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Ryotaro Aoki

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Aug 7, 2017

J-pop duo Scott & Rivers on writing Japanese lyrics

When American musician Scott Murphy first came to Japan in 2001, he could only say a few phrases in Japanese.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 26, 2017

Figuring out who to watch at this year's Fuji Rock Festival

The 2017 edition of Fuji Rock Festival boasts one of the more eclectic lineups the long-running gathering has had in recent years. The headliners tell the tale: Cartoon rockers Gorillaz share the same font size as electronic pop star Bjork and dance music weirdo Aphex Twin. Dig deeper and you'll find...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 25, 2017

For Uhnellys, surviving Tokyo's live-scene circuit has been an exercise in perseverance

When you're an independent rock band, maintaining a do-it-yourself ethic long-term can be difficult. Many acts eventually have to scale back, and dreams of a musical career turn into the reality of having a really cool hobby. Uhnellys, however, have kept up the fight.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 11, 2017

Rock act Boris marks 25 years with an album inspired by fans

Halfway through my conversation with Atsuo, drummer and spokesman for drone metal trio Boris, I bring out an original CD copy of the group's 1996 release, "Absolutego."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jun 21, 2017

Review: After Hours provides powerful rock and a strong statement of intent

"Standing against those that ruin art," was the tagline for the After Hours festival, which took place across four venues in Shibuya on April 9. The sponsor-free event, curated by the bands Mono, Downy and Envy, featured more than 30 artists from a wide range of backgrounds and genres, coming together...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Apr 18, 2017

Dustin Wong is open to opinion on his latest album with Takako Minekawa

Musician Dustin Wong returned to Japan five years ago and, despite having grown up here, he encountered a few cultural differences after coming back.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Apr 4, 2017

Envy, Mono and Downy devise a dream lineup for After Hours music festival

It's no secret that the Japanese music industry has a hollowing-out problem; you are either a pop act on a major label with high levels of exposure or an obscure underground act for whom not losing money on a show is a major success. Guitarist Nobukata Kawai of hardcore band Envy knows the latter reality...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Mar 12, 2017

Noise outfit Endon takes a hard look at itself in the mirror

The term "noise music" has come to define a variety of artists and sounds, from guitar feedback to drones to white noise. Japan is certainly no stranger to the concept, birthing formidable pioneers of the genre such as Merzbow, Hijokaidan and Incapacitants over the years. However, singer Taichi Nagura...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Mar 5, 2017

Yoshiki: 'We had to make our own world'

Yoshiki Hayashi hardly sleeps. The drummer, pianist, songwriter and leader of rock band X Japan has been in and out of the country constantly these past few months, promoting his band's new documentary film, "We Are X." At the same time he has been performing solo concerts, recording and squeezing in...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Feb 26, 2017

What's in a name? Just ask Cairophenomenons

When a band changes its name, it sometimes signifies a switch in artistic direction. For indie band Cairophenomenons — previously known as Cairo — the decision was far more practical, even if the new moniker is a bit of a mouthful.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Dec 9, 2016

Review: Yoshiki at Tokyo International Forum

Despite being billed as a solo tour, X Japan's Yoshiki Hayashi's "Yoshiki Classical" tour is undoubtedly deeply rooted in the lore of one of the biggest rock acts of the country.

Japan Times

CULTURE

Dec 1, 2016

Tokyo Comic Con calls on Hollywood's big guns for star power

As we sit down for an interview, Tokyo Comic Convention Committee Chairman Mitsuaki Munegumi casually points to a glass case in the center of the room.

CULTURE / Music

Nov 20, 2016

Ogre You Asshole flirts with tension on latest album

The members of Ogre You Asshole are bracing for something. At least, that's what the title of their seventh album, "Handoru o Hanasu Mae Ni" ("Before Letting Go of the Handle") suggests. (The album's official English title is the less tense "Everythingsomethingnothing.")

CULTURE / Music

Nov 17, 2016

Yoshiki prepares for classical tour amid a new appreciation for his legacy

Not many musicians are able to say that they've taken the stage at both New York City's Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall, two of the most prestigious venues in rock and classical music, respectively. Drummer, pianist and songwriter Yoshiki Hayashi, however, is stepping up to take claim of that...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Oct 9, 2016

Crypt City turns into the alt-rock supergroup we didn't see coming

Despite what his mammoth bass guitar sound may suggest, rock band Crypt City bassist Kentaro Nakao is comically self-deprecating at times.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 25, 2016

Will Hikaru Utada's new album 'Fantome' change the rules of modern J-pop?

'As trends fade into the cultural rearview mirror, Hikaru Utada is a prime candidate to bring back what J-pop has lost in her absence: relatability.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 18, 2016

The Novembers have an 11th-hour (or 11th-year) rock epiphany

Yusuke Kobayashi, singer and guitarist of rock band The Novembers, is wearing a black Pink Floyd T-shirt and sipping a tea as I sit down to chat with him in a cafe in Tokyo's Ebisu neighborhood.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 10, 2016

Bo Ningen: 'We're Japanese, but a London band'

Though seasoned music festival veterans overseas, the four members of British rock band Bo Ningen had never been to a Japanese event until Fuji Rock in 2013.

CULTURE / Music

Jul 3, 2016

Muddy Apes' style of rock knows no borders

When looking at the pedigree of rock quartet Muddy Apes, it's hard not to mention the term "supergroup." After all, the band's members — which consist of bassist Taka Hirose of British rock act Feeder, guitarist Kiyonobu "Inoran" Inoue of Japanese arena-rock band Luna Sea, vocalist Masaki "Maeson"...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jun 15, 2016

Review: Sugizo and Inoran at Zepp DiverCity

From superheroes to presidential elections, 2016 seems to be a year of infighting and rivalries. It has even trickled down into Japanese rock, as Sugizo and Inoran, the two guitarists from renowned rock act Luna Sea, went toe to toe with their respective solo bands in their first double headliner show...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.

How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan

By Megha Wadhwa

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