The 36th Best Jeanist awards were recently handed out in Tokyo. This accolade is a very popular publicity award given to celebrities who not only love denim, but look good in it too.

Originally getting it’s start back in 1984, the ceremony is sponsored by the official “Japan Jeans Council”, with voting open to the public. Every year there is a top male and female winner, with select runner ups receiving their own special award. The council claims that their goal is to get as many people as possible to know about the “Goodness” of jeans and denim.

Taking the top spot in the male category for the THIRD time in a row is none other than Hey! Say! JUMP member Yuto Nakajima. Since this is his third time taking home the gold, Yuto will be ineligible for nomination in future Jeanist awards. However, as a three time winner he will be going into the Jeanist Hall of Fame!

It has been announced that Hello!Project group Country Girls will be calling it quits, at least for now. The decision to suspend all activities was a mutual agreement between management and the members.

Discussions about the future of the group have been going on all throughout the year, with each member of the group deciding on a different thing to focus on. Member Risa Yamaki will be retiring from show business, and focus on getting a job outside of the industry.

Singer/songwriter Fumiya Enuma, formerly the frontman for rock band plenty, has announced that he will be releasing a new album on November 6th. Titled “Sore wa Ryuusenkei”, this will be Enuma’s second solo album and his first long-form release in nearly a year.

“Sore wa Ryuusenkei” will include his three digital singles from earlier this year – “Uruseen da yo”, “Gizen kara Hajimeyou”, and “Tsumiki Kuzushi” – as well as six new songs for a total of ten. Ahead of the record’s release, live performances of “Gizen kara Hajimeyou” and lead track “IYAIYA” have been published to Enuma’s YouTube channel.

Read on below to find both of these live PVs, along with the cover and track list for “Sore wa Ryuusenkei”.

Veteran singer/songwriter Toshinobu Kubota has announced that he will be releasing a new studio album titled “Beautiful People” on November 27th. This record comes nearly five years after the release of Kubota’s previous longplay “L.O.K”, and will be his 16th such release in total.

“Beautiful People” will include his previously released tracks “You Go Lady”, “So Beautiful”, and “Make U Funky”, as well as 11 new songs for a total of 14. The album’s Limited Edition is to come packaged with a DVD which contains the music videos for this era.

You’ll find the cover and track list for “Beautiful People” right after the cut.

To close out his already busy year, singer/songwriter THE CHARM PARK has announced that he will be releasing a new variant of his solo debut album “Reverse & Rebirth” on November 20th. Originally an independent release that is now out of print, this special reconstruction will feature both reworked tracks and a small selection of new songs to further enhance the record.

“Reverse & Rebirth” will be issued in two versions, with the Limited Edition to come packaged with a DVD containing footage from THE CHARM PARK’s July 5th live at Billboard Tokyo. A live video showcasing the performance his track “Favorite Songs” has been uploaded to his YouTube channel.

You’ll find this live PV, as well as the cover and complete track list for “Reverse & Rebirth” below.

As we’ve reported previously, alternative rock band THE BACK HORN will be releasing a new album titled “Carpe Diem” next week on October 23rd. Ahead of the record’s release, the group have chosen to publish a lyric video for its penultimate track “Hatenaki Boukensha” to their YouTube channel.

This video focuses on the contrasts between civilization and natural life, both framed amidst the inevitable march of time. Described as an orchestral rock ballad, the track is meant to serve as a support song for those of the same generation as the band members themselves.

You’ll find the full lyric video for “Hatenaki Boukensha” right after the jump.

This week’s guests were WANIMA, UNISON SQUARE GARDEN, THE RAMPAGE, and ONE N’ ONLY.

WANIMA – GONG / Rindou

UNISON SQUARE GARDEN – Phantom Joke

THE RAMPAGE – SWAG & PRIDE

ONE N’ ONLY – Category

On October 18, Gesu no Kiwami Otome.’s keyboardist Chan MARI will make her solo debut. She will debut under the name “FUKUSHIGE MARI” with the digital EP “JAPANESE ONNA.” It is a self-produced work on which she wrote all the songs. WONK‘s Inoue Miki was in charge of mixing “JAPANESE ONNA”, while musicians such as TENDRE and Kageyama Kanade of NABOWA played the instruments on it. Check out more information on this release below!