Finger 5 フィンガー５ were Japan’s answer to the Jackson 5 and Partridge family in the early 1970s.  From Okinawa the Jpop group comprised of  Tamamoto brothers, Kazuo, Mitsuo, Masao, Akira, and sister Taeko.

With catchy pop  songs, matching outfits and choreographed dance routines,  the band was formed in 1967 with the three brothers Kazuo, Mitsuo and Masao, who performed as All Brothers.  In 1970, they signed with King Records as the Baby Brothers, but their three releases did not sell well.

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Toshimi Sugawara 菅原禄弥 is a 29 year old Japanese actress and fashion model from Chiba prefecture.  She has appeared in Japanese fashion magazines Cawaii, Ray and S-Cawaii and TV commercials for Kao, Asahi drinks (Wonda) and Beauteen.

Toshimi has also appeared in various TV shows from ten years  – Keishicho Sosa Ikka 9 Gakari 4 (TV Asahi, 2009, ep4), Shinjuku Swan (TV Asahi, 2007, ep3), Koi no Kara Sawagi Drama Special Love Stories II (NTV, 2005), Memory of Love (MBS, 2004) , Koi no Chikara (Fuji TV, 2002) , Watashi wo Ryokan ni Tsuretete (Fuji TV, 2001), Rouge (NHK, 2001) , Taiyo wa Shizumanai (Fuji TV, 2000) , Kira Kira Hikaru (Fuji TV, 2000, SP2) Kiken na Kankei (Fuji TV, 1999) and Kokusan Hina Musume (国産ひな娘) (TV Tokyo, 1999).  Read more...

Lisa Nakama (also known as Risa Nakama) 仲間リサ is a half American fashion model from Okinawa.  The pretty 26 year old is best known as one popular models for the fashion magazine Pinky which she won the 2005 Pinky Princess audition.  Besides Pinky, she’s also featured on WITH, Lei wedding (cover), gainer, PREPPY、 Wedding Book、MEN’S CLUB、nail up!,  sabra , Sabra, Hair & Beauty pronto pronto?, KING and Shiyo.

She also appeared in Fuji TV’s Mezamashi morning TV from 2006-2007 and has appeared in TV commercials for Trend Micro, Unilever Japan, Mods-style,  Uniqlo, Belle Mansion, Naris Cosmetics, Nuovo, City wedding, NTT DoCoMo, Shinjuku Sabunado and Samung Electonics.  Read more...

Although Japanese Curry House chain CoCo Ichibanya has hundreds of restaurants throughout Japan two of its top three most profitable restaurants are located in Okinawa mainly due to the patronage of US military  stationed there.   In the news clip below, the reporter visits a CoCo Ichibanya (whose motto is “Good smell, Good curry”)  located right outside of the gate of Kadena Airbase where almost every single customer is American who order more per meal than the average Japanese consumer. The report notes that the Americans have different  eating habits as they like to order lots of toppings for their curry and also consume a lot of the free tsukemono.

Okinawa born actress, model and singer Meisa Kuroki 黒木メイサ appears in Kirin’s  Cola shock コーラショック TV commercials. Cola shock is cola mixed with alcohol.

Meisa Kuroko Cola Shock TVCM

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Attention Japanese graphic designers. Here are some great web icons designed by the folks at Messaliberty for the Japanese prefectures of Tokyo, Aomori, Hyogo, Kyoto, Okinawa and Shimane . They are in png format (256×256) and free to download from their site.

Tokyo

Aomori

Hyogo

Kyoto

Okinawa

The theme song for the new 2010 Doraemon movie “Nobita’s Great Battle of the Mermaid King” Doraemon Nobita no Ningyo Daikaisen” 映画ドラえもん のび太の人魚大海戦 is a beautiful song by 23 year old Japanese American R&B singer Thelma Aoyama 青山テルマ from Okinawa.

A few weeks ago on January 27th, Thelma had released her newest single, Fall in Love, which was a collaboration with SOL, main vocalist of five-member Korean idol group BIGBANG.

The new Doraemon song Kaeru basho 帰る場所  will be officially released on March 3rd.  The song was composed and written by songwriter and rapper SouLja ソルジャ who Thelma had collaborated before in the song Soba ni iru ne, considered as Thelma’s breakthrough hit.  Read more...

From Tokyo MX news comes a feature about the new Japan Airlines 日本航空 JAL  Doraemon ドラえもん plane.  Despite being in all sorts of financial difficulties, JAL has a tied up with anime character Doraemon in a new marketing campaign whereby a Boeing 777-300 will be decorated with large 3.5X15m colorful image of Doraemon characters to promote the new Doraemon movie Nobita’s Great Battle of the Mermaid King 映画ドラえもん のび太の人魚大海戦 coming out next month.

The “Doraemon Jet” will fly from mid Feb to late April on domestic routes to Sapporo, Nagoya, Okinawa and Fukuoka.  Read more...

If you’re a regular reader of Japansugoi, you will know we post a lot of sexy Japanese bikini gravure グラビアアイドル models like  Yukie Kawamura, Sayuki Matsumoto and Kana Tsugihara.  All these models have been featured on Japan’s most popular and established gravure idol magazine Sabra サブラ (like FMH, Loaded, Stuff in western countries)

Sabra was published by Shogakukan as a bi-weekly from June 2000 to October 2007 but since then the magazine became a monthly (coming out on the 25th of every month).  There are also several Sabra web sites  Read more...

Living in Japan, you will have noticed many artistic manhole covers or water access points throughout urban areas.  They are often designed to include the mascot or characteristic of the neighborhood/town in which they are situated.