Wondergirls "Be My Baby" [VIDEO]

On November 20th, MBC aired the "Beautiful Concert" where Wonder Girls' Sunye and Yeeun sang "When You Believe,"a duet by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The girls impressed their audience with their amazing vocals and ability to hit the high-pitched tones that Mariah Carey was well-known for. Wonder Girls' fans, also known as Wonderfuls, may recognize this song as Yeeun's audition song that enabled her to be able to pass the JYP final auditions.


This heartwarming performance captured the audience, which is apparent to viewers when watching the broadcasted performance, and allowed the girls to show off the English the girls had been able to learn in their time away from their home country.



The Wonder Girls also performed their new track "Be My Baby" 

Lim Yoon-taek of Superstar K inspires Us [VIDEO]

Superstar K, the South Korean equivalent of "American Idol", is now in its third season and it is battling for much more than just the best singer. 


Lim Yoon-taek, the 32-year-old leader of the group Ulala Session, stunned judges and viewers with his response to the question of why his hair was so short. He revealed that he was fighting stage four stomach cancer. 


His stomach and duodenum had been removed in June. His struggles, as well as his determination, have captured the sympathy and admiration of the nation, where celebrities typically conceal their illnesses.


Since July, Lim has lost fifteen pounds, as well as his eyebrows and hair. He was unable to attend a rehearsal for a show a few weeks ago. Despite these set backs, Lim is more determined than ever. "Western Sky", a song from a film starring an actress who later died of stomach cancer, became the most downloaded song on Naver, the Korean equivalent of Google, after the group had chosen it for their song to perform for one of the shows. The first place prize is 500 million won, ($450,000), and the group has said if they win they will use some of the money to record an album but the rest will go to pay Lim's medical costs. 

We LOVE animated film "A Letter to Momo" [VIDEO]

The Sitges Film Fest, located in the Catalonian coastal town of Sitges in Spain, is one of the largest film festivals in the world. This past year was the 44th anniversary and it ran from October 6th through the 16th. The film festival specializes in fantasy, science fiction, and horror movies. Recently, efforts have been made to introduce animated films into the competition. Many other film festivals exist worldwide, including the Toronto International Film Festival, that premiered on September 10th for its 36th anniversary. This year the Toronto Film Festival featured an animated short film that truly wowed and captivated the audience. Due to its success the film, "A Letter to Momo" was featured at festivals in Spain and South Korea, including the Busan International Film Festival, which ran from October 6th to the 14th in Busan, South Korea. The Busan International Film Festival focuses on outstanding works of animation, documentaries, and experimental films.

"A Letter to Momo" was written and directed by Okiura. The animated film is set on a small island in Seto Inland Sea and tells the story of the love within a family. After her father dies in a shipwreck, Momo is devastated as their last meeting was a fight. She and her mother leave the city and return to their remote fishing village. She finds a letter her father had started to write her, simply stating "Dear Momo". She is lonely and isolated. She finds an old book in the attic, then starts seeing mystical shapes around her. She gives herself up to the process of enlightenment and this puts her on a path with purpose. The heartwarming anime will be released nationwide in Japan in Spring 2012. The film was created with a traditional handmade animation style and the result is visually stunning. Great craftsmanship. Below you can find the movie trailer. 

Attention Mount Fuji admirers-- Big News!

Commissioner Seiichi Kondo of Japan's Cultural Affairs has announced that Mt. Fuji, a mountain in Japan, is to be registered in the World's Heritage for 2013. Mt. Fuji is Japan's highest mountain standing at 3,776.24 meters. In addition to it's height, Mt. Fuji also attracts attention for it's exceptional symmetry. The mountain is located about 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo and has been a famous site for tourists and mountain climbers. Mt. Fuji not only makes for a fun and exhilarating place to climb, but also has a spectacular view. Five lakes are scattered across the mountain in addition to many Shinto temples located on the slopes. Japan's desire for this mountain to become a world heritage site is to promote beauty and history of the inspiring Mt. Fuji. 


The registration will be submitted to the U.N. Educational, Science, and Cultural Organization for approval. The government of Japan remains hopeful that their request will be successfully granted in order to designate Mt. Fuji as a World Heritage Site. 

The name of our series the Fujimini Adventure Series was inspired by this wonderful landmark.


Learn more about the Award-winning Fujimini Island Adventure Series.

K-Pop Star Rain Joins South Korean Army, Learn more about K-Pop

Korean popular music, also known as K-pop, is a musical genre that is made up of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music all originating in South Korea.  What started with the debut of the musical group Seo Tai-ji & Boys in the early 1990s, who incorporated elements of rap and techno into their music, led to the outbreak of many hip hop duos including Deux, Shinhwa, and Sechs Kies. 

Eventually, the increase in the popularity of this genre led to the opening of South Korea's largest talent agency, S.M. Entertainment. S.M Entertainment was founded by Korean entrepreneur Lee Soo Man in 1995. This agency publicized the first K-Pop girl groups and boy bands and inspired the founding of other talent agencies such as YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. These talent agencies produced talent as rapidly as the public could consume it. In recent years, K-Pop has become very popular in Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, and China. 

In addition to music, K-Pop has grown into a subculture among teenagers around the world. It is a representation of fashion and style for people who listen to and idolize the Korean groups and singers. 

Through Facebook fan pages, Itunes, Twitter, and Youtube the genre of K-Pop has continued to grow and flourish among people worldwide. 

For more information about what is happening in the world of K-Pop visit: http://k-popped.com/ 

Kyary pamyu pamyu: ponponpon

Popular culture, often referred to as pop culture, has been widespread in Western culture since the early to mid 20th century. Pop culture can be defined as the ideas, perceptions, and even media within a certain culture.

Pop culture emerged globally in the late 20th and early 21st century and it is everywhere. It has become especially widespread in Japan. The movement of pop culture has continued to rise since the 1980s and 90s, becoming one of the most sought after sources of entertainment alongside the United States. Japanese Pop Culture consists of film, television, pop music, and manga that is enjoyed worldwide. In Japan, pop culture is seen as an escape from the stress of life and work. More than 90% of Japanese men and women admit to spending at least 2 hours a day watching television. The manga industry is the largest comic industry in the world. Manga is loved and read by people of all ages and dozens of publications are released regularly. Japanese anime and arcade games have been the influences of companies including Nintendo and Sony.  JPop is another huge force in Japan.


Kyary pamyu pamyu started singing to cheer people up after the earthquake and tsunami. She comes from the very fashionable harajuku district. The song is called ponponpon.

Fujimini Island celebrates PRC National Day

When you think of the month of October, we think of autumn leaves falling and Halloween. But October is a very important month in China and for Chinese people around the world. 


The People's Republic of China's National Day was first celebrated in Tian'anmen Square on October 1, 1949. 300,000 people watched eagerly as the first People's Republic of China five-star flag was waved. 

In the past this day was celebrated with large political gatherings and speeches, parades, and banquets. This holiday is still very much alive and rejoiced today. As the economy has developed, a new way of celebrating has as well. 


Today, celebration of the national holiday lasts up to seven days. During this week, called a Golden Week, the people of China get time off from school and work. Many Chinese use this time for domestic and international travel. As this is such a popular week for travel, international flights fill up quickly and must be booked far in advanced. Fares almost triple during this time!