The tabloids are full of reports that the gravure idol Risa Yukihira has been dating the pop singer Kei Inoo of Hey! Say! JUMP for perhaps as long as two years. The story was first broken by daily sports newspaper Sports Nippon (Sponichi), whose reporters have spotted the pair visiting each other's homes. The past romantic partners of 33-year-old Kei Inoo, who graduated from the prestigious Meiji University, include retired porn star Kirara Asuka and Japanese announcer and model Misato Ugaki. Risa Yukihira is one of the most popular gravure idols right now. With her pale skin and alluring ...

It's Christmas in Tokyo, which means . . . what exactly? Well, not really Christmas in the traditional sense. Christmas in Japan is, of course, not a holiday per se (and falling on a Monday this year, everyone will be working as normal, including yours truly), but Santa cosplay is very popular, as are "Christmas cakes" (which rarely resemble what a European might expect), German-style Christmas markets, and going on dates on Christmas Eve. In fact, Christmas is basically just a romantic day for couples, and one of the busiest times of year for love hotels. Gravure idols and models often ...