Why Japanese CITY POP Music Keeps Me Sane | ALSO: Why NOT to Move to Japan (*Out Today*) (Patreon)

Before I get into it, I just want to say hello and welcome to everyone who’s recently joined the Abroad in Patreon in the run up to Journey Across Japan: The Lost Islands!

This community has been a big part of Abroad in Japan since 2016, and many great ideas have been born here from Natsuki:The Movie and Journey Across Japan, to countless videos and documentaries.

We’ve got over 50+ amazing exclusive videos already on here, the best of which you can find on this hit list: https://www.patreon.com/posts/abroad-in-japan-51048544

A big thank you for your support guys and hopefully the episodes on there will keep you busy until next weekend when JAJ: The Lost Islands get underway.

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It’s hard to believe there was point when City Pop wasn’t in my life, given I’ve listened to it pretty much every day for 5 years now.

I can’t remember the first time I discovered it, whether someone sent me a link or if I stumbled across it myself; an entire genre of forgotten music from the 80’s resurfacing online and quickly gaining popularity.

City pop (シティ・ポップ) took off in the late 70’s and become popular in the 80’s with the booming Japanese economy, an affluent middle class, and the rapid adoption of portable music players like the Sony Walkman.

For me I associate it with funk music and when I listen I feel as though I’ve been transported back to a disco in 1980’s Tokyo, where people were throwing money around and acting as though the good times would never end (before they abruptly did in the 90’s when the economy tanked and the last thing people wanted to listen to was upbeat music).  

The song most enthusiasts cite as being their way into the genre is the song Plastic Love by Mariya Takeuchi: https://youtu.be/YoBwKfMluuo

Though for me it’s her husband Tatsuro Yamashita - referred to as the King of City Pop - who is the artist I find myself listening to the most, given his tracks feature more than any other across playlists and compilations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SfAdSzNHxs

It’s not just the funky upbeat tracks themselves that define the genre, but the animations and visuals that accompany the tracks on Youtube, pulling you through the screen and into the neon lit streets of Tokyo and Osaka, evoking nostalgia of a time where you never were.

The sensation is a strange one that’s hard to explain but in simple terms, but it feels like escaping to a different time, back to an idealistic 1980’s, which unsurprisingly is right up my street given my love for the cyberpunk genre and Blade Runner.

I actually realised the other day, that the Japanese City Pop playlist I’ve been building up over the years, was actually public! I thought it was private, until I noticed 60,000 viewers seem to have found it. It seems the whole world had access to my private stash of city pop!

But it's on here you’ll find amongst the best compilations on Youtube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSOR9_iNzVflhOZwcM_mrHE0JX4gfmHUT

Here’s the thing though, as well as being nostalgic and pleasant to listen to I actually find I’m able to work better when listening to it!

Usually when I’m scripting, sitting at my desk or riding around trains, I’ll have it on in the background and I find I’m able to focus way better than when listening to English music. As well as being funky, upbeat chill out music, because it’s not sung in English, it’s far less invasive and doesn’t get in the way of my thoughts! Hopefully you’ll find the same.

But really half the fun of City Pop is just seeing what you can find on Youtube, as more and more creators create elaborate compilations, remixes and artwork to accompany the genre. City Pop may have died in the 90’s but it’s certainly back with a vengeance and I take pride in having had a small personal role in popularising it this last half decade through Abroad in Japan and numerous repostings across social media.

Check out the above playlist and read about it more on this fantastic article:
https://beardedgentlemenmusic.com/2017/08/23/japanese-city-pop-1980s/

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IN other news, we’ve got a new video out tonight, “12 Reason NOT to Move to Japan”.
It sounds ominous, but I actually think it’s reassuring in many ways!

Rather than a list aimed at putting people off of moving to Japan, it’s effectively 12 stories of experiences I’ve had here over the years, aimed at preparing you for many of the hurdles and issues you’ll have to confront if you do live here.

Get ready to hear about the worst neighbour in human history.

And finally before that, Ryotaro put out a surprisingly good video on his channel yesterday, following around his friend, who was campaigning to become a local politician. It’s incredibly rare access into what it’s like to run for election here and it’s brutal viewing at times, particularly the second half. But I highly recommend a watch.

Honestly, you know it MUST be good if I’m recommending a bloody Ryotaro video.
https://youtu.be/cUZ1-GJML8E

For now guys, enjoy your start to the week and keep an eye out for the Abroad in Japan video later today!

Chris