Earlier this year I felt pretty sad when I’ve read that my favorite Japanese boyband ARASHI 嵐 will be going on hiatus in 2020. I’ve been a fan for almost 12 years and I cannot believe that their era is coming to an end.
However for their 20th anniversary ARASHI 嵐 have decided to finally open a youtube channel.
I remember it was very difficult looking for their music videos in the past. And if there were any unofficial videos on youtube, it would be removed immediately after some time. It was a challenge watching their videos.
Although they’ve open the channel 2 weeks ago, I still could not help but create this post!
As of posting this there’s not much video on their channel yet. There is however 5 music videos on the channel. I wish there would be more — I mean they did have like 56 singles (according to Wikipedia) which I image each of them has an equivalent music video. The only thing I m disappointed about the channel is that the music video for “Wish” has not been posted.
But we did get the video to their debut single A-RA-SHI.
And to all the Hana Yori Dango fans (like me) they’ve uploaded Love So Sweet.
So as a request to Arashi’s youtube channel – please do upload more! So we don’t feel sad when Arashi takes a hiatus.
I haven’t paid too much attention to Jpop recently. But this is essentially a cross between Jpop and Kpop so I decided to post it.
It’s the PV for One Day, a track by 2AM and 2PM.
I’m sure their fans would have known of this already. I am not much of a 2PM fan (except for Nichkhun). I liked them before, when Jay Park was there, but for me after Again and Again and I Hate You, I really didn’t quite get their songs. But I still like Nichkhun! It’s a different story for 2AM. I liked them since I heard What To Do and Confession of a Friend and I’ve never stopped liking them!
This song is a Japanese single. I think this song is actually a good one for the Japanese market. It’s the kind of song most Japanese boy band releases. Do I like it? Hmm.. it’s ok I think, but not a favorite of mine, but pleasant to the ear. I don’t hate it, just not very catchy for me. (I think this is the big difference for me with Jpop and Kpop)
The video is quite simple, just them dressed in suits and doing the usual dance. Ok Taecyeon! I don’t know what’s with me but I like the way you look in this video! Kya.. and not to mention Jinwoon (sorry I can’t helped but be biased). And yay! we got to see 2AM dance again. Speaking of dancing, their moves remind me of Arashi and their dance steps from the not so old days. If I hadn’t know better, I would think they were a Japanese boy band instead of a Korean one. Suddenly I miss my Arashi crazy days! Matsumoto Jun, Sakurai Sho! (at this point I am surpressing my Arashi fandom because this post is about 2AM and 2PM).
Final Verdict:I think the song is for the Japanese market, not the usual 2AM/2PM song, but good for Jpop. And the dancing reminds me of my Japanese boyband fandom! Oh how I miss Arashi!
I don’t really post Japanese songs these days.. but boy am I glad to see a new video from Speed. It’s called Little Dancer リトルダンサー.
I was supposedly going to post a song from Perfume, but I think I have to post this. I am not sure if this is a new single, but the video was just uploaded today.
Who is Speed? They are a Jpop dance group who have been in the industry for maybe almost 10 years (or maybe more). I actually didn’t know about them before, I was a Perfume fan. But a friend introduced me to them, and I’ve been listening to their songs ever since — even the old ones.
The Japanese music industries, like Korea also has a lot of girl groups and boy bands. And most often than not, the girls and boys start out really young. And the thing I love about Speed is that they regrouped and they are still able to make their songs popular even after a lot of younger groups are being introduced. That’s what I love about the Japanese industry, because their boy bands and girl groups lasts for a long time — like SMAP or Arashi.
Anyway, I can’t wait for more of their songs. I know someone is gonna be so excited to see this video! kk
I don’t know why, but suddenly these days I am having a penchant for talking about and researching fashion. I guess a presentation my student gave me about Korean fashion made me suddenly interested in it.
Now as I was browsing through an old magazine (I say old even though it was just a magazine last year), I saw a collection that really caught my eye, because of it’s chic attempt at a very traditional kind of clothing. And I am talking about the dresses of Naoko Tsuruta‘s Kimono Chic fashion.
That’s here beside the model. Look at that design. And look at her dress, a modern take on the kimono! Love!
In her website, it says that she started out as a jewelry designer and eventually made on to designing dresses. I absolutely love the fact that she the traditional kimono — which by the way in reality is a very difficult ensemble to wear — and transformed it into something chic and modern that any girl can wear. I am a big fan of flowy dresses (though I’m not sure if it looks good on me), and her design has really really gotten my applause!
Check out her other clothes:
I could wear her clothes! She doesn’t have a new collection out yet (or so I think). But I am definitely wanting more of her style and will be watching out for more of her designs.
**credits: www.naokotsuruta.com + Victor Fraile/Getty Images AsiaPac + as tagged (I don’t own any of the images here)
Kya! I miss this song! And I remember this was the first Japanese song that I really liked. And since then I have been a fan of the Japanese pop/dance genre.
Sweet Soul Reveu is a very old song, some time around 1993 or 1994. It’s sung by a Japanese pop group called Pizzicato Five. They are very popular to audiences from the West.
I miss hearing “A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular” in their songs! I was still a kid back then but this song really ruled for me!! And I didn’t even know the meaning of the words!!! It just sounded good to an elementary school kid! I could not find any Kanji for the song!!! But the Romanized words are there.. I so miss Pizzicato Five!!
Sweet Soul Reveu (Romanized)
Kesa hajimete
Kagami wo mite
Ki ga tsuita no
Anata ni koi shiteru no
Anata ni koi shiteru no
Omekashi shite
Doko e yuku no?
So anata ni
Ai ni yuku no yo
Baby machi wa itsumo parade
Baby dakara tsuite iko yo
Yo no naka ni wa
Sweet ya
Catchy ga ippai aru yo ne
Dakishimetai
Ureshikute
Hoho hozuri shitakunaru desho
Hora revue ga hajimaru
Hora okurenaide ne
Hora revue ga hajimaru
Hora wasurenaide ne
Tabun kyo wa
Watashi wo mite
Ki ga tsuku hazu
Anata mo koi shiterutte
Watashi ni koi shiterutte
Terebi de mita
Furui eiga
Musical no
Revue mitai ne
Baby machi wa itsumo parade
Baby hora ne kikoeru desho
Yo no naka ni wa
Happy ya
Lucky ga ippai aru yo ne
Kuchizuketai
Ureshikute
Hoho hozuri
Shitakunaru desho
Hora revue ga hajimaru
Hora okurenaide ne
Hora revue ga hajimaru
Hora wasurenaide ne
Yo no naka ni wa
Sweet ya
Catchy ga
Ippai aru hazu
Kami-sama
Parade ni
Ame nante furasenaide
Yo no naka ni
Happy mo
Lucky mo
Zenzen nakutemo
Anata to nara
Ureshikute
Hoho hozuri shitakunaru desho
Hozuri shitakunaru desho
Hora revue ga hajimaru
Hora okurenaide ne
Hora revue ga hajimaru
Hora wasurenaide ne
Sweet Soul Reveu (Translation)
I didn’t notice till I looked
In the mirror
This morning
I’m falling in love with you
I’m falling in love with you
Where am I going
Dressing up?
Yes, I’m going
To see you
Baby, this town is always a parade
Baby, so I am following
In this world
There are a lot of sweet
And catchy things
Wanna hug
Wanna be happy
Don’t you want to hold them close?
Hey, the revue is starting
Hey, don’t be late
Hey, the revue is starting
Hey, don’t forget
Perhaps you noticed
When you
Looked at me today
You’re fallin’ in love
Fallin’ in love with me
On tv I saw
And old movie
It was like
A musical revue
Baby, the town is always a parade
Baby listen! don’t you hear it?
In this world
There a lot of happy
And lucky things
Wanna kiss
Wanna be glad
Don’t you want to hold them close?
Don’t you want to hold them close?
Hey, the revue is starting
Hey, don’t be late
Hey, the revue is starting
Hey, don’t forget
In this world
There are a lot of
Sweet
And catchy things
Oh lord,
Don’t rain
On my parade
But even if there is no
Happy
Or lucky things at all
In this world
You make me
So happy
Don’t you wanna hold them close?
Don’t you wanna hold them close?
Hey, the revue is starting
Hey, don’t be late
Hey, the revue is starting
Hey, don’t forget
**credits: P5Maniax@yt + sound of music ln, ted mills + as tagged
I first knew about Lolita girls when I saw Japanese movie called Kamikaze Girls. I was in university then, and there was a Japanese Film Festival. And thanks to that film, it opened my eyes to a different kind of fashion — very different because it’s not common especially where i live.
What is Lolita?
As shone above, a Lolita is a Japanese street fashion inspired primarily by the clothing and general aesthetics of the Rococo and Victorian periods.The Lolita look is primarily one of modesty with a focus on quality in both material and manufacture of garments. The silhouette is of a knee length skirt or dress with a ‘cupcake’ shape assisted by petticoats. Blouses, knee high socks or stockings and headdresses are also worn.
This style is very evident in Japan. If you watch anime videos, you would most likely notice a woman wearing heavy laced clothing, looking cutesy and all. This style has since spread all over the world especially during cosplays. It’s one of the concepts most often used by Japanese otakus when they do cosplay.
There isn’t only one kind of Lolita, there are several kinds.
The Gothic Lolita – black is usually the theme
The Sweet Lolita – usually in pink or pastel colors
The Classic Lolita – classic 1800’s fashion inspired outfits, usually in darker colors
The Wa Lolita – uses traditional Japanese design, but with a twist of frills and lace
I think this fashion cute, however, I am not sure if I want to don this costume, much less go out in the park to play with my friends. I prefer to wear comfortable clothes, thank you.. But if I go to a cosplay party or to a masked ball, I think I would want a Wa Lolita dress. It’s design is old but it’s something I would wear.
But if I go to Japan, I would love to pose with these Lolita girls! I think this fashion is very unique and you need to have the guts to go out and show everyone you can carry this sort of fashion.
Remember sometime last year Taeyang released a song with a singer named Aoyama Thelma. I have been a fan since I heard her Wasurenai. The video also made my heartache (like Koreans, Japanese also have heartbreaking music videos, or PV… promotional videos.. as they call it).
But blame it on Doraemon, this song has become my favorite Aoyama Thelma song. It’s called Kaeru Basho (The Place You Come Back To).
This was actually written by Soulja. Both she and Aoyama Thelma did a collab almost 3 years back. It’s called Koko Ni Iru yo. This is the single that made Aoyama Thelma really popular. I love them because they’ve both made Jsoul popular!!!
I absolutely love her voice and her songs, it sounds like an American song only sang in Japanese. Maybe next time I am going to post Wasurenaiyo.
But anyway, these are the lyrics… I love this song totally!!!
Kaeru Basho (Romanization)
Ashita ga kichaeba shibaraku aenai kedo
Itsumademo kimi no koto wasurenai yo
Sorezore eranda michi wo aruku no wa hitori demo
Kokoro nozokeba iru aisuru hito to
Dakara ikura samishikute nakitai yoru ga attemo
Omoidashite boku ga iru koto wo
Sayonara sayonara mata aeru hi ga kuru made
Ima dake sayonara ima wa
Sayonara sayonara mata aeru kara
Itsumademo kimi no kaeru basho de
Mata aeru hi made kimi to sugoshita hibi no
Omoide to tomo ni aruki tsudzukeru yo
Michi mayoi sou na toki mo kimi no warau sono kao
Omoidashite fumidaseru kiga suru yo
Dakara sayonara yorimo tsutaetai arigatou
Kimi ga kureta boku no kaeru basho
Sayonara sayonara mata aeru hi ga kuru made
Ima dake sayonara ima wa
Sayonara sayonara mata aeru kara
Itsumademo kimi no kaeru basho de
Mata aeru hi made sukoshi samishikutemo
Boku-tachi wa machi tsudzuketeru ne kitto
Ikura hanaretetemo ikura toki nagaretemo
Mata au yakusoku shita basho de
Sayonara wa owakare no kotoba ja nakute
Mata au yakusoku nanda yo dakara
Sayonara sayonara mata aeru kara
Sore made no kimi to no yakusoku wo
Sayonara sayonara mata aeru hi ga kuru made
Ima dake sayonara ima wa
Sayonara sayonara mata aeru kara
Itsumademo kimi no kaeru basho de
Kaeru Basho (Translation)
When tomorrow comes, we won’t see each other for a while
But I’ll never forget you
Even if we walk alone on the roads we’ve chosen
Look in my heart and I’ll be with the one I love
So no matter how lonely you are or how much you want to cry some nights
Remember that I’m here
Goodbye, goodbye, until the day we meet again
Goodbye for now, just for now
Goodbye, goodbye, we’ll meet again
At the place you come back to, forever
Until the day we meet again, I’ll keep walking
With the memories of the days I spent with you
Even when I lose my way, when I think of your smile
I feel like I can walk on
So instead of saying goodbye, I want to say thank you
For the place you gave me to come back to
Goodbye, goodbye, until the day we meet again
Goodbye for now, just for now
Goodbye, goodbye, we’ll meet again
At the place you come back to, forever
Until the day we meet again, even if we’re a little lonely
We’ll keep waiting, I know it
No matter how far apart we are, no matter how much time goes by
We’ll meet at the place we promised to
Goodbye isn’t a parting word
It’s a promise to meet again, so
Goodbye, goodbye, we’ll meet again
That’s my promise to you until then
Goodbye, goodbye, until the day we meet again
Goodbye for now, just for now
Goodbye, goodbye, we’ll meet again
At the place you come back to, forever
I’m really slacking on posting this song! kk I know this came out last week, and I bet a lot of SONES have posted this song on their respective blogs. I’m not really a Sones but I am joining the bandwagon to post this song! kk but don’t kill me.. I like SNSD少女時代 ^_^
Anyway, this is their PV of their new Japanese single Mr. Taxi.
Hmmm… the song is nice, but I think these days, a lot of autotune is being used in most songs, not only for SNSD songs. I have nothing against the girls, but I still think that Gee and Kissing You sound better. Both songs bring out the real voices of the girls. For the video, since this is a dance version, we do get to see them dance. But in the longer one.. there is not much of a difference with the dance version, maybe just the solo parts. But I’m not really liking it. With the girls, I would love to see a video with them doing some acting ala Gee video… so yes, Gee is still my favorite SNSD song! the best!! kk ^_^
Even before T-ara became very popular in Korea, I liked them already. They have been labeled last year as the most improved girl group but to me, their vocals were quite good since I heard them sing Time To Love.
Yes, for those who do not know Time to Love (TTL) was one of the first tracks that they sang (together with the group Supernova. It was even followed with a second single titled Time to Listen (TTL2).
But I am not posting up that song (though later in this post I including the original version). Instead I found the Japanese version of this song. Yes the Japanese version. Now T-ara fans don’t go criticizing her and accusing Tamaki Nami of stealing the song. I think she wouldn’t be releasing this online if she plagiarized it right?
Anyway this is Tamaki Nami‘s version of TTL.. and it’s called Miss You ~ Time to Love.
In my opinion, it sure is different from the one T-ara did. But I have to say the rap is great! I enjoy Japanese music as much as I do Korean music… and I feel the only difference is that of the vocals. Soyeon’s voice is much stronger than her voice, but nonetheless, both sound the same. There is however a difference in the dance, kk. As much as I love Japanese music, but most of the time, their choreography doesn’t really impress me too much, that is compared to the Korean counterpart. But watching the PV did not stop me from enjoying the song…
And so for comparison, and the unfamiliar, below are the TTL videos of T-ara and Supernova. Which one do you think is better? The Japanese version or the Korean version??
And this MV is fresh! Real fresh as this single has not yet been released! This will be released in Feb. 9.
It’s the new single of Exile, called Each Other’s Way (旅の途中).
Exile has been there for the longest time!! ahahaha and this is what makes me amazed about Japanese boybands— they last for so long… Arashi and SMAP are some examples. Though some or even most of the members have their own solo projects, they manage to stay together… and I think that is the real teamwork!
Japanese songs these days are really good!! Unlike last year… but this is the kind of Japanese music that I like!! A song that you can dance too but at the same time it could pass off as a ballad song. I just love listening to Exile songs!! Be it a ballad or dance songs. ^_^
