POP POP!

Ask any Japanese student what their hobby is, and 9 times out of 10, the response will be "listen to music" (gerunds, it seems, are not in vogue).  With an entire generation sequestered in rooms just sitting there, listening to music, I was curious as to what kinds of tunes were holding them captive.  Based on their responses, it appears that most of them are caught in the sticky sweet web of J-pop and K-pop (J for Japanese, K for Korean).  Oh yes, there is the occasional ode to Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, or Avril Lavigne, but true love is reserved for the likes of Kara, Girls' Generation, EXILE, and AKB48.  The latter two groups are particularly popular; EXILE is a male group 14 performers strong, whose most notable member is named Atsushi.  Atsushi, a self-proclaimed Boyz II Men devotee, is infamous for wearing sunglasses everywhere, making him look more like a poster boy for the yakuza than a boy band.   

Atsushi. From http://item.rakuten.co.jp

AKB48, on the other hand, blows all other ensembles out of the water, with 64 members.  That's right, SIXTY. FOUR.  In fact, I read somewhere that it holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest pop group in existence.  That's not including Aimi Eguchi, AKB's "newest member," who was eventually revealed to be a fictional person, her image actually a mash up of the features of other AKB48 stars, Photoshopped together.

Aimi Eguchi.  From http://www.asianbite.com

Pop music encourages an interesting sociological study into what Japanese people find entertaining, if not attractive.  For the most part, it seems to be androgynous young males (kireo) and young women who are made to look younger than their actual age.  As one of my friends recently wrote to me after discovering an AKB48 video on YouTube: "Felt like it was sexualizing 12 year olds.  Couldn't watch.  Still listening though.  Still horrible."  Also popular are the child performers like Mana Ashida, whose hit "Maru Maru Mori Mori" is ubiquitous.  The trend appears to be that all of these acts exemplify the "cute culture" that is so popular in Japan, even though we as westerners think they are a little weird (be sure not to miss 3:28).

The merchandising for these groups is a fascinating business model.  Clothing, towels, school supplies, cell phones, and even foods are branded with various pop groups.  Need internet service? Sign up for AKB48 internet, and, among other things, you can create a virtual love child with any of the group's 64 members.  Want to ensure that your favorite AKB starlet is included in the main lineup?  You can buy a ticket and vote in the election (or hope that your choice wins in an epic janken, or rock-paper-scissors, match).  

Each year, the English Speaking Society at my high school selects one or two songs to perform in front of the entire student body at our school festival in September.  This year they've outdone themselves with two J-pop numbers, "Share the World," and "The Boys."  If you click on the links, you can hear the songs in their entirety.  I'll say no more about them, but if you do give them a listen, please try to envision me, the other (male) English teacher DL, and a group of (sweet, innocent, awkward and very young) high school girls singing and dancing along.