Kazue Akita (穐田和恵; born February 23, 1985 in Ikeda, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese singer. She graduated from SDN48 as a…Kazue Akita (穐田和恵; born February 23, 1985 in Ikeda, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese singer. She graduated from SDN48 as a 1st generation member.
Naoki Tanaka (田中 直樹, Tanaka Naoki; born 26 April 1971) is a Japanese comedian, actor and television presenter, who is…Naoki Tanaka (田中 直樹, Tanaka Naoki; born 26 April 1971) is a Japanese comedian, actor and television presenter, who is the leader and the boke of the owarai kombi Cocorico with his partner Shozo Endo. He has appeared in many television programmes and films. He is known for being a regular member of Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, which he and Endo have worked on since 1997. Tanaka is also known for his love of animals, especially sea creatures, and on 24 June 2018, he became the Marine Stewardship Council ambassador for Japan.
Yūsei Oda (織田 優成, Oda Yūsei; born September 19, 1969, as Katsuaki Arima (有馬 克明, Arima Katsuaki)) is a Japanese voice…Yūsei Oda (織田 優成, Oda Yūsei; born September 19, 1969, as Katsuaki Arima (有馬 克明, Arima Katsuaki)) is a Japanese voice actor from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
Ritsuko Kawai (河井 リツ子, Kawai Ritsuko; born March 3, 1964) is a Japanese manga artist known as the creator of the…Ritsuko Kawai (河井 リツ子, Kawai Ritsuko; born March 3, 1964) is a Japanese manga artist known as the creator of the Hamtaro franchise.
Kōichi Nihei (二瓶 康一, Nihei Kōichi; May 30, 1949 – November 14, 2024), known professionally as Shōhei Hino (火野 正平, Hino…Kōichi Nihei (二瓶 康一, Nihei Kōichi; May 30, 1949 – November 14, 2024), known professionally as Shōhei Hino (火野 正平, Hino Shōhei), was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in jidaigeki television dramas. He is best known for his roles in the Hissatsu series.
Musashi Kanbe (かんべむさし; born January 16, 1948, in Ishikawa Prefecture) is a Seiun Award winning author for the novel…Musashi Kanbe (かんべむさし; born January 16, 1948, in Ishikawa Prefecture) is a Seiun Award winning author for the novel Saikoro Tokkōtai. Kanbe was also chair of honor at Daicon III in 1981.
Taeko Tomioka (富岡 多恵子, Tomioka Taeko; July 28, 1935 – April 6, 2023) was a Japanese writer. She was born in Osaka, was…Taeko Tomioka (富岡 多恵子, Tomioka Taeko; July 28, 1935 – April 6, 2023) was a Japanese writer. She was born in Osaka, was educated at Osaka Women's College, worked as a high school English teacher and moved to Tokyo in 1960. Tomioka visited New York City in 1964 and returned home to Japan in 1966. In 1969, she married Suga Kishio. Tomioka published several collections of poems. Henrei (1958) won the Mr. H Prize (H-shi Shō), awarded by the Association of Contemporary Japanese Poets. Monogatari no akuru hi (1961) received the 'Muro Saisei Prize. Tomioka also wrote a poetical drama Matsuri (1959) and a screenplay Shinju ten no Amijima (Double suicide, 1968). In 1971, she published the novel Oka ni mukatte hito wa narabu (Facing the Hills they stand). In 1974, Tomioka wrote Shokubutsu sai, which received the Tamura Toshiko Prize. In 1974, she published Meido no kazoku (Family in hell), which received the Women's Literature Prize. Her 1983 novel Namiutsu tochi was published in English as Building Waves (2012: ISBN 9781564787156). Tomioka also translated some English works by authors such as Gertrude Stein into Japanese. She has also produced essays on literature from a feminist viewpoint. In 1993, she published Nobuyoshi Araki: Akt-Tokyo, 1971-1991, a book of erotic photography. In 1997, Tomioka wrote Hiberunia kikō (A journey to Ireland), which received the Noma Literary Prize. In 2000, The Funeral of a Giraffe: Seven Stories, a collection of her stories translated from Japanese to English, was published. Tomioka died on April 6, 2023, at the age of 87.
Norio Nobuhito Maeda (前田 憲男, Maeda Norio; December 6, 1934 – November 25, 2018 Osaka Prefecture) was a Japanese jazz…Norio Nobuhito Maeda (前田 憲男, Maeda Norio; December 6, 1934 – November 25, 2018 Osaka Prefecture) was a Japanese jazz composer and pianist. Maeda learned piano as a young child, and moved to Tokyo to play and arrange jazz professionally in 1955. There he played with Shungo Sawada's ensemble and founded a group called the Wind Breakers. He joined the West Liners, led by Konosuke Saijo, as a pianist and arranger in 1959. Known as a composer, he penned pieces for The Blue Coats, Tatsuya Takahashi, Nobuo Hara, and Toshiyuki Miyama. He also founded We 3 with Yasuo Arakawa and Takeshi Inomata, and later worked with Inomata again in a trio with Sadanori Nakamure. On 25 November 2018, Maeda died from pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo.