Junichi Okada
is an actor and a former member of Japanese boy band V6, which was under the management of Johnny & Associates. He joined Johnny & Associates at the age of 14. Music career In the summer of 1995, Okada participated in ''Johnny's Pre-School'', part of the NTV program . He passed the audition and joined Johnny & Associates at the age of 14. After being in Johnny's for only a short period of three months, he made his debut as the youngest member of the idol group V6. Unlike the rest of the members in the group, he did not have much experience as Johnny's Jr. The first time that he had been on a music program was only after the debut of V6. Their debut song was "Music For the People". Okada can play the guitar, as well as the piano. His mother is a piano teacher. His voice is in the middle range, and hence his solos usually include slower ballads. Recently, he has been given longer solos in V6 songs, such as "Way of Life". He also reveals that during V6's 2008 concert ''Vibes'', ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hirakata, Osaka
file:Hirakata Park.jpg, 260px, Hirakata Park is a Cities of Japan, city in northeastern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 397,681 in 183075 households and a population density of 6100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Hirakata is located in northeastern of Osaka Prefecture, almost halfway between the metropolis of Osaka and Kyoto. It is on the left bank of the Yodogawa River, and forms a triangle of and north–south. It is bordered by the Mount Ikoma, Ikoma Mountains to the east. Neighboring municipalities Osaka Prefecture *Neyagawa, Osaka, Neyagawa *Katano, Osaka, Katano *Takatsuki, Osaka, Takatsuki *Shimamoto, Osaka, Shimamoto Kyoto Prefecture *Yawata, Kyoto, Yawata *Kyōtanabe, Kyoto, Kyōtanabe Nara Prefecture *Ikoma, Nara, Ikoma Climate Hirakata has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hirakata is ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kuroda Yoshitaka
, also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods. Renowned as a man of great ambition, he succeeded Takenaka Hanbei as a chief strategist and adviser to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kuroda became a Christian when he was 38, and received "Simeon Josui" as a baptismal name (''rekishijin''). His quick wit, bravery, and loyalty were respected by his warriors. Early life Kuroda Yoshitaka was born in Himeji (姫路) on December 22, 1546, as Mankichi (万吉), the son of Kuroda Mototaka. The Kuroda clan are believed to have originated in Ōmi Province. Yoshitaka's grandfather Shigetaka brought the family to Himeji and took up residence at Gochaku Castle (御着城), east of Himeji Castle. Shigetaka served as a senior retainer of Kodera Masamoto, the lord of Himeji, and was so highly praised that Shigetaka's son Mototaka was allowed to marry Masamoto's adopted daughter (Akashi Masakaze’s daughter) and to use the Kodera name. Yoshitaka became the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Samurai Astronomer
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with pronouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of pronoun ''thee'') when followed by a v ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jōkyō Calendar
The was a Japanese lunisolar calendar, in use from 1684 to 1753.Nussbaum"''Jōkyō-reki''"at p. 431"''Teikyō-reki''"at p. 431 It was officially adopted in 1685.Orchiston, Wayne ''et al.'' (2011)''Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region,'' p. 155 History The ''Jōkyō-reki'' system was developed and explained by Shibukawa Shunkai.Nussbaum"Shibukawa Shunkai"at pp. 850–851. He recognized that the length of the solar year is 365.2417 days. Shibukawa discovered errors in the traditional Chinese calendar, the ''Senmyō'' calendar, which had been in use for 800 years. See also * Japanese calendar * Sexagenary cycle * Jōkyō References External links * National Diet Library The is the national library of Japan and among the largest libraries in the world. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to ..., "The Japanese Calendar-- hi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Shibukawa Shunkai
born as Yasui Santetsu (), later called Motoi Santetsu (), was a Japanese scholar, go player and the first official astronomer appointed of the Edo period. He revised the Chinese lunisolar calendar at the shogunate request, drawing up the Jōkyō calendar which was issued in 1684 during the Jōkyō era. In 1702, he changed his name to ''Shibukawa Sukezaemon Shunkai'' and retired by 1711. As a go player, he was affiliated with the Yasui house, calling himself initially (after his father) Yasui Santetsu II. He is mentioned as a Tengen player in Yamashita Keigo 's book: ''Challenging Tengen''. Shibukawa Shunkai (as Yasui Santetsu) is the central character in the 2012 film '' Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer'' by Yōjirō Takita Yōjirō Takita (滝田 洋二郎 ''Takita Yōjirō'', born December 4, 1955) is a Japanese filmmaker. Takita received an Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, Best Foreign Language Film for his 2008 drama '' .... N ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pachinko
is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-strategy gambling. Pachinko parlors are widespread in Japan, and usually also feature a number of slot machines (called ''pachislo'' or pachislots) so these venues look and operate similarly to casinos. Modern pachinko machines have both mechanical and digital components. Gambling for cash is illegal in Japan, but the widespread popularity of low-stakes pachinko in Japanese society has enabled a specific legal loophole allowing it to exist. Pachinko balls won from games cannot be exchanged directly for money in the parlor, nor can they be removed from the premises or exchanged with other parlors. However, they can be legally traded to the parlor for so-called "special prize" tokens (特殊景品 ''tokushu keihin''), which can in turn be "so ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Flowers In The Shadows
is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yuichiro Hirakawa. Cast *Junichi Okada *Aoi Miyazaki * Atsushi Itō *Aya Hirayama *Tamaki Ogawa *Takashi Tsukamoto *Toshiyuki Nishida *Tomokazu Miura *Toshie Negishi *Kami Hiraiwa is a Japanese actress. Her birth name was . She is represented with Otona Keikaku. Filmography TV drama NHK Nippon TV Tokyo Broadcasting System Fuji Television TV Asahi TV Tokyo Wowow Variety programmes Voice acting Radio N ... * Tomoko Ikuta Reception The film grossed ¥1.95 billion in Japan. References External links * 2008 drama films 2008 films Films based on Japanese novels Japanese drama films 2000s Japanese films 2000s Japanese-language films {{2000s-Japan-film-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nikkan Sports Film Award
The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by the ''Nikkan Sports''. Categories *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Film, Best Film *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Foreign Film, Best Foreign Film *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Director, Best Director *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Actor, Best Actor *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Actress, Best Actress *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actress *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Newcomer, Best Newcomer *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Special Award, Special Award *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Yūjirō Ishihara Award, Yūjirō Ishihara Award *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Yūjirō Ishihara Newcomer Award, Yūjirō Ishihara Newcomer Award External links * List of awards on IMDB Nikkan Sports Film Award, Awards established in 1988 Japanese film awards 1988 establishments in Japan Recurring events est ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Blue Ribbon Awards
The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan. The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanese newspapers (Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun, Tokyo Shimbun and Nihon Keizai Shinbun) as well as the Japanese Associated Press withdrew their support for the Blue Ribbon Awards and established the , (which were held a mere six times). In 1967, the awards were cancelled following a series of demoralizing national political scandals that became known as "The Black Mist" and eventually enveloped Japan's baseball industry.Johnston, Michael. "Influence Markets", ''Syndromes of Corruption: Wealth, Power, and Democracy'' (Cambridge University Press, 2005), , p. 79. In 1975, the awards were revived, and have continued until the present day. The annual award ceremony is held in a variety of places in Tokyo every F ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hirokazu Koreeda
is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He began his career in television and has since directed more than a dozen feature films, including '' Nobody Knows'' (2004), '' Still Walking'' (2008), and '' After the Storm'' (2016). He won the Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for '' Like Father, Like Son'' and won the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for ''Shoplifters''. Personal life Kore-eda's father was a '' wansei''. His paternal grandparents could not marry under Japanese law at the time as they had the same last name, so they eloped to Taiwan where they could, which was then under Japanese colonial rule. He has cited this as a reason for his affinity toward Taiwan. Kore-eda was born in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. He is the youngest of three children with two older sisters. From a young age, Kore-eda would spend time watching movies with his mother. He said through an interpreter, "My mother loved films! She adored Ingrid Bergman, Joan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hana (film)
''Hana - the Tale of a Reluctant Samurai'', known in Japan as , is a 2006 Japanese jidaigeki by director Hirokazu Kore-eda. The film was released in the United States by Funimation who also gave it an English-language dub. Story The story takes place over one year during Japan's Genroku era, beginning at the start of 1702. A young and inexperienced samurai, Aoki Sozaemon, has come from Matsumoto to Edo. Living in a slum, he waits to locate and take revenge against his father's killer, to restore honor to his clan's name. However, his impoverished, revenge-driven life takes a negative toll on him, as does his discovery that his intended victim, another low-status samurai, has a wife and young children. Eventually, Soza must decide: to kill, or not kill? Making up the backdrop of the film are the many other residents of the slum, including children, the landlord, a group putting on an amateur play, as well as a young widow, Osae, with whom Soza becomes romantically involved. Unbek ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tokyo Tower (film)
is a 2005 Japanese romantic film directed and written by Takashi Minamoto. The film is based on a novel by Kaori Ekuni. Plot Toru, a 20-year-old man, falls in love with a woman who is not only married but also 20 years older. Complicating matters even further, she also happens to be a good friend of his own mother. She has all the possessions she could ever want. But something is missing. The story unfolds in tandem with that of Toru's friend, Koji, who also falls in love with a married woman. The two couples struggle to deal with the complexities of their choices in an effort to find a balance between the forces of love and the reality surrounding them. Cast * Junichi Okada – Toru Kojima * Hitomi Kuroki – Shifumi * Jun Matsumoto – Koji * Shinobu Terajima – Kimiko * Kento Handa * Aya Hirayama * Rosa Kato * Goro Kishitani * Hiroyuki Miyasako * Kimiko Yo * Mylène Demongeot Mylène Demongeot (born Marie-Hélène Demongeot; 29 September 1935 – 1 D ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |