This week’s guest was Makihara Noriyuki. He performed 3 songs and was also interviewed.

Makihara Noriyuki – Kitakaze ~Kimi ni Todokimasu You ni~ / Fall / LUNCH TIME WARS

On April 22, Ai Otsuka is set to release her 7th studio album, “LOVE TRiCKY.” The album will consist of 10 songs and will be released in 2 editions. Ai collaborated with Abe Noboru of famed electronic duo STUDIO APARTMENT on this release. The album’s 6th track, “reach for the mooon”, was the CM for Eyeful Home. The album’s closing track, “end and and ~10,000 hearts~”, is the campaign song for telecommunication company NTT West’s Smart Hikari Heart Beat Project. Ai was named ambassador for this project this past June. The song features 10,000 heartbeats that were collected this past October via a mobile app / t-shirt combination. Check out the covers and tracklist for the album after the jump as well as clips of “reach for the moon” and “end and and ~10,000 hearts~!”

As we reported previously, all-girl alternative rock band Negoto will be releasing their third full-length album “VISION” this year on March 4th.  Now the group has chosen to publish the music video for the release’s lead track “endless” to their official Youtube channel.

The PV finds the dreamy song set to a series of images produced by domed “WORLDEYE” displays, the pictures intended to represent the message that the track is trying to convey.  This innovative concept was the brainchild of director Shiga Takumi, who has worked with the band before on the music videos for their songs “Merci Lou”, “sharp #”, and “Re:myend!”.

Feel free to take a look at the PV for “endless” just below the cut, and please look forward to the song’s digital release next week on February 18th.

This week’s guests were Shibutani Subaru and GENERATIONS. There were also countdowns of “first love” and “answer” songs.

Shibutani Subaru – Kioku

GENERATIONS – Sing it Loud

This week’s guests were Hirose Kohmi, w-inds., SOLIDEMO, and Kalafina.

Hirose Kohmi – Romance no Kamisama

Hirose Kohmi x w-inds. – Shiawase wo Tsukamitai

Hirose Kohmi x SOLIDEMO – Mafuyu no Kaerimichi

Hirose Kohmi x Kalafina – promise

Hirose Kohmi x w-inds. x SOLIDEMO x Kalafina – Gelaende ga Tokeru Hodo Koishitai

SOLIDEMO – Rafflesia

Kalafina – storia

w-inds. – FANTASY

It’s been a while since we last heard from pop-rock trio Galileo Galilei, but they’ve finally returned with the music video for their latest song “Koi no Jumyou” (“The Lifespan of Love”).  This adorable PV tells the story of a couple from their first awkward meeting to the sudden and abrupt end of their relationship, perfectly expressing the sometimes transient nature of affection.

“Koi no Jumyou” is currently being used as the ending theme for anime “Magic Kaito 1412” and is set to be released physically as a single next month on March 11th.  This will be the band’s first single release in over a year and a half, since “Circle Game” hit shelves back in August of 2013.

Check out the music video and track list for “Koi no Jumyou” right after the jump, and look forward to further news about the group in the future.

International jet-setting diva Ayumi Hamasaki has landed at Taiwan’s Taipei Songshan Airport, attracting over 400 passionate fans, reporters and photographers in a chaotic scene.

“Ayu! Ayu! Welcome back!” her fans cried out upon seeing the 36-year-old chanteuse at her first appearance in Taiwan in several years. The singer’s airport fashion showcased her dark brown wavy hairdo, a white lace frock and silver high heels.

In a 10 minute struggle, she pushed through the airport frenzy escorted by a dozen security guards and her husband, accepting bouquets and signing autographs on the way to her car.

On February 13, Mariko Goto announced that she will be taking a hiatus from the music industry effective immediately. There is speculation that this hiatus is really a retirement. Mariko made this announced on a TwitCasting livestream. She then deleted all of her recent tweets except for her last one, one that thanked fans for their support.

Thanks for everything
I love you
See you later

She’s also cancelled all of her upcoming shows. The reason for this very recent turn of events is unknown but some clues can be found in an emotional recent blog post of Mariko’s.