Just saw a listing for the Odaiba Bouken Oh! - Girlpop Factory 05 live show at Zepp Tokyo on July 31. Along with Puffy, Tommy Heavenly 6, Halcali, and Aya, Yum! Yum! ORANGE will also be taking the stage. This seems like a pretty major show for them, unless they’ve slowly been moving up and becoming more popular without me noticing. Either way, good for them! If they get really popular, I can’t imagine how many ska-copycat bands we’ll be seeing here on mainstream TV in Japan…

Info on the show is here:

http://www.fujitv.co.jp/fujipop/shosai/girlpop_f.html

Since this site has started, I’ve wanted to put up a Show Calendar for the Saitama/Tokyo area so that we can have a central location for show information. This is as much for me as it is for everyone else, since I’m always forgetting when shows are and when tickets go on sale. With the next couple of days, this will finally become a reality, for now hosted at rockinjapan.com show calendar

If anyone knows of any shows they want added, please let me know! I’ll put up anything you have that’s rock-related. No visual-kei stuff, please.

In other news, Ping Pong Dash!!, out of action since February because they didn’t have a drummer, have now found said drummer and are back on stage. The new drummer’s name is Ten, originally from Nagoya and now living in Setagaya-ku in Tokyo. Kohei, one of Ping Pong’s roadies also seems to have joined the band formally. He’ll be playing the bagpipes at shows.

Ping Pong’s comeback show will be at a Cherry Coke$ planned event next Saturday at Shibuya Cyclone. Other acts are 13 Round, Skinhead Girl, and more. This is supposedly an all-night show, so no reason not to go! You definitely won’t have to worry about catching the last train home.

Another show coming up that I’m REALLY looking forward to is on July 18 up at Kichijoji’s Planet K. The event is called Rocking Chair 2, and participating acts are AMPPEZ (a group that I CANNOT recommend enough), LAST TARGET (a great recent discovery for me, though I’d heard of them before), Arinco Gang (great fun and a great group of girls), RED BACTERIA VACUUM (Tokyo’s greatest unknown (?) band?), and ura bambi (no clue). This is one of the best lineups in recent months, and my only regret is that it’s on a Monday. Wait…that day is UMI NO HI, a holiday in Japan! Wh00!! My prayers have been answered. It’s difficult for me to get down to Tokyo, let alone Kichijoji by a decent time on a weekday.

More events to come in the near future! The hot hot days of the Japanese summer are upon us, and with it come lots of live shows. Let’s all drink a beer (or your favorite soft drink) to stay cool and enjoy the music.

Additional acts have been announced for the festival.

On 8/6, MR. CHILDREN will be appearing, while on 8/7 ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION will take the stage.

Timetables for the acts are as follows:

8/5（fri）
GRASS STAGE
11:00〜 ACIDMAN
12:20〜 KREVA
13:40〜 YUKI
15:00〜 100ｓ
16:20〜 Dragon Ash
17:40〜 BUMP OF CHICKEN
19:00〜 RIP SLYME

LAKE STAGE
10:40〜 175R
11:50〜 locofrank
13:00〜 10-FEET
14:10〜 B-DASH
15:20〜 AIR
16:30〜 m-flo
17:40〜 RHYMESTER
18:50〜 真心ブラザーズ

SOUND OF FOREST
11:20〜 風味堂
12:30〜 セカイイチ
13:40〜 ランクへッド
14:50〜 マキシマム　ザ　ホルモン
16:00〜 THC!!
17:10〜 つじあやの
18:20〜 ART-SCHOOL

8/6（sat）
GRASS STAGE
11:00〜 MONGOL800
12:20〜 HY
13:40〜 KEN YOKOYAMA
15:00〜 ウルフルズ
16:20〜 THE BAND HAS NO NAME
17:40〜 SINGER SONGER※現状20分程度の出演を予定しています。
19:00〜 Mr.Children

LAKE STAGE
10:40〜 GOING UNDER GROUND
11:50〜 フジファブリック
13:00〜 椿屋四重奏
14:10〜 THE BACK HORN
15:20〜 the band apart
16:30〜 BEAT CRUSADERS
17:40〜 BACK DROP BOMB
18:50〜 ZAZEN BOYS

SOUND OF FOREST
11:20〜 BAZRA
12:30〜 アナログフィッシュ
13:40〜 Salyu
14:50〜 CONER
16:00〜 DOPING PANDA
17:10〜 SPARTA LOCALS
18:20〜 LOST IN TIME

8/7（sun）
GRASS STAGE
11:00〜 サンボマスター
12:20〜 エレファントカシマシ
13:40〜 銀杏BOYZ
15:00〜 奥田民生
16:20〜 ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
17:40〜 坂本龍一
19:00〜 サザンオールスターズ

LAKE STAGE
10:40〜 ストレイテナー
11:50〜 Jackson vibe
13:00〜 スネオヘアー
14:10〜 マボロシ
15:20〜 曽我部恵一バンド
16:30〜 斉藤和義
17:40〜 GRAPEVINE
18:50〜 ELLEGARDEN

SOUND OF FOREST
11:20〜 RADWIMPS
12:30〜 つばき
13:40〜 HOLSTEIN
14:50〜 YUI
16:00〜 DEPAPEPE
17:10〜 The ピーズ
18:20〜 POLYSICS

DJ BOOTHタイムテーブル

8/5（fri）
9:00〜　片平実
10:00〜　保坂壮彦
11:00〜　前田博章
12:00〜　片平実
13:00〜　GUEST PERFORMANCE　次長課長／森三中／ライセンス／2丁拳銃
14:00〜　GUEST DJ　ハヤシムネマサ（REVERSLOW）
15:20〜　GUEST LIVE　aM
16:00〜　GUEST DJ　SUGIURUMN
17:20〜　GUEST PERFORMANCE　ダイノジ／ハリガネロック／品川庄司
18:05〜　GUEST LIVE　endive (from Dragon Ash)
18:45〜　GUEST DJ　ハヤシヒロユキ(POLYSICS)
19:45〜　保坂壮彦
20:40〜　前田博章
21:30 END

8/6（sat）
9:00〜　保坂壮彦
10:00〜　前田博章
11:00〜　片平実
12:00〜　保坂壮彦
13:00〜　GUEST PERFORMANCE　ビーム／ダブルブッキング／江戸むらさき／X-GUN
14:00〜　GUEST DJ　TAICHI MASTER
15:20〜　GUEST LIVE　MUFAS
16:00〜　GUEST PERFORMANCE　ザブングル／DICE／安井順平／18KIN
17：00〜　前田博章
18：00〜　GUEST LIVE　RYUKYUDISKO
18:40〜　GUEST DJ　RAM RIDER
20:00〜　片平実
20:45〜　保坂壮彦
21:30 END

8/7（sun）
9:00〜　前田博章
10:00〜　保坂壮彦
11:00〜　片平実
12:00〜　前田博章
13:00〜　GUEST PERFORMANCE　東京ダイナマイト／シャカ／浅草キッド
14:00〜　保坂壮彦
15:00〜　GUEST DJ　ロケットマン
16:20〜　GUEST PERFORMANCE　ポカスカジャン／猫ひろし／梅垣義明
17:00〜　GUEST DJ　田中知之（Fantastic Plastic Machine）
18:20〜　片平実
19:00〜　GUEST LIVE　微熱DANJI
19:30〜　前田博章
20:30〜　片平実
21:30 END