Toru “TK” Kitajima, singer and guitarist for the band Ling Tosite Sigure, has released the music video for his first solo single “unravel”. Outside of the band, he has previously released an album and a mini album. “unravel” serves as the opening theme for the anime Tokyo Ghoul.

Dear readership, we know you come to Arama not only for the best in Japanese entertainment news, but guidance in what you should be reading, watching, and listening to (and what to avoid). That, and also because I hate myself, is why I’m going to review some of the most anticipated anime of the summer 2014 season for you.

Ideally, there would be 3 of these. One for action oriented shows and another for er.. series that are not as easily categorized.

Japan’s first idol boom in the 80’s had a huge impact on the country’s music scene. It mostly disappeared in the 90’s in favor or artists, but thanks to nostalgia and AKB48’s impact, Japan is firmly in the midst of a nationwide idol boom once more. No doubt the industry is over saturated by introducing tons of new groups every year, but there are still more investors that see potential (money) in Japan’s youth.

Pikachu wants in on that in the upcoming remakes Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire this Fall.

Shuukan Bunshu has reported that Beat Takeshi (67) has told his acquaintances about his thoughts of wanting to divorce his wife and give her his fortune to be with his mistress, “A-ko”.

Out of curiosity of who this woman is, we searched for a photograph.

According to Shuukan Bunshu, Takeshi has not returned to his Tokyo apartment and is renting an designer apartment for his mistress, engaging in a lifestyle of part time co-habitation. While it is not surprising for someone as big as Beat Takeshi to have a mistress or two, since he has continued a husband and wife relationship up until this point, you would want for him to put his family first.

While Instagram is a relatively new platform in Japan, many celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon. The list may be dominated by models and J-urban acts, we still are able to get a look into the daily lives of some of our faves. As a companion to our Twitter list from last week, we’re bringing you a comprehensive Instagram list. Find out who are insta honeys and baes of the Japanese entertainment world.

Be sure to check out our Twitter list and comment there or here for any accounts we may have missed.

JUJU has been chosen to perform the opening song for upcoming NHK drama ‘Seijo‘. Her new song ‘Last scene’ is about a woman’s emotions, perfectly fitting the atmosphere of the show starring Ryoko Hirosue.

“I was asked to sing the theme song for an NHK for the very first time and I was very happy!” the singer commented to Natalie. “Also for the first time, Ryoko Hirosue is the lead character for an NHK drama. She plays a wicked woman and the story progression for this drama is very anxiety inducing. I simply cannot wait!”

It has been determined that a collaboration single between Miliyah Kato and Izumi Nakasone entitled ‘YOU…’ with be released on September 3rd.

Nakasone and Kato were chosen to write this song for the radio drama ‘Kimi koi monogatari‘ based on teenage experiences with love sent in by listeners. The two singers were inspired by what they heard and based the lyrics off these submissions.

The song premiered on rock variety program SCHOOL OF LOCK! on TOKYO FM earlier today.

Hello there! I’m very glad to introduce a new, bi-monthly column here at ARAMA! JAPAN, where we plan to spotlight both J-Pop classics as well as newcomers that deserve some international love. I’ll be kicking off the column with a post about upcoming artist and my (user)namesake, Ichiko Aoba!

Who is Ichiko Aoba?

Ichiko Aoba is a singer-songwriter born in Chiba prefecture in 1990. She started playing classical guitar when she was 17 and released her first album ‘Kamisori Otome (Razor Maiden)’ in 2010 at just 19 years old. Since then, Aoba’s released 4 more albums: ‘Origami (Cage Hair)’,  ‘Utabiko‘,  ‘Radio’ (as Ichiko Aoba and The Fairies), and her latest album ‘0’ in addition to a handful of live albums.