Japan’s “CountDown TV” has recently concluded their annual poll for ‘the most wanted artist as girlfriend/boyfriend’ in 2008… with YUI and Jin Akanishi topping the girlfriend and boyfriend category respectively.
CDTV’s Japanese countdown video below which gives a fast glance on the trend setters in J-pop these days… [Hat tip to Thierry]
Top 20 Japan’s most wanted girlfriend 2008
1. YUI 2. Kaori Mochida 3. Ayumi Hamasaki 4. Ai Ōtsuka 5. aiko 6. Ai Takahashi 7. Ai Kawashima 8. Kiyoe Yoshioka 9. Maimi Yajima 10. Yui Aragaki 11. Nocchi 12. Namie Amuro 13. Ayaka 14. Kaela Kimura 15. Kumi Koda 16. Misako Uno 17. Hiroko 18. BoA 19. Mai Kuraki 20. Reina Tanaka
It seems like only singers are being shortlisted for this poll. Korean stars BoA and Jaejoong (from TVXQ) are the only two non-Japanese celebs that made the list.
Yuko Ogura has won the 1st Japan Gravure Idol Award organised by gravure idol site ZAKZAK. The result was based on the sales of DVDs and photobooks, as well as exposure to media and appearances at public events. [via Tokyograph]
Gravure idols are Japanese models who posed primarily in bikinis and other provocative clothings for photo spreads in magazines, photobooks and DVDs. Some gravure idols would cross over into acting and singing… a few of the famous gravure idols could actually match the popularity of some A-list stars.
Below is the music video of “Onna no Ko ♥ Otoko no Ko” (オンナのコ ♥ オトコのコ; Girls ♥ Boys), a song from Yuko Ogura which was used as the ending theme for Japanese anime “School Rumble”…
A Japanese commercial jointly produced by Japan Ad Council (AC) and Korea Broadcast Advertising Corp (Kobaco), featuring popular Japanese star Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Korean actress Choi Ji-woo.
The commercial is for environmentalism purpose, to encourage recycling practise and protecting the environment…
A pair of Yubari melons are sold for 2.5 million yen (~ USD23,800) in this harvest season’s first auction on May 13 at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Markets. The price is a record high, surpassing the 2 million yen a pair fetched last year. [Kyodo]
Yubari melons are known for their high quality and sweet taste, and are popular summer gifts in Japan; an average Yubari melon could cost USD50-100.
Giving gifts to corporate partners and clients is a traditional Japanese business custom. It’s usually done twice a year in mid-winter and again in mid-summer.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has released the video of Japanese astronaut Takao Doi experimenting with a special-designed boomerang at the International Space Station (ISS) in March 2008…
Conclusion… the boomerang reacted just the same under zero gravity as it would be on the ground. Aerodynamics expert David Caughey of Cornell said that the result is as expected; the looping paths are the result of uneven forces on the curved devices by the air they travel through… not the influence of gravity. [Newscientist]
The boomerang was working in the space station, but would not work in the real space though. Boomerang expert and designer Gary Broadbent said that a boomerang would not work in the vacuum of space, as air molecules are needed to generate the lift to make the boomerang turn. [Universetoday]
