Tokyo Idol Festival is the biggest idol event in Japan. Every year, it brings together many different idol groups on one stage for just two days. Last year, the event featured 138 different idol groups and garnered an audience of over 41,000 fans.

Now in its 6th year, this event hopes to reach more and more individuals than it did in previous years. Thus giving everyone the opportunity to experience the Japanese idol culture. This summer, the event is extending a special invitation to non-Japanese people by allowing them to attend the concert for free!

Check out below for more information on this annual event.

Seasoned singer/songwriter Hamada Shogo has announced that his first studio album in almost 10 years is set to hit store shelves on the 29th of this month.  “Journey of a Songwriter ~Tabisuru Songwriter” will be an absolutely massive release consisting of 17 tracks in total; the only song on the album that will have seen a prior release is “Yume no Tsuzuki”, which was the lead track off of Hamada’s “Dream Catcher” mini-album from earlier this year.

The album’s Limited Edition will also include a special remix CD which will contain alternate versions of 10 of the songs on the album, as well as a DVD or Blu-ray that will house several music videos and live performances related to the release.  Finally, Hamada Shogo will embark on a nationwide tour to support the release of “Journey of a Songwriter” this Autumn, with further details set to be announced at the end of April.

The full set of details about the album can be found right after the cut, so please don’t hesitate to read on if you’re curious.

Ringtone:

Double Platinum (500,000):
AKB48 – Aitakatta (10/25/06)

Digital Single:

Million (1,000,000):
AKB48 – Koisuru Fortune Cookie (8/21/13)

Double Platinum (500,000):
ayaka – Nijiiro (4/28/14)
Che’Nelle – Happiness (10/29/14)
supercell – Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari (8/12/09)
SEKAI NO OWARI – Dragon Night (10/22/14)
Nishino Kana – GO FOR IT!! (7/18/12)

Platinum (250,000):
Kawaguchi Kyogo – Sakura (11/12/04)
FLOW – GO!!! (11/15/06)
Makihara Noriyuki – Donna Toki mo Zutto. (2/1/06)
L’Arc～en～Ciel – Driver’s High (12/20/06)

Gold (100,000):
Aqua Timez – Shabondama Days (4/5/06)
HY – Anata wo Omou Kaze (9/22/14)
AKB48 – Kokoro no Placard (8/27/14)
Kato Miliyah – Baby I See You feat. VERBAL (m-flo) (7/28/10)
KANA-BOON – Silhouette (11/26/14)
Kalafina – heavenly blue (7/16/14)
Kumamushi – Attakaindakara (1/21/15)
Kobukuro – Diamond (7/24/13)
Sandaime J Soul Brothers – Eeny, meeny, miny, moe! (1/28/15)
JUJU – Distance (9/18/13)
Superfly – Dancing On The Fire (11/18/09)
AAA – Wake up! (7/2/14)
back number – Heroine (1/21/15)
Piko – Sakurane (3/2/11)
miwa – Kimi ni Deaeta Kara (6/25/14)
LiSA – oath sign (11/16/11)

This week’s guests were HKT48, Yuzu, Morning Musume. ’15, Porno Graffitti, Nakayama Yuma, Chris Hart, Nana Mizuki, and Perfume.

HKT48 – 12 Byou

Yuzu – OLA!!

Morning Musume. ’15 – Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru

Porno Graffitti – Oh! Rival

Nakayama Yuma – YOLO moment

Chris Hart – Tsuzuku Michi with Gospellers

Nana Mizuki – Angel Blossom

Perfume – Relax In The City

Following our previous report on the subject, singer/songwriter Superfly has chosen to finally publish the full track list for her upcoming album “WHITE”.  The release will include 14 songs in total, including her previously released tracks “Live”, “Ai wo Karada ni Fukikonde”, “You You”, and “White Light”.

In addition, more detail has also been given regarding the second CD which will be included with WHITE’s Limited Edition; it will be a cover mini-album composed of 5 songs which have had an impact on Superfly during the course of her life.  The artists whom will be covered are Kuwata Keisuke, Takeuchi Mariya, Inoue Yosui, RC Succession, and Sano Motoharu.

You’ll find the tracklists for both CDs, a preview of Superfly’s new song “Beautiful”, and a snippet of her cover of RC Succession’s “Slow Ballad” right after the jump.

As previously reported, Crystal Kay will release her new single “Kimi ga Ita Kara” on June 3. “Kimi ga Ita Kara” will serve as the theme song for the new Nippon TV drama “Wild Heroes”, starring TAKAHIRO of EXILE. The song is now available as a ringtone and will be released as a digital single on May 13. Crystal has now released a short lyric video for the song. Check it out after the jump along with the single’s digital release cover.

On April 22, Salyu will release her 5th studio album, “Android & Human Being.” This will be her first studio album since 2012’s “photogenic.” The album will incorporate a variety of sounds including band, acoustic, and electronic. “Android & Human Being” will include her 2014 single “Ai ni Yukeru”, which was the theme song for the movie “Ieji.” It will also include the song “THE RAIN”, which was used in a Sony Xperia CM in 2013. Salyu recently release the music video for that song. It’s a creative video collage of short film clips. Check it out after the jump along with the album’s cover and tracklist!

Popular rock band RADWIMPS have recently announced that they’re going to be releasing their first single in over a year and a half on June 10th.  Titled “Picnic”, the release’s lead track is set to be used as the theme song for upcoming movie “Toile no Pieta”, which will premiere in Japanese theaters on the prior weekend (the 6th of June).

“Toile no Pieta” stars RADWIMPS’ vocalist Noda Yojiro in his first acting role; he’ll play Sonoda Hiroshi, a young man who has given up on his dreams of becoming a painter and instead works part-time cleaning office windows.  Sonoda soon learns that he has only three months to live and during the last summer of his life encounters Mai (Sugisaki Hana), a high school student whom he begins to develop feelings for.

You’ll find the trailer for “Toile no Pieta”, which contains a brief snippet of “Picnic”, right below the cut, so feel free to read on just a bit further.