entertainment

Lady Gaga, Fukushima Hula Girls given Japan Tourism Agency awards

23 Comments

The Japan Tourism Agency this week announced the winners of its annual awards for the best tourist draws in Japan. Prizes went to American singer Lady Gaga and the Hula Girls, a group of Hawaiian-style dancers from the Fukushima onsen resort of Iwaki.

The agency said that Lady Gaga was honored for performing a live show in Japan in July to raise money for tsunami survivors and for helping to drum up interest in Japanese culture. The Hula Girl team was praised for helping tourism by continuing to perform in Fukushima despite the risk of radiation.

Other recipients included Hidetoshi Sakamoto, the director of the Aso Design Center, a think tank working to strengthen ties within the Aso area in Kumamoto Prefecture, to promote regional development and tourism, to protect the environment and scenery, and to disseminate information. Tomomi Masuda was also selected for his work as the president of the Tottori Tourist Board and the progress he has made in town revitalization projects in Tottori. The traditional ghosts and goblins that appear in the famous manga "GeGeGe no Kitaro" were also recognized for popularizing Japanese culture overseas.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Oct 3 in Tokyo.

© Japan Today

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23 Comments
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Do the people of Japan know that Lady Gaga only donated a portion of the proceeds she claimed were to be given to Japan in terms of aid? Better than nothing, true, but still.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

D#mn, I thought Arashi were going to get the award.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Do the people of Japan know that Lady Gaga only donated a portion of the proceeds she claimed were to be given to Japan in terms of aid? Better than nothing, true, but still.

And she's not even Japanese. (Rolling eyes sarcasm here)

Why is it that some people just love to complain about the efforts of a foreign star to assist the victims here when "native" groups like SMAP over advertise and loudly proclaim that THEY are donating a whopping 10% from the proceeds of their album? Better than nothing, true, but still.......

Welfare or assistance starts at home.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's me...the point though isn't about how much really but who is doing the donating. It's expected I guess that Japanese artists and people with money will donate, but expecting it from foreign stars is something else in my opinion.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Readers, please stay on topic. The tourism award has nothing to do with who donates how much to charity.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Surprise, surprise. It went to fukushima. Only an idiot would go there for tourism. Why not just book a hotel in Chernobyl? Corruption.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Hey Japan Tourism Agency people ... How about those of us who stayed here ... and told our friends and others not to worry ... Japan is still a safe place ... so come on over and enjoy the country? Are we eligible for your tourist awards, too?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Surprise, surprise. It went to fukushima. Only an idiot would go there for tourism. Why not just book a hotel in Chernobyl? Corruption.

The prize has gone to a group of people, not a region.

I went to the Hawaiians resort in Iwaki on a company thing a few years back and I really feel for the hundreds of people who work there who are most likely now out of a job. A bit of compassion wouldn't go astray.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Well it's got connections with the government, so am expecting Fukushima-based products and schemes to be given all sorts of promotion over the next few years as they try to make people believe everything is safe and under control up there.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

"The Hula Girl team was praised for helping tourism by continuing to perform in Fukushima despite the risk of radiation."

@Apspara I believe in compassion, but I disagree with the pr attempts to downplay radiation. Going there "despite he risk" I see as irresponsible, nit heroic.

Those who should have compassion are the govt who refuse to order evacuations. Guess who will need more help when try start getting sick? Compassion and common sense.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yubaru: "Why is it that some people just love to complain about the efforts of a foreign star to assist the victims here when "native" groups like SMAP over advertise and loudly proclaim that THEY are donating a whopping 10% from the proceeds of their album? Better than nothing, true, but still......."

Actually, SMAP was donating more like 6.3% of the money raised by their new album, and if you check the thread on it you'll see PLENTY of people complaining about said 'efforts'. This is a thread talking about Lady Gaga (and the Hula Girls), and I was disappointed when I found out that despite all the hype about how 'great' Gaga was because of her cheap bracelets and half-hearted speech at Narita Airport she was actually only doing a PART of what she claimed she was doing.

Moderator: This has nothing to do with tourism. Lady Gaga's bracelet sales are not relevant.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Kudos to Lady Gaga. But what's next? Will she now get her mug on a postage stamp in Japan too, like the USPO may be considering with their recently relaxed rules?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Sorry but this is a bit of a joke.

Lady Gaga managed to mislead millions of people when she declared that Japan was safe, right after a nuclear disaster............go figure that!

The implied message is that there is not anything to worry about and that is INCORRECT!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

So tired of Lady Gaga. The next shocker so could pull? Get married, become a housewife and pop out a few kids. Here's to hoping.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Lada Gaga did a great job of combatting paranoia, she deserves much more recognition. Hula girls were great in performing for the people in shelters, etc, and generally those displaced as well as generally for the people in the region.

The message sent out to the world was not "Visit Fukushima", it was more like "there are other places in Japan too".

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I,for one don't understand some of these posts-Whining and such from the comfort of your homes!- My Wifes family lost everything they owned in this disaster,yet the "Human"spirit survives & they will pick up the pieces. These Awards are good & positive,as for Lady Gaga & other performers Good for them!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

lady gag-gag has a problem in that her advertizing company mentors seem to be pushing a 1970s motif with those shoes.

is there a learning disability involved here, perhaps? on the part of the advertisers?? no ???

then why the nonsense?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Kudos to the Hula Girls of Iwaki who continue to do their utmost to maintain the past-and-present threatened life of their community at the risk recently of their own lives.

I loved the movie, by the way.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

...didn't mean to rain on the tourism parade, but performing for the victims or raising money for the victims should not be conflated with tourism or promotion of japanese culture.

fukushima is not a tourist destination at present except for those wanting to take in the aftermath of a large scale disaster--rather morbid tourism i would think.

i wouldn't go so far as to say that some of these people are trying to capitalize on the disaster, but mass media pop stars are simply entertainment marketing tools who would seem to be promoting themselves, their corporate backers, and the fashion related products (like the 70s wanna-be retro trend setting shoes).

where's the japanese culture in any of that? why isn't lady gagag at least wearing a yukata or geta?

it's like adding insult to injury...

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@smithinjapan I think you might have missed something (Or maybe I did). She donated as much of the proceeds as she could. I heard about this issue before. I found out at that time that she didn't donate "all" of the funds, but "most" of them. She originally said it was tax free to buy some braceletes for "Fukushima" or something like that, but since she is not an NPO the money she received was considered "taxable" income. So she had to pay tax out of that or something along those lines. She didn't actually donate anything herself from what I heard either.

Personally, I can't stand her. I think she does a lot of crazy things in order to further her own popularity and finances than for the music itself. And I know she didn't do it for altruistic purposes, she did it to appeal to her HUGE fan base in Japan, who have given her so much. When the disaster happened in Haiti she was as quiet as a mouse and didn't do anything at all. Haiti's situation was much more dire than Fukushima. Those people were the most impoverished country in the Northern Hemisphere. Hundreds of thousands dead. 320,000 children left without parents and I never heard a peep from her.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Lady gaga is a bit strange, but he no body is perfect, who are we to judge her?? Anyway, I really admire her for loving Japan and trying to help us here in Japan with her concerts etc..so Lady Gaga, gabarimashou ne!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Personally, I can't stand her. I think she does a lot of crazy things in order to further her own popularity and finances than for the music itself. And I know she didn't do it for altruistic purposes, she did it to appeal to her HUGE fan base in Japan, who have given her so much. When the disaster happened in Haiti she was as quiet as a mouse and didn't do anything at all. Haiti's situation was much more dire than Fukushima. Those people were the most impoverished country in the Northern Hemisphere. Hundreds of thousands dead. 320,000 children left without parents and I never heard a peep from her.

I would understand that if you couldn't stand her that you wouldn't be checking her website to see what she was up to. She did t-shirts and a concert, with the proceeds going to Haiti. http://www.ladygaga.com/news/default.aspx?nid=24289

The issue most people have is with the word 'proceeds'. Does it mean everything or the money after costs. I'm happy wit the latter, as it generally means costs and not the stars 'fee' for performing which I believe she did genuinley, and humanitarily, donate.

I wouldn't class myself as a fan, but caught a glimpse of her singing without backing and she would seem to be tremendously talented. Good luck to her.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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