On this episode of the Japan Station podcast two members of the Kyoto-based metal band Cosmic Earth stop by to talk about their new album inspired by the Tokyo Olympics, the Kyoto heavy metal scene, and more. About Cosmic Earth Cosmic Earth is a Kyoto-based doom metal/stoner rock/heavy blues rock band founded by guitarist Takuya Yada in 2017. Cosmic …

Who knew so many anime characters were so good at playing the piano? In the more than two decades since Neon Genesis Evangelion hit the airwaves, its iconic opening theme “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” (Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze), has been covered countless times. In fact, there’s so many of these covers that at least a couple of them have …

Let Pikotaro whip you into shape with his latest song. Are you stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic? Are you thinking that you should exercise more? Are you not sure what to do? Maybe you can do some Zumba. Or how about doing a yoga class through Zoom? Or you can forget all that and give working out …

On This Episode of Japan Station On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we’re exploring the history of Japanese aidoru (idols) and discussing the dynamics behind one of Japan’s most popular idol groups: AKB48. About Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith Dr. Patrick W. Galbraith is a lecturer at Senshu University in Tokyo. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the …

Can’t sleep? Then you should listen to someone count sheep in Japanese. Life during the coronavirus pandemic has been extremely stressful for just about everyone on planet earth. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in many people having trouble falling asleep. But if you’re one of these individuals, then fear not, becase, as discussed in a prior article, Kiryūin Shō, the …

An unexpected collab in the age of jishuku. Like much of the rest of the world Japan is in the midst of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders in Japan are asking people to refrain from going out as much as possible in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. That, of course, has resulted in many creatives …

Dempagumi.inc won’t let the coronavirus pandemic stop them! On April 15, the idol group Dempagumi.inc released a brand new music video inspired directly by the COVID-19 pandemic and produced completely remotely. The new music video is for a song titled “Nanto! Sekai Kōinin Hikikomori (なんと！世界公認 引きこもり), which in English could be translated to something along the lines of “The world …

Who knew alpacas could jump-rope? Something I enjoy doing when I have the time is looking around YouTube for forgotten but interesting Japanese-language content. Most of the time, I don’t find much, but every once in a while I strike gold. A while ago I stimbled across a video that would fall under the latter category and eventually led to …

I have a hand. I have a soap. UH! Wash, wash, wash, wash, wash, wash, wash, wash, wash, wash… With the global coronavirus pandemic going on it is more important than ever to frequently and thoroughly wash your hands. It’s recommended that you should carefully wash your hands for at least 20 seconds using soap numerous times throughout the day. …

The song panchira lovers have been waiting for. The idol group Ebisu Muscats has released a new song and music video dedicated entirely to panchira, a.k.a. the act of catching a quick glimpse of a woman’s panties, a.k.a. that thing that male characters in anime often go crazy for. Check it out video below, but just keep in mind, while …

 On This Episode of Japan Station On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we’re exploring the world of the bamboo flute known as the shakuhachi.. About Christopher Yohemei Blasdel Christopher Yohmei Blasdel is a master of the shakuhachi, an educator, and an award-winning author. He began instruction in the instrument in Japan in 1972 and has spent almost …

A virtual singer from China that sings in Japanese. What an age we live in. When people hear the term Vocaloid, most immediately think of the “virtual pop idol” Hatsune Miku, and that’s for good reason. She is definitely the most popular virtual idol to use the Vocaloid engine. However, there’s actually many other virtual singers who owe their ability …