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This episode really covers a lot of history. We’ve got The Blue Hearts doing their mid-’80s punk thing. We’ve got Cornelius make enemies with celestial bodies in the ’90s. And our featured artist set is occupied by the man all the way at the top of modern Japanese pop, Kenshi Yonezu. And while Summertime may be my favorite time to listen to City Pop, it’s the genre is still giving me a hand getting through well, everything happening in the world at present. That’s why Junko Yagami’s “Tosagare Bay City” is in the mix this episode as well. Have you got a request? Hit up Nihongaku on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and let me know what you want to hear! Also, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 69 “Mirai wa Bokura no Te no Naka” – The Blue Hearts (Buy It!)“Warp” – Tricot (Buy It!)“Future Is What We Are” – Ken Ishii (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “The Sun Is My Enemy” – Cornelius (Buy It!)“Yume no Yume” – Crazy Ken Band (Buy It!)“Tasogare Bay City” – Junko Yagami (Buy It!) Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Sushi Day Night Fever” – Saka-Sama (Buy It!) Check out the video for Saka-Sama’s “Oyasumi Judy.”“Rei Shoku” – Macaroni Enpitsu (Buy It!)“I My Me Myself” – Anna Takeuchi (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Unbelievers” – Kenshi Yonezu (Buy It!)“Go Go Yuureisen” – Kenshi Yonezu (Buy It!) “Living Dead Youth” – Kenshi Yonezu (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “P-Zombie-Z Reborn” – Peelander-Z (Buy It!) The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 69: Go Go Kenshi Yonezu appeared first on Nihongaku!.

New music from Aimer? A little dash of K-Pop thrown in? Songs from movies about fighting armies of robots? Sounds like we’re back to business in this episode of Nihongaku Radio. It felt good to stretch a bit and do an episode focused on a list of the Japanese musicians Rolling Stone missed in their Top 500 Albums of All Time list. Sometimes you’ve got to change things up to make it all the sweeter when you return to the familiar. In this episode I’ve got mix of new tracks and old favorites lined up. Polysics is in the featured artist set at the end of the episode. And before that, we’ll hear new music from indie rockers Chie and Yonige, as well as atmospheric tracks from Haruka Fukuhara and 4s4ki. Speaking of new music, I make mention of two Japanese music newsletters in this episode that you might want to check out. I’ve mentioned Patrick St. Michel’s Make Believe Melodies Mailer in the past. This time around, I’m recommending This Side of Japan from Ryo Miyauchi. Like MBM, this mailer fills your inbox with tons of info on up and coming Japanese bands. I’m a big fan of both! Have you got a request? Hit up Nihongaku on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and let me know what you want to hear! Also, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 68 “Monkey O Mankey” – Sakuran Zensen (Buy It!)“Silver Grey” – Chie (Buy It!)“Toumei Clear” – Haruka Fukuhara (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Boca” – Dream Catcher (Buy It!)“Dance With You” – Lyrical School (Buy It!)“Innocence” – 4s4ki (Buy It!) There’s also a remix of the EP “Innocence” appears on called Nemnem. Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Spark-Again” – Aimer (Buy It!)“11月24日” – Yonige (Buy It!)“Like No One’s Looking” – Mondo Grosso (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Part of Me” – Polysics (Buy It!)“Twist and Turn!” – Polysics (Buy It!) “Electric Surfin’ Go Go” – Polysics (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Requiem” – The Back Horn (Buy It!) The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 68: Aimer Sparks Again appeared first on Nihongaku!.

The folks at Rolling Stone have once again gifted the world a list of the Top 500 Albums of All Time. While I agree with many of the picks on the list (although I’m not sure why Red Hot Chili Peppers deserve more than one spot), there is a glaring omission: Music in a language other than English. Sure, I can see why Marvin Gaye deserve that number one position. I get it! Just please explain how X Japan doesn’t even make an appearance in the list when you’ve got 500 spots! So I’m proud to announce that the folks at The Japan Times and I conspired to whip up a little list of our own. You can read “Ten Japanese Albums Rolling Stone Missed On Its ‘500 Greatest’ List” at japantimes.co.jp. In this episode, I’m playing a track from each of the albums included in my list as well as a couple of special mentions. Who made the cut? Did I pick the right bands? There’s only one way to find out! Right or wrong, it looks like I’ve at least stirred up some conversation about Japanese music. Nothing could make me happier than that. In the near future, I’m going to produce another episode of Nihongaku Radio featuring artists and bands folks are uh…adamantly suggesting I should have included in my list. Consider it a crowd-sourced episode. If there’s a band you feel I should include, let me know! And special thanks to Patrick St. Michel for mentioning the list in his Make Believe Melodies Mailer. Check it out for tons of Japanese music goodness! Have you got a request? Hit up Nihongaku on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and let me know what you want to hear! Also, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 67 “For Young Electric Pop” – Polysics (Buy It!)“Little Busters” – The Pillows (Buy It!)“Senkou Hanabi” – Gagaga SP (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Behind the Mask” – Yellow Magic Orchestra (Buy It!)“Surreal” – Ayumi Hamasaki (Buy It!)“Chocolate Disco” – Perfume (Buy It!) Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Rewrite” – Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Buy It!)“Explosion” – Shonen Knife (Buy It!)“Lemon Drops” – Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Rusty Nail” – X Japan (Buy It!)“Broken Mirror” – Boom Boom Satellites (Buy It!) For more Boom Boom Satellites, check out Nihongaku Radio Episode 60. “Sofun” – Boris (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Sex Jaguar” – Guitar Wolf (Buy It!) The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 67: Rolling Stone Missed This Japanese Music appeared first on Nihongaku!.

A big part of what makes any music scene vibrant is constant change. It’d be easy to pack a Nihongaku Radio episode full of Polysics, X Japan, Boom Boom Satellites, The Pillows and my other favorites. It’s far more interesting though, to scour the internet looking for the next Japanese band I’ve never heard of. To that end, I’ve jam-packed this episode full of bands that I’ve only just discovered. From the one-and-done album by now defunct rockers Bastetone to J-Pop royalty Dreams Come True, this episode is full of music I’d never heard only a few weeks ago. And while we’re on the subject of discovery, I’ve got to give major props to our guest host for this episode. Mr. Brian Clark has been systematically translating lyrics and interviews with his favorite band, The Yellow Monkey, over at his site onemillionpower.com. In this way, he’s doing his part to ensure that Western fans have a place to go not only to understand the meaning of The Yellow Monkey’s lyrics, but to understand that context and inner workings of the dudes who make up this band. Who knows, maybe his work will lead to you discovering The Yellow Monkey is your favorite band too. Either way, he’s doing some very important work to make Japanese music and bands are more accessible for those that don’t speak Japanese. If you’re into reading about Japanese bands, interviews with Japanese video game developers, and other forms of translated awesomeness, be sure and visit Brian Clark’s site onemillionpower.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @BClarkOMP. And in case you weren’t convinced that he is a dude worth following, here’s a video of a talk he gave at Magfest about video games featuring Japanese musicians. Did you know there was an X Japan Sega Saturn game!? I uh…may have to go get a Sega Saturn right now! Have you got a request? Hit up Nihongaku on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and let me know what you want to hear! Also, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 66 “Kireigoto” – Bastetone (Buy It!)“Ain’t Nothing” – Back Drop Bomb (Buy It!)“Jun toumeishounen” – Yorushika (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Resonance” – Passepied (Buy It!)“Tsuretette Tsuretette” – Dreams Come True (Buy It!) “Move On” – Blu-Swing (Buy It!) Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Naive” – Asoboism (Buy It!) For more Asoboism, check out Nihongaku Radio Episode 65. “Himitsu” – Chelmico (Buy It!) “Port Island” – Tsudio Studio (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Rock Star” – The Yellow Monkey (Buy It!)“Burn” – The Yellow Monkey (Buy It!)“Love Homme” – The Yellow Monkey (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Dreams” – Romantic Mode (Buy It!) By the way, a ton of Gundam music is out on streaming platforms. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 66: Resonance of The Yellow Monkey appeared first on Nihongaku!.

It’s been months since I’ve been to a live show. Same for you? Well, the good news is that a lot of bands and artists are making the switch to live-streamed concerts. Take our featured artist for this episode, Negicco. If you move fast, you can check out two live-streamed Negicco concerts at the end of this month. The good folks at Tokyo’s Coolest Sound have all the details on those shows. Another shout out goes to Japan-based music journalist Mr. Patrick St. Michel whose Japanese music newsletter has recently come to my attention. I subscribed immediately. The dude has been covering Japanese music for years in publications like The Japan Times and Pitchfork. His newsletter, Make Believe Mailer, is an extension of his Japanese music site, Make Believe Melodies. If you want to know what’s happening in the world of Japanese music from a journalist who absolutely knows his stuff, check out the newsletter. Have you got a request? Hit up Nihongaku on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and let me know what you want to hear! Also, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 65 “Inferno” – Mrs. Green Apple (Buy It!)“Asahinagu” – Mass of the Fermenting Dregs (Buy It!)“Summergazer” – Hinto (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Mata Ashita” – Ogre You Asshole (Buy It!)“Midnight Cruisin'” – Kingo Hamada (Buy It!) Just look at how many songs Kingo Hamada has composed! “Totsuka” – Asoboism (Buy It!) Check out the music video this song on Asoboism’s YouTube channel. Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Kanden” – Kenshi Yonezu (Buy It!)“Floating” – Furui Riho (Buy It!) Check out music videos for all three of Furui Riho’s singles. “I” – Pop Art Town (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Anata to Pop With You” – Negicco (Buy It!)“Idol Bakari Kikanaide” – Negicco (Buy It!)“Ai Kamashitaino” – Negicco (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Stand Up to the Victory” – Tomohisa Kawazoe (Buy It!) By the way, a ton of Gundam music is out on streaming platforms. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 65: Midnight Cruisin’ With Negicco appeared first on Nihongaku!.

Omodaka is the man, and that’s really what this episode is about. If you haven’t had the pleasure, allow me to expound upon this masked man’s virtues. Omodaka is persona employed by electronic musician Soichi Terada to share his unique brand of folktronica to the rest of the world. Yeah, that’s right. I said “folktronica.” The man combines dope beats and electronic blips and bleeps from portable game systems with Japanese folk vocals. The result? Sure, it’s weird. It’s also needs to be heard to be believed. In addition to Omodaka, get ready for music from Unison Square Garden, Maximum the Hormone, Boom Boom Satellites, and Supercar. Have you got a request? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you want to hear! And if you’re a fan of the show, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 64 “Wonder Word” – Supercar (Buy It!)“Protract Countdown” – Unison Square Garden (Buy It!)“Hybrid Breeder” – Doping Panda (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Laddershaped Seven Horizons” – White White Sisters (Buy It!)“Back in Black” – Boom Boom Satellites (Buy It!) “Lousiana Bob” – Maximum the Hormone (Buy It!) Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Kankyo to Shinri” – Metafive (Buy It!)“Forever Mate” – Polycat (Buy It!)“Heaven” – Bice (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Plum Song” – Omodaka (Buy It!)“Kokiriko Bushi” – Omodaka (Buy It!)“Tankai Bushi” – Omodaka (Buy It!) Don’t miss Omodaka’s new music video for Tankai Bushi. Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Welcome to Chaos” – (K)NoW_NAME (Buy It!) The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 64: Polycats and Plum Songs appeared first on Nihongaku!.

It’s summer and that means the time is right for a special City Pop episode.  What is City Pop? It’s the soundtrack to real (or imagined) hot summer nights dripping in the economic excess of 1980s Tokyo. So dress for the discotheque, grab a drink, and get ready to party like the economic bubble is never gonna burst! Get ready for music from Anri, Night Tempo, Masayoshi Takanaka, and you best believe I’ve got Mariya Takeuchi involved in this episode. Have you got a request? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you want to hear! And if you’re a fan of the show, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 63 “Remember Summer Days” – Anri (Buy It!)“Lovers Paradise” – Seaside Lovers (Buy It!)“Kimi wa 1000%” – 1986 Omega Tribe (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “I Can’t Stop the Night” – Toshiki Kadomatsu (Buy It!)“Entertainment System” – Night Tempo (Buy It!) Check out Night Tempo’s Bandcamp for more great tunes. “Glass no Palm Tree” – Sugiyama Kiyotaka and Omega Tribe (Buy It!) Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Sexy Dance” – Masayoshi Takanaka (Buy It!)“Sports Men” – Haruomi Hosono (Buy It!)“Lady Blues” – Lucky Tapes (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Outsider” – Awesome City Club (Buy It!)“Ghostopia” – Special Favorite Music (Buy It!)“Plastic Love (New-Remix)” – Mariya Takeuchi (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Cat’s Eye” – Anri (Buy It!) The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 63: City Popping Economic Bubbles appeared first on Nihongaku!.

Welcome to the episode that lures you in with chill beats and then attacks you with vampiric violins. Yep! We’ve got music from Malice Mizer, a new song from Boris, and some dope beats from Kirinji. And don’t miss electronic music pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra in the featured artist set. Have you got a request? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you want to hear! And if you’re a fan of the show, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! As I mentioned in this episode, I’m starting a new video game-based project called Life Begins at 8-Bit. Catch weekly streams and quarterly documentaries about 40 years of video game history. Don’t miss it! Nihongaku Radio Episode 62 “Almond Eyes” – Kirinji feat. Chinza Dopeness (Buy It!) “Halfway” – Gen Hoshino (Buy It!)“Metropolitan” – Nakigoto (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “More & More” – Twice (Buy It!) “Tenkuu” – Perfume (Buy It!) Check out Perfume’s Coachella 2019 performance. “Paradisus-Paradoxum” – Myth & Roid (Buy It!) Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Lust” – Boris (Buy It!)“Au Revoir” – Malice Mizer (Buy It!)“From Dream And You” – Mayu Maeshima (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Behind the Mask” – Yellow Magic Orchestra (Buy It!)“Ongaku” – Yellow Magic Orchestra (Buy It!)“Firecracker” – Yellow Magic Orchestra (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Pursuing My True Self” – Shihoko Hirata (Buy It!) The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 62: Halfway Behind the Mask appeared first on Nihongaku!.

Finally it’s Friday! And you know what that means! In this episode of Nihongaku Radio, prepare for some newer Polysics music, a little K-Pop courtesy of the idol group Twice, and a particularly cool track from Sekai no Owari. And Mothercoat is hanging out in our featured artist set. What are you waiting for? Have you got a request? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you want to hear! And if you’re a fan of the show, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 61 “Projection” – Passcode (Buy It!) Check out this video to see Passcode in action. “Check Point” – Polysics (Buy It!)“Siberian Giant” – Beat Crusaders (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Hard Candy” – Yeti Let You Notice (Buy It!) Check out this link from Japanese Entertainment World for details on Yeti Let You Notice’s upcoming Twitter concert. “Ao Sugiru Sora” – The Peggies (Buy It!)“Yuu, San San” – Creephyp (Buy It!) Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Feel Special” – Twice (Buy It!)“Umbrella” – Sekai No Owari (Buy It!)“Gurenge” – LiSA (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “No Music_Yes Life” – Mothercoat (Buy It!)“Galileo” – Mothercoat (Buy It!)“Post” – Mothercoat (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Friday Night” – Yakuza 0 OST (Buy It!) The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 61: Twice as Nice appeared first on Nihongaku!.

We’re here. It only took four episodes since the show’s return for me to claim the featured artist set for myself. Boom Boom Satellites are a personal favorite of mine. I’m betting you’ll dig them too. And even if you don’t, there’s plenty of music in this episode. Get ready for Avengers In Sci-Fi, TM Revolution, and The Gazette. And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also included my new favorite synth wave jam courtesy of Nhato. Have you got a request? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you want to hear! And if you’re a fan of the show, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks! Nihongaku Radio Episode 60 “Pulse” – Stereo Dive Foundation (Buy It!) “Ninth Odd Smell” – The Gazette (Buy It!)“Time Circuits” – Nhato (Buy It!) Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Film” – Cheetah (Buy It!)“Joker” – Androp (Buy It!)“Vapor Trail” – Avengers In Sci-Fi (Buy It!) Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!) “Hitori Botchi Wa Yameta” – Akiko Yano (Buy It!)“Caribbean High” – TM Revolution (Buy It!)“Be My Best Friend” – Yagami Junko (Buy It!) Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!) “Joyride” – Boom Boom Satellites (Buy It!)“Shut Up And Explode” – Boom Boom Satellites (Buy It!)“A Hundred Suns” – Boom Boom Satellites (Buy It!) Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!) “Broken Mirror” – Boom Boom Satellites (Buy It!) The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 60: Making Vapor Trails appeared first on Nihongaku!.

In this episode of Nihongaku Radio, we learn the correct way to pronounce One Ok Rock. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 59: I Will Never Lose to You appeared first on Nihongaku!.

In this episode of Nihongaku Radio, we hear from Korean songstress Lulileela and get acquainted with Scandal in the featured artist set. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 58: Scandalous Linguistics appeared first on Nihongaku!.

Welcome back to Nihongaku Radio, a twice monthly exploration of Japanese (and other Asian) music for a primarily English-speaking audience. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 57: Five Year Mood Adjustment appeared first on Nihongaku!.

In episode 56 of our Japanese music podcast, we'll hear from several of the bands that played the Japan Nite SXSW showcase and tour. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 56: Japan Nite Turns 20 appeared first on Nihongaku!.

Take it from the totally unbiased opinion of a guy who runs his own Japanese Music podcast: There's a lot of great music on this episode. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 55: A Hundred Suns appeared first on Nihongaku!.

X Japan and Shonen Knife attack the U.S. with Japanese music. We'll hear both in this episode along with The Pillows, Polysics and Chihiro Yamazaki. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 54: Kaja Kaja Goo appeared first on Nihongaku!.

I'm back at it! Ready for some new Japanese music? I thought so. Check out new stuff from Chouchou Merged Syrups and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to name a few. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 53: Let’s Go to the Studio! appeared first on Nihongaku!.

Boris is all over the featured artist set for this episode. Also, get ready to enjoy new music from Base Ball Bear, Ayumi Hamasaki and Perfume. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 52: Ambivalent Dancer Boris appeared first on Nihongaku!.

Check out new music from Kishi Bashi, Shonen Knife and The Mirraz. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 51: Mr. Steak, You’re Grade A appeared first on Nihongaku!.

It's episode 50! We're celebrating with a ton of guests. The post Nihongaku Radio Episode 50: Back On My Feet appeared first on Nihongaku!.