2020 – The Year In Review

The year in J-pop… 2020 has proved to be a grim year for many reasons, but chiefly because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It also meant that many live shows and events (including Hyper Japan) were either cancelled … Read More

The Music Tradition of KOHAKU UTA GASSEN

Looking at Japan’s traditional Christmas music show While Christmas in Japan is a very different experience to those that we enjoy in the west, there’s a familiar tradition that arrives every New Year’s Eve in the shape of Kohaku Uta … Read More

Idols, Anime & Reality

For most anime and manga fans, the Japanese concept of an idol won’t be an unfamiliar thing. From Super Dimensional Force Macross to this year’s Symphogear, idols have been represented in anime as charismatic pop stars with the ability to … Read More

ARASHI Live DVD details

ARASHI have a live DVD scheduled for release later this month and have issued a promo video with details. The DVD features footage shot at their 2 day concert at the National Olympic Stadium last September. The concert featured the … Read More

New Arashi single – Face Down

Chart-topping J-Pop outfit Arashi have a new single out next month titled ‘Face Down’. The song is also being used as the theme tune to the TV show Kagi no Kakatta Heya (which stars Arashi’s Satoshi Ohno) that began airing … Read More

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