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Ap Bank Fes
AP Bank is a Japanese non-profit organization dedicated to renewable energy and environmental projects, founded in 2003. AP Bank's seed money was provided by record producer Takeshi Kobayashi, musician Kazutoshi Sakurai and composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. It channels its finance to small-scale sustainable projects that would otherwise struggle to receive loan funding. Beneficiaries have ranged from a recycling program in the far south of Kyushu, Japan, to the construction of an eco-resort in the Marshall Islands. AP Bank holds its own festival since 2005. ''AP Bank Fes'' raises awareness about environmental issues such as recycling and global warming, with all profits from the festival going to fund more projects at AP Bank. History The concept for AP Bank arose out of a series of seminars in 2002 by the members of composer Ryuichi Sakamoto's ''Artists Power'', a project started in 2001 by Sakamoto and Takuro of Glay to engender more financial responsibility amongst mus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takeshi Kobayashi
, is a Japanese keyboardist, lyricist, composer, arranger, and record producer. History Kobayashi started his professional career in the late 1970s. After working in the backing bands for singers such as Yosui Inoue, Misato Watanabe, and Anri, he came into prominence as a musical collaborator for the Southern All Stars frontman Keisuke Kuwata's eponymous 1988 solo album. Although his own leader albums failed to receive public attention, Kobayashi garnered commercial success in collaboration as producer or songwriter with other artists. As an arranger of his own composition "Anata ni Aete Yokatta" co-written and performed by Kyōko Koizumi in 1991, Kobayashi won the 33rd Japan Record Awards for Best Arrangement category. In 1992, he undertook the production work with the Japanese pop-rock band Mr. Children on their debut album entitled '' Everything''. The producer and the band have gone on to record together to date, achieving mainstream success with cumulative sales of o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saitama, Saitama
is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854, and a population density of 6,093 people per km2 (15,781 people per sq mi). Its total area is . Etymology The name ''Saitama'' originally comes from the of what is now the city of Gyoda, Saitama, Gyōda in the northern part of what is now known as Saitama Prefecture. ''Sakitama'' has an ancient history and is mentioned in the famous 8th century poetry anthology . The pronunciation has changed from Sakitama to Saitama over the years. With the 2001 merger of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya-ku, Saitama, Ōmiya, and Yono, Saitama, Yono, it was decided that a new name, one fitting for this newly created prefect ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer Klaus Schwab. The foundation's stated mission is "improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas". The foundation is mostly funded by its 1,000 member Multinational corporation, multi-national companies. The WEF is mostly known for its annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, a mountain resort in the canton of Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland. The meeting brings together some 3,000 paying members and selected participants – among whom are investors, business leaders, political leaders, economists, celebrities and journalists – for up to five days to discuss list of global issues, global issu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kill Bill
''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts action film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a group of assassins ( Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen) and their leader, Bill ( David Carradine), after they try to kill her and her unborn child. Her journey takes her to Tokyo, where she battles the yakuza. ''Kill Bill'' was inspired by 1970s exploitation films and martial arts films. It features an anime sequence by Production I.G. ''Volume 1'' is the first of two ''Kill Bill'' films made in a single production. They were originally set for a single release, but the film, with a runtime of over four hours, was divided in two. This meant Tarantino did not have to cut scenes. '' Volume 2'' was released six months later. ''Kill Bill'' was theatrically released in the United States on October 10, 2003. It received positive reviews and grossed over $180 million worldwide on a $30 mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to popular culture. His work has earned a cult following alongside critical and commercial success; he has been named by some as the most influential director of his generation and has received List of awards and nominations received by Quentin Tarantino, numerous awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. His films have grossed more than $1.9 billion worldwide. Tarantino began his career with the independent film, independent crime film ''Reservoir Dogs'' (1992). His second film, the crime comedy-drama ''Pulp Fiction'' (1994), was a major success and won numerous awards, including the Cannes Film Festival's and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He next wrote and starr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chara (singer)
, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, actress and video jockey. She debuted in 1991 with the single ''Heaven''. She is known for her song " Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)", the theme song for the 1996 Shunji Iwai film ''Swallowtail Butterfly'' in which she starred, her 1997 hit single " Yasashii Kimochi", and her collaboration with Judy and Mary vocalist Yuki, " Ai no Hi Mittsu Orange". Chara later formed a band with Yuki, called Mean Machine. Early life Chara grew up in Kawaguchi, Saitama. She started learning the piano from age four, and starting composing songs in elementary school. In her first year of elementary school, she performed a song she had written, , at a school piano recital., accessed through She originally received her nickname ''Chara'' in junior high school, after a teacher called her this. She was so well known by this name that even some of her friends did not know her real name. She continues to use this name as she believes it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
J-pop
J-pop (often stylized in all caps; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in traditional music of Japan, and significantly in 1960s in music, 1960s pop music, pop and rock music. J-pop replaced ''kayōkyoku'' ("Lyric Singing Music"), a term for Japanese popular music from the 1920s to the 1980s in the Japanese music scene. Japanese rock bands such as Happy End (band), Happy End fused the Beatles and Beach Boys-style rock with Japanese music in the 1960s1970s. J-pop was further defined by New wave music, new wave and Crossover music, crossover Jazz fusion, fusion acts of the late 1970s, such as Yellow Magic Orchestra and Southern All Stars. () Popular styles of Japanese pop music include city pop and technopop during the 1970s1980s, and Eurobeat#J-Euro, J-Euro (such as Namie Amuro) and Shibuya-kei during the 1990s and 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swallowtail (film)
is a 1996 Japanese crime film written, directed and edited by Shunji Iwai, starring Hiroshi Mikami, pop-singer Chara, and Ayumi Ito. The film was shot on hand-held cameras using jump cuts and other visual techniques. It covers a wide array of themes and genres, from social realism to coming-of-age to crime. A theme song for the film under ''Yen Town Band'', titled " Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)", topped the Oricon Singles Chart on October 7, 1996. Plot The film is set in Tokyo at an unspecified point in the near future when the Japanese yen has become the strongest currency in the world. This attracts an influx of immigrants, legal and illegal, to work in the city. The immigrants give the city the nickname . The Japanese natives, however, despise the nickname, and in retribution call the immigrants by the homophone , anglicised as "Yentowns" in the film's English subtitles. The story centers around a sixteen-year-old girl (Ayumi Ito) whose mother has just died. The gir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shunji Iwai
is a Japanese filmmaker, video artist, writer and documentary maker. Life and career Iwai was born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987. In 1988, he started out in the Japanese entertainment industry by directing TV dramas and music videos. In 1993, his television drama, ''Fireworks'', brought him critical praise and the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his portrayal of a group of children in the town of Iioka. In 1995, he went on to start his career in feature films, starting with the box-office hit ''Love Letter'', in which he cast pop singer Miho Nakayama in dual roles. ''Love Letter'' also launched the film career of Miki Sakai who won a Japanese Academy Award as 'Newcomer of the Year' for her portrayal of Itsuki Fujii as a young girl. Iwai collaborated with cinematographer Noboru Shinoda to produce a film praised for its evocative winter cinematography. ''Love Letter'' made an impact in other east Asi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yamagata, Yamagata
is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 242,505 in 103,165 households, and a population density of 636 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Yamagata is in the southern portion of the Yamagata Basin in southeast Yamagata Prefecture. The northern and northwestern parts of the city are flatland, and the eastern part of the city is occupied by the Ōu Mountains. The city includes Mount Zaō within its borders. The Mamigasaki River passes through the city, and the Tachiyagawa River forms the border between Yamagata and Tendō. Neighboring municipalities *Miyagi Prefecture ** Kawasaki **Sendai *Yamagata Prefecture ** Higashine ** Kaminoyama ** Nakayama ** Nanyō ** Tendō ** Yamanobe Climate Yamagata has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification ''Dfa'') closely bordering on Humid Subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') with large seasonal temperature ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farm Aid
Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert held for American farmers. History On July 13, 1985, before performing "When The Ship Comes In" with Keith Richards and Ron Wood at the Live Aid benefit concert for the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine, Bob Dylan remarked about family farmers within the United States in danger of losing their farms through mortgage debt, saying to the worldwide audience exceeding one billion people, "I hope that some of the money ... maybe they can just take a little bit of it, maybe ... one or two million, maybe ... and use it, say, to pay the mortgages on some of the farms and, the farmers here, owe to the banks." He is often misquoted, as on Farm Aid's official website, as saying "Wouldn't it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here in America?" Although his comments were heavily criticised, they inspired fellow musicians Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young to organize the Farm Aid benefit concert to raise money for and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz ( ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" that peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. His second studio album ''Mr. A-Z'' (2005) peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200. His third studio album, ''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' (2008), peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified four times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album's lead single, "I'm Yours (Jason Mraz song), I'm Yours", reached the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while spending a then-record 76 weeks on the Hot 100, and it was certified Diamond Certified, Diamond by the RIAA. The album also spawned the Grammy Award winning singles "Make It Mine" and "Lucky (Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
