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April 29, 2024
 

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SOUND OFF

Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 24, 2020
Racking up the views on YouTube with The First Take
There’s nothing complicated about The First Take, and perhaps that’s why it has become an online hit. A notable Japanese musician enters a sparse room, banters with the crew and performs a song in front of a high-end microphone in one take.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 17, 2020
'Lofi hip-hop — beats to study to' genre also provides an escape from coronavirus mania
While the world succumbs to COVID-19 panic, some musicians are keeping things calm with a range of live and recorded output aimed at retaining a level or normality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 10, 2020
Orchestrating a COVID-19 stopgap for classical concerts
Facing cancellations and postponements as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra has taken to livestreaming its concerts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 3, 2020
Ensuring live music survives the pandemic
While the COVID-19 pandemic has all but shut down Japan's live music scene, innovative acts and labels are still reaching fans in the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Mar 20, 2020
Fuji Rock keeps calm and carries on despite coronavirus fears
You can’t fault the organizers of Fuji Rock Festival for failing to predict how thoroughly the COVID-19 outbreak would engulf the planet when they released a solemn announcement in late January, titled “Festival Crisis.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Mar 6, 2020
ASMR in Japan is burning brightly
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting jumps on the ASMR bandwagon with a weeklong special dedicated to the soothing sounds of bonfires.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Feb 26, 2020
COVID-19 fears hit live music in Japan
With fears over the COVID-19 outbreak increasing, a slew of overseas artists have cancelled live shows in Japan, while others are determined that the show must go on.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Feb 14, 2020
SXSW ramps up its Japan game
A slew of Japanese artists are set to appear at the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, between March 16 and 22.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jan 24, 2020
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Hatsune Miku help Coachella's Japan contingent to grow
The California festival adds two Japanese pop heavyweights to its lineup, following a successful appearance by Perfume there last year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 22, 2019
Bringing politics into Japanese clubs
Dance music has always had a political edge, but recent events in Tokyo show that clubs and politics are clashing on a more frequent basis
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 18, 2019
Japan jumps into the music stream
The biggest moment for streaming music in Japan this year came via a handwritten letter. In late June, Kenta Matsumoto of pop-punk trio Wanima shared a note on Twitter announcing that his band's entire catalog would be uploaded to streaming music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 30, 2019
Rino Sashihara: Can one 'idol' beat the system?
An idol group such as AKB48 is designed for members to be easily replaced. The performers existing in these environments constantly get shuffled around and eventually "graduate" — a term used for when they leave. Fans might become attached to a specific member and follow them on their musical journey.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 4, 2019
A look at some of Japan's lesser-known idol-pop players
I made my first trip to Japan just over 10 years ago to see concerts by Morning Musume and AKB48, two of the country's biggest idol-pop groups this century. What struck me most about the experience was the camaraderie among the fans, it was a closeness that was unlike anything I'd seen with Western pop music at the time. I recommend experiencing at least one idol show if you're a music fan, and here are five acts worth checking out if you can:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Mar 28, 2019
Hip-hop's anime crush is beautiful
Takashi Murakami's work on Billie Eilish's new video for "You Should See Me in a Crown" is the latest example of Western music's ongoing love affair with Japanese anime. And while it may seem obvious — American kids who like anime and grow up to be musicians are going to pay respect — it's still exciting to see the art form embraced by Lil Uzi Vert, Soulja Boy and so many other artists in the world of hip-hop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Mar 21, 2019
Tower Records goes all in on the vinyl trend with its new store, Tower Vinyl
Last year proved to be a pivotal one for streaming music in Japan. According to a report by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, 2018 saw plays via platforms such as YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify overtake digital downloads.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Feb 7, 2019
Where will fans go after Arashi?
Fans of Arashi still haven't come to terms with the news that the J-pop group will go on a hiatus at the end of 2020, bringing a close, at least temporarily, to one of the 21st century's most popular Japanese acts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Feb 3, 2019
An idol's fans have the power to make change in Japan
Being a fan of any entertainer in 2019 can be a challenge, as scandals both old and new make blindly supporting artists an impossible task. That might be doubly true for Japanese idol-pop acts, who inhabit a corner of the country's entertainment industry made up predominantly of young women, which has always come under scrutiny for the way it treats those involved.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Dec 6, 2018
Bridges built by the power of K-pop and J-pop
This year hasn't been a particularly warm one for the relationship between Japan and South Korea. Ongoing tension stemming from Japan's colonization of its neighbor up to the end of World War II — and efforts to complicate what happened during this period — have bubbled up once again, affecting everything from music to tourism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 29, 2018
Farewell Mary Jane: Grieving for a lost jazz hideout
The late Donald Richie, a legendary chronicler of 20th century Japan, once said that to accept life in Tokyo, you must embrace constant change and not give in to nostalgia. In the 60 years he lived in this great city he saw multiple transformations — from the immediate post-World War II days to the economic miracle of the bubble years. To him, Tokyo was a constant whirl of redevelopment and expansion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 15, 2018
Don't worry too much over BTS
Throngs of fans packed Tokyo Dome on Tuesday and Wednesday to watch K-pop group BTS perform songs from across its five-year career. The crowd cheered, bought merchandise and the two days offered the seven-member group some respite from a week of scandal.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
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.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
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.
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

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