Sometimes all it takes to jump-start a music career is one viral video. Japanese acts such as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Babymetal attracted attention domestically and abroad thanks to memorable clips uploaded to YouTube, earning millions of views in the process. Natsume Mito, a Nara ...
It's 8 a.m. on an overcast Tuesday and a line of people are queuing along a cramped street in Shibuya's Dogenzaka area. "You've been here since 5 a.m.?!," Shivram Vaideeswaran says while speaking to two people near the head of the line. These fast-food devotees are ...
Nuggets have long been an afterthought in the greasy trenches of Japan's convenience-store fried-chicken battles. "Nugget" options in the past have resembled sad, microwave-ready snacks pulled from the freezer. FamilyMart wants to change that with their new "Family Nugget," available in plain and chili flavors ...
Southern All Stars "Budou" (Victor / Taishita) Southern All Stars don't need to try. Japan's music media and industry decided the rock quartet was historically important long ago. A 2003 poll by retailer HMV named them the most influential Japanese group ever, and plenty of ...
The quaint Anovan bakery, which opened last week, offers several varieties of fluffy French pasty bouchee — a custard-like flavored cream sandwiched between two soft buns. The treats (¥300 each) are sold at the bakery's Shibuya store (4-26-22 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), a one-minute walk from ...
Tenkiame "So Sad About Us" (Independent) Tokyo's Azusa Suga is a busy man. For the past four years he has been managing online label Canata Records, recorded woozy electronic pop under the name Shortcake Collage Tape and played in indie-pop band For Tracy Hyde, which ...
Untouchable Toffee opened its first store in Hamamatsu back in 2013, but the candy company didn't launch a second branch until late last year when it settled in the hipper neighborhood of Harajuku. The smaller outpost (4-26-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) serves up five varieties of ...
Idol group AKB48 elicits extreme reactions from people. The unit has nurtured a rabid fanbase who are willing to buy multiple copies of a single CD to show their devotion. On the other hand, critics despise the group's brand of by-the-book pop and the ...
The neighborhood of Omotesando already has a surplus of trendy pancake, chocolate and sugared-up popcorn shops. But the area became even sweeter with the opening last Saturday of Monarch Cupcake (3-24-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; www.monarchcupcake.com). Founded by British-born Furva Saleem, the speciality shop, which is being ...
Confectionary chain Fujiya Co. has added a little pop to their macaron selection with the introduction of a Sparkling Macaron set (¥500) featuring three soda-flavored sweets. The trio of cola, ramune (soda) and lemon squash flavors come with a creamy center of crackling candies to ...
