GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE released their sixth studio album Up & Down on July 14, 2021. To promote the new record, which comes a year and eight months since their last album, the boy band are collaborating with the Japanese karaoke chain JOYSOUND.   The collaboration campaign is taking place at select JOYSOUND branches, including with the company's latest JOYSOUND MAX GO machines. Fans can participate both at the karaoke booths as well as at home by using the official JOYSOUND app which is available on both iOS and Android.   Those taking part in-person at the karaoke booths will use the free Kyoku Navi JOYSOUND app, which turns their smartphone into a karaoke remote control, to select any of the 13 tracks from the band's new album Up & Down, which includes five new songs such as HELLO! HALO! (feat.DANCEARTH). You can enter the campaign multiple times by singing each song once per day for a total of 13 submissions eveyrday.   If you're singing from home, you use the JOYSOUND app and from there you share your performance on Twitter. You must tweet your post with the hashtag #GENERATIONS_JOYSOUND and be following the official JOYSOUND account @JOYSOUND_PR.   Three random people will be select from the submissions to receive a poster signed by all the GENERATIONS members. The band is also set to appear in the 'SPECIAL FEATURE' of JOYSOUND's monthly artist pickup on August 2. An interview in Japanese will also be released on the campaign website where the band talk about the new album release.  

Japanese seven-member boy group 7ORDER are promoting the release of their 1st major single Ame ga Hajimaru no Aizu/SUMMER Samazama, which is releasing on July 7, and their live DVD and Blu-ray WE ARE ONE, with a campaign in collaboration with Karaoke Kan.The campaign is titled '7ORDER x Karaoke Kan Let's Sing This Summer!! Collaboration Campaign supported by LIVE DAM Ai' and it's running from June 24 to August 31. To enter the campaign, you need to sing 7ORDER's songs using one of Karaoke Kan's DAM rooms at any of their branches in Japan. That will enable fans to enter for a chance to win a free 7ORDER microphone, signed poster, and more. DAM rooms as well as monitors in at Karaoke Kan receptions will feature original 7ORDER videos, and select branches will even have panels plastered up. The song Ame ga Hajimaru no Aizu from the upcoming single was released early on digital music streaming and download platforms on June 17. The faced-paced uplifting rock song is based on the coincidence that every time a big day comes around for 7ORDER, it rains: it happened on the day they decided to form as a band, during their first concert, and when they signed to a major label. It's a song to show how the rain isn't always that bad.   The second track on the single, SUMMER Samazama, was written by NAOTO and HIROKI of ORANGE RANGE. You can hear that when the full single releases on July 7.

Japanese bands toe and PETROLZ, two wholly unique bands in terms of style who are both leading the indie music scene in Japan, toured together in March on their 'Booked!' tour. Now, the pair are coming together once again to host a live concert which will be streamed at JOYSOUND Miruhako karaoke rooms across Japan on June 26 at 17:00 (JST). The performance was originally scheduled to take place before this, but was postponed due to the state of emergency in Japan. Tickets are priced at ¥2,500 which doesn't include karaoke room rental, and are available until the day of the show. The bands themselves will be performing live from USEN STUDIO COAST in Tokyo where they actually performed on March 13 for their tour. Fans will be able to sing along in the karaoke rooms as they enjoy watching the performance with JOYSOUND Miruhako's high-quality audio and video services.

Japan's largest movie, drama, and anime review service Filmarks has posted its list of the country's Top 10 Drama and Anime Series for Autumn 2020. The ranking is taken from series broadcast and available for stream between September 1 and November 30 in 2020 and is based on Filmarks own 5★ score system and user reviews.  

Top 10 Drama Series for Autumn 2020

1st Place: The Mandalorian Season 2 | ★4.67

©2020 Lucasfilm Ltd.

  2nd Place: Julie and the Phantoms | ★4.43   3rd Place: The Queen's Gambit | ★4.34   4th Place: 2gether | ★4.315th Place: The Crown Season 4 | ★4.276th Place: Start-Up | ★4.267th Place: Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! | ★4.248th Place: The Boys Season 2 | ★4.209th Place: Baby Season 3 | ★4.1610th Place: Satsui no Michinori | ★4.14  

Top 10 Anime Series for Autumn 2020

1st Place: Golden Kamuy Season 3 | ★4.21

©Satoru Noda / Shueisha・Golden Kamuy Production Committee

  2th Place: Jujutsu Kaisen | ★4.19

©Gege Akutami / Shueisha・Jujutsu Kaisen Production Committee

  3rd Place: Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club | ★4.07

©2020 Project Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club

  4th Place: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle | ★3.935th Place: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai | ★3.896th Place: Is the Order a Rabbit? BLOOM | ★3.8747th Place: With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun★3.878th Place: Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou | ★3.849th Place: Moriarty the Patriot | ★3.80910th Place: Munou na Nana | ★3.808   Are there any series on this list you have yet to see?

The Japanese branch of the world's largest travel platform Tripadvisor® has posted its 2020 list of the Top 20 most popular castles in Japan amongst Japanese people.   This year marks the 8th run of the most popular Japanese castles ranking. Crowning the number one spot for the fourth year in a row in the list is Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture. Kanazawa Castle and Iwakuni Castle have appeared for the first time ever on the list, while Shurijo Castle—which saw the main courtyard structures destroyed last year in a fire—and Kumamoto Castle—which was damaged as a result of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake—both placed in the Top 10. This shows the greatness of these last two castles, Shurijo Castle and Kumamoto Castle, that despite their damage people still revere them, and their visiting them calls for a quick repairs and rebuilding.   User posts for all the castles in this year's list commended each site's incorporation of measures against the spreading of COVID-19, such as making it mandatory to wear masks, and providing alcohol gel everywhere.  

Top 20 Most Popular Japanese Castles Amongst Japanese People | 2020 Edition

1st Place: Himeji Castle (Himeji, Hyogo) 2nd Place: Matsumoto Castle (Matsumoto, Nagano) 3rd Place: Matsuyama Castle (Matsuyama, Ehime 4th Place: Matsue Castle (Matsue, Shimane) 5th Place: Nijo Castle (Kyoto, Kyoto) 6th Place: Katsuren Castle (Uruma, Okinawa) 7th Place: Kochi Castle (Koch, Kochi) 8th Place: Shurijo Castle (Naha, Okinawa) 9th Place: Kumamoto Castle (Kumamoto, Kumamoto) 10th Place: Nakagusuku Castle (Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa) Full Top 20 List (Japanese): https://www.tripadvisor.jp/Trips/99877580  

The Reviews

1st Place: Himeji Castle | Himeji, Hyogo

Himeji Castle has placed on this list four years in a row. The castle also gets the name Hakuro-jo, or "White Egret Castle," due to the structure's white exterior and resemblance to a bird taking flight. Many users on Tripadvisor commented on their multiple visits to the castle, with one saying they have visited over 10 times, and another having visited 10 years after the castle's repair work. Another said that although you have to pay to get in, you can learn much and more about the castle if you just ask the guide. Himeji Castle also has its own app you can download which has videos on different spots around the castle grounds.  

16th Place: Kanazawa Castle | Kanazawa, Ishikawa

Kanazawa Castle has a rich history that dates back to being the headquarters of the Kaga Domain, also known as the Kanazawa Domain. Many users praise the beauty of the castle's appearance, often highlighting the bricks various that make it up. The castle is lit up at night, and the scenery during winter is a sight to behold. Numerous events are held there throughout the year.  

17th Place: Iwakuni Castle | Iwakuni, Yamaguchi

From the castle keep visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Iwakuni, Kintai Bridge, the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, Miyajima, and more. This is one of the main highlights commended by users on Tripadvisor. One hiker recommended visiting the castle as a set together with a walk along Kintai Bridge.   If you're planning a trip to Japan, then be sure to use this list as reference so you know which castles are must-visits.

Japanese "hybrid" bookshop honto, which is co-managed by Junkudo and 2Dfacto, has used its online and physical book sales data to rank the top 10 manga series of the current 2020 summer anime roster. Their ranking was released on July 2.  

Ito (PR, honto) | Comment

"The 2020 summer anime roster is about to start. With people staying at home right now, there is more opportunity to watch anime, so there must be a lot of people looking forward to the new series coming. So we are releasing our own ranking of manga and light novels from the anime series that are airing this summer. Let's peruse series that are in the spotlight right now by dividing the ranking and the differences in age of people buying the books." *Data is based on the sales taken from the first half of 2020  

The Top 3 Series

The slapstick love comedy Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! (Volume 4) by Take clocks in at number one. The series has sold over 1 million copies in Japan. The data shows that the series is most popular with people in their 30's, who rate at 41.2% of the sales. Will they be watching the anime adaptation too? In 2nd place is Fire Force (Volume 22) which is serialised in Weekly Shonen Magazine. This series is most popular with those in their 20's. Season two of the anime series will premiere on July 5. And in 3rd place is Sword Art Online (Volume 24), a series loved by fans the world over. This hugely popular series has sold over 20 million light novels, and is popular in all age groups, with the biggest percentage of sales going to those in their 40's at 28.2%. The first season of the anime adaptation aired back in 2012. The second half of the War of Underworld will begin on July 11.  

Full Top 10 List

1st Place: Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! (Volume 4) 2nd Place: Fire Force (Volume 22) 3rd Place: Sword Art Online (Volume 24) 4th Place: Kanojo, Okarishimasu (Volume 14) 5th Place: Baki Dou (Volume 5) 6th Place: Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World (Volume 22) 7th Place: Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater (Volume 6) 8th Place: My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected (Volume 14) 9th Place: Super HxEros (Volume 9) 10th Place: A Certain Scientific Railgun (Volume 15) *According to honto