I'll need to come back to this thread again later. There's very little here that I've ever listened to. I must admit, there isn't very much Japanese music that I listen to. I find that J-pop is no better than the pop music anywhere else (by which I mean that there is surely some good stuff, but in a sea of annoying rubbish), and when I do listen to any (usually rockier stuff) it tends to come from anime, and in that case I don't often research the artists any further. Anyway, I do have a little bit to contribute.

First up is MONO, who I haven't actually listened to for a while. They do slow, noisy, instrumental stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivL9Hd7mn_k

Next is capsule, one half of which is Yasutaka Nakata, who produces for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Perfume, mentioned earlier. Their earlier music is poppy, but in recent years it's moved into a more techno style. This song is somewhere in between: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6UurRhIgD0

Finally, I'll post Shugo Tokumaru, who I haven't listened to much yet, but I like what I've heard. It's soft indie-type stuff that uses various instruments. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX4JGRfVkjU

I hope you find something to enjoy in there!

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deleted, wrong thread... lol

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Haha, I just so happened to catch that post before you removed it, husky. Quite the non sequitur!

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Shugo Tokumaru's Exit is a really fun album (although occasionally a bit too cutesy for me). I haven't listened to his other stuff yet, but will.

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Has anyone ever heard of the band Judy and Mary? I stumbled across them randomly today on Youtube. I can't tell yet if I am genuinely intrigued by them or if I just think the singer is cute, since typically straight up pop-rock like this doesn't do much for me. But so far the songwriting seems of unusually high quality.

Here are some live performances.

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<3<3<3

oh my GOD Shiina you are ridiculous stop being so awesome I can't handle it

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quote:

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Originally posted by Orphic Okapi
<3<3<3

oh my GOD Shiina you are ridiculous stop being so awesome I can't handle it

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Man you are so girlish.I have never seen any boy talk like that.lol. )))))))))))))))))))))))))

Girls don't take it seriously.being girlish is nothing wrong just awkward.

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Watch everything but only take the good things from it

Ask, think and learn. Because the more we know the more we grow.

Watching the wrong to happen is the same as commiting the wrong.

If it looks like things are forcing you to be creative, Then be creative.

its a uniquely Miyazaki film, one only he could make and its uniqueness places it beyond being easily critiqued.[About Porco Rosso]
taken from a quote of Saddletank and Orphic Okapi

I am a hardcore fangirl for Shiina Ringo.


EDIT: Sorry I totally ignored your earlier question(s). Yes! Japan is awesome. I am loving it.

I actually find it really difficult to listen to music while I'm trying to concentrate on something else. I get too involved in the music and get distracted from what I'm supposed to be doing. But I always seem to find time during the day when I'm doing some mindless task that doesn't require concentration, like when I'm walking to work, doing the dishes, doing laundry, etc., and those times are PERFECT for music listening. That's what I'd recommend.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Orphic Okapi
I am a hardcore fangirl for Shiina Ringo.


EDIT: Sorry I totally ignored your earlier question(s). Yes! Japan is awesome. I am loving it.

I actually find it really difficult to listen to music while I'm trying to concentrate on something else. I get too involved in the music and get distracted from what I'm supposed to be doing. But I always seem to find time during the day when I'm doing some mindless task that doesn't require concentration, like when I'm walking to work, doing the dishes, doing laundry, etc., and those times are PERFECT for music listening. That's what I'd recommend.

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Watch everything but only take the good things from it

Ask, think and learn. Because the more we know the more we grow.

Watching the wrong to happen is the same as commiting the wrong.

If it looks like things are forcing you to be creative, Then be creative.

its a uniquely Miyazaki film, one only he could make and its uniqueness places it beyond being easily critiqued.[About Porco Rosso]
taken from a quote of Saddletank and Orphic Okapi

It's not terribly easy for me to travel around the country, no. It would be much easier were I living on Honshu, but down here at the bottom of Shikoku it's a different story. I recently went to Tokyo for a few days and had to take a bus, then a train, then another bus to get to the airport (there was a lot of planning involved, in other words). The people I met in Tokyo, who live in the northern part of Honshu, just took the bullet train for a couple hours. So the convenience of travel varies a great deal depending on where in the country you're living. Hiroshima is not far away, so I'll definitely have to go sometime, but I haven't been yet.

The JET Program provides 20 vacation days per year, which I can take whenever I like as long as the Board of Education approves, but I think due to the Japanese work ethic it's frowned upon to actually use all of them.

Interest in other cultures varies from class to class. Some will be totally fascinated by a presentation about, say, Christmas, while other classes will show no sign of interest whatsoever.

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the children you teach what is their age?

I mean range of age.

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Watch everything but only take the good things from it

Ask, think and learn. Because the more we know the more we grow.

Watching the wrong to happen is the same as commiting the wrong.

If it looks like things are forcing you to be creative, Then be creative.

its a uniquely Miyazaki film, one only he could make and its uniqueness places it beyond being easily critiqued.[About Porco Rosso]
taken from a quote of Saddletank and Orphic Okapi

Currently just junior high. So . . . maybe 12 to 15, roughly?

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This is probably something quite typical for this question, But the only Japanese music i have really listened to is music made by the vocaloid software Hatsune Miku and such.
While Anime and Manga interest me greatly, Admittedly i don't look much further than the music i am accustomed to here in England.

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Oh my god, Japan. You actually produced a band called Babymetal.

It's not any good, no, but it's pretty hilarious.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Orphic Okapi
Oh my god, Japan. You actually produced a band called Babymetal.

It's not any good, no, but it's pretty hilarious.

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I confess I have had Doki Doki Morning stuck in my head all day.

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Lol a friend linked me Babymetal the other day. I wondered why it sounded familiar!

LAMA makes great music~ Not surprising considering Miki Furukawa (Supercar) is involved.

Namida no Umi

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Time to revive this thread!

Recently I've been listening to MEG, who I found out about because she's worked with Yasutaka Nakata (of capsule, also producer for Perfume, Kyary and others). More recently she's had other producers too, and in general her output is pretty varied (compare these two fairly recent singles).

On the rock front, I accidentally came across Chirinuruwowaka the other day. The lead singer was in GO!GO!7188 who I'd heard of before but not listened to. There are of course similarities between the two, but where GO!GO!7188 is catchy and relatively straightforward, Chirinuruwowaka's music tends to be more complex and dramatic I think. Anyway, I like both, so check them out!

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Sorry, I must have missed when you posted here last. I actually quite liked the two MEG singles even though they are not what I'd normally listen to. And wow that band's name is quite the mouthful. I enjoyed them a lot. I checked out the singer's other band, and I think I prefer the more complex style of her new project.

I've been listening to a whole lot of きのこ帝国 lately, which can only be described as a cross between My Bloody Valentine and Radiohead. They are seriously awesome, possibly the best Japanese rock band I've come across. I love the lead singer's voice.

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I've just come across a possible string of indie Japanese bands and I've never been happier. I think my favourite at the moment is indigo la End. I love the blue tones of their music videos and the imagery (any band that uses umbrellas is an instant favourite).

The only thing that sucks is my taste in Japanese music is the complete opposite of almost every person I know. lol So more often than not, none of my Japanese friends know who the bands are unless they're pretty popular with youth. The guys might but for the most part they seem to like the same stuff as the girls.

Also, I guess it's odd because I listen to a majority of music done by males. I'm not so much a girl group person. So I'm used to being told, "Oh, you prefer boy bands and stuff, eh?" It seems to be a lot less common. My best friend only listens to Kpop so she has no idea on anything in Japanese music. lol