Popular (non-offensive) Japanese Music?

radroadkill

Okay, so here's the deal.

I work down in Waikiki at Lush and we have a massive Japanese tourist customer base.

We're redoing the shop music; we can't do CDs because the CD player is broken so we're left with the store iPod and employee MP3 players. Apparently they've been stuck with the same music for 8 months because none of the current employees use iPods.

I've sort of modified my old Lush's playlist on my Zune to give us some new music but it's a work in progress. I was hoping to add some popular Japanese songs on there. The general rule is sort of catchy, upbeat music but no profanity or offensive terms/themes. I don't mind a bit of mellow music either, so long as it's not depressingly so.

Are there any really popular songs/bands I could look up to add to the list? I want to see how well it goes over with the customer base and my manager. Alternatively, are there any super popular English songs I should know about?

I plan to try to find most of it on Zune but if any recommendations can come with (preferably free) LEGAL download locations that would also be awesome. I don't want to spend extra money on things we might not even keep or use just yet but I also want it all legit.

Help!

Sheep

Shonen Knife
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=astKY3mmDVI

Ghost
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg2OZXAqvVY

Boris (stick with the last couple of albums)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WkaeBZ1kGU

Ai Aso
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEcNQi6j1r0

9DW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW9-AnG53-o

The Boredoms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct6LNcH0G44

Can
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCLXVh9zirA

Okay, Can doesn't really count since they're a German band, but their lead singer was Japanese!



http://aquariusrecords.org/cat/japanpop.html

Sheep

And you really can't go wrong with Yellow Magic Orchestra.

They're like the Genesis of Japan. Wildly popular with everyone who was sentient in the 80s. Ridiculously popular and cheesy. Like Genesis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk6o4GWFIV8

Check out those bomb C64 Trip a tron visuals.

They basically turned into this other band that has a much more updated sound. They put out hardly no albums but just toured around Japan and played huge shows. I'll let you know when I remember the name.

EDIT

Sketch Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtnQstoTUV0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz9FFBRTIHE

Scalfin

You could always go with The Pillows. They're pretty well known and liked on both sides of the pacific, and have a huge discography.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWIrPL4IhZ0

Oh, you said upbeat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9rrVZIlpJA


When all else fails, most popular animes get skilled musicians for cross-promotion. The big three Shonens (OP, Naruto, Bleach) are all known for top notch music, and Eureka Seven is famous for its entire soundtrack.


You might also want to try highly American works to give them some local flavor. You know, Gershwin, Joplin, Elvis, Sinatra, et cetera.

radroadkill

Oh, we have tons and tons of old and new popular American music. I was thinking of trying to put on a few more popular ones from Japan on to see how it goes. I'm also getting a lot of island music suggestions since... well, it's Hawai'i AND Waikiki and also a bit expected.

thanks for all the suggestions so far!

ceres

Mr. Big was GIGANTIC in Japan for a very long time, and still are to a degree. They are an American band that never really made it big here (think one-hit wonder), but they're actually pretty decent, and Japan just ate them up.

I would look into them and see what you can find.

Dracil

Popular Japanese island music? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ggJquImms It's been covered several times, so if you want a more famous name like Gackt, there's a Gackt version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF87basfmks

Or the 9th-best selling single in Japan (#1 this century). SMAP in general is popular in Japan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDC7_B3sqh8

Everyone knows this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtXQ31F1A-k

Other generally popular stuff in Japan, including International stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles_in_Japan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_in_Japan

descolada

Well hold on now, what's your priority here-- are you more interested in stuff you'd enjoy, or are you focused on finding popular mainstream stuff the tourists would appreciate? Cause if it's the latter I'd just say check the Oricon music charts and pull things off there.

Dracil

Another alternative is to look at the artists and songs from the annual Red & White Song Battle. Anyone invited there is going to be popular/famous.

I usually watch this every year at my grandmother's place on NHK.

UrQuanLord88

There are some Japanese artists I know who mix English/Japanese

Utada Hikaru - She was/is a huge pop singer. Did the theme song for Kingdom Hearts too/2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6snlsNFH03E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM8nqp2BeeY

Love Psychedelico
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om-XOnJzHKY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM5hrFz8BcE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECQ11KuYt-I

radroadkill

descolada wrote: »

Well hold on now, what's your priority here-- are you more interested in stuff you'd enjoy, or are you focused on finding popular mainstream stuff the tourists would appreciate? Cause if it's the latter I'd just say check the Oricon music charts and pull things off there.

I was looking for more things customers might know/enjoy. My ultimate dream goal is to have an awesome playlist of music we already have (which is mostly American and Hawaiian/island) with a few popular Japanese/in Japan songs thrown in.

I figure even if you're on vacation sometimes it's nice to hear popular songs you know and can sing along with.

People do this a lot while shopping. I don't know how it translates across cultures but a few songs wouldn't be a bad thing.

Dracil

Edit: You're a cosmetics store? Nevermind then. The songs I just put here wouldn't fit.

My previous recommendations still stand though. They're mainstream popular in Japan.

CygnusZ

I think the problem with a lot of these recommendations is that they're more music that's popular with American japanophiles than music that is actually popular in Japan. The best advice to give would be to take a look at the Oricon top ten every few months and just pull a few of the more long running tunes from there.

Here are a few tunes that might be good:

Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana -- SMAP
Yozora no Mukou -- SMAP
Bang Bang Bakansu -- SMAP
Pop Star -- Ken Hirai
Choo Choo Train -- Exile
Kiseki -- GreeeeN
Story -- Yuzu　
Natsuiro -- Yuzu

Not always the most artistically fulfilling stuff, but it's tunes that most Japanese people already know.

Right, English songs that are popular:

Having a Good Time -- Queen
Thriller -- Michael Jackson
Imagine -- John Lennon (may be offensive to conservative Americans)

Dracil

Oh yeah, definitely try some enka. You definitely rarely hear enka outside of Japan so it'd set you apart. Your best bet with enka is probably Hikawa Kiyoshi, a young-ish enka singer, which makes him popular with both young and old people (especially the ladies), even though enka is normally an old people genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zmtcME32_E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrU2Ao5Gbbs

Beck

Japanese pop music is really bad, but they have some really cool experimental, fusion stuff. Check out Zazen Boys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ZjYq8-SHw

I would buy their album, Zazen Boys 4. I just picked it up and it's good, Idiot Funk, Asobi, The Drifting / I Don't Wanna Be With You, and Weekend are all great.

Boris is really good. They really stand out as one of the few good metal acts still around, and definitely worth listening to. It is metal though, and I'm not entirely sure how appropriate that is for your store. Akuma No Uta and Pink are fantastic albums.

Number Girl is pretty good.

Kiyoshiro Imawano is about as popular as rock gets in Japan, and it's also really good. Check this out, you might even end up adding him to your personal library. Look for "RC Succession".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FzYxaFp4Es

descolada

CygnusZ wrote: »

I think the problem with a lot of these recommendations is that they're more music that's popular with American japanophiles than music that is actually popular in Japan.

Exactly. I'm sure everyone means well, but their reccomendations are hardly representative of mainstream America, much less mainstream Japan. The Pillows are a perfect example of this--lots of foreign anime fans know them, but they're a mid-range group at best, declining if not totally unknown to most people in Japan. And Boris--again, nothing personal against the fans, but your average Japanese person won't have the faintest idea who they are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDs9USjSwfs

So Arashi, and other Johnny's bands. You probably don't like them. Most western dudes don't. That's okay, but a ton of Japanese people, especially young women, do. If you want something safe that most Japanese people will recognize, this is one option. SMAP, Arashi, NEWS, KAT-TUN, Hey! Say! JUMP, etc. Exile isn't Johnny's but it's still a type of relatively generic, catchy boyband stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94IyOwZZc78

Ikimonogakari is still quite popular and regularly sells out concerts. I think they did a song for Bleach or something too. They're recent but safe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS407iRcHZU

Kimaguren is one of my favorite bands. Relatively new, but always uplifting and still somewhat well-known. Possibly a good choice since their music draws a lot from their beachside hometown experiences and often references ocean related stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIbRwCXVaoA

Yuzu still sells out concerts every time. Kinda annoying if you want to see them live. Lots of their stuff is ballady, but I'm especially fond of their faster songs like these. Another relatively recent but safe bet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRvjIY0FeZA

GReeeeN anything is good, though kiseki is the ballad that everyone knows and will remember forever. Embedded link isn't working so here's another video of theirs. Another recent but fairly enduring band, at least so far.

Again, maybe these groups aren't super popular with non-Japanese. But, if you're trying to find something Japanese tourists will know and like, these might be better suited.

Nightslyr

It's an older song, but why not Glamorous Sky by Mika Nakashima? It's a catchy pop-rock song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMWoEHb34PE

Sir Carcass

I've always been a fan of Kiroro. I can't really recommend much as I prefer their more mellow stuff, but they kind of run the gamut and have some J-pop type stuff as well.

Page-

You gonna tell me that Shonen Knife aren't popular in Japan? fffffffffff

Oh well whatever. You should still be able to find most of their songs in Japanese and they're fun to listen to.

descolada

Page- wrote: »

You gonna tell me that Shonen Knife aren't popular in Japan? fffffffffff

Well, from what I remember, they were very successful overseas. Their wiki page reflects that--there's a lot more written on the English one than the Japanese version.

I'll reiterate that what OP probably should look for is recent charted hits within the past five to ten years, or super huge megahits from further back. I'm not sure Shonen Knife ever had a song with that kind of staying power here, and their recent albums get no major PR I've seen.

Page-

I was being sarcastic. They're not the type of band who would be popular.

And they're not even that popular outside of Japan. Though critics love them. It's more of a cult following.

You know, you'd probably be safe playing music other than j-pop/rock. There is such a thing as Big in Japan. And it's only half a joke.

radroadkill

Thanks for all the responses, everyone. I was looking more for things known more in Japan itself and I seem to have been put in a good direction to investigate. I appreciate it!

Scalfin

I found this artist. I'm not sure how popular she is, but she does a Jazz-Funk-R&B fusion which, if Japan is anything like the US, means she's played in every store in Japan, as that's the definition of easy listening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ2Eu8vSjrQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9oknrTTjDM[/URL

She also seems to do a good Barry White impression:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RETb89GtxY8

There's also an album from a fairly prominent artist (named in video title below) and composed by Yoko Kanno called "Easy Listening," which seems pretty promising.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLYuAx5bQxE