Japlanning 101 - Intro to J-Pop

November 28, 2015

by Devon Sponheimer

Want to get into J-Pop but don’t know where to start? Let the Japlanning team help you out with the J-Pop Mix Tape; a beginners guide to the infectious world of Japanese pop music.

Japan is the second biggest music market in the world, behind the US. Arguably their biggest, and most popular genre is J-Pop. A term coined in the 90’s by Tower Records (Remember them? They still exist in Japan!) It covered all music that belonged to the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Live! - Nanda Collection World Tour Review

April 6, 2014

by Devon Sponheimer

For those of us who are J-Pop fans, I don’t think that you have truly ever experienced ‘real’ J-Popdom until you’ve been to a concert. With the announcement that J-Pop Princess Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was doing a world wide tour and hitting up both North America and Australia, we jumped on the chance for tickets!

The venue was the Chicago House of Blues, a multi-storied club that holds at max 1,300 people. Doors were slated to open at 7pm and as we arrived around 6:30, the line was already nearly a 1/2 mile down the road. On a chilly Chicago evening in March, I can’t say we were thrilled about the long wait to get in, but checking out all the costumes in the crowd was enough to keep us entertained.

GIVEWAY TIME - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Swag!

February 28, 2014

by Devon Sponheimer

Some of the Japlanning US team are off to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's Chicago concert as part of her world tour!

To celebrate we are running a contest on our Facebook page and you can win some Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Swag from the show!

Simply like us on Facebook and leave a comment on the giveaway post telling us your favorite J Pop star and why, it's so easy!

J-Pop - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

October 3, 2013

We’re back with another glimpse into the world of J-Pop. Today we are looking at the newly crowned queen of J-Pop, the “Katy Gaga”, Kyaru Pamyu Pamyu! This young 20 year old has taken Japan by storm with her infectious pop melodies and bright colours. Read on to find out about her roots, and how she became the mega star she is today, plus see some of her amazing music videos.

Now less known by her real name, Kiriko Takemura, growing up she had her distinct fashion sense, and in high school she would wear a blonde wig as part of her look, and her friends started calling her “Kyary” (pronounced Carrie), as she embraced western culture so much.

Japlanning the Movies - Lost in Translation

July 19, 2013

Ever wanted to hop on a plane and live out the classic indie film, Lost in Translation? Well, never fear, Japlanning has a plan for you! Today we’re giving you the Lost in Translation guide to Tokyo! Visiting the karaoke lounge they sang in, wander through legendary areas from the film, even stay in the same hotel they filmed in; it’s Japlanning the movies – Lost in Translation style.

Japan is an amazing country, yet finding western movies that use Japan as their back drop are few and far between, especially modern Japan. The most iconic movie that shows contemporary Tokyo would have to be Sophia Coppola’s 2003 classic, Lost in Translation.

J Pop - AKB48

June 18, 2013

Japan is the home to the second biggest music market in the world. With over 4.4 billion dollars in sales last year, it’s time we took a look at some of the biggest names in Japanese pop!

Starting with one of the biggest selling groups in the world, who also hold the Guinness World Record for the Largest Pop Group, AKB48.