|Japan Zone Fans | Malang Otaku Community |

Full Japan Day 3

2007-12-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

Full Japan Day 3
a new year eve with japanese sensation

@ Pujasera Cinemax Cafe Malang

December 31st 2007

start at 10 am - end ( January 1st 2008)

also performing :

J-zone's Bands
Ko-J-Tsu's Bands (Surabaya)
Indie Movie by Ko-J-Tsu
COSUKI's cosplayer cabaret
Japanese toys & Action Figures
DVD & VCD J-musics
Japanese Street Fashion

WANTED 10 BANDS for parade

Contact Person :
Happy : o856 4631 5657
Rio : 0856 4999 5618

maap,,,admin lagi gila XD~~

2007-12-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

TVXQ

TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi, is a quintet Korean boy band formed under SM Entertainment label, and later debuted under Avex Trax in Japan. Its five members specialize in the areas of singing, dance, a cappella, acting, and pop with an R&B vibe. Since debut, the group gained popularity in South Korea, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other East Asian countries with a fan base ranging from teenage girls to middle-aged women ^[1]^[2].

TVXQ fans use various versions of the group's name in different countries. In South Korea, the group is known as Dong Bang Shin Gi, abbreviated as DBSG or DBSK, while the Japanese equivalent of the group's name is Tōhōshinki, abbreviated as THSK. TVXQ, the acronym based on the Chinese counterpart of their name Tong Vfang Xien Qi, is the abbreviation officially used on all advertisements and products outside of Japan. Their name roughly translates as "Rising Gods of the East" in all three languages.

Musical style

Although TVXQ was initially marketed as an acappella group, most of the group's music is mainstream K-pop or J-pop. Their debut single "Hug" was a bubblegum pop song, whereas their follow up single "The Way U Are" was a dance/R&B number, complete with stylized outfits and choreographed dance moves. Their third major single release, "믿어요" (I Believe), in contrast, was a ballad. TVXQ concluded the year with a Christmas album that also had an a cappella version of "Jesus, Joy Of Man's Desiring". With their releases in 2004, the group showed a versatility in style and has managed not to be permanently typecast as a certain "genre style" (as opposed to Fly to the Sky's R&Bs or Koyote's dance songs).

With consecutive releases, they have not moved from this formula, as their second and third albums have had a similar mixture without moving outside of the mainstream label. The second album's singles, for example, included a dance song (their first release) and a ballad (their follow up). The third album's releases have been dance, ballad and pop tracks. The group also recorded a cappella tracks for official albums released in both Korea and Japan, in which they rearrange original songs as a cappella versions. In the 13th single released in Japan, TVXQ arranged their debut single 'Hug' as a cappella track and performed it in their 2nd Live Tour in Japan.

In Japan, the group's image and music has shifted towards a different market from the one in South Korea. Owing to their more mature fan base in Japan, TVXQ has gravitated towards a cappella and melodic pop songs rather than the heavy and fast pop tunes, coupled with intensive dance choreography, that are commonly seen in their usual hits in South Korea.

History

2004: Debut

TVXQ made their first appearance on December 26, 2003 during a BoA and Britney Spears Showcase. They performed their debut song "Hug" as well as an a cappella rendition of "O Holy Night" alongside BoA. The group eventually released two singles ("Hug" and "The Way U Are"), accompanied by photo books, before their first album in 2004. TVXQ reached #1 on Korean music charts in three months after their debut.

An official fan club was created, named after the Cassiopeia constellation near the Big Dipper. TVXQ's fans chose the name "Cassiopeia" for their fan club because the constellation has 5 stars in its galaxy, and TVXQ has 5 members. When traced on a computer keyboard, "TVfXQ" makes the constellation Cassiopeia.

SM Entertainment once considered adding a Chinese member to the group and rotate members to help boost popularity in other countries, as hinted in The 3rd StoryBook - TVfXQ!. The purpose would have been to branch each member into different solo activities, or possibly combine other trainees into the group. However, the idea was abandoned due to opposition from fans who threatened to boycott SM Entertainment products.

2005

During 2005, TVXQ expanded its career to Japan. The group released its first Japanese single entitled Stay with Me Tonight on April 27, 2005, marking the group's official debut in Japan. (Earlier in the year, the English version of their single "Hug" and their first Korean album Tri-Angle had been released in Japan without much attention).

TVXQ continued to release additional singles entitled Somebody to Love and My Destiny. While in Korea, the group released its second Korean album Rising Sun and a joint single album with label-mate Super Junior, Show Me Your Love. In the end the year, TVXQ received the Best Music Video award for the song "Rising Sun" and the People's Choice Award at the 2005 Mnet KM Music Video Festival.

During that year, on June 14, 2005, TVXQ displayed their rising popularity between Koreans when, along with BoA, they were appointed as PR spokespeople for the city of Los Angeles in the United States.

2006: Overseas expansion and release of third Korean album

TVXQ in 2006

Going overseas

Before returning to their homeland, South Korea, with their third album in fall, TVXQ endeavored to spread their sphere of influence further in other East Asian countries. They held their first Asian tour, were featured on commercials, and made guest appearances in Malaysia, Thailand, China and Japan. TVXQ members were the first Korean performers to ever stage a concert in Malaysia for their "Rising Sun 1st Asia Tour" in Bukit Jalil (Putra Indoor Stadium) . The tour, which was in promotion for their 2nd Korean album Rising Sun released in 2005, continued to Bangkok in Thailand at the Impact Arena. The tour had also held its first concerts in South Korea.

Soon after, they were kept busy in preparation for the first tour in Japan in promotion of their first Japanese album Heart, Mind and Soul. The members focused on increasing their fluency in Japanese for their activities in Japan, as BoA had in her early years in Japan . TVXQ performed at a-nation, an annual Japanese live summer concert organized by Avex Trax that features j-pop artists in the record label. Moreover, they also released as many as five Japanese singles in total that year.

The group was the first Asian group to win two Thailand Music Awards for both Best Music Video ("Rising Sun") and Favorite Asian Artist. They also won the Popular Vote Asia Artist award at the Virgin Hits Awards 2006 in Thailand. Their seventh Japanese single "Sky" hit #6 on the Oricon Weekly Chart, with their eighth single Miss You reaching #3 in Japan. They have topped both the Japanese and Korean charts on the Malaysian radio show "988" twice with their singles "Begin" and "The Fighting Spirit Of The East". The show has an audience of about 4.2 million listeners, reaching as far as Singapore.

Return to Korea

The group returned to Korea in late August in order to prepare for their third album titled "O"- ('O' - Jung.Ban.Hap), released on September 29, 2006 with two editions. The album's name translates to 'O'-Thesis.Antithesis.Synthesis to reflect the title song's theme about degradation and corruption of humanity and the power of the people to avert this change. After topping several music charts in Korea, "O"-was re-released on November 11, 2006 to coincide with the group's image change for the promotion of their second title song "Balloons." This release contained two further editions with new versions of "Balloons" and "Get Me Some", along with a new track named "White Lie" written and composed by Xiah. "Balloons," in contrast to their lead single "O" Jung.Ban.Hap' and its heavy techno beats, is a lighter pop song about the innocence of childhood. It is a remake of an old hit by Five Fingers (Korean), re-written with a "modern feel" to try and appeal to kids of the new generation while relating to adults familiar with the original in an attempt to broaden their fanbase further. In the first month of its release, the third album surpassed the 100,000 mark in South Korea, and to date has sold over 330,000 copies, the highest ranking album for 2006 in Korea.

All About TVXQ became the best-selling DVD for 2006 in South Korea, with sales of 47,186 copies surpassing movies and shows. With the success of the DVD, SBS and SM Entertainment, the co-producer of the TVXQ DVD, decided to release All About TVXQ season 2 in a 5 DVD box set in 2007.

TVXQ won several major awards in the end of the year of 2006. At 2006 MKMF Music Festival, TVXQ won four awards including Best Group and Artist of the Year. At the 16th Music Seoul Festival, they won three awards including Daesang, equivalent to Artist of the Year followed by another Daesang at the 21st Golden Disk Awards 2006, in addition to a Bonsang.Lastly, they also picked up awards at the SBS Gayo Awards 2006 in which they were awarded the prominent title of Daesang and Bonsang.

2007: Japanese promotion

After sweeping major awards in South Korea, TVXQ travelled to live in Japan for almost a year to do intensive promotions and gain a stronger foothold in the Japanese music industry. Their stay consisted of the release of their second Japanese album, Five in the Black, and almost consecutive monthly releases of singles between March and December. Many of their singles placed on Oricon's top 3 on their debut. According to Oricon Style, TVXQ's popularity rose in Japan by three percent with every single release in 2006 and by five percent with every release in 2007. It was also stated that during 2007, 14.1% of Japanese fans were female while 4.6% were male with age demographics between 10 to 40 years.

On March 7th, the group released Choosey Lover followed by Lovin' You debuting as #2 on the Oricon charts, their first single to reach such a position in Japan. Closely following the success of the last single, the summery tunes of Summer Dream was to be their most successful Japanese single yet, debuting as #1 and taking an overall #2 spot in the Oricon weekly charts with sales of 112,771 copies in one week. TVXQ released their double A-side single SHINE / Ride On which also debuted at #2 on the Oricon daily charts. On November 7th, their collaborated song with Japanese singer Kumi Koda for her upbeat 38th single Last Angel was released, ranking as #3 on Oricon. The song was featured in the Resident Evil: Extinction movie. In the same month, TVXQ also released their 14th Japanese single, FOREVER LOVE, which debuted at #3. In December, they released their 15th Japanese single Together, which debuted at #2.

By early April, the members began hosting a weekly radio program called "TVXQ Bigeastation" on Japan FM Network channel, which is currently being aired on seven local FM stations . The group represented Korea on MTV's Video Music Awards Japan and won the 'Best Buzz Asia in Korea' award on May 26th, 2007. They were also invited to many prominent Japanese talk and music shows such as Hey!Hey!Hey!, Music Station, and Utaban during their stay.

For Korean fans, they released their first digital single entitled "여행기 (Yeo Haeng Gi)", "A Thousand Years Love Song", "하루달 (Harudal)", "All in Vain" and "Evergreen" ; these were the only songs that were released in Korean in 2007.

Members

The first member to join was Kim JunSu . He enjoyed singing at his church when he was young. At the age of 12 he was brought into SM Entertainment through a televised talent search with Moon Hee Jun and Kangta from H.O.T. as judges. His vocals won over the judges and won him thorough training for the next six years. After three years of training, he was supposed to debut, but puberty caused his voice to change and he was unable to sing until it ended after another three years. After six years, he debuted as Xiah Junsu (시아준수; Xiah is pronounced Shee-ah in Korean). Xiah is the stage name that Kim himself chose, explaining to his fans that the name was short for "Asia," as Asia is pronounced "a-shee-a" in Korean. "Xiah" would be a reference to his desire to become not only a star in Korea, but also a star recognized all throughout the continent.

The group's second member, Jung YunHo (정윤호), secured his spot in TVXQ through a dance competition in which he won first place. Prior to this, he accumulated some musical experience as a rapper and backup dancer for K-pop singer DANA. As a dancer, he accompanied many Korean singers, travelling to China as well. Jung debuted as U-Know Yunho (유노윤호). His chose his stage name as "U-Know" from his Korean name "Yun Ho"; U-Know is pronounced "You know" in English. However, it is meant to mean "Yunho 'Knows You'" in regard to understanding the other members as their leader. He is the second oldest member and the "leader" in TVXQ.

Kim JaeJoong (김재중) left his hometown in Chungnam to audition for SM Entertainment. Having left the shelter of home, he experienced poverty and strife before becoming a celebrity. Kim debuted as YoungWoong Jaejoong (영웅재중; the English definition to his stage name is "Hero") His manager picked the name Hero for him because he wanted him to be the hero of the music industry. Kim took first place in an audition of 5000 people, both in best looking and best vocals. He became the main vocal of TVXQ.

Shim ChangMin (심창민) was grouped with the youngest participants in the audition. Like Xiah Junsu, he impressed the judges with his powerful voice. He joined the band under the name ChoiKang Changmin (최강창민; the English counterpart to his stage name is "Max"). ChoiKang in Korean means "the best"; "Max" became an international rendition of this name.

One year before the group’s debut, a final member was added. Park Yoochun (박유천) lived in Fairfax, Virginia for roughly four years before he auditioned for Brothers Entertainment and was sent to Korea to SM Entertainment. Micky was Park's English nickname when he lived in Virginia. As the winner of a talent show, he was granted the opportunity to sign with SM Entertainment in Korea. He now performs under the stage name Micky Yoochun .

Member profiles

Hero JaeJoong
Stage Name : HERO | Young Woong Jae Joong (영웅재중 or 英雄在中)
Real Name : Kim Jae Joong (김재중, 金在中)
Birthdate: January 26, 1986 (1986-01-26) (age 21)
Birthplace: Chungnam (충남 or 忠南)
Position: Main vocals, Harmony

U-Know Yunho
Stage Name : U-KNOW | U-Know Yun Ho (유노윤호 or 瑜卤允浩)
Real Name: Jung Yun Ho (정윤호, 鄭允浩)
Birthdate: February 6, 1986 (1986-02-06) (age 21)
Birthplace: Gwangju (광주)
Position: Bass, Leader

Micky Yoochun
Stage Name : MICKY | Micky Yoo Chun (믹키유천 or 秘奇有天/秘奇有仟)
Real Name: Park Yu Cheon (박유천, 朴有天)
Birthdate: June 4, 1986 (1986-06-04) (age 21)
Birthplace: Seoul (서울)
Position: Baritone

Xiah Junsu
Stage Name : XIAH | Xiah Jun Su (시아준수 or 細亞俊秀)
Real Name: Kim Jun Su (김준수, 金俊秀)
Birthdate: December 15, 1986 (1986-12-15) (age 21) (registered on January 1, 1987)
Birthplace: Gyeonggi (경기 or 京畿道)
Position: Tenor
Religion: Seventh Day Adventist

Max Changmin
Stage Name : MAX | Choi Kang Chang Min (최강창민 or 最强昌珉)
Real Name: Shim Chang Min (심창민, 沈昌珉)
Birthdate: February 18, 1988 (1988-02-18) (age 19)
Birthplace: Seoul (서울)
Position: High Tenor
Religion: Buddhism

J-Rock SUPERBAND!!!!

2007-06-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

S.K.I.N

major - active (2006 - )

LINE UP

Drums, Piano : YOSHIKI
Vocal : Gackt
Guitar : SUGIZO
Guitar : miyavi (ex - due le quartz)

SKIN has already gained tremendous attention throughout the world due of its roster. This "Super Band" is Yoshiki's (ex-X Japan) newest project, and the members in this star studded line-up have already gained fame and experience in the music business.

The band lineup consists of Gackt (ex-Malice Mizer) as vocalist, SUGIZO (ex-LUNA SEA) and Miyavi (ex-Dué le quartz) as guitarists and Yoshiki himself as drummer and keyboard. SKIN is also often referred as ‘The Superband’ by the fans, due to the fame of its current line-up.

BIOGRAPHY
August 5th 2006, Yoshiki shocked the Otakon convention in the USA with the announcement that he was to form a band with Gackt. No other information was revealed at that time, but it didn’t stop the fans from getting excited about the upcoming project. As if Yoshiki’s and Gackt’s teaming up wasn’t already too good to be true, Yoshiki created another stir on 28th of December 2006 by announcing that the third member would be none other than SUGIZO, the lead guitarist from the legendary band LUNA SEA. The news was exciting and surprising, since Yoshiki and SUGIZO didn’t have the best kind of relationship in the past.

Since then, there were many rumors over the identity of the fourth member, and the strongest rumors stated that band’s fourth member was going to be Miyavi. To back-up these rumors, Miyavi announced in December of 2006 that he was searching for a band to join. On 25th of May, 2007 those rumors came true as Miyavi himself announced at JRock Revolution that his joining of SKIN was now reality. Yoshiki also stated that their debut performance as a band would take place at Anime Expo, USA on 29th of June 2007. Currently SKIN still has an opening for a bass player, but so far there is no solid proof as to whether it will be filled or not.

J-DUT

2007-05-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

Kalian nyadar ga? klo di Jepang sana ada band DANGDUT....

band J-DuT O.M.Ranema :

Hamdan Ooki (Guitar)

Kasep Ohya (Guitar)

EBIZO (Bass)

Bintan balu Nakamura (Mandolin)

Hide shindoh (Percussions)

M Yokota (Gendang)

Dorce AB (Keyboards)

Emily Chang (Keyboards)

C Endoh (Suling)

Venndy (Voc)

Yuki Shara (Voc)

Ukulele Windii (Voc)

Erika A (Voc)

Dr.Cinta Saitohdst....

in Fact, di Jepang memang ada band dangdut (yang personilnya beneran orang jepang) ! Namanya O.M Ranema. Menurut website, grup ini berdiri pada Oktober 1996 dan tadinya mereka menamakan dirinya O.M. Eksis . selain personil diatas ada juga personil lainnya seperti Guru Yoshioka, Dr.Cinta Saitoh, Obatty Azuma, Vera 5 yang sekarang sudah memisahkan diri akibat perbedaan pendapat.

Di site ini juga kayanya ada listing album-album favorit mereka. Ada nama-nama seperti Lilis Karlina, Didi Kempot, bahkan sampai Sinten Remen dan Geger ^^;; mungkin ini yang jadi sumber inspirasinya.

situs mereka : http://www.k5.dion.ne.jp/~ranema/omrE.html

2007-05-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

FULL JAPAN DAY 2

info tambahan :

May 21st J Accoustic Zone @ Saboten Cafe 19.00-end ... FREE!!!

NEWS NEWS NEWS

2007-04-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

1.Onimusha signed new guitarist....

2.The Kecenks formed new band....

3.Melanin reach top 3 A Mild Live Wanted...

4.Sabishaku and Genova live perform Tribute 2 L'Arc~en~Ciel @ AJBS Surabaya,April 22nd 2007

*kok kaya berita transfer pemaen sepak bola yah ?? XD~

Tribute 2 L'Arc~en~Ciel

Tanggal 22 April 2007
AJBS Food Tunnel Surabaya
13:00 - 21:00 WIB

htm. Rp.10.000,- /dapat softdrink dan cd gratis bagi 200 pendatang pertama.
dapatkan undian berhadiah dan menangkan 4 Poster Laruku berukuran A1.

Kame House Collection juga mo buka Stan dg harga spesial.Band2 yang akan tampil adalah..

1.Chocolatino
2.Mobile Suit
3.Hikari
4.Genki Dome
5.Genova
6.Sabisaku
7.Atsui
8.Kaxxxi
9.Faita
10.Fukai
11.Refresh
12.QrChoff
13.BlueBery
14.Bakarock
15.Kaoyume

Full Japan Day

2007-03-23T05:28:00.000-07:00

FULL JAPAN DAY

Minggu, 25 Maret 2007

start : 12.00 - selesai

@ CINEMAX Warung Apresiasi [Sarinah Sawojajar]

HTM : Rp.7500,- + softdrink

Indie Movie Premiere "ANGELIC" by Kintaro [Ko-J-Tsu Surabaya]

Live Band Performance :

Channel X

O2 Jam

Akatsuki

HyroZyro

Ein

Sabishaku

Tomodachi

Faux Fauve

dll....

Genova

Melanin

Onimusha

Contact Person :

-. Rama : 0341 - 7711797

-. Happy : 0856 4631 5657

-. Dewa : 08179634585

JAPANESE CADENCE FESTIVAL

2007-02-07T23:01:00.000-08:00

JAPANESE CADENCE FESTIVAL

Cinemax Cafe Malang [SARINAH SAWOJAJAR]

February 16th 2007 .... start 18.30 - end

The Bands are :

Onimusha

Melanin

Genova

Shabisaku

Naito

Akatsuki

Kinichi

Magenta

Rumput Jepang

Hyro

Rasen

The Baronettes [Surabaya]

Fukai [Surabaya]

HTM : Rp.15.000 [include Ramen+Milkshake ^^]

we'll be waiting for u ^^

so come and join us

jaa ne~~

*support your local artists .... ga usah nonton NIDJI ye ;p~

author : -XIII-

J-Zone Malang & Ko-J-Stsu

2007-01-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

Kabuki

2007-01-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

As was the stage tradition in Elizabethan England, kabuki is performed entirely by men. Strangely enough however, this art form was created by Okuni, a female shrine attendant, in the 17th century. Although greatly influenced by the aristocratic noh, kabuki was largely popular entertainment for the masses. A large part of the popularity of the early, all-female performances was due to their sensual nature. The performers were also prostitutes and male audiences often got out of control. As a result, women were banned from performing by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ironically, the young male actors who took over kabuki also engaged in prostitution and audience disturbances continued to break out. Again, the Shogunate clamped down and troupes composed of older actors were required to perform more formalized and strictly theatrical dramas, based on kyogen. Changes were made to the traditional noh stage, such as adding a draw curtain and a hanamichi (catwalk) through the audience to allow dramatic entrances and exits.
Widely considered as Japan's greatest dramatist, Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653~1724) spent the mid-part of his career writing kabuki dramas, although his greatest works were bunraku puppet plays. When he returned to bunraku, many fans went with him and kabuki actors began to incorporate elements of bunraku in an attempt to woo them back. Among the great kabuki dynasties, the Ichikawa Danjuro line is perhaps the best known and continues to this day. Ichikawa Danjuro II (1688~1758) premiered many great works and adapted puppet plays for the kabuki stage. Successors played a huge part in raising the status of kabuki in society. Other great acting dynasties include Onoe Kikugoro and Bando Tamasaburo.
Nakamura Matazo in'The Wisteria Maiden' (Fujimusume) Detail of a Kabuki-za poster showing the principal performers
The actors who play female roles are known as onnagata or oyama (such as 80-year old National Living Treasure Jakuemon, left). As kabuki gained a level of respectability, the importance of these roles increased. The first great onnagata was Yoshizawa Ayame I (1673~1729). Many of the great kabuki actors have built their reputations solely on these roles. The performances are not so much 'acting' in the Western sense as stylized representations of female beauty or virtue. While early onnagata were required to maintain their feminine persona and dress even in their private lives, this practice was abolished in the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
Kabuki is performed on a large, revolving stage and has such familiar stage devices as scenic backdrops and trapdoors for surprise entrances. Kamite (stage left) is often where you will see the important or high-ranking characters, while shimote (stage right) is occupied by lower-ranking characters. Actors perform kata (forms) as they have been performed throughout the generations. An example is mie or striking an attitude, often with one's eyes crossed and an exaggerated expression for dramatic effect.
The aragoto or 'rough style' of acting is exemplified by such exaggeration and dramatic make-up and costume (left). It is associated with the Ichikawa Danjuro line. Die-hards in the audience join in the action, calling out the yago (house or family name) of the actors at prescribed moments in the performance. Standard male kabuki roles include the handsome lover, the virtuous hero or the evil samurai; for an onnagata, roles include the high-ranking samurai lady, the young maiden or the wicked woman.
Traditional kabuki is highly melodramatic but strictly historical. Like the work of Shakespeare, the old stories and characters in the plays are all familiar to those in the know even though the language itself is often antiquated and hard to follow. But while the Bard's masterpieces are still widely popular among all ages, kabuki is no longer of much interest to younger Japanese people. Audiences tend to be made up of older people and refined young ladies. One of the most famous stories, Chushingura - a tale of revenge and loyalty - owes most of its popularity today to its many movie adaptations. Various actors and troupes have worked to incorporate avant-garde elements into kabuki and have worked in other areas such as TV and film. The actors themselves seem to do alright, at least the ones from the famous kabuki dynasties. Their romantic escapades make tabloid headlines and they appear in the odd TV commercial so I suppose there's life in the old art form yet.
Kabuki is truly a theatrical spectacle, combining form, color and sound into one of the world's great theatrical traditions. But as far as dipping your toe into this particular cultural pond is concerned, a half hour spent at the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo, Shin-Kabukiza in Osaka or the Minamiza in Kyoto is probably all you'll need. At Kabukiza, for example, there is a separate box-office for seats on the 4th floor, where you can enjoy a single part of the program for as little as 500 yen. Seats for the full program range in price from 2,400 yen to 16,000 yen. An English "Earphone Guide" is available (except on the 4th floor) to give you the rundown on what's going on and also give you a bit of background. Feel free to get up and leave when you've had enough!
In November 2005, UNESCO announced its decision to designate kabuki as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It joined noh, similarly designated in 2001, and bunraku puppet theater designated in 2003. Kabuki's candidacy still needs to be ratified by a few more countries, but is expected to receive formal protection under the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage sometime in 2006.

Yukata

2007-01-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

Yukata (浴衣? baju sesudah mandi) adalah jenis kimono nonformal yang dibuat dari bahan kain katun tipis tanpa pelapis yang dipakai untuk kesempatan santai di musim panas. Yukata dibuat dari bahan katun yang mudah dilewati angin, agar badan menjadi sejuk di sore hari atau sesudah mandi malam dengan air panas di Jepang.

Pada umumnya, Yukata biasanya dibuat dari kain katun walaupun banyak yang dibuat dari tekstil campuran, seperti katun yang dicampur dengan poliester.

Di Jepang, musim panas berarti musim pesta kembang api dan matsuri (festival musim panas). Jika terlihat orang memakai Yukata, berarti tidak jauh dari tempat itu ada matsuri atau pesta kembang api. Yukata juga disediakan di kamar hotel, penginapan ala Jepang (ryokan) dan pemandian air panas (onsen).

Jika digunakan untuk tidur, Yukata bisa dikenakan begitu saja oleh pria dan wanita tanpa mengenakan pakaian dalam. Sedangkan jika Yukata dikenakan untuk keluar rumah, laki-laki biasanya tidak memakai kaus dalam, melainkan hanya mengenakan celana dalam atau celana pendek.

Perbedaan dengan kimono

CGI seorang wanita yang mengenakan Yukata, sedang bermain kembang api.
Berbeda dengan kimono yang disebut orang Jepang sebagai Gofuku atau Wafuku dan hanya dipakai pada kesempatan formal, Yukata dipakai untuk kesempatan santai, seperti berjalan-jalan melihat pesta kembang api, melihat matsuri atau menari di saat perayaan Obon.
Berbeda dengan kimono yang berharga mahal hingga luar biasa mahal, harga Yukata umumnya terjangkau oleh semua orang.
Berbeda dengan kimono jadi yang hampir-hampir tidak ada toko yang mau menjualnya, Yukata yang sudah jadi dengan beraneka ukuran banyak dijual toko dengan harga terjangkau.
Berbeda dengan kimono yang menurut ukuran lebar lengannya dapat diketahui status seorang wanita (sudah menikah atau masih gadis), Yukata dapat dipakai oleh siapa saja tanpa mengenal status.
Berbeda dengan kimono yang dikenakan dengan pakaian dalam sebanyak dua lapis (Hadajuban dan Juban), perempuan yang mengenakan Yukata hanya perlu pakaian dalam lapis pertama (Hadajuban).

Sejarah Yukata

Pada sekitar zaman Azuchi Momoyama, Yukatabira dikenal sebagai pakaian sesudah mandi. Di kalangan rakyat pada zaman Edo, Yukatabira menjadi sangat populer sehingga kemudian dikenal dengan sebutan Yukata. Pada zaman itu, Yukata cuma berfungsi sebagai pakaian tidur dan tidak pernah dipakai untuk bertemu dengan orang lain karena dianggap sangat tidak sopan.

Berbeda dengan kimono, Yukata sangat mudah dijahit karena pola yang sangat sederhana. Yukata dijahit tanpa kain pelapis di bawahnya dan tanpa kain pelapis di daerah pinggul dan pundak. Sampai sekitar sesudah Perang Dunia II di Jepang, cara menjahit Yukata diajarkan kepada para murid-murid perempuan di sekolah menengah umum.

L'Arc~en~Ciel

2006-12-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

Berawal dari sebuah band indie nggak dikenal, nih band sukses mengacak-acak pentas musik Jepang. Belakangan, Amrik pun siap digoncang. Guys, this is a story of the Rock Samurai!

Sebut satu band yang identik banget sama kebangkitan J-Pop!

Yakin deh, kalo jawabannya nggak bakal jauh-jauh dari L’Arc-En-Ciel. Abis, band yang punya nickname Laruku ini emang top abis, jack!

Meski sekarang industri musik Jepang udah dihuni sama banyak band berbakat, nih band tetap mampu jadi nomer satu seantero Jepang. Belakangan, pengaruhnya sampai juga ke luar negeri. Mulai dari Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, bahkan ke daratan Amrik.

Jadi penasaran, siapa sih sebenernya Laruku ini?

***

Kisah Laruku bermula di Osaka, sekitar tahun 1991. Dan, orang yang bertanggung jawab atas kisah ini adalah Tetsu, seorang pemuda penggila rock, yang berniat ngebentuk sebuah band yang sukses dan sanggup berbicara di pentas internasional.

Buat ngerealisasiin impiannya itu, Tetsu ngajakin seorang temannya, Hiro, buat jadi gitaris di band bentukannya itu. Buat ngelengkapin formasi, Tetsu ngajakin Hyde (baca: Haido), seorang gitaris merangkap vokalis dari sebuah band lokal bernama Jerusalem Rod, buat ikut gabung. Ternyata, Hyde setuju. Dengan catatan, ia diperbolehkan mengajak Pero, drummer Jerusalem Rod, buat ikut gabung di band Tetsu.

Syarat itu langsung disetujui. Berempat, mereka sepakat mengusung nama L’Arc-En-Ciel sebagai nama band. Tapi, karena susah diucapkan sama orang Jepang, akhirnya mereka harus rela dipanggil Laruku, nama yang datang dari cara pengucapan orang Jepang terhadap kata L’Arc.

Ternyata, nama yang dalam bahasa Perancis berarti pelangi itu bawa hoki. Buktinya, belum juga sebulan ngumpul bareng, udah banyak banget tawaran manggung yang mereka dapat. Maklum, selain namanya keren, musik yang mereka mainkan emang keren abis, sih! Udah gitu gayanya juga enak diliat. Kalo band-band rock Jepang banyak yang manggung pake hitam-hitam, Hyde cs. justru berani nongol dengan pakaian kaya warna. Bener-bener beda deh!

Gara-gara sering manggung, popularitas band ini cepat menyebar. Kondisi ini membuat mereka tertarik buat ngerilis singel indie. Sayang, beberapa saat sebelum rekaman, Hiro mutusin cabut dari band. Posisinya digantiin sama Ken, seorang teman Tetsu, yang nggak kalah gape main gitar.

Bareng Ken, Laruku ngelepas singel Flood of Tear (Yasouka) yang meledak di pertengahan tahun 1992. Gara-gara tuh singel Nama Laruku pun mulai dikenal seantero Jepang. Popularitas ini membuat Hyde cs. berpikir untuk pindah basecamp ke Tokyo, Ibu Kota negara itu.

***

Kepindahan Laruku ke Tokyo ternyata bermasalah. Pero, sang drummer, nggak setuju ikut pindah dan mutusin cabut. Buat ngegantiin Pero, Tetsu dan Hyde memilih seorang drummer asli Tokyo bernama Sakura.

"Bareng Sakura, kami ngerasa lebih mantap," bilang Hyde, saat itu.

Sempet ngerilis sebuah full album berjudul Dune di bawah label indie, tanggal 10 April 1993, Laruku ditawarin kontrak rekaman oleh Ki/oon Records, label yang berafiliasi dengan Sony Music. Penyebabnya, album Dune yang dirilis terbatas laris terjual 20 ribu kopi. Dahsyat banget kan?

Pertengahan 1994, kontrak antara Sony dan Laruku pun ditandatangani. Bareng major label ini, Hyde cs. ngelepas album Tierra yang laku hingga ratusan ribu kopi.

Kesuksesan Tierra ternyata menular pada album-album berikutnya kayak Heavenly (1995, terjual 500 ribu kopi) , dan L’Arc-En-Ciel (1997, terjual sejuta kopi) . Nyaris setiap album yang dilepas Laruku selalu meledak di pasaran. Hal ini berimbas pada jadwal manggung nih band. Boleh dibilang, Laruku menjelma jadi band panggung terlaris di Jepang sepanjang dekade ’90-an. Abis, selain lagunya emang bagus, aksi panggung mereka dahsyat abis!

Sayang, kelar mereka ngerilis selftitled album di tahun 1997, formasi Laruku kembali goncang. Sakura cabut dan Laruku harus jalan tanpa drummer.

Hyde cs. sempet kelimpungan nyari pengganti Sakura. Untung mereka ketemuan sama Yukihiro, drummer Zi:Kill, yang gaya ngedrum-nya seru. Setelah 8 bulan ikut jadi additional drummer, tuh cowok resmi bergabung sebagai anggota band, bulan Mei 1998.

Bareng Yukihiro, Laruku ngerilis album studio ke-5, yang dikasi judul Heart. Jualannya masih mantap, jack! Nih album sukses jadi salah satu album terlaris di Jepang, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea, dan beberapa negara Asia lainnya. Dahsyat!!

***

Meskipun album-albumnya sukses, personil Laruku ternyata ngalamin kejenuhan yang luar biasa. Buntutnya, mereka sepakat vakum dan ngabisin waktu buat ngerjain proyek solo pertengahan tahun 1999.

Ternyata, nih band enjoy banget ngejalanin masa vakum. Sampai awal 2003, nggak sedikit pun muncul tanda-tanda kalo nih band bakal lanjut. Wajar kalo fans mereka langsung kalang kabut. Takut kalo nih band beneran bubar jalan.

Di tengah kasak-kusuk bubarnya Laruku, Hyde, Yukihiro, Tetsu, dan Ken tiba-tiba ngumumin kalo mereka bakal masuk studio lagi buat ngerekam album. Dan, bulan Februari 2004, Smile, album terbaru mereka yang ngandalin singel Ready Steady Go dirilis ke pasaran.

Ternyata nih album sukses,jack! Buktinya, mereka kembali jadi band nomer satu di Jepang. Selain itu, singel mereka pun merajai chart musik negara Asia lainnya kayak Hong Kong, dan Korea.

Mau tau, komentar Hyde atas kesuksesannya itu?

"Gue seneng banget, comeback-nya Laruku ternyata bikin nama band ini makin populer. Sekarang, kami berempat punya target khusus. Kami bakal menaklukkan Amrik. Pokoknya, kami bertekad ngenalin J-Pop kepada pendengar musik dunia," bilang cowok yang sempet ngelepas album solo 666 ini, serius.

Buat ngebuka jalan, nih band sengaja ngerilis album terbarunya itu di Amrik di bawah naungan label indie Tofu Records. Mereka juga ngegelar konser besar-besaran di Baltimore, Amrik, 26 Juli 2004 lalu. Sebuah konser besar yang didatangi ribuan penonton ini diharapkan bisa jadi batu loncatan mendunianya musik Laruku.

Kira-kira bakal sukses nggak ya mereka menggapai cita-cita?

"Kami optimis bisa memperkenalkan musik kami di Amrik. Sebagai orang Jepang, kami nggak akan putus asa berusaha mencapai tujuan kami itu. Pokoknya, kami akan terus berjuang dengan semangat samurai yang kami punya," tegas Tetsu, sang pemimpin band.

written wahyu & verro