Chiharu Okugama is slowly becoming one of my favorite models (Tao Okamoto, you’re still my #1!) – she’s definitely progressed as a model since she caught my eyes from Yohji Yamamoto’s S/S 2011 collection. Check out her badass editorial below and also her feature on Vogue Italia’s site. It ALWAYS is awesome to see Asian models appear more and more in western fashion publications!

From April 28th – May 6th, YouTube Japan will be hosting “YouTube Music Week” – a week-long of live streams from prominent Japanese artists. I’m quite excited about the lineup – which includes some of Japan’s biggest female acts: AKB48, Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu! See below for the rest of the lineup.

Golden Bomber [April 27th-May 6th, 10:00 everday]
Sekai no Owari [April 27th @22:00, May 2nd @21:00]
AKB48 [April 28th]
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu [April 29th @14:00]
AAA [April 29th @22:00]
BOOM BOOM SATELLITES [April 30th @23:00]
Nightmare [May 1st @21:00]
Shonen no Kaze [May 3rd @12:00]
Koda Kumi [May 3rd @22:00]
Yakushimaru Etsuko [May 3rd @23:00]
Livetune [May 4th @18:30]
Flumpool [May 4th @21:00]
Hyadain [May 4th @22:00]
Hamasaki Ayumi [May 4th @23:00]
VERBAL [May 5th @21:00]
Denki Groove [May 6th @20:00]

For more info on how to watch the live stream for each artist, please visit this channel. In order to watch each stream, you must go to each artist’s respective YouTube channel. Note the times above are Japan Standard Time (JST).

Super Junior member Lee Sungmin has just been casted as the lead role for the Japanese musical Summer Snow. The musical is based on a popular drama that aired in 2000 (starring Ryoko Hirosue, Domoto Tsuyoshi, and Shun Oguri) and was awarded Best Drama at The Japan Academy Awards. Sungmin will be playing the warm Jin Ha who must take care of his siblings after the accidental death of his parents.

In April, Summer Snow will begin its performances in Osaka then move to Tokyo.

Ever wonder what are some of the big differences between male and female bosses? Well Japan sure did. A survey for Japan Labor Policy and Training discovered the following-

In companies containing over 300 employees:
97.1% of female bosses believe assessment of employee performance  has nothing to do with gender.
72.7% of male bosses believe assessment of employee performance  has nothing to do with gender.

In companies containing 100-299 employees:
93.6% of females bosses believe assessment of employee performance  has nothing to do with gender.
53.5 % of male bosses believe assessment of employee performance  has nothing to do with gender.

On assigning business trips and overtime duties:
72.2% of female supervisors make no distinction based on gender.
53.5% of male supervisors make no distinction based on gender.

Clearly the female population of Japanese bosses seem more intent on equality in the workplace. Is this the same case for us?
Read the original article here.

Do  you find yourself looking through a magazine and wishing to see more body types instead of the typical thin? Well you’re in luck.  A new Japanese Fashion magazine, La Farfa, is Japan’s first publication to focus specifically on pocchari - which can be translated to a heavier set body. The magazine is expected to hit shelves on March 21st with comedian Naomi Watanabe as the first cover girl. We hope this is a positive step into a more accepting society!

Tokyo makes their official bid for the 2020 Olympics with this promotional video, “Discover Tomorrow”. Check out the cool hearts in the video!

Are you excited for the U.S. UNIQLO E-Commerce site launch as we are? If you haven’t already made your picks – check out our recommendations and tips (including our Editor in Chief Anna Park’s most favorite item – it might surprise you!). Happy shopping! 

Inside Uniqlo. Image courtesy of Getty.

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B’z is going on tour – check out an interview with the Japanese rock duo before they hit Northern American shores! 

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Japan’s biggest rock duo B’z (comprised of vocalist Koshi Inaba and guitarist Tak Matsumoto) will return to North America for their fourth U.S. tour. The tour, which kicks off in San Francisco at The Warfield on September 17th, will comprise of seven stops all over North America, the final stop being at the Gibson Amphiteatre in Los Angeles on October 7th.

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While many countries have star athletes, few have star teams. China is a champion-making machine, turning young children into Olympic athletes through extreme training and discipline. Japan, a country still recovering from the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters that devastated the country a little over a year ago, has also turned out a couple of noteworthy teams as well.

Wang Hao and Chen Roulin. Courtesy of NBCOlympics.com.

China’s diving team
The Chinese diving team earned the title of “dream team” by winning five gold medals in Sydney and six gold medals in Athens. At Beijing, China hoped for a clean sweep in the diving events and the team almost succeeded. Australia’s Matthew Mitcham snatched the gold medal in the men’s 10 m platform though, and China had to settle for seven golds. While most nations would be ecstatic, “almost” is not good enough for the Chinese. This time around, the Chinese “dream team” is determined to accomplish their goal. At this year’s world championships, they successfully won all eight events. Qiu Bo, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, will be competing in the elusive men’s 10 m platform along with teammate Lin Yue. Currently, all the world No. 1 divers are Chinese. China has won 33 out of the 48 Olympic diving titles offered in the past 28 years. This may just be the year that China will add eight more to that medal count.

Winning Chinese men’s gymnastics team in Beijing. Courtesy of fulltwist.com.

China’s men’s gymnastics team
While China’s women’s gymnastics team has a chance for Team gold, they are not the overwhelming favorites. In contrast, the men’s team won Team gold in Beijing by a large margin, scoring the highest on all events except floor. They also won Team gold at the last world championships. China’s gymnastics team is extremely deep and all of the men competing were part of the winning world championship team. However, China does not have room to falter because another team from Asia is right on their heels…

All-around world champion Kohei Uchimura. Courtesy of fulltwist.com.

Japan’s men’s gymnastics team
Japan’s men’s gymnastics team settled for the silver medal in Beijing, after winning Team gold in Athens. Japan is back with vengeance and their team may be able to oust China from the top of the podium. The team is lead by Kohei Uchimura, the three-time all-around world champion who will compete on all the apparatuses for the team. Gymnastic siblings Kazuhito and Yusuke Tanaka (sister Rie Tanaka competes on the women’s team) are also part of the men’s team.

Winning Japanese women’s soccer team at World Cup. Courtesy of Washington Times.

Japan’s women’s soccer team
Controversy broke out last week when the women’s soccer team was seated in coach class while the men’s soccer team flew in business class. If seating had been decided by skill rather than sex, the women should have flown in first class. The winners of last year’s World Cup and ranked No. 3 in the world, Japan’s women’s soccer team may be able to upset the United States’ team again. Their star player is Homare Sawa who was voted world player of the year. However, Sawa is not a one-woman show. She has a disciplined team to back her up that includes Aya Miyama, Ayumi Kaihori, and Nahomi Kawasumi.

And more Chinese teams…
Alas, the Chinese method of training, while rigorous and demanding, has been proven to produce champions. In China, athletics is a profession and not a recreation. Children are recruited at the age of ten to begin training for a sport. For many people, especially those from rural areas, becoming an athlete is their best hope for leading a quality life. In addition to diving and gymnastics, expect China to dominate in table tennis, badminton, weightlifting, and shooting. These six sports alone garnered China 38 gold medals in Beijing during the last Olympics.