Who is Japan’s No. 1 band? My response would be “Southern All Stars”. They are a great band who has released so many hit songs since their debut in 1978. When I was 13 years old, I first heard their debut song “Katteni Sindbad” and remember getting goosebumps. It is when I heard “Itoshi no Ellie”, that I realized the profound impact that music had...
The 30 best Japanese anime songs were recently announced on Asahi TV, as determined by a vote from 130,000 Japanese anime fans. The first place went to Yoko Takahashi’s “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” 「残酷な天使のテーゼ」, released in 1995 as the opening song for the hit anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion”. It comes as no surprise, since Evangelion is a very popular anime after all! (By the way,...
Kyohei Tsutsumi, the composer of many hit Japanese Kayokyoku songs, has passed away. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he has created most of the hit songs that everyone in Japan has sang along to at one time, since the 1960’s to the present. I grew up listening to these songs. To distinguish this genre from “City Pop”, led by the...
The anime film “Kimetsu no Yaiba” was recently broadcast on Japan’s Fuji Television during prime time TV for two weeks in a row. The blockbuster manga comic series ”Kimetsu no Yaiba”, published for the “Weekly Shonen Jump” magazine, concluded earlier this year in May, and boasts a cumulative circulation that exceeds 100 million. The drama behind humans and demons, the swordfighting, and the sometimes...
Do you know Gen Hoshino? If so, you may know him as a talented actor in Japan, who has recently starred in popular TV dramas such as “MIU404” and “The full-time wife escapist”. Or, you may know him as a talented music artist, who is actively creating music and performing live shows. Why is he such a popular actor and music artist? Gen Hoshino...
When thinking about who is King of City Pop, no one is better deserving of the crown than Tatsuro Yamashita. He has many hits, including his album and single of the same name “RIDE ON TIME”, which became a smash hit upon its release in 1980 and reaching #1 in the Oricon rankings. But most notable, in my opinion, is his sixth album and...
GREAT NEWS! It was announced that ONE OK ROCK will hold its first online live <ONE OK ROCK 2020 “Field of Wonder” at Stadium Live Streaming> on October 11th. The performance will be broadcast live from ZOZO Marine Stadium to the world at the same time, and an online live performance that can only be expressed by non-audience will be held. Check this out!
There are many music genres in Japan. Some of you may be familiar with City Pop, or Japanese pop music from the 70’s and 80’s, which has become popular outside of Japan in recent years. Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi, Toshiki Kadomastu, and Anri are all examples of artists from this genre, whose songs have become popular among young people in Europe, America and Asia...
