[music] Yoko-chan's Japanese Christmas songs playlist

Hello everyone!!
Because it will be Christmas tomorrow, today I want to share my Christmas playlist with you!
For sure I know that not all the songs have Christmas as basic topic, but anyway they arrange a Christmas or winter like feeling. I hope you will have a wonderful Christmas time with this songs!

Merry Christmas everyone!! メリークリスマス！ (^0^)~ ♥

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Yoko-chan's Japanese Christmas songs playlist
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(arranged alphabetically)

Ayumi Hamasaki - Carols
Ayumi Hamasaki - Itsuka no Merry Christmas -Live Version-
Ayumi Hamasaki - Powder Snow
B'z - Itsuka no Merry Christmas
Dirty Old Men - Merry
Dream - Everlasting Snow
EXILE - Last Christmas
Flumpool - Snowy Nights Serenade
Gackt - 12gatsu no Love Song
Gackt - December Love Song
Gackt & Ayumi Hamasaki - Itsuka no Merry Christmas -Live Version-
Gackt & Ayumi Hamasaki - Silent Night -Live Version-
Gackt & Namie Amuro - Itsuka no Merry Christmas -Live Version-
Glay - Winter Again
Hikaru Utada - Can't wait 'til Christmas
Koh Otani - Silent Night
L'Arc~en~Ciel - Hurry X'Mas
Lisa Ono - The Christmas Song
Luna Sea -  Happy Christmas (War is over) -Live Version-
Luna Sea - White Christmas / In my dreams -Live Version-
Mika Nakashima - Amazing Grace
Mika Nakashima - Yuki no Hana
Namie Amuro - White Light
Tackey & Tsubasa - Heartful Voice
Tenchi Muyo - Jingle Bells
Yoko Watanabe - Last Christmas

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HANABI SEKAI moved to BlogSpot

Hello everyone! \(^0^)/
My blog "HANABI SEKAI" now moved to BlogSpot. I think it's easier to design and leave comments here than on LiveJournal. I hope you guys will like the new design and will look here from time to time.

First thing I've got to do now: copy my reviews from LJ to my new place here (^-^)v


Hope you spent a nice 4th Sunday in Advent!
Yoko-chan ♥

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[J-Music] Versailles - Holy Grail (album)

Artist: Versailles
Album title: Holy Grail
Release date: 15th June 2011

I know Versailles since they have started in 2007 and liked their first EP "Lyrical Sympathy" very much. Unfortunately I loosed my interest in them because I was busy with other stuff and started to love a lot of other bands. While looking around in the internet I suddenly saw that they released a new album in June and so I listened to it and really think that it is pretty great!

Versaille's new album "Holy Grail" was released on 15th June 2011. It is starting with the string & choir intro of the song called "MASQUERADE" fading into a kind of up-beat number. More powerful songs are following. Including strong choirs, great guitar and bass playing and simply a great atmosphere.

Surprisingly for me, there are a lot of ballad-like songs at the album. For example "Remember Forever" and "Destiny -The Lovers-" (with strings and piano). But the song I most like is "Love will be born again". It's a very emotional ballad sang totally in English - and it gives you a kind of melanchoilc feeling. It's simply beautiful. And for sure another awesome song is "Faith & Decision" which has a length of over 16 minutes!! First I thought it is only an instrumental piece with awesome guitar playing, but suddenly at nearly the half of the song Kamijo begins singing. Great song!!

All in all I'm totally amazed of this album. I haven't listened to Versailles for a while and I'm really happy that I found back to them and their music!


Tracklist:
01. MASQUERADE
02. Philia
03. Thanatos
04. Flowery
05. Remember Forever
06. Destiny-The Lovers-
07. DRY ICE SCREAM!! [Remove Silence]
08. Threshold
09. Judicial Noir
10. Love will be born again
11. Vampire
12. Faith & Decision
13. The Theme of Holy Grail

The limited edition contains a bonus DVD with a music video, and the deluxe box edition contains a bonus DVD with music videos featuring each members and music video making-of. This edition also comes with a poster and a 100-page booklet.

PV of "Destiny -The Lovers-"

[J-Music] BLUE PLANET JAPAN (band introduction)

This time I want to introduce "BLUE PLANET JAPAN" to you. It is an charity project and band by Japanese Visual Kei musicians for the Great East Japan Earthquake from 11th March 2011.

The project was started by the bands “DaizyStripper”,”A” and "FEST VAINQUEUR”. Since then many members of other visual kei bands have joined to raise money and bring hope to disaster areas. All togehter they made a new song which is called "Hitotsu dake ~we are the one~" (ひとつだけ~We Are The One~). All profits of this song will be donated.

Their first performance was on 25th June 2011 at Shibuya O-West. Here is a video of the live:

Members:
DaizyStripper (whole band), A (whole band), FEST VAINQUEUR (whole band), heidi. (Yoshihiko), Versailles (Teru, Hizaki), amber gris (Temari), Dolly (Mitsu), aicle (Emiru), Kiryu (Mahiro Kurosaki), ex.Wizard (Hiro), DASEIN (Ricky), Lips (Suzuya), and more...

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[J-Music] GLANZ ZEIT (band introduction)

Artist: GLANZ ZEIT
Formed in 2009
Official website: Glanz-Zeit.com

Yesterday I discovered this band by chance because while I’m German I thought the band name is pretty interesting. So I listened to some of their songs on YouTube.com and totally fall in love with them.

GLANZ ZEIT was formed in 2009 with its members Masaki (vocal), Nori.H.Hikaru (guitar), Hiro (guitar), Nari (bass) and Zen (drums, special member) - band leader is bassist Nari. This band is mainly operating outside of Osaka and has a range of interesting and fun songs, a great stage presence and a lot of promise and hopefully a bright future.

While this band is still very unknown I can't find much information about them. Hopefully soon there will be more!

Here is a live from May 5th 2011 which the band uploaded on YouTube.com. I hope you like it (^-^)




Have fun everyone with this new band ♥

[J-Music] Luna Sea - Promise (song)

Artist: Luna Sea
Song title: Promise
Release date: 9th April 2011

 

Luna Sea published their first new song after 10 years as a digital single on 9th April 2011 (download able on Amazon). All proceeds will be donated to disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami from 11th March 2011. First the new song was called "Promised Night" but the title was changed to "PROMISE".

According to the kind of sad lyric the song sounds very happy and gives you some hope. Mainly it is an amazing sound and has a very catchy tune - and I most of all like the ending of the song. It's absolutely a great new song for Luna Sea to release after such a long time!


Lyric
(Romaji & Translation taken from Sweetest Coma Forum - I think the translation is good)

Kimi ga hanatsuyo totsuzen no senkou Yakusoku no chi wa idakareta tenkuu Hotobashiru ase no nioi ni yomigaeru kioku Kagayaki dashita nosa Tonight Hibiki aeru ima dokomademo Kimi ni aitakute hayaku Furidashita bakari ni suginai kono ame Mukui bakari o uketeiru you na jidai Aoide ten ni hajizu ima koso hirogeyou tsubasa Mabushi sugiru chikai Tonight Hibiki aeru hi mo bokura nara Kimi ni aitakute hayaku Kimi ni aitakute Yozora o terasetara Ima koso Your Life tokihanate Yoru o kirisaite kimi o ubaitai Tonight Hibiki aeru ima kanata made Kimi ni aitakute hayaku Kimi ni aitakute ima mo ...aitakute...kimi ni

You emitted a sudden flash In the promised land nestled in the sky Memories recalled by the scent of pouring sweat Began to shine tonight We are now completely attuned I want to see you soon In this rain that has only just begun to fall In this era that has only received punishment Looking up we are not ashamed in the presence of heaven The wings we shall spread right now The too-radiant promise tonight If we are now attuned I want to see you soon I want to see you If it will illuminate the night sky Now is the time to set your life free Tearing through the night  I want to sing of you Tonight We are now attuned across the other side I want to see you soon I want to see you even now I miss you

Luna Sea - Teaser for Promise

[J-Movie] The Great Happiness Space - Tales Of An Osaka Love Thief

Name: The Great Happiness Space - Tales Of An Osaka Love Thief
Released: 2006
Directed & produced by: Jake Clennell (UK)

This documentary is about the "Rakkyo Café" which is an host club in Osaka. It's owner is the 22 years old Issei, who is also the number 1 host in the city, and his staff of around twenty boys working in this club. All of this boys are under Issei's training to become the top escorts of Osaka's underground love scene. During their training, they learn how to dress, how to talk, how to walk, and most importantly, how to fake relationships with the girls who become their source of income. The documentary takes you on a journey through the complex and heart-wrenching world of love for sale in the Japanese underground.

I watched this documentary because I toughed it sounds very interesting - and for sure it is! After watching it I was in an odd mood, some kind of strange like if you don't really know how to feel about it. The documentary really helps you to understand this scene more through interviews with the male hosts and their female customers. You can learn why the customers are coming there and what the host thinks about some of them. There are some really sad parts in it which really made me think...

Jack Channel made a really great documentary of this mysterious underground scene, describing the backgrounds very well. Which is still in my ears is the sentence of Issei that the "hosts are selling dreams to their costumers" - a kind of good description for the slogan of his host club.


And while I don't have any preview clip here is another picture - Issei and two of his boys (^-^)

 

More information you can find on the official website: » here «