POPASIAN

A ranking of topics that users ask and answer on Yahoo! Chiebukuro (Yahoo! Answers) between 1st January 2009 and 31st October 2009.

"Yahoo! Chiebukuro" is the largest knowledge retrieval service in Japan, and the Yahoo Japan Corporation has been providing this service since April 2004. Their aim is to connect people who want to question and those who want to answer, and the sharing of wisdom and knowledge among the participants.

Included random entries and some answers from the top 3 chiebukuro.


1. ARASHI
・Is Aiba-kun the least popular member in Arashi?
When searching for Arashi members using Yahoo!, I get these results.
Matsumoto Jun - About 5,970,000 hits
Ohno Satoshi - About 5,660,000
Sakurai Sho - About 5,650,000
Ninomiya Kazunari - About 5,610,000
Aiba Masaki - About 3,670,000


Reply :
Please don't judge Aiba-chan just from numbers! All the Arashi members are special in their own way. Aiba-chan works hard in varieties. And he has an October drama. You shouldn't ask such a question. Arashi and Aiba-chan have many fans, it's such an insensitive question. Just because he isn't in movies does not mean he is not popular. Anyway, what is the point of your question?

・I'm going to lend a sister's friend an Arashi album, which one do you think is the best one to introduce to a new fan?

・Am I an Arashi otaku?
I've been an Arashi fan for 5 years and am now in 1st year of junior high. My friends call me an Arashi otaku. Am I one?
-Always buy the first press CD
-Always buy first press albums too
-Even if I can't afford it, will buy magazines featuring Arashi
-In the fan club
-Own their calendars
-Room full of posters
Reply:
Completely normal!!
All Arashi fans are like that☆
I'm a big Arashi fan too and the same.

CRED: unleashthegeek
SHARED BY: POPASIAN

Johnny's Jimusho announced on the 19th that its 'Johnny's Selects Sports Festival', where many of its talents gather to participate in events like baseball, will be held in Tokyo Dome on 13th December.

Johnny's Sports Festival was held annually in autumn from 1990 to 2004. This one will be a Kantou vs Kansai showdown. Domoto Koichi (30) will lead the Kansai faction as its captain leading talents like Uchi Hiroki (23) and Nakayama Yuma (15) on his side. Kamenashi Kazuya (23) from KAT-TUN captains the Kantou side with Taguchi Junnosuke (23), Morimoto Ryutaro (14), Fujigaya Taisuke (22) and others on his side.

Other events include a relay and a mini-concert. The event is restricted to fan club members. Admission fee is 3500 yen and attendance is capped at 45,000.

CRED: unleashthegeek
SHARED BY: POPASIAN

Yahoo! JAPAN announced its Search Rankings for 2009. In the Name Search category, the first place went to popular Johnny's Entertainment group Arashi, who beat out Korean group Tohoshinki and Japanese group Exile. Within the past year, Arashi's popularity has skyrocketed. Two years ago they placed only seventh in the rankings, while last year they broke into the top three spots. It's no surprise that they were rumoured earlier to be taking over the MC position from their sempai SMAP for NHK's Red and White Singing Contest.

In the category for Television Programs, Fuji Television's reality show 'Ainori' placed first, while Mizushima Hiro and Yamashita Tomohisa's dramas, 'Mei-chan no Shitsuji' and 'Buzzer Beat' placed second and third respectively.

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: sparkles_n15 @ asianfanatics.net
SHARED BY: POPASIAN

When people in their 30s hear the news that their first love is getting married, the first song that comes to mind is Yoon Jong-shin's "Your Wedding." But to teenagers, it appears to be "Wedding Dress" by Tae-yang of Big Bang (real name Dong Young-bae, 21).

Tae-yang released his first solo mini-album last year, with his song "Look Only At Me" becoming a big hit. Recently, he has released his first solo album "Wedding Dress." He is the third among the Big Bang members--after Seung-ri and G-Dragon--to go solo.


Tae-yang looked somewhat haggard when we met with him on November 17. Wearing his hat tilted, he looked handsome, with his smile being especially charming. His Mohican hairstyle, with his head shaved on the sides, created a perfect harmony with the simple earrings in his ears. He is known as the quietest and most pensive member of Big Bang, and that is exactly how he appeared to be that day.

Tae-yang said, "I haven't been able to sleep well for days. I can't sleep when I think of what I'm going to do the next day. When I had just debuted, I couldn't sleep at all. I even seriously considered getting help from a sleep clinic."

Tae-yang said that this year he looked back on himself and gained full control of his mind. He said, "I had many worries this year. We were so busy performing in Korea and Japan that sometimes I had no idea what I was doing. When several of our members were active solo and I was left alone in the house, I asked myself, 'Why do I sing?' It was hard for me, but the answer is: I sing for myself."

Tae-yang says his newfound mental discipline helped him better concentrate on recording his single album. He was fully involved in the songwriting process for the first time and wrote two songs in collaboration with producer Teddy. The title track “Wedding Dress” and the song “Where U At” from his album are based in the R&B genre. The sentimental melody and funky beat harmonize perfectly with his modest yet impressive dance moves.

“Wedding Dress” is about a man who sends the woman he loves to another man. When Tae-yang had just debuted, he said that he had never had a girlfriend. So what was it like for him to sing about love? He said, smiling, "It’s embarrassing for me to say that I have no experience in relationships. I have never had a girlfriend but-–as this song about one-sided love suggests-–I have been in love, which was never realized. That’s why it was easy for me to understand the mood of the song. It would just be an excuse to say that I don’t have time to date girls. I’m simply not ready yet to accept anyone into my heart. But I’m still dreaming of love."

On the question whether Seung-ri and G-Dragon inspired him to go solo, Tae-yang said, "Rather than pursuing success, I wanted to sing songs that I really liked. I wanted to sing sentimental songs. Both 'Look Only At Me' and 'Wedding Dress' are warm songs that are pleasant to hear when it’s cold outside. Because Big Bang’s songs are very upbeat, I wanted to sing poignant and serious songs as a solo artist."

Tae-yang said it was heartbreaking for him to see G-Dragon, his friend of nearly 10 years, have a hard time because of the plagiarism scandal over his songs, which took him great effort and hard work to write. But he admitted that K-pop is dominated by idol groups these days, saying, "There are many idol bands these days and their music is easy to hear. Despite the wide diversity of music genres, people just can’t afford to pick the music they like. That’s why our role is very important. We must present music that can make a difference."

With regard to Big Bang’s unrivaled status in K-pop, Tae-yang said he first learned that Big Bang’s name was a hot issue when he was participating in the recording of the song “Halleluiah,” the theme song of the TV drama “Iris.” But he says he still feels awkward to be a part of an issue-making group. Tae-yang appeared tired of cameras always following the Big Bang members. He also added, smiling, that his fellow group members are his only friends, even almost four years since his debut, because he does not bond easily with people.

The average lifespan of idol bands is less than five years. We asked Tae-yang whether he had ever thought about his future and the future of Big Bang. Tae-yang found our question difficult. He said, "If we continue to love music, like we do now, each of us can perform solo while also releasing albums as a group. If I become an influential person someday, I would like to join good causes to help the underprivileged. Just as I liked Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Boyz II Men and Beyonce without a reason, I also want to be a singer who people like without a reason."

cred: KBS Global
shared by: popasian

Super Junior M comes back to release their first mini album, Super Girl, which contains the five tracks: "Super Girl", "到了明天" (Blue Tomorrow), "告白" (Confession), "愛情接力" (You and Me), and "動情" (Only U). The handsome 7-member group appears in front of the camera again to share their experiences in preparing this album.

SJ-M wears dashing suits to show their mature and attractive side. Their deep relationship can be seen as they arrange themselves neatly and always give support to each other. During the interview, not only did they sing happy birthday to Donghae, whose birthday is nearing, and Ryeowook, who just had his birthday, they also sang "Blue Tomorrow" for us.

The Super Girl in Super man's heart

Q: How long did this album take to finish?
Zhou Mi: From selecting songs to the end of recording, it took about 3 months. We actually began preparing this album since April of this year. I think we finished the album at the end of August.

Hangeng: All our songs, recording, and the filming of the MV were done in Korea.

Q: You guys have been going back and forth between Korea and China, so has everyone been spending a lot of time and effort in learning the languages? As in do members from China have to learn Korean and do Korean members have to learn Chinese?
Hangeng: Before, regardless of where we were, we always used Korean, but now, Zhou Mi, Henry and I have decided that when we're in China, we will try to use Chinese more. We have been able to communicate with each other quite well so far, but it's still a little tough when it comes to interviews.

Q: Between the Korean members, whose Chinese is the best?
Hangeng: Everyone has their area of strength. For example, Siwon can hear and understand Chinese better. Kyuhyun sings Chinese very well and spends the least amount of effort in recording our songs. Donghae learns Chinese phrases the quickest, like how he would say to his fans, "My beloved precious, I miss you! Do you miss me?" He learned this phrase the quickest!

Zhou Mi: Ryeowook's pronunciation is very good. One time, without any help from a Chinese instructor, he recorded a song for me to hear. When I heard it, I felt that his pronunciations were dead on.

Hangeng: He listens better than the rest because he has learned a bit from before, so he's a little stronger in hearing and speaking than the others. However, sometimes he can't get rid of some of the bad habits he learned from before. He has trouble correcting it.



Q: Your latest album is "Super Girl", so what is the perfect girl in your heart? What are your criteria? Hangeng, you should go first. Many people, including your mom, is very interested in your answer.
Hangeng: My mom is a little anxious, but I'm not. (laughter) I have three criteria in choosing a girlfriend: 1) She has to be kind and understanding, 2) She has to be considerate, have trust in me, and 3) She needs to be filial.

Zhou Mi: To all of us, the first and foremost criterion is that she has to be kindhearted, and if she is also pretty, then that'll be perfect.

Kyuhyun: I like girls with a pretty forehead and long legs. My ideal Super Girl is my fans. (What if your fans are guys?) Super Boy! Super Man! (giggle)

Siwon: We need to help out with each other, and also be filial. Of course, I can't say that appearance doesn't matter, but it is not the most important.

Henry: My Super Girl is my mom because my mom is the most important woman in my life. In regards to finding a girlfriend, I'm still young, so I haven't considered it and I haven't met that special someone yet.

Donghae: I think my Super Girl would be someone that likes computers. (Hangeng comments that Donghae loves his laptop the most)

Q: We heard that Donghae hates to be alone, especially when eating dinner. Is this true?
Donghae: Yes, I hate to be alone.

Q: Then your Super Girl must be a girl who would accompany you for dinner and not let you be alone.
Ryeowook: (sweating from nervousness) You! (pointing at reporter.)

Temperamental boys' unforgettable moments

Q: Out of all the songs in your mini album, which is your favorite?
Hangeng: I like "Blue Tomorrow". I think that the lyrics are very well written, and the music arrangement is very soothing.

Q: The lyrics are very intriguing. It writes about that feeling of separation very well.
Hangeng: Yes, it creates pictures in your mind and makes me think back to some of my past memories. Regardless of whom, whether it's someone I've encountered before, in movies, dramas, or a voice that I've listened to, they all appear in my mind again. When you read the lyrics again, it would make you think of a beautiful picture in your mind.

Q: Some things will pass and you would only cherish them after thinking back. Can you share an unforgettable moment with us?
Donghae: I've had some unforgettable moments with my friends or even when I broke up with my girlfriend, but the most unforgettable moment was when my father had passed away.

Zhou Mi: I don't have much experience in love, but I always keep people around me in mind. When I write song lyrics, I would appreciate their affection to me. When I wrote the track, "愛情接力" (You and Me), I used the love story of my friend. They had a long distance relationship where one was abroad and one was in Beijing, but they loved each other very much. Thus, in the lyrics, I wrote, "The distance of love makes our hearts even closer. Let our love write the theme song to our love." I hope that my lyrics can be a souvenir to their love story.

Hangeng: My most unforgettable moment was my graduation-exhibition performance. I entered the dancing school at age 13. I practiced dancing with my classmates, went to class with them, and we spent 6 years together like real siblings. On the night of graduation, we all knew that it meant separation, so everyone performed their best at the exhibition. Furthermore, my mom was also there and it was her first time watching me perform. She cried, and that made me very emotional. It was very unforgettable.

Zhou Mi: Hangeng cherishes his friendships a lot. Regardless of where we are performing, he often has some friends and classmates coming to visit. For example, it was already 2am when we finished recording for a show yesterday, yet he still had a friend from Changsha who came to see him. I overheard them while I was surfing the internet. They chatted about the dreams they had in the past. I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose!

Q: Aren't we all like that? We always wish to grow up when we were little, pondering about the future. Once you've been through some places or experiences, you would think back to your past.
Hangeng: Just like when Zhou Mi and I perform at schools. We would miss going to school. The year 1999 is very meaningful to me. In that year, I performed outside of my country for the first time. It was also the first time I participated in National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities. People of our class won gold, silver, and bronze medals and we performed at the exhibition of Macao's return. The last bit is the most important. We represented the minorities and performed at the 50th national anniversary's military parade. Although it was touch, it was a wonderful experience.

Henry: Because my family is all in Canada, I can only see them once a year. Last year, I got to see them once and it was only for two days, so I miss them very much.

Q: What do you do when you miss your mom? Would you cry or whine?
Henry: I wouldn't cry, but sometimes, I would call to chat with her. But whenever I call, they would say, "Long distance fees are expensive. It's too expensive, goodbye!" (laugh)

Ryeowook: My most unforgettable moment was during our promotional activities last year. We met many friends in China and also got to meet many fans in China. This is the most unforgettable thing for me right now. I hope that this year would be like that as well.

Q: Ryeowook's words sound just like SJ-M's love confession to the fans.
Hangeng: Yes. I think that the best present and the best way to repay or fans are to give them our best performance and our best works. Therefore, whether it is our albums or mini albums, we will always prepare well and hope to present something different every time. We have many different styles I our album this time. We have fast dance songs and slow love songs. Furthermore, our dance steps are easy to learn, where we've designed a special main move. (As per reporter's request, SJ-M sang Blue Tomorrow)

Pretty Boys' sincere confessions

Q: Speaking of love confessions, there's a track on your album called, "告白" (Confession). The lyrics were written by Zhou Mi and it's about ways of confessing love. What was your first love confessions like? Let's start with Zhou Mi…
Zhou Mi: Actually, the lyrics I write are very different from how I really am because I usually write the things I want to do but don't dare to accomplish in my lyrics. When I was in elementary school, I had a crush on a girl. I would secretly give her presents each day, like giving her an eraser a day, but I never dared to tell her it was me. Even now, if there's a girl that I like, I would buy her presents. If I can sense that she likes me too, then I would confess my love.

Hangeng: I still laugh when I think back on my first time confessing my love. It's because it was my first time, I felt very embarrassed, so I got two friends to come with me. In the end, I made the girl feel very embarrassed as well! So it ended with a rejection. (laugh)

Siwon: In regards to confessions, many people would confess to their girlfriends when they're dating. But one of my most unforgettable confessions were to my parents. Before I debut, I had never expressed my love towards my parents. After my first stage performance, I said to my mom, "Mom, I love you!"

Hangeng: It's about the same for me. I never expressed my love to them before either. After my first performance, I was really in tears when I said those words to my mom. But now, I can say those words very comfortably to her.

Donghae: When I was in grade 6, I had a big crush on a girl, and it was the first time that I had confessed my love. If you don't have the courage, you won't be able to get pretty girls. (Hangeng interrupted: He is very romantic. For example, he would ride a bike, carrying his girlfriend, to the seaside.)

Ryeowook: My confessions have always happened during fights or after misunderstandings. I would make some good dishes and then while we eat, I would then apologize.

Kyuhyun: I failed on my first love confession. I had a crush on a girl in high school. I happened to be performing that day, so I secretly brought a rose. After the performance was over, I gave her the rose, but I was rejected in the end.

Zhou Mi: I remember the first time I confessed my love. I was like a boy who had just fallen in love. I was so nervous and my heart was pounding hard. I gave her the rose, but I was rejected in the end.

Source : CpopAccess
translation by fewfew @ http://www.cpopaccess.com/ & http://asianfanatics.net
shared by: popasian

Tonight international JPop fans united in celebrating Johnny's and Associates idol Tomohisa Yamashita (24) new single entitled, Loveless. Fans of the popular Yamashita are letting their fingers talk in Twitter to show their support for the singer/ actor/ model.

Using the hashtag #deadfisheyes, fans started buzzing about Yamashita since 7 PM PST. Since then, there has been over 8,022 posts regarding him and his current project. Several mentions are for his single released on Nov. 18 JST, as well as the recent announcement his upcoming drama Code Blue 2. There were also some discussion about Yamashita and his alleged break-up with rumored girlfriend Seira Kagami.

With many Twitter users wondering the meaning behind the hashtag itself, international fangirls and fanboys of the Japanese star are rejoicing at the fact that their trending topic peaked at #3 just below New Moon.

Tomohisa Yamashita, also known as Yamapi, is known to his international fans as having a dead-panned stare in most of his photos thus leading to the creation of a somewhat "mocking" nickname. Inspired by Livejournal user, uwasako, fans of the artist flocked to twitter in a frenzy to make their presence felt. Within an hour of Yamapi's fansTwitter barrage, the topic has entered the top 10 and peaked at the third position right behind New Moon.

Despite not being advertised internationally, tonight's Twitter trending proves that the international fan base of JPop stars is large and varied. Supported by posters from many countries, the endeavor proved successful for fans who are anticipating Yamashita's single, Loveless.

Indeed, if the JPop idol was able to read the the Twitter posts of his fans, he would find that he might not be loveless after all.

cred: examiner.com
shared by: popasian

This rumor is still fresh off the press as well. The tabloid "Josei Seven", famous for revealing relationships between actors, published an article about what seems like a date going on between actress Kitagawa Keiko and actor Yamashita Tomohisa. As usual for that magazine, they don’t make such a big fuss about a rumor without any kind of photograph to prove the story. There is a nice photograph of two people holding hands and they definitely look like Kitagawa and Yamapi. The couple had a meal in a private room of a Chinese restaurant. When they left the restaurant, they have been all intimate and held hands. Reporters already asked their agencies about the rumor, but they both denied the rumor and, oh wonder, explained that they are nothing but very good friends. The picture isn’t that much of an evidence in my opinion, but Kitagawa and Yamapi should already be used to such rumors.

cred: kawaii-joyuu
shared by: popasian

Earlier this morning it has been said that Big Bang will hold their Japanese concert/tour in February 2010. The name of this tour is “Electric Love Tour 2010“.

There was a message reading “Thank you for always cheering Big Bang on. Because of D-Lite’s (Daesungs) traffic accident the tour for Big Bang in Japan was delayed. However Daesung has recovered and there is now a new schedule for the tour. “

The dates are the following:
February 10th & 11th at Yokohama Arena
February 13th at Kobe World Hall
February 16th at Budokan

There hasn’t been a lot of details revealed about this tour yet, but in the message it also said that newspapers, and TV shows will be making an announcement soon.

Credit: alee@ibigbang wordpress

1. Yamashita Tomohisa - Loveless = 78519
2. the HIATUS - Insomnia = 9505
3. FUNKY MONKEY BABYS - Hero / Ashita e = 7987
4. Arashi - My Girl
5. EXILE - The Generation ~Futatsu no Kuchibiru~
6. Superfly - Dancing on the Fire
7. YUKI - Cosmic Box
8. SLASH - Sahara - feat. Koshi Inaba
9. MISIA - Aitakute Ima
10. Miliyah Kato - Why

oricon

The first solo concert of NEWS' Yamashita TOMOHISA YAMASHITA　First Solo　SHORT BUT SWEET　～ 短いけれどいい時間を ～" is right ahead and his New Single „Loveless" will be released today on November 18th. It is certain to play a big role. Despite the fact that he has been busy with rehearsing every day, there seems to have been something on his mind, he felt the need to share.


Yamashita "Just the other day, I had this discussion with Takizawa-kun. It had been a long time since I was able to meet him, and he has grown so much since, it seems. I remembers it from the Jr. times. It's a little embarrassing. Lately I have only been rehearsing, and I came to remember this feeling from rehearsing now very well. The feeling to sweat so much every day, that one T-Shirt isn't enough. It really is embarrassing. It's like a childhood memory, though.]

With everyone growing up, everyday life is changing as well, however, this should not let the excitement for everyday falter. After all, 2010 will bring the new drama "コード・ブルー/ Cold Blue", so make sure to keep and eye or two open for this!

CRED: music japan plus
SHARED BY:POPASIAN

A few days ago, NYLON KOREA released some photos of Super Junior's Kim Heechul. As per usual, NYLON decided to release a behind the scenes video of the photo shoot.

Check out the video of Heechul and thanks to everlastingfriend for the tip.

cred: allkpop
shared by: popasian

‘Towel guy’ Jung YoungHwa busks in bittersweet happiness for receiving many lovecalls from the broadcast world.
It all started with Jung YoungHwa’s appearance in SBS ongoing hit drama ‘You’re Beautiful’ where he rose to instant stardom even though he is a newcomer. In the show, he was nicknamed the ‘towel guy’ and ‘2nd JiHoo seonbae’ for his gentle and caring character Kang ShinWoo, which has received great love from TV viewers.

His company F&C Music said, “It seems many people love Jung YoungHwa’s image. Even though the drama ‘You’re Beautiful’ is still ongoing, he has receiving lovecalls for other drama productions. And we are also not sure if he will be doing another drama next year since CNBLUE is set to promote next year.”

One drama producer said, “His fresh image together with his safe acting, he gives off this divine feel as a newcome actor. Much anticipation for him since right now we are have a shortage of male actors.”
Jung YoungHwa has also raised topics after netizens and TV viewers found out that he is actually a singer after knowing him through the drama.

cred: kites
shared by: popasian
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I totally love this guy ....