have access to the " Tracker " section of the website after logging in. Here is the link to thier Memorial Special 

4.) Open media with Windows Media Player upon download completion

Morning Musume's 45th Single "Maji Desu ka Ska!" radio rip

I've been harsh or critical in the past of Tsunku-sans writing, specifically the music. Therefore most of Morning Musume's singles in the past I never seem to like upon there release. However I do in the end for they "grow" on me over time. For example "Kimagure Princess" took 10 months before I finally liked it, though see'ing it performed live helped.

So as you might of guessed I don't care to much for the music set to this one, but not as badly as previous releases. Listening to it over & over as I'm blogging here lol. Overall I do like how it's sung though. I think the 9th generation did a good job however it will take some time getting use to the "new" sound for I keep trying to look for & hear Eri, Junjun & Linlin voices *cries*. I can only imagine more songs with youth in mind then the adult ones we have become use to of late.

Well that's my two cents worth so here is the preview untill such time as it found & removed by Up Front Agengcy/Works.

Morning Musume's 45th Single

Blogger couldn't find the video thus the link

9th Generations recordings part 1/2

part 2/2

Dance practice

Get to know the 9th Generation of Morning Musume

It has nearly been two months all ready since the 9th Gen. joined, wow where does the time go! I realized I don't know a thing about them & sense I care about the soul / personality then physical beauty I went out of curiosity to see if any one had complied something on the new members & sure enough someone did so. Disclaimer: There is no way I can independently verify the information presented thus one must take such with some scepticism.

So first a closer look at Fukumura Mizuki 譜久村聖

Some were disapointed that Tsunku-san added an Hello!Porject Egg member to the group. In which makes no sense to me why some would think in this way for what is the point in having them to begin with? I'm surprised some have not been added to C-ute in my opinion. Sadly there are a number of them in or reaching thier late teens & with a culture obsessed with youth the remaining Eggs may find no place among the exsisting groups. Time will tell.

I myself am happy for her being added & was disapointed that my favorite Egg member Saho Akari wasn't, but better then nothing.

Points of interest for me. One, she's a wota of the very group she now finds herself apart as Niigaki Risa was when she joined being a big fan of Abe Natsumi. I feel this is a great part of her persona for it keeps her grounded & humble like Takahashi Ai. There have been times when the reality of her dream hits her & has been emotional at times. Understandable. 

Two, her "motto" is her faith in others. Something I lack for I've lost my faith in my fellow man ( too much Fox News / following Politics ). She is an inspiration to me.

Third, "She seems to be getting attached to Mitsui Aika". I can not think of a better Senpai for her. Aika-chan has such a pure heart & shouldn't be leaving MM anytime soon.

And now a closer look at Ikuta Erina 生田衣梨奈 

Quickly becoming the least popular member because her facial looks aren't good enough & being reserved doesn't help. Much like Konno Asami suffered till she became well endowed. Men! So hollow & simple minded. Yes I know I'm one thank you very much, I strive to be a honorable good man.

Points of interest for me. One, though there is no replacement for Kamei Eri she does have simularities in her persona when Eri-chan joined. Shy & "sleeping" as a favorite hobby & can "sleep anywhere"? MM seems to have a new "turtle" among them.

Two, I feel she will be the backbone of the 9th Gen. simply by observing her behavior. What she lacks in beauty by some peoples opinion in mine she more then makes up for it spiritualy. She has potencial to develop a pure heart as Konkon, Linlin & Aika have before her. If she continues to be ignored I'll be more then happy to be her sole American fan 8)>

And now a closer look at Sayashi Riho 鞘師里保

Clearly full of so much potencial & promise. Her previous experience obviously shows and seriously I'm looking forward to the upcoming Spring tour ( in which I feel is way to soon putting them all under excessive stress / pressure ). A late Summer tour would of been more idea.

Points of interest for me. One, her unbelieveable level of confidence.

Two, and who does she choose to look up to? None other then Ai-chan herself. Of course we all know she will be leaving us soon in which is the sad part. I'd of liked for her to grown under her leadership & can only hope she can learn from Ai-chan in what time that there is, though Risa the last member of the "golden era" will be there for her 8)

And now a closer look at Suzuki Kanon 鈴木香音



Credited for reminding the fans of Ogawa Makoto when she joined being energetic, extroverted & chatty I find her some what annoying, but nothing on the level of Kasumi Kohura ( no offense ) in which I just couldn't stand *laughing*. I'm sure she will surprise me over the years & I might just eat my words ( like anyone will remind me ) in time.

Points of interest for me, one being clearly the weakest member ( dancing ) her looking to Sayashi Riho will only improve her skills & like Konkon before her I am looking forward to see that progress.

Two, the further similaities to Mako-chan of "she wants to learn foreign languages and travel around the world" 8)

So who do you think who among these four is my favorite member? The only hint you get is "not who you first think of or the obvious choice". Anyhoo enjoy reading about them & time we will tell if the information provided is acurate.

Credits: Hello!Project Wiki Morning Musume  & to Raffi for the images.

My all time top artist ~ Kitaro 喜多郎

I had never seen before or since in my lifetime anyone that as talented ( plays multiple instruments ), gifted ( conducts / writes ) & passionate about thier form of art then Kitaro. I was in my late teens when I started spending a lot of time with my cousin Jim whom introduce me to him way back in 1987 and have been a fan ever since. The first CD I bought was " Ki " & loved every song. Over the decades, yes thats right decades , I have been able to support him & own roughly 80% of his CD releases. His music hits me on a spiritual level & thus equate such to my worship of God. Why? Can not stand gospel music. No offense, but to me it is like kissing Gods butt. Gods know of your love, do so in secret for God sees in secret, for I say unto you those who do so in public have thier reward among men ( paraphrasing ). Anyhoo as you have seen he has been around for over 40 years thus I am sure you will find songs that you will like ( Samples ) . The following is just to get you feet wet.

Note:Custom videos set to his music.

Romance

Clouds in the Sky

I had the pleasure to see him live in concert in 1995. The feelings, the emotions were / are indescribable. So if you choose to follow his works all I can say is enjoy! You will not be disapointed.

You Tube channels of J-vloggers

For those interested in Japan here are some video bloggers I follow.

The Japan Channel An old Aussie living in the country with great wisdom & understanding of the people & its culture. Funny how I've learned more from him then actual Japanese bloggers. A Great place to start is his "How to" playlist.

Tokyo Cooney A American living in Tokyo for the past 10+ years now. Originaly a stand up comic with his twisted point of view of life. Sure to give you a few laughs as you follow his journey.

Hiroko Channel A Japanese women point of view of the country. Great personality, intelligence & wisdom in equal measure. Her website should wish to support her HirokoChannel.com

Last, but not least Heavenly Swan . Sadly he is no longer with us, but well worth your time. Follow his life as he lived it from both first as a foreign exchange student then returning as a teacher.

They are by far quite a few others out there so happy hunting!

The one & only Ayaka 絢香

Yup you have guessed the theme of this post. Yet another J-pop ( solo ) artist for you to look into if you are not familar with Ayaka . In the America genres she could be considered "contemporary". She has such a beautiful voice & uses it quite well. I guess you can say she's a polarizing character for people ethier like her or not at all. Unfortunately she has suspended her career in 2009 to focus on her health after being diagnosised with Graves Disease . I can only hope she is able to manage her condition well enough to return. It will be a shame if we never hear her voice again. The following are a few favorites.

Voice

Mikazuki

Jewelry Day

I Believe

In a class of her own: Goto Maki 後藤真希

A J-pop ( Japanese popular music genre ) artitst you might like. Formerly of Morning Musume from 1999 to 2002. A solo artist with HiP ( Hello!Project ) till 2007. Most credit her popularity to the "golden era" e.g. AKB48 now enjoy. She really came into her own after signing with Avex record company. She has worked hard since then despite the lose of her Mother a year ago in which she was close to. Whether you are into "sex sales" marketing or not with her blessed looks it was the obvious move. Normaly I consider women who do such are "sale outs" not unlike a lot of American artists that I have NO repsect for ( poor morals/ethics ) & others borderline "human trash", though I do not her personaly ( duh! ) I know she isn't that kind of person at all. Her only equal if not her better in my opinion from Morning Musume is Takahashi Ai. To this day still modest & humble. The following are a few of my favorites.

Fly Away

Queen Bee

With...

Ashiato

J-Rock group you might like

Another one of my favorite J-Rock groups. Not has heavy has "The Gazette", but I think you will find they too have a great consistant sound. "Abingdon Boys School" http://goo.gl/iEhdg caught my ear with thier single "Howling" & have been hooked ever since. Over the last two years I find I like more thier singles then most other J-Pop/Rock groups.

As you might of noticed when it comes to the "guy" groups I enjoy just thier music & really don't have any interest in getting to know them as individuals as I have with the all female group of Morning Musume. I know gee what a surprise there Haha! Anyhow give them a try & support them if you like. The following are just a few of my favorite songs/performances.

Howling

Blade Chord

From Dusk Till Dawn

Must be nice...

to be a fan club member. First photo set of the new 9 member Morning Musume.
Whaaaa! http://www.up-fc.jp/helloproject/news_Info.php?id=1871 Maybe they will be available at http://www.hellostoreusa.com/ in a month or so. Credit to http://twitter.com/#!/metro0x t.O.M.o for the post.

Sayashi Riho

J-Pop ah maybe J-Techno grr ok J-Dance ?

Perfume

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume_(group)

http://www.perfume-web.jp/

Repost: Updated to replace lost videos: You decide what genre they belong in or J-pop by default. As with Hello!Project groups such as Morning Musume the trio here only sing & perform the music/lryics produced/writen by someone else, but despite knowing such it doesn't detour me from supporting them. Discovered the group in 2008 and like most of the singles released to date. Japanese lyrics are easy to find, but not so much translated into English. However give them a try for some of the songs are "catchy" & might find your toes tapping. 

 Love the World (live)

Dream Fighter PV

Edge (live)

Electro World PV

Computer City PV

Dream Morning Musume ( Dorimusu ) ~ The OG are back!

Just when we thought the OG were gone forever following thier own careers OR this is an attempt by HiP to gain lost revenue due to the AKB48 craze I could care less! I think it's a great idea. Unlike most U.S. fans who are/were into the recent line up era 2007~ 2009 of the nine ( including Eri, Kusumi, Junjun & Linlin ) when I discovered Morning Musume the older X-members tugged on my heart strings more. Other then Ai & Risa-chan ( being 5th generation ), though I love all the members past & present, the generations 6 & up just didn't grab me. *laughing* In short for my U.S. fans the way you feel about the OG most likely. So yes I'm excited even of all they do during thier up coming tour & album is sing the old songs. Well enough of me boring you all, here are some links to inform you.

http://www.dream-morningmusume.com/

Main website

http://goo.gl/6to2V

Hello!Online article

http://goo.gl/XH9KV

  UP-FRONT LINK (english): Dream Morning Musume。

Proof to the U.S. fans what HiP is up against.

As much of us that may dislike AKB48, myself included, & only have room in our hearts for Hello!Project groups/idols you have to admit that AKB48 is enjoying thier "Golden era" as Morning Musume did in 2001~2003'ish.

Note: According to both Nakazawa & Yasuda's blog there will also be a Autumn tour. So we may have to wait till the end of the year for a DVD release.

My J-Rock favorites ~ The Gazette

One of my favorite bands of Japan that over the years has consistantly kept me as a fan. I love thier sound, lyrics ( when I can find them translated ) & performance though I don't like every single they have released. A link of info on the band so I don't have to babble http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gazette_(band) If you like Rock/Metal genre by all means give this group a try. The following is just a few videos of the group. Note: Thier record company is very good at removing CC content so it may be difficult living outside of Japan to listen/preview the band prior to deciding to support them per single release.

If you have the bass crank it for thier sound is intensive. Enjoy!

Leech

Filith in the beauty

Taion

An alternate site that has a library of videos by artist J-pop/rock & K-pop http://www.jpopasia.com/charts/ Note: The charts lisitings are a week behind if you want up to date then goto http://www.oricon.co.jp/ 

What's that? Neither can I. No problem if you download, install & setup "Google toolbar" for your browser it'll auto-translate the web page ( in part ).