author

 
Menu
Search
 
May 03, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Twitter

@ianfmartin

Ian Martin
Ian Martin is a freelance writer covering music and pop culture. He has been active in the Tokyo music scene as an indie event organiser, DJ and label owner since 2004 and has been contributing to The Japan Times music page for almost as long.
For Ian Martin's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Sep 2, 2014
The hammer and scalpel are what's needed to subvert idol-pop culture
One new act who has been creating a buzz in music-industry circles this year is quirky singer-songwriter Seiko Oomori.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 12, 2014
Chi-na aims to win fans over one step at a time
For many musicians, dreams of success take the form of a big break: perhaps a major label record contract, a lucrative tour deal or a barnstorming festival set. However, a quick fix isn't the style of Tokyo indie quintet Chi-na, who is gradually growing in stature through a steady process of connecting with fans one by one.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 2, 2014
A deeper look at Hayao Miyazaki's nature
'The Art of Princess Mononoke' — a deeper look at Hayao Miyazaki's nature
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 22, 2014
Panicsmile opt for a back-to-basics approach on 'Informed Consent'
For more than 20 years now, Panicsmile has been an unsung hero in Japanese rock.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jul 22, 2014
Just what is so wrong about Yoko Ono?
As Yoko Ono prepares to take the stage at Fuji Rock Festival on July 26, a BBC video of her performing the 1969 Plastic Ono Band track "Don't Worry Kyoko" at this year's Glastonbury festival has racked up nearly 2 million views, largely from people tuning in to see the "worst live performance of all time."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jun 24, 2014
Without a canon, Japanese pop won't blast off
Exploring the world of Japanese music can be a baffling experience for those who don't speak the language.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 20, 2014
New music label helps classic video-game composers go solo
New music label helps classic video-game composers go solo
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2014
Blonde Redhead gets comfortable with past records
Formed in 1993 by Japanese singer Kazu Makino and Italian twins Simone and Amedeo Pace, and forged in the noisy underbelly of the New York alternative scene, Blonde Redhead has charted a path that has taken it from screeching underground noise rock to fragile, glacial, minimalist melody without ever losing the essential rawness at the heart of its sound.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
May 27, 2014
Forget drugs, monotony is the real threat to Japan's music industry
Japan has a drug problem. Everywhere you look — from the creepy, teen-host-club pop of Sexy Zone to the soft-rock balladry of Ikimono Gakari — children are being exposed to music that has been made with no obvious influence from drugs whatsoever.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2014
Marty Friedman takes a fiery break from J-pop on 'Inferno'
"When you're a 'rock' guy, there's something that makes you want to be in the business, as a photographer, working at a label . . . I mean, you're not going to be a fan of Cat Stevens and all of a sudden decide to be a roadie for Pantera or something. Rock gives you the inspiration to get involved."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 13, 2014
Macmanaman step up to bat for the live show
"Instrumental post-rock" is probably the worst way to introduce a band, and by this point 90 percent of this article's readers will have probably fled to the sports section.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Apr 29, 2014
Music curators deserve credit for keeping local scenes alive
The term "cultural curator" is one that tends to provoke reactions ranging from sneers to rage. It really is a horrible term in some ways, with problematic embedded associations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 27, 2014
Finding Japan's hidden punk scenes in their natural environments
Finding music in Japan can be a nightmare, and the live-music scene in particular is notoriously difficult to penetrate. Tucked away in the basements and upper floors of anonymous buildings, often in seedy parts of town, where the neighbors will be less likely to raise complaints against noise and loitering, with websites that update schedules only a few days before the actual events and that rarely link to any of the artists performing, live venues are like a hidden world open only to those who know the secret handshake.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 25, 2014
Babymetal aren't the latest chapter in the 'wacky Japan' story
The British are mad, aren't they? That Kate Bush with her crazy gyrating around a cello in the video for "Babushka," that daft loon Robbie Williams with his funky skeleton costume, those kerrr-azy Tellytubbies with their wacky dance routines — what is it about the British that makes them so totally off-the-wall bonkers?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 4, 2014
Crunch's debut mini-album aims for a 'sense of minority'
In a music scene where the border between underground and mainstream can be incredibly difficult to traverse, it's not surprising that many bands trapped in the indie-sphere bemoan their lot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 25, 2014
Jesus Weekend will keep your family pet from a pit of despair
"Animals don't commit suicide, but this song is so sad that even animals would want to kill themselves."
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Feb 25, 2014
Keep the band, young graduates, but don't quit your day jobs
As the academic year draws to a close and a new cohort of young Japanese are dumped out the business end of the education system, so a new year's graduating class of young bands face a tough and forbidding new world.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jan 28, 2014
Music scene loses a legend after Plastics' member Masahide Sakuma dies
On Jan. 16, 2014, the musician and producer Masahide Sakuma died after losing his battle with cancer. He was 61.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Dec 24, 2013
Familiar obstacles stymie change in domestic music industry
While the Japanese music industry ended last year on a promise of change, 2013 has highlighted a few of the ingrained practices that are going to be a little bit more difficult to dislodge.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 24, 2013
Japanese indie bands to watch out for in 2014
While the Oricon charts tend to look more or less the same (perhaps a little worse) year in year out, the indie scene remains a haven of small delights, with new discoveries constantly cropping up to brighten your day. Here are five discoveries from 2013 that would be well worth keeping an eye out for next year:
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Did Japan intervene to prop up the yen? Analysts think it did.
A man walks past an electronic board displaying the exchange rate for the yen against the U.S. dollar (right) in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle
Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER