Who don’t know this name? Morning Musume and L’Arc en Ciel?

Morning Musume and L`Arc en Ciel, two of Japan`s hottest pop groups, will soon be in Seoul to perform.

L`Arc en Ciel, one of the most-loved Japanese rock bands in the world, will play at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastic Stadium in southeastern Seoul on May 17. Formed in 1991, the quartet of Tetsu (bass guitar), Hyde (vocal), Ken (guitar) and Yukihiro (drum) has been at the heart of J-pop`s popularity overseas from the beginning, selling more than 25 million albums worldwide.

The group, whose name means rainbow in French, made its breakthrough in 1996 when they sold a million copies of their fourth album “True.” Their popularity in Asia grew when they simultaneously released two albums, “Ark” and “Ray,” in seven Asian countries in 1999.

Including the most recent “Jojoushi,” 16 of their singles have topped the Japanese Oricon chart.

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Popularity: 76% [?]

Pop group Arashi has announced that they are doing a concert tour of the five major domes - Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The only other Johnny’s artists who have done a “5 dome tour” are SMAP and KinKi Kids.

The tour, titled “ARASHI Marks 2008 Dream-A-live,” consists of 10 performances, starting in Osaka on May 16 and ending in Sapporo on July 6. The total audience is expected to be about 440,000 people.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Japanese pop princess Ayumi Hamasaki has revealed she has gone deaf in her left ear, but has vowed to continue her career and go ahead with an upcoming tour of Asia.The 29-year old, who is Japan’s top-selling singer with 28 number-one hits and nearly 50 million albums sold, wrote on her blog that her left ear “doesn’t work anymore” and that it was inoperable. She has known of her condition since going in for an ear check last year, according to her website.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Tickets for F.T Island’s first concert in Japan have sold out in a day. The group embarked on a nationwide tour on the 15th starting with a show in Daegu and extended it into Japan. The show is slated for December 22 and 23 at Shinagawa Prince’s Stella Ball. Tickets went on sale on the 18th and sold out in just a day. F.T Island reps are extra delighted by the swift sales, especially considering the group hasn’t begun any official PR work there. They say they are grateful for their enthusiastic Japanese fans.

Popularity: 4% [?]