JapanSugoi

Japanese fashion model, actress and Jpop star Yu Yamada 山田優 released her 5th single Leave All Behind in April this year. She recently appeared in NHK’s TV show Music Japan and Fuji TV’s Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ and will release her debut album MyMusic today. The full length album contains 12 tracks and include all her other previously released singles, Eyes on Me, Real You, Fly So High and Fiesta Fiesta.

When Yu was much younger and living in Okinawa (1999-2001) , she was part of all all girl group y’z factory ワイズファクトリー. She used modeling for CanCam as a way to continue her first love - music.

Although we really like Yu’s new single, our all time favorite single by a Japanese model is the Lena Fujii, DJ Kawasaki collaboration Bright Like Light

Yu Yamada Video

Leave all behind

Like Yu Yamada’s music? We do! See more or purchase here.

Want to know what young trendy Japanese people are wearing this spring? Here are some spring  street fashion photos direct from Harajuku courtesy of Japanese fashion magazine Kera  and website Maruione.

Aya Nishisaki 西崎 彩 is a pretty 24 year old Japanese model who is contracted to Japanese fashion magazine FINE. To us she looks a bit like a younger version of Japanese model Moe Oshikiri 押切もえ.

Aya started her career appearing in the Asayan あさやん 浅草橋ヤング洋品店 gravure grand prix talent search competition in 2001. In 2002 she teamed up with Riu Miyamae 宮前るい to form Jpop idol duo AMICA アミーカ that released one CD. In 2003 she won the photogenic prize at the Miss New Caledonia Princess contest ニューカレドニアプリンセスコンテストフォトジェニック賞, a bikini contest sponsored by the Tourism board of New Caledonia.

Aya Nishisaki is pictured fourth from the left.

In 2004 she was part of another idol singing group Linda☆Linda which released one single 超☆狙いうち 2004 featuring Linda Yamamoto. Between 2004-2006 she concentrated on her magazine modeling and last year jumped into the Japanese TV world appearing as a fashion reporter on Fuji TV’s Mezamishi program MOTTOいまドキ！

Aya was also the former captain of Japanese women’s futsal team FANTASISTA

Aya Nishizaki videos

with idol Akina Minami 南明奈 modeling bikinis and summer fashion wear

In the last few years, Japanese belly dancing (like reggae dancing or Hawaiian Hula dancing) is one of those foreign dances that has a small but devoted following in Japan. Perhaps because of its exotic clothing and sexy movements, there is a fashionable interest from young Japanese women in learning belly dancing through workshops and events such as Bellydance Summer Festival 2007 and through studios such as Almis Tarmis, Maki Oriental dance and Lotus dance laboratory.

Make no mistake, belly dancing, though sexy, is a strenuous workout (unlike riding the rodeoboy!) and many fitness clubs now have belly dancing exercise classes. As with reggae dancing units, there are also professional dancing duos such as JudWa ジュドゥワ who perform at restaurants and events. Japanese ladies K and Aco of Judwa have studied belly dancing for over 5 years and you can see their photos here. More resources on Japanese belly dancing can be found here.

Sexy Japanese Belly dancing

Beautiful bikini model and idol Chisato Morishita 森下千里 and Naho Nakazawa 中沢菜芳 of Lotus dance laboratory on Japanese TV fund raiser

JJ is a Japanese fashion and lifestyle magazine established in 1975 as an extra issue of weekly Josei Jishin, and published by Kobunsha. It the rival to the more popular CanCam but has a smaller circulation monthly circulation. Their list of celebrity JJ models has included the likes of Meisa Kuroki 黒木メイサ, Ryoko Tanami 田波涼子, Yumi Sugimoto 杉本有美, Alisa Urahama 浦浜 アリサ, Sayo Aizawa 相沢紗世,Hiroko Hatano 畑野 ひろ子,and Liza リーザ.

We had a few requests to show some Tokyo winter street fashion, so we found a few photos from excellent Japanese fashion site style-arena.jp to show you. Every district in Tokyo has a different fashion style so as you travel around Tokyo you can see some big differences.

We previously featured Japanese maid fashion brand Candy Fruit here. Over Christmas, they sponsored a fashion show and inviting a whole range of otaku, cosplayers and couples. The entertainment for the evening was provided by Cosplay maid duo Hina Ichigo. Maid culture and fashion is definately going more mainstream. More photos and coverage at TrendsinJapan.com