You don’t have to be in Japan long before you encounter J-Pop—it’s blaring at full blast from almost everywhere. J-Pop has become an integral part of Japanese popular culture, used in radio, TV, commercials, and video games, to name just a few.
You’ll hear this sugary, disco/techno-based pop music in shopping centres, fashion boutiques, restaurants, and even cars, often played at maximum volume.
J-Pop is even used to drown out the relentless clatter of pachinko balls in pachinko gaming parlours.
In many of Japan’s large cities, enormous video screens on buildings blast the latest catchy J-Pop hits. The J-Pop culture extends beyond music to fashion, animation, and, of course, beautiful young idols. The music and visuals are often fast-paced and frantic, frequently switching between English and Japanese, making it not for the faint-hearted.
On weekends, it’s common to see the latest J-Pop idols—or at least their impersonators—attracting enormous crowds in major shopping districts and entertainment zones. The audience is usually in a frenzy—with young girls crying with joy and teenage boys infatuated with the newest stars.
Step into a shopping centre, and every store might be blasting a J-Pop track at full volume. After a while, you get used to it, and the catchy melodies stick in your head—even when no music is playing. Escaping J-Pop is nearly impossible. In many cases, you may even recognise familiar tunes—as plenty of J-Pop songs are “J-Popped” versions of Western hits, sometimes with half-translated lyrics. Even country and western songs aren’t immune, often remixed with a fast techno beat.
Many J-Pop stars are part of girl or boy bands, typically made up of four or five impeccably styled idols with bleached or abstract-coloured hair and the latest streetwear. Japan also has a thriving rock scene, known as J-Rock, where many bands embrace a grungy or punk aesthetic.
