Kawaii Joyuu

Actress Kikuchi Rinko (29) is currently at the "67th Venice International Film Festival" to promote her new movie "Norwegian Wood" and more or less revealed her relationship with American director and producer Spike Jonze (40) known for movies such as "Being John Malkovich" or "Where the Wild Things Are".

Both of them didn't try to hide their relationship, but they didn't really try to attract attention either. On Thursday night people started suspecting something when they saw both of them holding hands and walking together at the showcase of Kikuchi's movie. On Friday night they were sitting at different tables, but couldn't stop looking at each other. Several people also said that they saw them kissing a few times.

People close to them revealed that they've met each other in December 2009 when Spike went to Japan to promote his movie "Where the Wild Things Are". They immediately became close friends and eventually started to date.

Kikuchi's agency already confirmed the relationship and said, "It seems like they are still in an early stage."

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Written by: KawaiiJoyuu
Sources: Sanspo
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The weekly pictorial tabloid "FRIDAY" reports that actress Kato Rosa (25) and actor Tamaki Hiroshi (30) might have revived their love again this year.

The tabloid spotted the two actors on what they call a "driving date". In 2004 it already was revealed that they are in a relationship, but in 2007 it looked like their love came to an end. Now there have been several sightings of them having rendezvous again in July and August. They have not only been spotted in a car, there even seems to be a snapshot with the two of them and Kato's mother. Could they really by serious again?

Sanspo tried to contact their agencies and got the following responses. Kato's agency, "They and their families are still very close, but they are nothing more than just friends." Tamaki's agency went the easy way, "No comment."

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Written by: KawaiiJoyuu
Sources: Sanspo
Please link back when posting those news anywhere else.
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Multiple news outlets are reporting today that actress Yu Aoi (24) and actor Nao Omori (38) are in a relationship. Since January, rumors have been circulating after the two were seen on a date at an oden restaurant, and photos of them on a group date were published in Nikkan Sports in late July.

Omori and Aoi have acted together before in several works, including the 2005 drama series "Tiger & Dragon" and the 2007 movie "Mushishi." However, it appears that their relationship developed through working together on the current NHK taiga drama "Ryomaden.

The management agencies for both parties have neither confirmed nor denied the relationship, stating that they will leave it alone as it is a private matter.

Omori was in a long relationship with Yumi Yoshimura (35) of pop duo Puffy up until last fall. Just this past April, it was rumored that he had started dating actress Reina Asami (27). Aoi, on the other hand, was believed to be dating V6 member Junichi Okada (29) for a few years, but they are also said to have broken up last fall.

cr: Tokyograph

The "Shukan Bunshun" has a new article about the still unofficial couple Kitagawa Keiko (23) and Yamashita Tomohisa (25).

It was around mid-April at 10pm when the two of them were spotted at a bar in Kitazawa. Yamapi was wearing a cap to hide his face, but the bar didn't have something like a private room and so the people around them soon found out who they were. "It almost seemed like they didn't care about their surroundings anymore and had some yakitori along with some alcohol. Later DA PUMP's Issa also entered the bar together with another guy. He immediately recognized Yamapi and got all excited, 'I never would have thought to meet Yamapi at such a place~!' " A witness described the scene.

All four of them now sat together at the same place and Issa ordered a bottle of shochu for everyone to share.

"Kitagawa often had to go to the toilet and you could see that she was becoming unstable on her feet. Back at her seat she constantly had to lean against the wall, so there is no doubt that she was really drunk. After a short while Yamapi and Issa were in an uproar, 'Give us a bag! Give us a bag!' They both noticed that she wasn't feeling well at all and predicted what might happen next. Yamapi held the bag at her mouth and asked her if she's alright. She wasn't and ended up making good use of that bag."

Last month there already have been a couple of reports from people who saw the couple in Omotesando. The Shukan Bunshun also quoted some people who saw them in Harajuku in May. Recently they've also been spotted a couple of times at restaurants in Sangen-jaya. Witnessed said that whenever an employee wanted to offer them a private room, Yamapi declined it and went with her to the public seats. Kitagawa would actually prefer the private room, but Yamapi has his reason for declining the offers. "Calm down. Calm down. Nobody would suspect us to be sitting here (in the public area)," he told her.

Will they ever confirm their relationship?

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Written by: KawaiiJoyuu
Sources: Shukan Bunshun (via entame-blog)
Please link back when posting those news anywhere else.
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It's FRIDAY's big scoop this week, actress Ishihara Satomi (23) has been spotted in a discount shop together with seven years older cameraman Emori Yasuyuki (30). Both got to know each other when Emori was in charge for the official photo book for the movie "No Longer Human" and from the photos in FRIDAY it seems like their relationship steadily developed from there on.

The alleged couple got spotted on a day in June, when they were driving to a Chinese restaurant in Emori's car. After that they went to a discount store together and looked around in the section for consumer electronics. Additionally FRIDAY's article also mentioned that Ishihara had been spotted at Emori's apartment a couple of times.

In 2002 Emori graduated from the Nihon University where he studied photography at the College of Arts. People describe him as a very good-looking man with impressive looks and a height of 1,80m. Before his graduation he was already discovered by movie director Arato Genjiro (63) who eventually made him the offer to make a photo book of actress Terajima Shinobu (37) for the movie "Akame 48 Waterfalls" back in 2003. In 2004 he even already was able to have a photo exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum and has always been referred to as one of the most promising young cameraman.

The relationship is supposed to have started back in August after the filming for "No Longer Human" ended, but Emori denied the relationship when FRIDAY tried to get a statement from him. Ishihara's agency denied it as well, "They are just colleagues. There is nothing like a relationship going on between them."

Maybe he was just giving her some advice for a new a camera? And helped setting it up at his apartment? After some Chinese food…

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Written by: KawaiiJoyuu
Sources: Sanspo
Please link back when posting those news anywhere else.
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Until last year actress Toda Erika (21) was rumored to be in a relationship with Kanjani8's Murakami Shingo (28). Earlier this year it was rumored that Toda broke up with him and now there are new rumors that she already has a new boyfriend.

It's the tabloid "Josei Seven" that's spreading some interesting gossip again. Apparently someone has overheard a conversation between Toda, Perfume's A-chan (Nishiwaki Ayaka, 21) and another friend they are referring to as "Friend A". The three of them met up at a high class sushi bar near the Ginza main street earlier this month.

Toda: "When I was still together with Shin-chan, we often went to Osaka. Shina-chan also often dropped by my place. We often met at other place as well and made absolutely sure to see each other every single day."

A-chan: "That sounds so great!"

Toda: "We never had a fight, in fact, it felt like we were becoming more of a family than lovers… That's why I told him, 'I really love you and I thought I would always want to be together with you, but our relationship is already becoming closer to that of a family (like siblings)… It feels like I'm being unfaithful to my heart. I really thought about us and our situation and I think that we should have some time apart.' "

Friend A: "You know Shin-chan was serious about the relationship. He talked to me about 'having some time apart' and that he would never see you again… Yet you still seem to be very good friends?"

Toda: "Yeah, our relationship is still good. However, it seems like that he is is quite confident that I will return to him…"

Friend A: "Exactly, I once tried to have a talk with him. 'Get another girl and move on!' But he would always respond like, 'But I already have a girflriend.' "

However, it looks like Toda already found a new man unlike Murakami.

Toda: "His name is Gou. I met up with him after I split up with Shin-chan. I guess you can say that he's my boyfriend right now. We are getting really close and I already don't want to see anyone other than him anymore…"

Some industry insider guesses that the mysterious "Gou" is no other than young actor Ayano Gou (28).

"He's a close friend of Yamada Takayuki and they often have a drink together. Yamada appeared together with Shin-chan in 'Crows Zero II'. Once Shin and Erika tagged along with the two to have some drinks and that's when she got to know Gou," he said.

Did they really overhear their girl talk or are they just making up yet another episode in Toda's love life?

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Written by: KawaiiJoyuu
Sources: Josei Seven (via excerpts provided by the entame-blog)
Please link back when posting those news anywhere else.
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Yet another big scoop for the well-known tabloid "FRIDAY". In their newest issue (July 9th) they've published a story about actress Kitano Kie (19) staying in a hotel and kissing in public together with young ikemen actor Sano Kazuma (21). Of course they gave us some more or less clear shots of the couple and the kiss to validate the story.

In case you don't know about Sano, he played the middle school student version of the character Kitamura Daigo in the 2007 drama "Sunadokei" and he will also appear in Hayami Mokomichi's upcoming drama "Hammer Session".

The article states that Kitano and Sano met in front of a city hotel around 10pm some time in July. After checking in together, the couple then got into the elevator holding hands. They spent the night together in the hotel and left it at around 11am the next morning. After they continued to walk side-by-side, they embraced and shared a kiss before parting ways again. FRIDAY also published another picture of them together that was taken in June.

The kiss is pretty obvious, so it will be interesting to see how they or their agencies are going to comment about this "rumor."

Update#1: Official statements from their agencies…

Kitano's agency: "They are just close friends."
Sano's agency: "Since it's a private matter, we aren't in a position to make a comment."

The rumor became a hot topic among netizens and some already started to compare their blog entries/pictures for little details like matching bracelets and so on.

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Written by: KawaiiJoyuu
Sources: FRIDAY (via entame-blog and other sites)
Please link back when posting those news anywhere else.
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The latest issue of Josei Seven reports that actress Ryoko Yonekura (34) and actor Kenichi Okamoto (41) are in a relationship. The two were recently seen together on a date. Josei Seven published photos of Okamoto driving Yonekura's car and picking her up. Inside the car, they were seen talking with their faces close together.

The two met when they worked together on the 2005 drama special "Kurokawa no Techou," and then again for the stage version of the drama in 2006. In the summer of 2008, an evening tabloid reported that the two were seen holding hands on a date, but both of them denied it. With regard to Josei Seven's article, Yonekura's agency again stated that the two are just friends. Okamoto's agency said it had no particular comment on the rumor.

In 1992, Okamoto married a former model, who gave birth to Keito Okamoto (now in Hey! Say! JUMP). They divorced in 2007.

cr: Tokyograph