Anthony Al-Jamie
Anthony Al-Jamie lived and worked as an educational administrator and journalist in Tokyo for over 20 years. His in-depth understanding of Japanese language and culture has allowed him to carry out interviews with many of the most renowned individuals in Japan. He first began writing for the Tokyo Journal in the 1990s as Education Editor, later he was promoted to Senior Editor, and eventually International Editor and Executive Editor. He currently works in higher education publishing and serves the Tokyo Journal as Editor-in-Chief.
Dance Music King: Steve Aoki
International Electronic Dance Music King: Steve Aoki
From the All Night Party to One of the World’s Highest-Paid DJs
Steve Aoki is a Japanese American electro-house producer and musician whose global earnings must be music to his ears. Forbes listed him as the world’s fourth highest-paid DJ in 2018, with his concert schedule of over 200 shows around the world, in addition to his Las Vegas residency earning him $29.5 million. Forbes estimates that he also earned four million dollars in endorsements for Japan’s largest airline, ANA, and French wine Luc Belaire. Then there’s his men’s luxury streetwear line, Dim Mak Collection, and his videogame gambling machine that debuted in casinos in 2017, Steve Aoki’s Neon Dream. He became a musical millionaire with little radio support — and without the financial support of his famous father, Rocky Aoki, the former wrestler who created the Benihana restaurant empire. Born in 1977 in Miami, Florida and raised in Newport Beach, California, Steve Aoki graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with bachelor’s degrees in sociology and feminist studies. In 1996, he founded his own record label, Dim Mak. His performances on tour, including throwing cake and spraying champagne bottles at fans, acrobatic crowd surfing and riding rafts on the dance floor, have earned Aoki huge college support. He has collaborated with producers and vocalists, such as Snoop Dogg, will.i.am, LMFAO and Linkin Park. Aoki and his Billboard-charting studio albums have won numerous industry awards and nominations. The Steve Aoki Foundation supports organizations focusing on regenerative medicine and brain preservation, as well as animal rights and disaster relief. In September 2017, he donated $30,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief and challenged other musicians to match his contribution. The heart-thumping and heart-wrenching documentary on Aoki, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, was released in 2016 and is available on Netflix. Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie spoke with Steve Aoki about his multifaceted career.
Tito Time in Tokyo
Tito Time in Tokyo
Legendary Jackson Brother on The Jacksons’ 50 Years in Entertainment and his Solo Album Debut in Japan
The legacy of the Jackson family is phenomenal. The Jackson 5 was the first group to debut with four consecutive number-one hits on the Hot 100, where they also had 16 Top 40 singles. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Two of their recordings — “ABC” and “I Want You Back” — are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. They had their own family variety and animated TV series in the 1970s and returned to TV in 2009 for a reality show called The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Michael and Marlon Jackson began performing as The Jackson 5 in Gary, Indiana in 1965. Their father, Joe Jackson, booked his sons in talent contests, high school functions and then larger venues until they won the Amateur Night competition in August 1967 at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. In 1975, the brothers renamed themselves The Jacksons, which later included the youngest brother, Randy. Their sisters Janet and Latoya also had sensational solo careers of their own. In 1984, Michael Jackson left The Jacksons at the end of their Victory tour. Dubbed the King of Pop, Michael was the best-selling music artist of all time when he died in 2009. He was the first artist in history to have a top 10 single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades and was the most-awarded recording artist of all time. Guinness World Records recognized Michael as the most successful entertainer of all time and for supporting more charities than any other entertainer. It may be surprising to learn that it took the second eldest Jackson brother, Tito, 50 years to release his first solo album, Tito Time, initially in Japan in December 2016, and then with a global debut in 2017. Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie talked to Tito while he was in Tokyo about being in the entertainment business for half-a-century, Michael and his brothers, his new album and his love for Japan.
Rola
Japan’s Multicultural Multitalented Model & Actress: Rola
From the Jungles of Bangladesh to the Global Catwalk
You’d be hard-pressed to visit Japan without encountering Rola. You can see her striking features everywhere — as a fashion model, on TV shows, in commercials and now as an actress and opera singer. In 2014, she had more commercial contracts than any other celebrity in Japan. Today, she has one of the largest social media followings of any Japanese celebrity and is perhaps the hottest celebrity from Japan to hit Hollywood. In 2017 she appeared in her first Hollywood feature film as the female soldier “Cobalt” in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Born to multiethnic parents, Rola went from the jungles of Bangladesh to learning to speak, read and write Japanese in Tokyo. She is now trilingual, speaking Bengali, Japanese and English. The Gucci Crew member’s modeling career began when she was scouted as a high school student on the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo. She has published books on fashion, cooking and learning English. Rola now has her eyes set on expanding her horizons — in her work and in her life. Having recently purchased a home in Los Angeles, Rola is focused on improving her English and adding her creativity to new areas of entertainment while working on her non-profit educational foundation. Tokyo Journal’s Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie sat down with the multifaceted Rola in L.A. to see what’s next.
Tatsuya Nakadai
Tatsuya Nakadai
Sixty years of Film, Television and Theater
Tatsuya Nakadai is a shining star of post-war Japan. Still active in the entertainment business as an octogenarian, the legendary actor’s work in film and theater has been acknowledged worldwide. The films he has appeared in have won awards at the Oscars and the “Big Three” film festivals in Berlin, Cannes and Venice. Nakadai’s career defies easy categorization because of the wide variety of characters he has portrayed in films and plays. His dynamic performance on screen is unforgettable, especially his work with Japan’s cream-of-the-crop film directors, including Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi and Kon Ichikawa. His appearances in Kurosawa films such as Kagemusha and Ran have etched his name into the history of world film and in 2015 he was awarded the Order of Culture by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie sat down with Tatsuya Nakadai at his acting school, Mumeijuku, to hear about his career and experiences working with Kurosawa.
Toshiro Mifune
Toshiro Mifune
Mifune: The Last Samurai
Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997) is one of the most prominent and revolutionary actors in the history of Japanese film. With his iconic acting, Mifune opened the door to a new era that brought Japanese cinema to the world stage. He appeared in over 170 feature films, but is best known for the 16 films that he made with legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo. He starred in Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy, the groundbreaking NBC television miniseries Shogun and Steven Spielberg’s 1941. He also portrayed Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who bombed Pearl Harbor, in three films. He was awarded Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival twice. On November 14th, 2016, he was honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in the motion picture industry. On November 25, 2016, the documentary Mifune: The Last Samurai, directed by Steven Okazaki, was released.
Tokyo Journal Editorial
Rolling with Rola
This issue’s cover features one of Japan’s top celebrities — the multicultural, multitalented model and actress Rola. Tokyo Journal rolled with Rola through the streets of L.A. and combed the beaches of Santa Monica, Newport and Laguna in California.
SEKAI NO OWARI (Japanese)
躍進し続ける SEKAI NO OWARI −世界進出に向けて−
バンド「SEKAI NO OWARI」
2014年にリリースした「スノーマジックファンタジー」でオリコンランキング1位を、また2013年リリースの「RPG」、2014年にも「炎と森のカーニバル」で2位を獲得し 、SEKAI NO OWARIは急速に日本の音楽シーンを牽引する存在となった。観客ゼロのライブからチケット売り切れ必至のアリーナツアーまでの驚異的な躍進について、メンバーが東京ジャーナルのエグゼクティブ・エディターアントニー・ アルジェイミーに語った。
Hatsune Miku (Japanese)
バーチャル・シンガー 初音ミク
レディー・ガガのオープニングアクトが世界中で話題に
インターネット上で圧倒的な人気を誇る日本のスーパースターはバーチャルな存在だ。初音ミクは、ファンによる10万以上もの曲を生み出すことを可能にした音楽ソフトウェアだ。3DCGによるライブパフォーマンスなどを国内外で行い、革新的な要素で世界中を熱狂させている。2014年には、レディー・ガガのツアーでオープニング・アクトも務めた 。この日本のバーチャル・シンガーを生んだクリプトン・フューチャー・メディアに、東京ジャーナルのエグゼクティブ・エディターアントニー・アルジェイミーが話を聞いた。
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (Japanese)
“Kawaii”カルチャーのクイーン きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ
Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie
きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅは、可愛さと小洒落た不気味さが一体となった個性的キャラクターで、J ポップ界に一大旋風を巻き起こした。2012年に渋谷区公認「原宿カワイイ大使」に就任。その後、ワールドツアーの他、彼女を一躍有名にした「PONPONPON」がアニメ「ザ・シンプソンズ」で取り上げられたり、アメリカのポップアイドル、ケイティ・ペリーが彼女の曲についてツイートするなど、人気は世界へと広がった。今年7月には自身3枚目のアルバム「ピカピカふぁんたじん」をリリース。常にヒットチャートに名を連ねる歌姫である21歳の彼女に、東京ジャー ナルのエグゼクティブエディターアントニー・アルジェイミーが音楽やファッション、将来について聞いた。
VAMPS (Japanese)
VAMPS
日本ロック界の異才 HYDE & K.A.Z
2008年、ラルク・アン・シエルのボーカル、HYDEとオブリヴィオン・ダストのギタリスト、K.A.Zがヴァンプスを結成。わずか1年後に日本人バンドとしては異例の早さで海外ツアーを成功させ、しかも戦艦ミズーリ号でのライブまでも実現した。2009年から2014年までの間にリリースされた4 枚のアルバムは全てオリコン・チャートのトップ10入りを果たしている。2015年はフィンランドのメタルバンド、アポカリプティカとモトリー・クルーのニッキー・シックス率いるロサンゼルスを拠点に活動するハードロック・バンド、シックス:エイ・エムの北米ツアー12公演でサポートを務めた。ロサンゼルスで東京ジャーナルのエグゼクティブ・ エディター アントニー・アルジェイミーがHYDEとK.A.Z に話を聞いた。