It's funny the way things can turn up once you've given up on them. You may recall this post from a year and a half ago in which I opted to snuggle down in my hotel room and watch Japanese television instead of dragging my exhausted body through Xian's Muslim Quarter.

As the title of this post suggests, after all this time, I stumbled across a clip from the Japanese variety show I watched that night. So now, I can finally share with you that very special mixture of confusion, jealousy, and elation I experienced that night in Xian.

Since I've been back from China, I've done a good amount of research on Johnnys Jr. (the Japanese boy band factory that puts on this particular variety show) and their artists in hopes of tracking down this elusive Gothic pixie. Loose ends bother me.

The reason it took so long to find him is because he's not a solo artist like I initially thought - he's part of one of their more popular units and has released a couple of solo songs.

Yeah, I know. Researching fun Japanese boy bands is a terrible task, but someone has to do it. As a result, I discovered Thai pop music and picked up several enjoyable if rather insubstantial CDs, but that's another post for another blog.

Anyway, his name is Tatsuya Ueda, perhaps better known as the U in Johnnys' boy band KAT-TUN. And this is "Sparking," which starts up right after the cute little kids finish singing. Please watch for my favorite part, which begins "Three, two, one, jump!" How come I don't get cheers like that when I jump?

My first reaction when I saw this clip? "No shoes! He's not wearing any shoes! It's him!" I was so jealous of that when I watched the original show and I still am. You have to be a very important person to get away with going barefoot in a non-barefoot setting.

His voice is actually a little better than what I remember, but I still don't think it's strong enough to carry a whole song. He composed this song, though, and also helps compose music for KAT-TUN, so maybe he has a future writing hits for future Johnnys boy bands.

Oh, and the song that the little kids are singing at the start of the clip ("Love In Snow") is another one of Ueda's creations. He's got a pretty good ear. (Note: The clip I originally put up got removed from YouTube - the clip I replaced it with doesn't have the little kids singing in it, much to my disappointment).

According to Wikipedia, one of Ueda's better known quotes happens to be "I see fairies." The Gothic Tinkerbell top is beginning to make more sense. He saw the fairies, they offered him a shirt, and he just couldn't resist.

So there you have it - How Teresa Spent An Evening In Xian A Year And A Half Ago Complete With Media Interactiveness But Minus The Jet Lag. It's almost like you were there, right? ;)