On November 12, R&B singer Shota Shimizu is set to release his new single “SNOW SMILE.” It is a touching song that comes just at the start of the holiday season. Shota recently released the music video for “SNOW SMILE.” It has a holiday theme and deals with the love story of 2 young people. It’s just as touching as the song itself. Check out the video, covers, and tracklist after the jump!

Back in July of this year, rapper KOHH released his debut album “Monochrome.” One of the standout tracks on the album was “Fuck Swag.” It was also a promo single for the album, complete with a music video. On October 10, KOHH released the remix for “Fuck Swag” digitally via iTunes. On the remix he’s joined by fellow rappers ANARCHY and Hannya. He has now released a music video for the remix. The music video was shot at one of KOHH’s various club performances. Check it out after the jump!

Just as another Johnny’s talent Yamashita Tomohisa mispronounced “Wi-fi” as “wee-fee,” Kimura Takuya made an embarassing mistake with his English. He made the grave error of mispelling the King of Pop Michael Jackson‘s name on national television. What adds even more salt to the wound is that KimuTaku even once had the honor of meeting the legend.

It was revealed on Warner Music Japan’s website that Yasutaka Nakata’s main music unit CAPSULE will be contributing a new song to the Christmas illumination show happening in Canal City Hakata (pictured), a large shopping and entertainment complex located in Fukuoka. The track will additionally feature in a Christmas CM advertising Canal City Hakata throughout the Kyushu region. The illumination show begins November 8th and will finish on December 25th.

CAPSULE is currently in the midst of preparing a new album, tentatively set to be released sometime this year. Further details pertaining to the new song and the upcoming album are yet to be announced.

Hot on the heels of announcing a new Live DVD/Blu-ray, popular rock band BUMP OF CHICKEN have confirmed that they will be providing the theme song for the live action adaptation of popular manga ‘Kiseijuu’, better known as ‘Parasyte’.  The song, titled ‘Parade’, is an upbeat track that is described as possessing an impressive ‘driving force’ behind it.

This unexpected collaboration came about as a result of the band’s close friendship with the movie’s director Takashi Yamazaki, who has directed several of their music videos in the past. Yamazaki is known primarily for this year’s smash hit ‘Eien no Zero’ and his critically acclaimed ‘Always – Sunset on Third Street’ movies, which BUMP OF CHICKEN provided two themes for, and specifically requested that the band provide a song for ‘Parasyte’.

The first of two ‘Parasyte’ films will hit Japanese theaters on November 29th, with ‘Parade’ set to release digitally on the same day; this just one day after the release of ‘Fighter’, their collaboration song with ‘Sangatsu no Lion’.  Feel free to have a look at the music videos that Yamazaki has directed for the band below the cut.

On December 10, Ken Hirai is set to release his 37th single “Sore Demo Shitai / Onnaji Samishisa.” It is a double A-side single. He released “Onnaji Samishisa” digitally on October 29. “Onnaji Samishisa” is the theme song for the NHK drama “Sayonara Watashi”, which started on October 14.

Today, Ken released the music video for the single’s other A-side, “Sore Demo Shitai.” It is the November ending theme for NTV’s “Tokui to Goto to Uruwashi no SHELLY ga Konya Kurabete Mimashita.” The video was shot in and around the Indian capital of New Delhi over the course of 2 days. The video, as well as the single’s covers, have a distinctly Indian feel. Ken says that he was inspired by Bollywood films and also that he’s been mistaken for Indian by Indians in Japan. The DVD that comes with the limited edition of the single has the music video as well as behind the scenes footage pulled from the 30 hours of shooting.

On November 5, Suiyoubi no Campanella is set to release their 4th mini album “Watashi wo Onigashima ni Tsuretette.” It was released digitally via OTOTOY on October 29 though. Today, the group released the music video for the mini album’s closing track, “Dracula.” It is a fitting time seeing as how Halloween is this coming Friday. In the video, frontwoman Koumai plays the maid for a den of vampires. Check out video after the jump!

It was announced that Kis-My-Ft2’s Tamamori Yuta will be starring in the film adaptation of Arikawa Hiro‘s original novel “Raintree no Kuni”. Tamamori will be playing the role of a salaryman, with co-star singer- model Nishiuchi Mariya as the heroine. This is also the first movie for both leads.

Arikawa’s “Rein Tsuri no Kuni” tells the pure love story between two people who have never met. Tamamori plays the role of Sakisaka Nobuyuki, a salary man from a food company who starts exchanging emails with the owner of “Rain Tree no kuni” blog named Hitomi (Nishiuchi). Hitomi has a secret that she can’t say in person.