Japanese Song of the Week GIVE ME FIVE! by AKB48

This week’s Japanese Song of the week is GIVE ME FIVE! by AKB48, which has debuted at number 1 on the Japanese J-Pop Oricon charts.

Read more about AKB48

This is the group's 25th single and is very happy and upbeat. The 18 selected members for the single actually spent six months learning how to play their instruments, so they could perform it live.

McDonald's Japan Big America Burgers Broadway Burger

The McDonald’s Japan Big America Burgers have returned for 2012. You can read about the previous editions of the burger here.

The latest release is the Broadway Burger, which features a quarter-pound beef burger topped with fresh vegetables, pastrami bacon, mustard sauce and cream cheese sauce.

Japanese Song of the Week Junjou U-19 (純情U-19) by NMB48

This week’s Japanese Song of the Week is Junjou U-19 (純情U-19) by NMB48, which has debuted at number 1 on the Japanese J-Pop Oricon charts.

NMB48 is an all-girl Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. They were formed as a sister group of AKB48 based in Namba, Osaka. The group performs at NMB48 Theatre in Namba, Osaka with the name of the group “NMB” coming from “Namba” in the Minami district in Osaka.

Osaka Japan

Image by jiquem

Osaka is one of the must see places in Japan on any trip. Osaka is famous for its relaxed down to earth people, sense of humour and great food. Osaka is a really attractive city with traditional buildings mixed in with modern architecture. Osaka really comes alive at night with flashing neon lights and street vendors.

Osaka is divided into two main areas Kita (North) and Minami (South). Kita is the city’s main business and administrative center and contains the JR Osaka Train Station. Minami is the city’s entertainment and shopping area. It contains entertainment and nightlife areas such as Namba and Shinsaibashi.

Frankston Japanese Festival

The Frankston Japanese Festival is on Saturday, 25 February on Kananook Creek Boulevard from 11am – 5pm.


The festival will mark the 30th anniversary of Frankston’s sister city link with Susono. Susuno is located 175km south-west of Tokyo in Shizuoka Prefecture.


The highlights of the festival will include:

Japanese Song of the Week Chotto Matte Kudasai! by S/mileage

This week’s Japanese Song of the Week is Chotto Matte Kudasai! by S/mileage, which has debuted at number 6 on the Japanese J-Pop Oricon charts.

S/mileage (スマイレージ,) is a Japanese girl group under the Hello! Project umbrella. The group made their major label debut In 2010, and won the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist in 2010.

This song is the group's 9th single and is very cute, upbeat and happy.

Valentine’s Day in Japan

Valentine’s Day in Japan is very different from anywhere else in the world. Valentine’s Day is on February 14th but it is all about the chocolates in Japan. The tradition in Japan is for the girls to give chocolates to the boys. It is totally up to the girls to show who they like by presenting them with chocolate. The favour is returned to the girls on a special day called White Day, which is celebrated on March 14th.

Types of chocolate giving on Valentine’s Day