Before we get into the weekly music mayhem, one note. In the face of the catastrophes that hit Japan one week ago, a lot of J-Pop artists have stepped up and done all sorts of amazing stuff to help out the victims of these disasters. The likes of AKB48, GLAY and pretty much every Johnny’s…
Social media czar Mark Zuckerberg got a new dog this week, pictured above. Yet he’s not the only one with new additions to their life! Music Station this week features a new Korean outfit amidst a bunch of established J-Pop types. But can they got more likes than Beast? EXILE “Each Other’s Way ~旅の途中~” [youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiuxZ_DYhQM”]…
Before we dive into this week’s crop of pop, give this Los Angeles Times article about Japanese enka star Jero a read. The actual style of music he sings isn’t particularly up my alley – it’s an acquired taste that probably gets better when you actually know the lyrics, which are the main attraction –…
This week’s episode of Music Station a.k.a. “the show where we hear the newest Johnny’s singles” comes in a slightly abbreviated form. Whereas the typical weekly showcase features five or sometimes six performers, the February 25 edition boasts only four. Bad news to rabid J-Pop fans and the army of teenage girls who tune in…
Though not as internationally beloved as fellow Japanese character Hello Kitty, San-X’s Rilakkuma dots huge swaths of Japan via gracing special sweets at convenience stores and pencil cases at schools. Rilakkuma, a bear who constantly relaxes, might not seem like the most interesting choice to appear on untold amounts of folders considering the only thing…