pop
SMAP, one of Japan’s most famous pop boy band groups, have announced they will disband at the end of this year.
Not since New Coke has a soft drink lowered the bar of expectations quite like Lemongina and its great taste of topsoil.
From “Shake it off” to “Smooth Criminal”, these Japanese cover songs will definitely have you tapping your toes!
May is almost over and summer is about to kick into high-gear. Business people are slipping into their “cool-biz” outfits, and the air conditioners on the trains are coming on full blast now. Pretty soon you’ll be able to find us all at the beach fanning ourselves while slurping down the finest kakigori money can buy. And what better way is there to go into summer than with some sick new tunes?
That’s right, we’re back with more J-Tunes for you! And today we have one of Japan’s best electronic music producers, Kiyoshi Sugo. If you like dancing, lush melodies, fat basslines, or sick drops, you need to check this out.
It’s been a good few months for weird music videos, hasn’t it? With BABYMETAL, Avril Lavigne, and Die Antwoord all confusing us in good and/or bad ways (seriously, Avril?), it might seem like there’s no room for crazy music left in your head. But you’d be wrong, because today we have for you the most recent offering of the electro-pop-rock band Urbangarde. And the video isn’t just visually striking–the music is guaranteed to get stuck in your head for the next couple of days! It’s a problem we haven’t figured out to solve yet.
Though, we have to admit that we’re not trying very hard.
It wasn’t so long ago that everywhere you looked in Japan there were ads for Korean pop groups, cosmetics and health drinks. More people than ever were snapping up Korean language textbooks and, despite territorial squabbles and a few extreme-right noise makers, Japan was positively leaping on anything prefixed by the letter ‘K’.
Recent reports, however, suggest that all is not well in the K-Pop (Korean Pop music) camp in Japan, with major Korean record label and talent agency S.M. Entertainment reporting losses of more than 70 percent compared to the same period last year. Has the K-Pop bubble finally burst in Japan?
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Kyoto receives more foreign tourists than ever before, but fewer visitors say they’ll return
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Japanese Shinkansen welcomes overnight guests for one night during summer festival
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A roadside hair salon stall in China made us Norway’s Haaland for US$1, and warmed out hearts too
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Pachinko industry rebounds on convenience and innovation, but smaller parlors struggle to keep up
Japan’s expensive “phantom” melon is so exquisite it sells out in just 12 hours
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Weekly
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New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
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Starbucks Japan releases a miniature display rack so you can create your very own store at home
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Face lettuce appears in Japan, with the face of Death Note’s Light Yagami, but why?
Kodama Shinkansen trains on popular Japan route get a whole new look this winter
Brand new Shinkansen bullet train unveiled in Japan… but it won’t carry passengers
Monthly
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
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Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
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Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
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Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
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Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad- Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
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A roadside hair salon stall in China made us Norway’s Haaland for US$1, and warmed out hearts too
McDonald’s Japan goes viral for Samurai Mac burger hack
Pachinko industry rebounds on convenience and innovation, but smaller parlors struggle to keep up
Japan’s expensive “phantom” melon is so exquisite it sells out in just 12 hours
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Studio Ghibli Laputa figure looks like it’s really flying thanks to cool visual trick
How are you supposed to wash a Japanese futon duvet at the laundromat?
Starbucks Japan brings back the Caramel Waffle, but is it as good as it used to be?
Pikachu and Ditto Pokémon desserts at Baskin-Robbins Japan look AND feel like their inspirations
Japanese government okays plan to create a backup capital city
Family Mart’s new Famima flagship in Tokyo has a hidden gem that most visitors miss
Why is Taco Bell failing in Japan, even as the country falls in love with tacos?
Starbucks Japan releases a miniature display rack so you can create your very own store at home
Which country’s foreign tourists spend the most money per-person in Japan? Hint: Not the U..S. or China
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