Keeping up with a Japanese culture blog when you lead a busy life can be hard, but it seems that whatever I do, wherever I go, Japan finds me. A lot of my free time these days is taken up with Latin dancing (salsa and bachata), and a while ago my teacher pointed out that one … Continue reading
The UK’s number one Tsugaru shamisen player Hibiki Ichikawa is back with a sensational new album, aptly called ‘Shami-sensational’. This fantastic album contains 8 new tracks, featuring the shamisen player himself, as well as guest vocals from Akari Mochizuki and instruments from a number of other contributors. Check out some samples from the album in … Continue reading
Last time queen of kawaii Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ) came to the UK I couldn’t go to her concert and I was gutted, so when I heard she was returning I knew I couldn’t miss it for the world! My friend and I went up to Camden for the night a couple of weeks ago, … Continue reading
“X Japan (エックス・ジャパン) is a Japanese heavy metal band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Predominantly a power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive sound with an emphasis on ballads. Besides being one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while … Continue reading
10th – 12th July 2015 saw the HYPER JAPAN Festival, dubbed ‘the UK’s biggest J-culture event’ come to the O2 in London. Having previously been held at venues such as Olympia and Earls Court, the O2 was a new home for this ever-popular event. I went along on the Saturday and Sunday to get my … Continue reading
When my friend and first Japanese teacher Chika先生 sent me a message to say that Kinoco Hotel were playing live in Bristol and I should go, I knew I should. I had never heard of Kinoco Hotel (キノコホテル), but soon discovered they were a “Japanese, 1960s hotel-themed all-girl group”. Hotel-themed?! I was intrigued. It’s been a … Continue reading
A couple of weeks ago I went to see Yamato, a taiko (太鼓) troupe from Japan, perform at the Hippodrome in Bristol. I’ve seen lots of taiko performances before, and I think I’ve seen Yamato perform once before in London, but I’m always excited to see another taiko performance. The show was great! They are … Continue reading
*Apologies for the length of this post – it’s a bit epic! If you don’t have time for it all, but do have nine and a half minutes, please skip to the end and watch the last video!* When I knew I would be going to Japan this year I knew that meant I would … Continue reading
What happens when the two quirkiest queens of pop try to out-kawaii each other? Japan found out this week when Lady Gaga appeared on the TV show Music Station (ミュージックステーション) and was sat in the same studio as Harajuku’s own Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ). Both wearing colourful outfits and pink bows in their hair, Lady Gaga … Continue reading
Let me take you back to sometime between 2001 and 2003. I was working in a second-hand CD shop in Portsmouth while I was a university student, and most of my wages used to go on CDs, DVDs and games. One day I came across this CD: I had no idea what it was but, … Continue reading
Haikugirl's Japan 