Tag - vocaloid

 
Menu
Search
 
July 06, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

VOCALOID

Once known only by his first name, Sasuke Haraguchi scrapped the pretension of a crafted image for bare authenticity. He’s now an in-demand electronic producer and artist in his own right.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 25, 2025
Sasuke Haraguchi’s provocative soundtracks for digital natives
The 21-year-old electronic producer and artist taps into the chaotic nature of modern online life.
The Tokyo leg of Magical Mirai 2024, a gathering centered on a concert starring the aqua-haired Hatsune Miku and other avatars created by Sapporo-based company Crypton Future Media, kicked off on Aug. 30.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 9, 2024
Magical Mirai 2024 shows that the future is bright for Hatsune Miku
Thousands of visitors helped kick off the Tokyo leg of the gathering, which offers an immersive dive into every part of the aqua-haired anime avatar's world.
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 15, 2024
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Vocaloid creators’ recent cacophonous approach to using Miku’s voice sounds like nothing in mainstream pop right now — and people love that.
Four-piece Atarashii Gakko! and Okinawan rapper Awich (center) shared the Mojave Stage at 88Risings’s “Futures” showcase at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last weekend.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 19, 2024
Japanese acts seize Coachella's spotlight — and this ain't your typical J-pop
Yoasobi, Awich and Atarashii Gakko! shine at the California festival, proving just how much J-pop has made strides in reaching international audiences.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 30, 2023
With ‘Idol,’ Yoasobi pens a new chapter in J-pop's story
In creating the theme song to the popular anime 'Oshi no Ko,' one of Japan’s most interesting groups wins new fans overseas.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 11, 2022
Ado brings a flair for the dramatic to ‘Kyogen’
The rebellious teenage J-pop singer brings the sonic palette of the Japanese Vocaloid community to the mainstream and shows off her vocal versatility on her debut album, “Kyogen.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 24, 2021
Hikari makes soft-power moves with anime and Vocaloid covers
In 2021, the performer launched Singing Cosplayer Hikari, a multiplatform project anchored by her YouTube channel, to harness the booming popularity of anime and Japanese music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 27, 2021
Ado's defiant hit is a coming-of-age moment for Japan's Vocaloid culture
Ado caused a moral panic in Japan with her catchy and rebellious track 'Usseewa,' a track influenced by the cultural conventions of Vocaloid that are taking Japanese music by storm.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Sep 17, 2017
New ways to find your voice
Sing on key with Yamaha
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 24, 2017
Animated pop star Hatsune Miku is only 10, but she has had a huge impact on music
People rarely geek out over the 10-year anniversary of a specific instrument, but Hatsune Miku isn't your usual music store purchase.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 5, 2016
Sharp's singing vacuum aims to tug users' heart strings
The Sharp Corp. robot vacuum cleaner on display at the ongoing CEATEC trade show is no mere machine.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 19, 2015
Hatsune Miku: the 'nonexistent' pop star
My 2015 kicked off with a January concert by Hatsune Miku, Japan's digital pop star, in Las Vegas. It is winding down with a visit to Miku's creator, Hiroyuki Itoh, at his company's head office in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2014
Taking vocal software beyond Miku
Tokyo-based electronic musician mus.hiba has worked with a handful of vocalists during his short stint as a producer. However, many of them haven't been human.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Mar 2, 2014
Composer Shibuya tests limits of music
One November evening in Paris, Theatre du Chatelet was packed with people who came to see the French premiere of a new opera by a Japanese composer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 3, 2013
Roppongi Hills gets love on its 10th anniversary
Roppongi Hills was unlike anything Tokyo had ever seen before. Until it opened 10 years ago, Roppongi was more often seen as a 'High Touch Town,' where businessmen partied with foreign hostesses and off-duty soldiers packed the nightclubs.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 21, 2012
Hatsune Miku goes highbrow
On her own, Japanese pop superstar Hatsune Miku can't sing. Nor can she rap, dance or DJ. She is drug- and alcohol-free because she can't indulge in either, and she can't have affairs or engage in offstage shenanigans fit for YouTube scandals or tabloid headlines. Now entering her sixth year as a beloved...
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER