In this column, I will introduce the movie series Torakku Yaro (Truck Guys). This is an action-comedy movie about a Japanese long-distance truck driver. When the first one was released in 1975, it was a big hit with box office revenue of 8 million dollars, and 10 sequels were made in 5 years. Bunta Sugawara, who played the main character Momojiro, previously became a...
Aimyon debuted from an indies label in 2015, and has gained strong popularity. Her debut song shocked listeners with lyrics that were so radical that it was banned from being broadcast on TV and radio. The promotional video was very innovative, using the communication app LINE. Aimyon’s family had a big influence on her wanting to become a singer songwriter. She grew up listening to...
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...
This weekly series of article introduces Japanese movies that we want to pass on to future generations. Our first featured movie is “The Yellow Handkerchief” (1977) directed by Yoji Yamada. This work is a road movie set in Hokkaido, Japan, with Ken Takakura as the lead, Tetsuya Takeda who became a star in drama series, and Kaori Momoi who can be seen on some...
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...
