Thursday, April 15, 2010
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Working in Japan
The economic boom in English-speaking countries like the US and Ireland together with the stagnation of the Japanese economy has made Japan a less popular working location in recent years. The chances of meeting a wealthy Japanese person in a bar or on the train who is willing to give you wads of cash just to sit and chat in a cofee shop are not what they used to be. But the obsession with learning English continues and the fact that it's still possible to get a reasonable, or better, working wage simply by virtue of being a native speaker of a foreign language continues to bring new faces to the country every year.
And many people see Japan as a land of future opportunities. Changes to the economic landscape are being wrought by deregulation and the Internet and more foreign companies than ever are expanding into this, the world's second-largest market. Language and cultural barriers have long been embedded in the distinct Japanese style of doing business, but even this is beginning to change. There is hope for a higher English fluency rate in the not-too-distant future but teachers will always be needed.
Long-standing cornerstones of business practice, such as guaranteed lifetime employment and rigid keiretsu corporate affiliations are being undermined. Foreigners have been brought in to make some painful changes, such as the massive cuts at Nissan, that local managers just can't seem to bring themselves to carry out. So whether you're interested in making some yen to finance a back-packing trip around Southeast Asia or taking over the helm at a future multinational corporation, we hope we can be of some assistance.
Teaching
Teaching, and in particular English teaching, is by far the most popular form of employment for westerners in Japan. It can be a short-term or a long-term thing, with a professional or casual basis, and the major eikaiwa (English conversation) schools offer short training periods and don't expect most teachers to stay beyond their one or two-year contract. For those hoping to come to Japan to teach, things took a turn for the worse when the country's biggest chain school Nova went bust in 2007.
Read our guide to teaching in Japan.
Other Jobs
While teaching is an ideal job for someone in the country only temporarily, there are several other options available. Visa restrictions make some of them more suitable as a 'moonlighting' option while others provide sponsorship and various benefits.
Bar & restaurant work
The 90's saw a high level of internationalisation in Japan and one obvious result was the increase in the number of western bars and restaurants. The latter half of the decade saw a veritable boom in Irish and British pubs as well as various sports and other theme bars. Most have at least one 'authentic' foreign barman (the job's not popular among foreign women). Italian, Indian and various other world cuisines continue to be popular and some restaurants employ foreign staff. Hourly pay rates (usually around 1,200 yen) are around the lower end of what you could expect to make teaching.
Acting/modelling
These are two areas that can be very lucrative and surprisingly easy to get into, though the work doesn't usually just fall into your lap and some effort is required to get started. The number of foreigners in Japan is now such that we don't stand out as much as even ten years ago and you'll have to actually do some legwork to get hired. If you've already been in the business at home, you have a definite head-start in Japan and will most likely find the agencies very welcoming. But there is enough demand for foreign faces on TV shows, commercials, music videos, movies etc that you'll most likely find some work easily enough. The hard part for a new arrival is knowing who to contact. There are a few foreigners with experience in the business who've put together "info packs" with all the details you need to get started. You can find this through their websites (see below).
Entertainment
Hostessing used to have a similar aura to English teaching in terms of the potential to make a lot of money in a short period of time. The main source of this money was also the same - wealthy businessmen getting ever wealthier in the bubble economy. For these nouveau riche, hanging out with a foreigner, whether it was an English teacher or a beautiful woman, was part of the game. The economy took a nosedive in the 90's and with it went extravagant pay rates. Hostessing still pays more on average than teaching but the hours are usually late and the company can be as unsavoury as ever. Sexism is still the norm in Japan and women are often judged on their appearance - this is particularly so in hostessing and is often directly related to one's rate of pay.
Computer work
These days, fast-changing IT and financial companies compete with each other in a search for the right staff and recruitment companies also advertise regularly for professional and managerial staff. Contract work has become more common, especially in the areas of networks, DTP and multimedia. There are several companies that specialize in finding and placing foreign staff.
Translation/rewriting
Another area open to native speakers is translation/rewriting, and of course the right background and experience go a long way. Qualifications in things like engineering, medicine and law are useful for rewriting work, while Japanese language ability is obviously a major factor in getting translation work. Most companies want someone with experience and having a portfolio and references is a good idea.
JET Program
The JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program is usually thought of as being for teaching English only. In fact, it also provides positions for SEA's (Sports Exchange Advisors) and CIR's (Coordinators for International Relations) who work at local governments around the country. The latter have been very useful in the creation of official English-language Web sites for various cities and prefectures. They also promote international exchange events and provide translation and interpretation services.
And many people see Japan as a land of future opportunities. Changes to the economic landscape are being wrought by deregulation and the Internet and more foreign companies than ever are expanding into this, the world's second-largest market. Language and cultural barriers have long been embedded in the distinct Japanese style of doing business, but even this is beginning to change. There is hope for a higher English fluency rate in the not-too-distant future but teachers will always be needed.
Long-standing cornerstones of business practice, such as guaranteed lifetime employment and rigid keiretsu corporate affiliations are being undermined. Foreigners have been brought in to make some painful changes, such as the massive cuts at Nissan, that local managers just can't seem to bring themselves to carry out. So whether you're interested in making some yen to finance a back-packing trip around Southeast Asia or taking over the helm at a future multinational corporation, we hope we can be of some assistance.
Teaching
Teaching, and in particular English teaching, is by far the most popular form of employment for westerners in Japan. It can be a short-term or a long-term thing, with a professional or casual basis, and the major eikaiwa (English conversation) schools offer short training periods and don't expect most teachers to stay beyond their one or two-year contract. For those hoping to come to Japan to teach, things took a turn for the worse when the country's biggest chain school Nova went bust in 2007.
Read our guide to teaching in Japan.
Other Jobs
While teaching is an ideal job for someone in the country only temporarily, there are several other options available. Visa restrictions make some of them more suitable as a 'moonlighting' option while others provide sponsorship and various benefits.
Bar & restaurant work
The 90's saw a high level of internationalisation in Japan and one obvious result was the increase in the number of western bars and restaurants. The latter half of the decade saw a veritable boom in Irish and British pubs as well as various sports and other theme bars. Most have at least one 'authentic' foreign barman (the job's not popular among foreign women). Italian, Indian and various other world cuisines continue to be popular and some restaurants employ foreign staff. Hourly pay rates (usually around 1,200 yen) are around the lower end of what you could expect to make teaching.
Acting/modelling
These are two areas that can be very lucrative and surprisingly easy to get into, though the work doesn't usually just fall into your lap and some effort is required to get started. The number of foreigners in Japan is now such that we don't stand out as much as even ten years ago and you'll have to actually do some legwork to get hired. If you've already been in the business at home, you have a definite head-start in Japan and will most likely find the agencies very welcoming. But there is enough demand for foreign faces on TV shows, commercials, music videos, movies etc that you'll most likely find some work easily enough. The hard part for a new arrival is knowing who to contact. There are a few foreigners with experience in the business who've put together "info packs" with all the details you need to get started. You can find this through their websites (see below).
Entertainment
Hostessing used to have a similar aura to English teaching in terms of the potential to make a lot of money in a short period of time. The main source of this money was also the same - wealthy businessmen getting ever wealthier in the bubble economy. For these nouveau riche, hanging out with a foreigner, whether it was an English teacher or a beautiful woman, was part of the game. The economy took a nosedive in the 90's and with it went extravagant pay rates. Hostessing still pays more on average than teaching but the hours are usually late and the company can be as unsavoury as ever. Sexism is still the norm in Japan and women are often judged on their appearance - this is particularly so in hostessing and is often directly related to one's rate of pay.
Computer work
These days, fast-changing IT and financial companies compete with each other in a search for the right staff and recruitment companies also advertise regularly for professional and managerial staff. Contract work has become more common, especially in the areas of networks, DTP and multimedia. There are several companies that specialize in finding and placing foreign staff.
Translation/rewriting
Another area open to native speakers is translation/rewriting, and of course the right background and experience go a long way. Qualifications in things like engineering, medicine and law are useful for rewriting work, while Japanese language ability is obviously a major factor in getting translation work. Most companies want someone with experience and having a portfolio and references is a good idea.
JET Program
The JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program is usually thought of as being for teaching English only. In fact, it also provides positions for SEA's (Sports Exchange Advisors) and CIR's (Coordinators for International Relations) who work at local governments around the country. The latter have been very useful in the creation of official English-language Web sites for various cities and prefectures. They also promote international exchange events and provide translation and interpretation services.
Pachinko
How big is the pachinko business in Japan? Well, it employs a third of a million people, three times more than the steel industry; it commands 40 percent of Japan's leisure industry, including restaurants and bars; and with 30 million regular enthusiasts coughing up more 30 trillion yen a year (a higher turnover than the car industry), it's very big business indeed. So big, that foreign businesses are getting in on the act. While much of the pachinko industry has long been controlled by residents of Korean descent, in early 2001 British company BS Group bought a stake in Tokyo Plaza, who run about 20 parlors in Japan, and have also opened parlors in the UK.
If you want to play pachinko, you won't have to look very hard to find a parlor. There's usually at least one near every train station and where there is no station (ie in the countryside) just look out for the gariest, ugliest building you can find. That's it - the big silver box in the middle of nowhere covered in neon signs and flashing lights. As soon as you step up to the electric doors and they slide open, the noise - and usually the smell - hits you. This is not a place for casual conversation or requests for the no-smoking section. The wall of noise might seem unpleasant to the newcomer but it seems to help the serious gamblers, or pachi-puro, to concentrate or perhaps to just switch off as they sit in silence in front of their chosen machines. Sometimes they're there all day - it's common to see people lining up outside a parlor first thing in the morning, waiting to get the machine they think is going to pay up and almost as common to see them come out in the afternoon or evening having won - or lost a day's pay or more.
A typical pachinko machine. The balls are fed into the machine using the green handle on the bottom right. A close-up of the playing area of a digital machine. This one is called "Go-go Akko-chan" and is named after Wada Akiko, a popular TV personality. The entrance to a small urban pachinko parlor in Saitama Prefecture. Parlors in rural areas can be many times larger and garier. Signboards outside announce the arrival of new machines or promo campaigns.
The first thing you do is use cash or these days increasingly a prepaid card to buy a tray of what this game is all about - balls. Small steel balls, resembling ball bearings, to be exact (you can often spot the pachi-puro by the ball or 100 yen coin forgetfully left wedged in their ear). You'll pay about 4 yen per ball and while you can buy just 100 yen's worth, no serious gambler would start by spending less than a few thousand yen. A variation on pachinko that has become very popular recently is pachislo, which is a combination of pachinko and slot machine and uses coin-like coupons.
Pachinko is played on what looks like a vertical pinball machine. The steel balls are released into the machine and fall through a maze of nail-like pins. The idea is to get the balls to fall into slots where they accumulate and to aim for jackpots, which pay out thousands more balls. There are three main types of machines with different levels of skill required. In the oldest style of machine, the positioning of the pins greatly affected the payout so they would be tapped into minutely different locations by specialists each night after closing - hence the morning queues for the best machines. These days the more popular deji-pachi (digital pachinko) machines have an LCD display in the center showing colorful animations that indicate your jackpot, or "fever". The noisy animations often feature popular cartoon characters or hentai (erotic) anime. Computer settings are only adjusted every few days so the pros watch out for the big payers. The winnings that you're aiming for are actually the same balls that you put in, hopefully multiplied a few times. They usually have a cash value of about 2.5 yen each.
Though the win ratios are set by the government, parlors are believed to often manipulate them such as by increasing jackpots on busy days to draw people back again. On the other hand, resourceful players resort to using ingenious electronic or magnetic devices to try and hotwire the digital machines into making big payouts. Parlors are not legally allowed to actually pay out cash. So you take your trays of balls and exchange them for prizes like washing powder, cigarettes and brand goods or tokens that can be cashed in at a nearby hole-in-the-wall. Similar to cashing in your chips at a casino except for the fact that it's a flagrant manipulation of the law. These places then sell the tokens back to the parlor, with their cut on top.
The long economic downturn has not stopped people from playing pachinko. Indeed economic desperation has forced many to turn to gambling as a last resort. But changing attitudes and lifestyles have eroded the customer base and forced companies to try to attract new kinds of customers. Leading machine maker Sankyo has employed Hollywood star Nicholas Cage to appear in a series of TV commercials where he played a pachinko freak. Parlors with bars and cafes, women-only sections, fountains and luxury furniture are just some of the other ideas for bringing this Japanese way of life into the 21st century.
If you want to play pachinko, you won't have to look very hard to find a parlor. There's usually at least one near every train station and where there is no station (ie in the countryside) just look out for the gariest, ugliest building you can find. That's it - the big silver box in the middle of nowhere covered in neon signs and flashing lights. As soon as you step up to the electric doors and they slide open, the noise - and usually the smell - hits you. This is not a place for casual conversation or requests for the no-smoking section. The wall of noise might seem unpleasant to the newcomer but it seems to help the serious gamblers, or pachi-puro, to concentrate or perhaps to just switch off as they sit in silence in front of their chosen machines. Sometimes they're there all day - it's common to see people lining up outside a parlor first thing in the morning, waiting to get the machine they think is going to pay up and almost as common to see them come out in the afternoon or evening having won - or lost a day's pay or more.
A typical pachinko machine. The balls are fed into the machine using the green handle on the bottom right. A close-up of the playing area of a digital machine. This one is called "Go-go Akko-chan" and is named after Wada Akiko, a popular TV personality. The entrance to a small urban pachinko parlor in Saitama Prefecture. Parlors in rural areas can be many times larger and garier. Signboards outside announce the arrival of new machines or promo campaigns.
The first thing you do is use cash or these days increasingly a prepaid card to buy a tray of what this game is all about - balls. Small steel balls, resembling ball bearings, to be exact (you can often spot the pachi-puro by the ball or 100 yen coin forgetfully left wedged in their ear). You'll pay about 4 yen per ball and while you can buy just 100 yen's worth, no serious gambler would start by spending less than a few thousand yen. A variation on pachinko that has become very popular recently is pachislo, which is a combination of pachinko and slot machine and uses coin-like coupons.
Pachinko is played on what looks like a vertical pinball machine. The steel balls are released into the machine and fall through a maze of nail-like pins. The idea is to get the balls to fall into slots where they accumulate and to aim for jackpots, which pay out thousands more balls. There are three main types of machines with different levels of skill required. In the oldest style of machine, the positioning of the pins greatly affected the payout so they would be tapped into minutely different locations by specialists each night after closing - hence the morning queues for the best machines. These days the more popular deji-pachi (digital pachinko) machines have an LCD display in the center showing colorful animations that indicate your jackpot, or "fever". The noisy animations often feature popular cartoon characters or hentai (erotic) anime. Computer settings are only adjusted every few days so the pros watch out for the big payers. The winnings that you're aiming for are actually the same balls that you put in, hopefully multiplied a few times. They usually have a cash value of about 2.5 yen each.
Though the win ratios are set by the government, parlors are believed to often manipulate them such as by increasing jackpots on busy days to draw people back again. On the other hand, resourceful players resort to using ingenious electronic or magnetic devices to try and hotwire the digital machines into making big payouts. Parlors are not legally allowed to actually pay out cash. So you take your trays of balls and exchange them for prizes like washing powder, cigarettes and brand goods or tokens that can be cashed in at a nearby hole-in-the-wall. Similar to cashing in your chips at a casino except for the fact that it's a flagrant manipulation of the law. These places then sell the tokens back to the parlor, with their cut on top.
The long economic downturn has not stopped people from playing pachinko. Indeed economic desperation has forced many to turn to gambling as a last resort. But changing attitudes and lifestyles have eroded the customer base and forced companies to try to attract new kinds of customers. Leading machine maker Sankyo has employed Hollywood star Nicholas Cage to appear in a series of TV commercials where he played a pachinko freak. Parlors with bars and cafes, women-only sections, fountains and luxury furniture are just some of the other ideas for bringing this Japanese way of life into the 21st century.
Ryoko
Yonekura Ryoko (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, 1975- )
These days, former ballerina Yonekura Ryoko is one of the most visible women on TV and in fashion. She and her most obvious rival Kikukawa Rei have dominated the world of glamour, appearing in dozens of TV commercials and gracing the covers of countless magazines. They are both members of the Oscar Productions agency, which represents many of Japan's most beautiful stars. Yonekura has won a slew of (admittedly meaningless) awards with titles such as Miss Brilliant, Jewellry Best Dresser, Nail Queen, and Best Leather-nist!
Yonekura made her move into the fashion world at the age of 17 when she was awarded a consolation prize at the National Young Beauty contest in 1992. Over the next seven years she built up quite a reputation as a fashion model, campaign girl and in TV commercials. In 1999 she announced her intention of getting into acting. She made her debut the following year in the TBS drama Koi no Kamisama (God of Love) and has since appeared in one drama after another almost non-stop.
She made her movie debut in Damboru Hausu Garu (Homeless Girl) and in 2002 she co-starred with Kikukawa in Gun Crazy. The duo played a pair of "gun-toting killer babes". Enough said. Her 2002 drama series Seikei Bijin (Artificial Beauty) also aired in the US. The series dealt with the curently hot topic of cosmetic surgery.
Click photos to see larger version.
Yonekura maintains her interest in ballet and other forms of dance, such as bossa nova and salsa. These certainly seem to suit her bubbly and dynamic personality and she seems to be making this kind of acting role her niche. She may not win any awards for acting but she's always got that Best Jeanist trophy to put on the mantelpiece.
These days, former ballerina Yonekura Ryoko is one of the most visible women on TV and in fashion. She and her most obvious rival Kikukawa Rei have dominated the world of glamour, appearing in dozens of TV commercials and gracing the covers of countless magazines. They are both members of the Oscar Productions agency, which represents many of Japan's most beautiful stars. Yonekura has won a slew of (admittedly meaningless) awards with titles such as Miss Brilliant, Jewellry Best Dresser, Nail Queen, and Best Leather-nist!
Yonekura made her move into the fashion world at the age of 17 when she was awarded a consolation prize at the National Young Beauty contest in 1992. Over the next seven years she built up quite a reputation as a fashion model, campaign girl and in TV commercials. In 1999 she announced her intention of getting into acting. She made her debut the following year in the TBS drama Koi no Kamisama (God of Love) and has since appeared in one drama after another almost non-stop.
She made her movie debut in Damboru Hausu Garu (Homeless Girl) and in 2002 she co-starred with Kikukawa in Gun Crazy. The duo played a pair of "gun-toting killer babes". Enough said. Her 2002 drama series Seikei Bijin (Artificial Beauty) also aired in the US. The series dealt with the curently hot topic of cosmetic surgery.
Click photos to see larger version.
Yonekura maintains her interest in ballet and other forms of dance, such as bossa nova and salsa. These certainly seem to suit her bubbly and dynamic personality and she seems to be making this kind of acting role her niche. She may not win any awards for acting but she's always got that Best Jeanist trophy to put on the mantelpiece.
Pop
Think about it - Sony Music Entertainment is one of the biggest record companies in the world; Yamaha is the largest manufacturer of musical instruments in the world; Japan has the sixth-largest population in the world; the music industry generates billions and billions of dollars worldwide every year. Yet how many Japanese artists have had a No. 1 hit in the US or European charts? One. Yes, one - and that was way back in 1963 (Sukiyaki by Sakamoto Kyu).
Related content: check out our many profiles of Japan's top pop artists.
So what's the problem with Japan? Several things - record companies are happy with the huge domestic sales racked up by the bands under their control (literally); the language barrier is a problem, with few Japanese feeling comfortable speaking or singing in English; and the fact that there is no market for the vast majority of Japanese pop music outside of Asia (other Asian countries have a strange admiration for all things Japanese, including the music).
There have been a few bright spots over the years but they're few and far between. Bands with musical talent, like Southern All Stars, Chage and Aska or Dreams Come True turn out records with some songs that stay with you but nothing that would break them in the US or Europe. In the 90's, other bands, like Shonen Knife, Pizzicato Five, Cibo Matto and Buffalo Daughter have a cult following abroad but little commercial success.
The Japanese music scene 1958~1990
The pop/rock music scene has gone through a few different stages over the years. The rockabilly sounds of the late 50's became popular in the cities of Japan just after they revolutionised the US music scene. Young guys and gals flocked to see the stars of the day do their best impersonations of Elvis and Gene Vincent at the Western Festival in Tokyo in Februaury 1958.
In the 60's, it was the Beatles and the Rolling Stones who inspired the imitation of local groups. Ereki (electric) guitar music was the in sound of what became known as the Group Sounds phenomenon. The best known local bands of the decade include the Tigers and the Spiders. The Tigers were the first band to play the Budokan, then the biggest indoor arena in the country. 1965 saw the first successful tour by US surf-sound band the Ventures, who have retained their huge popularity to this day. Record industry overkill finished off the Group Sounds era and the seventies saw the arrival of New Rock and the Idols.
Chage and Aska
Pizzicato Five
Aidoru (idol) was the word used to describe cute, girl-next-door singers who were designed, controlled and marketed just like any other product. In fact, for the talent agencies, having these starlets chosen to be the face of a candy bar or instant noodles in a TV commercial was as much part of the plan as selling records. The 70's and 80's saw hundreds of these idols come and go, such as Pink Lady, Yamaguchi Momoe, Tanokin Trio and The Candies. Pink Lady had nine No.1 hits in a row between 1976 and 1978 before disappearing without trace.
The 80's saw a degree of international success for the techno-pop of YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra). Band member Sakamoto Ryuichi went on to become the best known Japanese musician in the world but with little commercial success outside of movie soundtracks. The decade also saw the peak of so-called New Music, a fusion of folk, rock and pop typified by singer/songwriter Matsutoya Yumi, or Yuming. The top rock bands of the 80's included Southern All Stars, Kome Kome Club, Checkers and Princess Princess.
Get the latest J-Pop CDs, videos and more at the best prices at YesAsia.com
The 1990's and beyond
Although the heyday of the idols was in the 80's, the musical artists of the Johnny's Jimusho talent agency such as SMAP, V6 and Kinki Kids have ruled the airwaves for the best part of the decade. Having their own TV shows keeps them in the public eye even when they're between singles or tours. Together with artists 'created' by producer Komuro Tetsuya, they have ensured that bland pop music by youngsters who can't sing or play has been the hallmark of the genre known as J-pop. The mid-90's saw Komuro make it as an artist with the groups TM Network and globe. He then moved up a gear to exploit aspiring singers and fans alike to become one of the richest men in Japan. In his breakthrough year, 1995, Komuro's music made some 27 billion yen and the following year he had 5 of the top ten singles. His many creations include the Avex Trax label and artists trf, Amuro Namie and Kahala Tomomi.
Another former musician turned producer is Tsunku. He 'temporarily' retired from his position as frontman for the group Sharan-Q to become an 'idol-maker'. Few expected the huge success he pulled off with Morning Musume. This ever-evolving girl group literally took the J-Pop scene by storm following their TV creation in 1997. The 'Tsunku family' has continued to grow into a financial and promotional monster, with the Musumes and gaggles of other young starlets in what is called the Hello! Project constantly changing places, forming new offshoot groups and advertising everything under the sun. The sheer money-making capacity of this operation ensures that it will be with us for some time to come.
Hamasaki Ayumi was something of a new breed in the late 1990s - a young female singer with drive and ambition... and a good nose for marketing. This reputed ego-centric diva caught the fancy of the all-important high-school girl market, and became their unofficial fashion leader. This coupled with the income from her royalties - she writes her own material - helped her establish her position of power in the industry. In recent years, that position has been largely usurped by Koda Kumi, ironically also on Ayu's Avex label. She made good use of her sexy image and bubbly Kansai personality and rose from being a club singer to the country's biggest selling artist in 2006 and 2007.
V6
Glay
Utada Hikaru
Lest you think that Japanese popular music is all commercialism and void of any artistic merit, I should mention that there are some the more talented artists who have made the big time. 1999 saw the group Glay play to a crowd of 200,000, surely some kind of record. The 4-man group from Hokkaido play fairly standard J-Rock but they've built their succes through hard work and a solid 'rock n roll' image. The late 90's also saw some more western-style artists, such as Dragon Ash and Utada Hikaru explode onto the scene. Dragon Ash play a mixture of rap and rock and show that - at least when they manage to turn out a good single - Japanese can rap with the best of them.
Born in New York, the 16-year old Utada debuted in 1999 and though she looked just like another idol, she was clearly something completely new. She wrote and sang her own songs with a soulfulness beyond her years. Her good looks didn't do any harm and 'First Love' became the best-selling Japanese debut album, with almost 8 million copies sold. Like other artists, there were immediate tie-ins with commercials and TV appearances but Utada's experience of life outside the Japanese music scene helped her to rise above it. At the age of just 18, she became the youngest artist to appear on MTV's Unplugged show. Utada's success plus the growing power wielded by Hamasaki Ayumi paved the way for other independent-minded young women, such as Koyanagi Yuki and Shiina Ringo to get their break into the big time.
I'm not too au-fait with what's going on in current Japanese alternative, indie and club music. But some of the artists that I've been impressed with are: Thee Michelle Gun Elephant (a kind of Japanese Ramones), The Mad Capsule Markets, Buffalo Daughter, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her, Boom Boom Satellites and Captain Funk.
Related content: check out our many profiles of Japan's top pop artists.
So what's the problem with Japan? Several things - record companies are happy with the huge domestic sales racked up by the bands under their control (literally); the language barrier is a problem, with few Japanese feeling comfortable speaking or singing in English; and the fact that there is no market for the vast majority of Japanese pop music outside of Asia (other Asian countries have a strange admiration for all things Japanese, including the music).
There have been a few bright spots over the years but they're few and far between. Bands with musical talent, like Southern All Stars, Chage and Aska or Dreams Come True turn out records with some songs that stay with you but nothing that would break them in the US or Europe. In the 90's, other bands, like Shonen Knife, Pizzicato Five, Cibo Matto and Buffalo Daughter have a cult following abroad but little commercial success.
The Japanese music scene 1958~1990
The pop/rock music scene has gone through a few different stages over the years. The rockabilly sounds of the late 50's became popular in the cities of Japan just after they revolutionised the US music scene. Young guys and gals flocked to see the stars of the day do their best impersonations of Elvis and Gene Vincent at the Western Festival in Tokyo in Februaury 1958.
In the 60's, it was the Beatles and the Rolling Stones who inspired the imitation of local groups. Ereki (electric) guitar music was the in sound of what became known as the Group Sounds phenomenon. The best known local bands of the decade include the Tigers and the Spiders. The Tigers were the first band to play the Budokan, then the biggest indoor arena in the country. 1965 saw the first successful tour by US surf-sound band the Ventures, who have retained their huge popularity to this day. Record industry overkill finished off the Group Sounds era and the seventies saw the arrival of New Rock and the Idols.
Chage and Aska
Pizzicato Five
Aidoru (idol) was the word used to describe cute, girl-next-door singers who were designed, controlled and marketed just like any other product. In fact, for the talent agencies, having these starlets chosen to be the face of a candy bar or instant noodles in a TV commercial was as much part of the plan as selling records. The 70's and 80's saw hundreds of these idols come and go, such as Pink Lady, Yamaguchi Momoe, Tanokin Trio and The Candies. Pink Lady had nine No.1 hits in a row between 1976 and 1978 before disappearing without trace.
The 80's saw a degree of international success for the techno-pop of YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra). Band member Sakamoto Ryuichi went on to become the best known Japanese musician in the world but with little commercial success outside of movie soundtracks. The decade also saw the peak of so-called New Music, a fusion of folk, rock and pop typified by singer/songwriter Matsutoya Yumi, or Yuming. The top rock bands of the 80's included Southern All Stars, Kome Kome Club, Checkers and Princess Princess.
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The 1990's and beyond
Although the heyday of the idols was in the 80's, the musical artists of the Johnny's Jimusho talent agency such as SMAP, V6 and Kinki Kids have ruled the airwaves for the best part of the decade. Having their own TV shows keeps them in the public eye even when they're between singles or tours. Together with artists 'created' by producer Komuro Tetsuya, they have ensured that bland pop music by youngsters who can't sing or play has been the hallmark of the genre known as J-pop. The mid-90's saw Komuro make it as an artist with the groups TM Network and globe. He then moved up a gear to exploit aspiring singers and fans alike to become one of the richest men in Japan. In his breakthrough year, 1995, Komuro's music made some 27 billion yen and the following year he had 5 of the top ten singles. His many creations include the Avex Trax label and artists trf, Amuro Namie and Kahala Tomomi.
Another former musician turned producer is Tsunku. He 'temporarily' retired from his position as frontman for the group Sharan-Q to become an 'idol-maker'. Few expected the huge success he pulled off with Morning Musume. This ever-evolving girl group literally took the J-Pop scene by storm following their TV creation in 1997. The 'Tsunku family' has continued to grow into a financial and promotional monster, with the Musumes and gaggles of other young starlets in what is called the Hello! Project constantly changing places, forming new offshoot groups and advertising everything under the sun. The sheer money-making capacity of this operation ensures that it will be with us for some time to come.
Hamasaki Ayumi was something of a new breed in the late 1990s - a young female singer with drive and ambition... and a good nose for marketing. This reputed ego-centric diva caught the fancy of the all-important high-school girl market, and became their unofficial fashion leader. This coupled with the income from her royalties - she writes her own material - helped her establish her position of power in the industry. In recent years, that position has been largely usurped by Koda Kumi, ironically also on Ayu's Avex label. She made good use of her sexy image and bubbly Kansai personality and rose from being a club singer to the country's biggest selling artist in 2006 and 2007.
V6
Glay
Utada Hikaru
Lest you think that Japanese popular music is all commercialism and void of any artistic merit, I should mention that there are some the more talented artists who have made the big time. 1999 saw the group Glay play to a crowd of 200,000, surely some kind of record. The 4-man group from Hokkaido play fairly standard J-Rock but they've built their succes through hard work and a solid 'rock n roll' image. The late 90's also saw some more western-style artists, such as Dragon Ash and Utada Hikaru explode onto the scene. Dragon Ash play a mixture of rap and rock and show that - at least when they manage to turn out a good single - Japanese can rap with the best of them.
Born in New York, the 16-year old Utada debuted in 1999 and though she looked just like another idol, she was clearly something completely new. She wrote and sang her own songs with a soulfulness beyond her years. Her good looks didn't do any harm and 'First Love' became the best-selling Japanese debut album, with almost 8 million copies sold. Like other artists, there were immediate tie-ins with commercials and TV appearances but Utada's experience of life outside the Japanese music scene helped her to rise above it. At the age of just 18, she became the youngest artist to appear on MTV's Unplugged show. Utada's success plus the growing power wielded by Hamasaki Ayumi paved the way for other independent-minded young women, such as Koyanagi Yuki and Shiina Ringo to get their break into the big time.
I'm not too au-fait with what's going on in current Japanese alternative, indie and club music. But some of the artists that I've been impressed with are: Thee Michelle Gun Elephant (a kind of Japanese Ramones), The Mad Capsule Markets, Buffalo Daughter, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her, Boom Boom Satellites and Captain Funk.
Royal Family
The Japanese Imperial family is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world. The family's lineage dates back to the sixth century BC, though the title of Tenno (emperor) or Sumera-Mikoto (heavenly sovereign) was assumed by rulers in the sixth or seventh century and has been used since. The family crest (above) is the kiku, or chrysanthemum.
The role of the Emperor (and occasionally the Empress - there have been 8 to date) has varied in importance. Considered a divine being until the end of World War II, the postwar Constitution made him the "Symbol of the state". He plays a largely ceremonial part in the life of the nation.
Origins and early history
According to the historical chronicles of ancient Japan, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters, AD712) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan, AD720), the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami presented the sanshu no jingi or Imperial Regalia to her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto. He in turn passed them on to his descendants, the emperors, the first of whom was Emperor Jimmu. The regalia, a mirror, a sword and a curved jewel are symbols of the legitimacy and authority of the emperor. These creation myths also form the foundations of the indigenous Shinto faith.
The emperor was thought to possess magical powers and to converse with the gods. It was therefore considered beneath him to become involved in the day-to-day running of the country. This was left to ministers and advisors. An exception was the period between the 7th and 8th centuries during which several emperors tried to bring the regional clans under central Imperial control. The first emperor to establish such direct imperial rule, modelled after the Chinese Tang dynasty, was Emperor Tenji who ruled between 661 and 672. Later during the Nara Period (710~794) Prince Shotoku, son of the Empress Suiko, created Japan's first constitution and established Buddhism as the country's dominant religion.
At the beginning of the Heian Period (794~1185), Emperor Kammu established a new capital in Kyoto, a city designed based on the Chinese capital. A combination of efforts to free the emperor from the web of entrenched bureaucracy and the court's increasing preoccupation with the pursuit of the arts and literature led to a situation where the real power was held by those occupying the posts of regent, for emperors not yet of age, and chief advisor. These posts were dominated by the Fujiwara and later the Taira families. While making no claim to the emperor's title or ritual role, the clans basically ruled in his name for several centuries.
Except for a period during the 14th century when the Emperor Godaigo briefly restored imperial rule, for almost the next 700 years, Japan was ruled by a succession of Shoguns, or military leaders. It wasn't until Tokugawa Ieyasu became Shogun of the recently reunited Japan at the beginning of the Edo Period (1600~1868) that the imperial institution regained some of its former glory, if not its power. While the Tokugawa's ruled from Edo (now Tokyo), the imperial court was in Kyoto and performed duties that, while important to the shogunate, were mostly religious rituals.
Early modern period
During the Edo Period, a time of great cultural advancement but also of almost total isolation, a school of intellectuals known as kinno-ha, or imperial loyalists, developed their concept of Japanese identity with the emperor at its symbolic center. Faced with foreign pressure to 'open up' the country to foreign trade and diplomacy following the arrival of US Commodore Matthew C. Perry's 'Black Ships' in 1853, this concept was adopted as a rallying cry to defenders from the foreign threat. By 1868, they had succeeded in toppling the Tokugawa shogunate and establishing a new national government under direct imperial rule - the Meiji Restoration (analogies to this period of revolutionary change are often made by today's radical politicians).
The Meiji leaders spent the next twenty years experimenting with the imperial system before creating the Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1889. The emperor was 'sacred and inviolable' and sovereignty rested with him as the Head of the Empire. He commanded the armed forces, declared war and concluded treaties. All laws required the his sanction and enforcement. And yet he had no real political power; his main role was to ratify and give the imperial stamp of approval to decisions made by his ministers.
Post World War II
Following Japan's defeat in World War II, the occupation forces carried out radical reforms of the country's government and imperial systems. While there were calls for the emperor to stand trial at the 1946 Tokyo Tribunal and for the imperial system to be completely abolished, a more moderate approach was taken. The emperor had no political powers and under Article 1 of the new 'Showa' constitution he became 'the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power'. His role was purely symbolic and his functions subject to cabinet approval. The emperor himself declared in a New Year's Day radio broadcast that he was 'not divine'.
During the postwar period, efforts were made to bring the imperial family closer to the people, no longer his 'subjects' but citizens. Certainly there is great affection among Japanese people for their 'royals' as could be seen at the funeral of Emperor Hirohito in 1989 or the marriage of Crown Prince Naruhito to Princess Masako in 1993. The eagerly anticipated birth of a male heir to the Crown Prince was even thought of in terms of an event that could spark Japan's economic revival. The fact that his and Masako's first child was a girl (Aiko) and Masako was reaching an age where another child was increasingly unlikely, there were renewed moves to revise the Imperial House Law to allow female members of the family to ascend to the throne. This was proposed on the grounds of sexual equality and the fact that there have been 8 women on the throne in the past. The birth of a son to Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko in September 2006 may have put this issue on the shelf for another generation.
The role of the Emperor (and occasionally the Empress - there have been 8 to date) has varied in importance. Considered a divine being until the end of World War II, the postwar Constitution made him the "Symbol of the state". He plays a largely ceremonial part in the life of the nation.
Origins and early history
According to the historical chronicles of ancient Japan, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters, AD712) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan, AD720), the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami presented the sanshu no jingi or Imperial Regalia to her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto. He in turn passed them on to his descendants, the emperors, the first of whom was Emperor Jimmu. The regalia, a mirror, a sword and a curved jewel are symbols of the legitimacy and authority of the emperor. These creation myths also form the foundations of the indigenous Shinto faith.
The emperor was thought to possess magical powers and to converse with the gods. It was therefore considered beneath him to become involved in the day-to-day running of the country. This was left to ministers and advisors. An exception was the period between the 7th and 8th centuries during which several emperors tried to bring the regional clans under central Imperial control. The first emperor to establish such direct imperial rule, modelled after the Chinese Tang dynasty, was Emperor Tenji who ruled between 661 and 672. Later during the Nara Period (710~794) Prince Shotoku, son of the Empress Suiko, created Japan's first constitution and established Buddhism as the country's dominant religion.
At the beginning of the Heian Period (794~1185), Emperor Kammu established a new capital in Kyoto, a city designed based on the Chinese capital. A combination of efforts to free the emperor from the web of entrenched bureaucracy and the court's increasing preoccupation with the pursuit of the arts and literature led to a situation where the real power was held by those occupying the posts of regent, for emperors not yet of age, and chief advisor. These posts were dominated by the Fujiwara and later the Taira families. While making no claim to the emperor's title or ritual role, the clans basically ruled in his name for several centuries.
Except for a period during the 14th century when the Emperor Godaigo briefly restored imperial rule, for almost the next 700 years, Japan was ruled by a succession of Shoguns, or military leaders. It wasn't until Tokugawa Ieyasu became Shogun of the recently reunited Japan at the beginning of the Edo Period (1600~1868) that the imperial institution regained some of its former glory, if not its power. While the Tokugawa's ruled from Edo (now Tokyo), the imperial court was in Kyoto and performed duties that, while important to the shogunate, were mostly religious rituals.
Early modern period
During the Edo Period, a time of great cultural advancement but also of almost total isolation, a school of intellectuals known as kinno-ha, or imperial loyalists, developed their concept of Japanese identity with the emperor at its symbolic center. Faced with foreign pressure to 'open up' the country to foreign trade and diplomacy following the arrival of US Commodore Matthew C. Perry's 'Black Ships' in 1853, this concept was adopted as a rallying cry to defenders from the foreign threat. By 1868, they had succeeded in toppling the Tokugawa shogunate and establishing a new national government under direct imperial rule - the Meiji Restoration (analogies to this period of revolutionary change are often made by today's radical politicians).
The Meiji leaders spent the next twenty years experimenting with the imperial system before creating the Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1889. The emperor was 'sacred and inviolable' and sovereignty rested with him as the Head of the Empire. He commanded the armed forces, declared war and concluded treaties. All laws required the his sanction and enforcement. And yet he had no real political power; his main role was to ratify and give the imperial stamp of approval to decisions made by his ministers.
Post World War II
Following Japan's defeat in World War II, the occupation forces carried out radical reforms of the country's government and imperial systems. While there were calls for the emperor to stand trial at the 1946 Tokyo Tribunal and for the imperial system to be completely abolished, a more moderate approach was taken. The emperor had no political powers and under Article 1 of the new 'Showa' constitution he became 'the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power'. His role was purely symbolic and his functions subject to cabinet approval. The emperor himself declared in a New Year's Day radio broadcast that he was 'not divine'.
During the postwar period, efforts were made to bring the imperial family closer to the people, no longer his 'subjects' but citizens. Certainly there is great affection among Japanese people for their 'royals' as could be seen at the funeral of Emperor Hirohito in 1989 or the marriage of Crown Prince Naruhito to Princess Masako in 1993. The eagerly anticipated birth of a male heir to the Crown Prince was even thought of in terms of an event that could spark Japan's economic revival. The fact that his and Masako's first child was a girl (Aiko) and Masako was reaching an age where another child was increasingly unlikely, there were renewed moves to revise the Imperial House Law to allow female members of the family to ascend to the throne. This was proposed on the grounds of sexual equality and the fact that there have been 8 women on the throne in the past. The birth of a son to Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko in September 2006 may have put this issue on the shelf for another generation.
UKiyo-e
Waitress Okita from the Naniwaya Tearoom - Utamaro
The name of this art form literally means pictures of the floating world. The term 'floating world' refers to a generally hedonistic way of life, and was often used as a euphemism for the bars and houses of ill-repute which were so popular among artists and literary types in pre-war Japan. Ukiyo-e wood-block prints first appeared early in the Edo Period (1600~1868) and depicted stories set in this after-hours world. Flashy kabuki actors and stylish courtesans were the most popular subjects. Later artists started depicting scenes from nature and works such as Hokusai's views of Mt. Fuji (see below) are among the most famous today.
The prints were a collaboration between artist, publisher, wood-block carver and printer although they are almost always accredited to the artist and publisher only.
Ukiyo-e were often used for book illustrations but really came into their own as single-sheet prints. They played a role much like modern-day pulp fiction and thanks to a rapidly increasing level of literacy, became extremely popular among the middle class. Another role was that of posters for the kabuki theater, which was also rapidly gaining in popularity. Ukiyo-e also played their part in the development of Western art in the late 19th century, influencing such important artists as Van Gogh, Monet, Degas and Klimt.
In the mid-18th century, techniques were developed to allow full-color printing and the ukiyo-e which we see reproduced today on post cards and calendars date from this period on. Utamaro and Hokusai are the big names from this period, and other prominent artists include Hiroshige and Sharaku.
Kitagawa Utamaro (1753~1806) is famous for his depictions of beautiful women from the tearooms (above), shops and pleasure quarters of Edo. He also designed some of the most beautifully illustrated books in the history of ukiyo-e.
Katsushika Hokusai (1760~1849) is best known for his nature scenes and his series 'Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji'. This series started a whole new style of landscape ukiyo-e. The famous illustration of a giant wave engulfing fishing boats, with Mt. Fuji merely a background detail (top right), is one of the most familiar Japanese works of art.
Ukiyo-e remain part of the Japanese cultural identity today and elements of the more famous works are often incorporated into modern art and design. Reproductions can be picked up for a very reasonable price in souvenir shops. They make excellent souveniers for anyone who wants to take home something quintessentially Japanese (and light!).
Beneath the Waves off Kanagawa (from the series '36 Views of Mt. Fuji', 1831) - Hokusai
Kambara (from the series '53 Stations of the Tokaido Road', 1833~4) - Hiroshige
For a good, and entertaining, read about what remained of the Edo entertainment districts in the first half of this century, you could do worse than check out Kazuo Ishiguro's novel 'Artist of the Floating World', short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1986. The writer grew up in the UK and writes in English.
The name of this art form literally means pictures of the floating world. The term 'floating world' refers to a generally hedonistic way of life, and was often used as a euphemism for the bars and houses of ill-repute which were so popular among artists and literary types in pre-war Japan. Ukiyo-e wood-block prints first appeared early in the Edo Period (1600~1868) and depicted stories set in this after-hours world. Flashy kabuki actors and stylish courtesans were the most popular subjects. Later artists started depicting scenes from nature and works such as Hokusai's views of Mt. Fuji (see below) are among the most famous today.
The prints were a collaboration between artist, publisher, wood-block carver and printer although they are almost always accredited to the artist and publisher only.
Ukiyo-e were often used for book illustrations but really came into their own as single-sheet prints. They played a role much like modern-day pulp fiction and thanks to a rapidly increasing level of literacy, became extremely popular among the middle class. Another role was that of posters for the kabuki theater, which was also rapidly gaining in popularity. Ukiyo-e also played their part in the development of Western art in the late 19th century, influencing such important artists as Van Gogh, Monet, Degas and Klimt.
In the mid-18th century, techniques were developed to allow full-color printing and the ukiyo-e which we see reproduced today on post cards and calendars date from this period on. Utamaro and Hokusai are the big names from this period, and other prominent artists include Hiroshige and Sharaku.
Kitagawa Utamaro (1753~1806) is famous for his depictions of beautiful women from the tearooms (above), shops and pleasure quarters of Edo. He also designed some of the most beautifully illustrated books in the history of ukiyo-e.
Katsushika Hokusai (1760~1849) is best known for his nature scenes and his series 'Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji'. This series started a whole new style of landscape ukiyo-e. The famous illustration of a giant wave engulfing fishing boats, with Mt. Fuji merely a background detail (top right), is one of the most familiar Japanese works of art.
Ukiyo-e remain part of the Japanese cultural identity today and elements of the more famous works are often incorporated into modern art and design. Reproductions can be picked up for a very reasonable price in souvenir shops. They make excellent souveniers for anyone who wants to take home something quintessentially Japanese (and light!).
Beneath the Waves off Kanagawa (from the series '36 Views of Mt. Fuji', 1831) - Hokusai
Kambara (from the series '53 Stations of the Tokaido Road', 1833~4) - Hiroshige
For a good, and entertaining, read about what remained of the Edo entertainment districts in the first half of this century, you could do worse than check out Kazuo Ishiguro's novel 'Artist of the Floating World', short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1986. The writer grew up in the UK and writes in English.
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