JPOP Group - Speed - Now and Then

Here is another "Now & Then" Japanese Pop feature.  This time we have the all girl group SPEED.  I remember seeing them debut on the end of the year music awards on the top of a sky scrapper back in the day. I didn't know much Japanese back them but it was a catchy tune.

Then

Now

Now check out the video footage from the then and now.  It's amazing how young they were when the debuted and not they are.....let's just say women.

Puffy AMIYUMI - Then and Now 2013

Puffy AmiYumi 2013

Puffy (AmiYumi) 1996-ish 













 Recently I have been on a JPop kick, kind of remember my first few years studying Japanese in Hawaii, and also the first few years I lived in Japan. One of the groups that stood out for me was Puffy AmiYumi. I put the full name but in Japan they are just known as PUFFY (Sorry PDiddy LOL). The coolest thing about them was that they were kind of a relief from the normal overly produced JPop music machine. Also, I was able to actually find their CD on sale at a music store in Hawaii, so they helped me study Japanese. Well.....at least get my ears used to hearing the language. At the time I really didn't understand shit, but with a dictionary and a pen and a pad.....I started my journey with the Japanese language. So, while I was stuck in the hotel room the other night, I watched a whole lot of Puffy AmiYumi videos, both old and new. It just so happens that they have some new music coming out (New Single: Datsu Dystopia). So I thought it would be cool to talk about them on the blog. While watching a bunch of videos I ran into a live cover then did, that I had never heard and really caught my
ear.

Owaranai = The negative form of Owaru which means "finish", "end", or "over".
Uta = Is "song"



The song is "Owaranai Uta" which roughly translated means "Never ending Song" and is a cover of The Blue Hearts.

AKB48's New Hit - さよならクロール (Sayonara Crawl)

Spring and summer in Japan are always a good time for new "Summery" JPOP hits, which usually have bikini's and happy-go-lucky singing.  This year is no different and it's those AKB48 girls that are #1 on the Oricon Charts.

Enjoy the AKB48 Video - さよならクロール

Hakata's Own HKT48 Suki! Suki! Skip スキ! スキ! スキップ

If you read this site or listen to the podcast you will know that I am sick of the whole AKB48 thing. I think it's more than run it's course and JPOP needs to go a different direction for a while. That said I lived in Fukuoka for years so anything related to Fukuoka or Hakata, I will support. Even if it is kind of related to AKB48. HKT48 has a new hit on the charts and here it is. It's not the full song, since Japanese record labels still really don't get it. They are a little old school when it comes to supporting new technology, if you can call YouTube new, lol. Anyways have a look at the video here, and let me know what you think. It's the usual happy go lucky JPOP style so most people will like it.

KPOP Group Kara Doing Excellently in Japanese Music Charts

Looks like Kara's newest song "Bye Bye Happy Days" is doing pretty well on the Japanese music charts. They are currently ranked at 14th but were 12th. This is pretty amazing for a Korean group, especially since the charts usually are filled up with AKB48 and their sister groups, lol. One thing I do have to say about this song is that it's very "JPOP-ish". So, my guess is that it was geared for the Japanese market from the start. Enjoy the video and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading, ET

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu きゃりー ぱみゅぱみゅ

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu きゃりー ぱみゅぱみゅ



Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ Kyarī Pamyu Pamyu) birth name: Kiriko Takemura (竹村 桐子 Takemura Kiriko, born January 29, 1993), also known mononymously as Kyary, is a model, blogger, and recording artist from the Harajuku district of Tokyo. Her official stage name is Caroline Charonplop Kyary Pamyu Pamyu(きゃろらいんちゃろんぷろっぷきゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ Kyarorain Charonpuroppu Kyarī Pamyu Pamyu). Kyary's debut album, Pamyu Pamyu Revolution, was released in May 2012.




These songs really remind me of Japan thats for sure!

ももいろクローバーZ [Momo iro kuroobaa Z]

ももいろクローバーZ  [Momo iro kuroobaa Z]


One of the most recent bands to break out in Japan is Momo Iro Kuroobaa Z.  The group was originally named Momoiro Clover and is also referred to as Momoclo (ももクロ) for short. It is nicknamed "Weekend Heroines" (週末ヒロイン Shūmatsu Heroin) for performing on weekends as on weekdays its members are at school.

ももクロ - Momokuro Abbreviated name used by fans.

Momo iro Kuroobaa Z = Pink Clover Z

Mono no fu = Momo Iro Kuroobaa Z  Fans

NMB48 A Kawaii Overload??

Did NMB48 go too far with the cuteness?? Would you call this a Kawaii Overload?? Have a look and let me know what you think. I think it's a little over-the-top, but then again that's what the OTAKU's want and it sells. BTW: NMB48 is from Osaka and it stands for "Namba 48". Namba being a part of Osaka.

More about Namba, Osaka from the Wikipedias"

Namba (難波 Nanba^?, IPA: [namba]) is a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami ("South") area of Osaka.^[1] Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, Naniwa. Namba is best known as the city's main south-central railway terminus: JR, Kintetsu, Nankai, and three lines of the Osaka Municipal Subway have stations there.

Some of the most famous images of Osaka, including the Glico Man and the Kani Doraku Crab, are located around the Dōtonbori canal in Namba. Namba is also known as an entertainment district, and hosts many of the city's most popular bars, restaurants, nightclubs, arcades, and pachinko parlors. The area is also known for shopping, with the Takashimayadepartment store (for older styles) and the sprawling underground Namba City shopping mall (for newer styles).

Namba Parks is a new development consisting of a high office building, called "Parks Tower," and a 120-tenant shopping mall with rooftop garden. Various kinds of restaurants (Japanese, Korean, Italian, etc.) are located on the 6th floor, and shops on the 2nd to 5th floors. Parks Garden features enough greenery to help visitors forget that they’re in the middle of the city. There is also an amphitheater for live shows, as well as space for small personal vegetable gardens and wagon shops.

Namba is located in Chūō and Naniwa wards.

Yes, Morning Musume is Still Around!!

With all the love going to AKB48 and the eight million other sub-groups spun off of AKB, Morning Musume seems to have been forgotten. Well, I am here to tell you that they are still around and still making "music". I do put music in quotations because some people don't think this over produced noise is music, but I am not one of them. I think that this J-Pop Idol type of music has it's place. I mean cute girls and happy-go-lucky music, it's a formula for happiness, right? Here is the latest Morning Musume Track "Brainstorming" (モーニング娘。 『ブレインストーミング』 (ルーズショット Ver.)) And below this I will put my all time favorite Morning Musume track "Love Machine". It's not the first time I heard their music, but it's the one that was really poplular when I first moved to Japan. I mean it was everywhere! It was on the radio, on TV, on the big TV screens in the shopping districts, just everywhere! モーニング娘。 『LOVEマシーン』(Morning Musume Love Machine)