KunKun4 Editor Screencast

2009/11/22 by Richie

Here’s a screencast for pc-rs.com’s KunKun4 Editor. I found a few things that don’t seem to be working yet (e.g. emailing kunkunshi, playback, formatting) but overall, this is an awesome tool available on the Web. Enjoy!

(I also have the screencast up on Vimeo.)

KunKun4 Editor – Simple Sanshin Source

2009/11/18 by Richie
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Wow, this is pretty cool. KunKun4 Editor is a Flash-based Web app that lets you create your own kunkunshi to be saved to your PC or emailed to a friend. I played around with it a little and it seems to work very well.

(Via Simple Sanshin Source.)

DCT’s Nakamura and H&MC’s Maki celebrate first child – Tokyograph

2009/11/02 by Richie

Dreams Come True member Masato Nakamura (51) and ex-HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR vocalist Maki (22) are now parents. Maki gave birth to their first child on October 10 at a hospital in Okinawa.

Nakamura announced the good news in his blog on Sunday. However, he did not say whether the child is a boy or a girl.

The couple surprised everyone last year when they got married in June after meeting each other only months before. This past April, it was announced that Maki was pregnant, and she returned to her home in Okinawa around the summer to prepare for the delivery. Nakamura has also been staying in Okinawa since late September to support her.

(Via Tokyograph.)

I think it’s cool that the couple were in Okinawa for the birth of their first child. Congrats!

Aya Ueto looks lovely in kimono, wins award

2009/11/02 by Richie

On Tuesday, the 7th annual Kimono Award was presented at the Yokohama Arena. This year’s winner was actress Aya Ueto (24), following in the footsteps of previous winners such as Reiko Takashima in 2008 and Rina Uchiyama in 2007. [...]

(Via Tokyograph.)

(From Tuesday, October 20, 2009. Yeah, I’m finally catching up on news from Tokyograph. :P )

Manami Higa to be in the movie version “Saru Lock”

2009/11/02 by Richie

It has been known for some time that the NTV drama series “Saru Lock” is getting a movie version. The film now has an official release date: February 27, 2010. An announcement on Thursday also revealed some of the new cast members, including actress Manami Higa (23). [...]

(Via Tokyograph.)

Have I mentioned that I’m a fan of Manami?

Vogue’s Women of the Year and Decade – Tokyograph

2009/11/02 by Richie

On Monday, Vogue Nippon presented its annual Women of the Year awards, which started in 2005. The magazine also gave out several Women of the Decade awards, in honor of the magazine’s 10th anniversary this year.

A total of ten women were honored. The 2009 Women of the Year were Aya Ueto (24), Yu Aoi (24), Yukie Nakama (29), and playwright Yukiko Motoya (30). The Women of the Decade awards went to actress Rie Miyazawa (36), model Ai Tominaga (27), artist Yayoi Kusama (80), actress Shinobu Otake (52), former tennis pro Ai Sugiyama (34), and Yoko Ono (76). Ono was not present at the ceremony, but she recorded a video message for the event.

(Via Tokyograph.)

Two with ties to Okinawa: Aya Ueto and Yukie Nakama.

H&MC to perform at Sakura-Con 2010 – Tokyograph

2009/11/02 by Richie

JapanFiles.com has announced that HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR will be a musical guest at Sakura-Con 2010. This will be their first overseas performance since they added their new vocalist HALCA earlier this year.

HALCA joined the group to replace their former vocalist Maki, who left in October 2008 to marry DREAMS COME TRUE’s Masato Nakamura.

The Sakura-Con 2010 convention is being held on April 2-4, 2010, in Seattle, Washington.

(Via Tokyograph.)

Test post with the WordPress iPhone 2.0 app

2009/10/29 by Richie

Testing the recently released WordPress for iPhone app version 2.0. So far, I like it a whole lot better than version 1.x where I’ll actually make more use of this. Wish it had a Dashboard like the Web version but I guess this is more of an on-the-go type of software rather than a replacement.

Just in time for Halloween, a Stitch! wallpaper

2009/10/28 by Richie
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Disney Japan’s “Stitch!” — story takes place in Okinawa — has a Halloween-themed wallpaper to adorn your Mac/PC’s desktop with. Grab your copy here before it disappears into the night on 11/2!

(Via 壁紙fan!)

Simple Sanshin Source requests your kunkunshi scans!

2009/10/28 by Richie

Kenji is requesting your help in sending him scans of kunkunshi. More information on how to send it to him can be found on site: Simple Sanshin Source. If he selects your kunkunshi, he’ll post it on the site with a “romaji translation and a small description of what the song is about.”