This band is composed of three teams (A, K, B) of 16 young japanese girls. AKB48 idols perform every weekday in their own theater on the 8th floor of Don Quichote supermarket in Tokyo’s Akihabara area.

After the Tokyo Girls Collection show for the girls, it was interesting to see an audience made up of men screaming and dancing.

More pictures here.

Pecha Kucha night are based on 20sec * 20 slides presentations, about architecture, design, photography and any kind of contemporary creative fields. This concept was created in Tokyo in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture. PechaKucha Nights are now happening in over 230 cities around the world.

Japan is a great place to discover and create contemporary architecture : urban rules are quite flexible and houses/buildings have a very short lifetime, about 40 years. On Wednesday, Takeshi Hosaka from TAKESHI HOSAKA architects (Yokohama) introduced his last project, Hoto Fudo (Photos Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners Inc).

This strange building, looking like a mix between an igloo and a cloud, is a Soba restaurant (Japanese noodles). Thanks to a well-thought air circulation, the restaurant can keep its doors open almost every day of the year, without any air-conditioner.

This project is representative of my ideal architectural design concept : eco-friendly, landscape-friendly (despite the ugly car-park) and user-friendly.

Location : Fuji Kawaguchiko, Minamituru-gun, Yamanashi, JAPAN

© Kishin Shinoyama

(Via JapanToday)

Police investigators searched the office and home in Tokyo of photographer Kishin Shinoyama on Tuesday on suspicion of public indecency over the shooting of nude photos for his book of photos ‘‘20XX TOKYO.’’ The investigators also raided the office in Tokyo of a talent agency to which one of the two models, a 21-year-old actress, belongs.

Shinoyama, 68, allegedly took outdoor shots of the nude models in Tokyo from mid- to late August 2008 in situations where anyone could see them, police said.

The Metropolitan Police Department plans to question Shinoyama later, police sources said.

The investigators have found nothing illegal in the photo album itself, but question the manner in which the photographs were taken, police said.

Shinoyama allegedly took the photos at a dozen locations in Tokyo, mainly at night. Some of the photos were taken on railway tracks and in cemeteries.

A number of nude photos of the two actresses appear in the photo book, which was published in late January this year and is about 60 pages long. The collection has sold out, its publisher Asahi Press says on its website.

Shinoyama’s office and the Asahi Press declined comment.

Tokyo-based Asahi Press said it has heard nothing about the police raids from either Shinoyama or the police. The Asahi Press has no links with the Asahi Shimbun newspaper or TV Asahi.

Shinoyama became a freelance photographer in 1968 after working for an advertising agency.

He has released a number of photo collections of celebrities, including novelist Yukio Mishima (1925-1970), singer Momoe Yamaguchi and actress Rie Miyazawa.

In 1991, he released ‘‘Water Fruit,’’ a collection of uncensored nude photos of actress Kanako Higuchi in which her pubic hair is visible.

Japan’s Penal Code sets penalties of imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of up to 300,000 yen, detention for up to 29 days, or a petty fine of less than 10,000 yen, for persons who commit indecent acts in public.

Shinoyama’s website : http://www.shinoyamakishin.jp

Photographers : Mario Sorrenti and Nobuyoshi Araki

Model : Raquel Zimmerman

Tokyo, june 2008.

Pictures published in Vogue Nippon, october 2008.

Source : World Association of Newspapers

On the right, the same advertising for the Japanese market.

(Model : Keira Knightley, Photographer : Dominique Issermann)