Thread: Japanese music recommendations

i got one great band for u then DBSK (dong bang shin ki) there really good they have a diffrent name for korea,china and japan but they sing mostly in japanese and i think theres only one song 'hug' that they sang in english and u should probs look up BOA too when ur at it!! all good XD

I always found utada hikaru to be great. The album beautiful world rocks. Also chech out nan mizugi.

Ironically though both BOA and DBSK (Tohoshiki in Japan) are from Korea, same company in fact (SME). Unfortunately however, Tohoshiki disbanded last March due to internal conflict among the members and three members' contract to SME.

Big Bang's another Korean based group that has taken root in Japan recently. To be honest, they're also my favorite of the main korean ones to come to Japan. Big Bang won the yearly award for best Newcomers for 2009.

YouTube - BIGBANG / ガラガラGO!!

Then there's Perfume, an all girl's band which specializes in techno. Their synchronization is insane when they dance. They are a relatively new band, only a few years old, but twice they appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Kōhaku Uta Gassen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

YouTube - Perfume - Polyrhythm (PV)

Scandal is an all girl's group that does light music like K-On does. It is well know that they are anime fans. Their most current single is a song for the show Full Metal Alchemist, but in the past they have cover songs such as "Don't Say Lazy" from K-On. They were second place, but were not awarded best Newcomer for 2009.

YouTube - SCANDAL Shoujo S subtitled

Ayumi Hamasaki is a household name in Japan. She is the singer for two Inuyasha songs, but it is more likely that is not where you have heard her. She is easily one of Avex's top idols, if not the top female idol. Her songs range from gentle ballads to heavier pop songs. Her dresses are crazy, huge, and i'm amazed that she can even walk around in them most times. Her voice is amazing.

YouTube - ayumi hamasaki ASIA TOUR 10th anniversary Live in Taipei DVD cm

Ayaka. I'll miss her dearly. She was forced to end her career short due to a serious illness known as the Graves Disease. Graves' disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

She is currently taking daily therapy with her husband. She is a singer of ballads. Maybe you have heard her sing the first ending song to Cross Game. I get teary everything that I listen to it. Let her voice wash over you. Like Ayumi, Ayaka is the winner of several Best Band awards in Japan for the past years.

YouTube - 絢香 / みんな空の下

There are other girl groups or soloists that I like, but i'll just give you a name to let you find out about them yourself. I want to get to the guys already xD

Aiko
Otsuka Ai
AKB48 (Japan's new big hit >_>)
Matsuura Aya
C-ute
Berryz Koubou
Nakagawa Shoko

Now for the guys.

It is impossible to go to Japan now and not know about Arashi, the biggest boy band in decades. They are constantly setting new selling records, yet they have only been together for ten years. It is a five member group consisting of Leader Ohno, Nino, Sho, Jun, and Aiba. They are always said to have been very close, like you could watch them and they let all professional appearances drop during their own shows. It's like you're apart of the family by watching them.

Newest Single: YouTube - Arashi-TroubleMaker [PV] [HD]
I would alos recommend to check out Believe, Truth, and A.Ra.Shi

Kinki Kids have the guineas book of world records for most first selling singles with rank of number 1. 29 straight first place singles out of 229 singles ever released. It is often said that the duo acts like a married couple of fifty years. They know each other inside and out, what they will say before it is said, they know the other's dislikes and likes. Example, Koichi hates sweets, so Tsyuoshi, without asking, kindly takes sweets away from Koichi and Koichi is happy for it.

Their first single and newest singles: YouTube - Garasu No Shounen LIVE- Phi DVD
YouTube - KinKi Kids Swan Song+Talk

GACKT has several times been said to be the best looking person on earth. Not best looking guy, but person. His voice is brilliant and he's a genius. He knows quite a bit of languages that he can speak fluently, and always he is looking for a new language to tackle. He sings every genre basically from pop to rock to heavy metal then back to hip-pop to ballads. He is a man of many talents.

YouTube - Gackt (Kamen Rider Decade :The Next Decade) MV (english sub)

EXILE now that Tohoshiki is disbanded, this is the only group that can give Arashi trouble in their sales. EXILE won the best band award for the past two years consecutively. They consist of two singers and a LOT of back dancers. Essentially eye candy.

YouTube - EXILE / Someday

SMAP is so big in japan that they have been talked about on shows like Opera Whinfrey and Jay Leno. Said to be Asia's Beatles; they are a five member group of phenomenal talents. Kimura Takuya is one of Japan's top actors, Nakai is the second most wanted MC, he is also the highest paid Johnny's for what he does.

YouTube - SMAP 林志玲 2009 新曲 そっと きゅっと PV HD

There are of course more groups that i do like, but i'm getting tired of writing this all down. I think i gave you a good enough outlook on current japanese music. but if you want to look at more guy groups, here are some must know names:

KAT-TUN
NEWS
Kanjani8
Hikaru Genji
NYCBoys
Hey Say Jump
AAA (mixed gender group)
Tokio
ellegarden
V6

Now, my favorite Japanese group of all time is an all girl group that took Japan by storm years ago, still alive today. A group that have stood on the top of the music industry in Japan is Morning Musume. They are my obsession when i'm not watching anime. Here's an old song and a newer song. They are the first group to ever take away and add new members periodically every few years known as Auditioning and Graduating.

Love Machine: YouTube - Morning Musume - Love Machine
Nachatte Renai: YouTube - 【HD】 Nanchatte Renai (08-30-09) ~ LIVE

Schwein, Schaft, Buck-Tick, and Soft Ballet.
I love all of them, though Schwein and Schaft have some not Japanese members/lyrics if that's ok. Schwein songs are sung in Japanese, English, and German. Schaft is sung in english. Both Schwein and Schaft are composed of members of Buck-Tick. Schaft stuff is very hard to get a hold of, but once you get it, you'll be glad you did.

DBSK/THSK disbanded ;__;, but my favorite of their members and arguably their best vocalist, Xiah Junsu, just released an interesting solo song, "Intoxication." If you are any healthy young girl, you will appreciate Junsu's begs to be molested <3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccJaKWTOOk

Make sure to look up THSK's songs though. Doesn't hurt to still love them after they are gone =). I personally prefer their Korean songs.

zyta gave an extensive list, but I'd like to add Koda Kumi. After Utada Hikaru and Hamasaki Ayumi passed their peak in popularity, Koda Kumi took over. She's still the figurehead of the "kawaii cool" trend in Japan right now. Her concerts look a bit like a strip show, but you can't deny her sexiness. The song "Cutey Honey" is a bit old but you may recognize it from anime music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvpkUHTTmDA

If you are looking for something softer and pretty, I second zyta's call for ayaka. She's so precious...her song "Okaeri" is an all-time fave of mine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcNICNLDkV0

Bump of Chicken recently released a new song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVVQynaCOYg

I know you said no rock, and Radwimps kinda has rock songs (even though it is hard to pinpoint their genre), but they also have amazing soft songs, like "Order Made" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CetVGsV6g44.

I didn't expect such quick responses. <3
Thanks to all :] I only heard few from what are suggested. that's great <3

Sei-chan - Sorry I didn't mean to imply rock isn't welcome. Suggestions of Jpn rock music will be great but looks like I have enough suggestions already to look into. ;]

A good japanese band that i like is The Brillant Green. i have one of their cds. They music is very good and i love them all!!