Boy Bands in Japan

I suppose it was inevitable. My little girl would have a crush on boys sooner or later, and of course it would be some dashing singer types. She is a fan of the Japanese boy-band Arashi (嵐). Japanese boy bands are hard to ignore in Japan, and somewhat different than the American counterparts:

That’s a famous Jack n’ the Box commercial in the 90′s parodying the boy-band craze at the time. My wife and I still love that one thanks to a little inside joke between us. Japanese boy-bands to me have a more “good boy” image and less sexually overt, but that’s just a cursory observation. My wife also points out that singing skills are often secondary to image, so with many bands there usually is one good singer but the rest are so-so, but make a good image. “アイドルっぽい” she explains, “idol-ish.”

Also, in Japan, entertainers kind of wear multiple hats, especially comedians or pop-singers. A pop-band will put out albums from time to time, do tours and such but also star in movies, host TV shows and so on. Nearly all boy bands in Japan belong to a certain talent agency called Johnny’s, though in Japan it’s pronounced as Janīzu (ジャニーズ). Johnny’s is a HUGE business in Japan, and draws enormous numbers of fans, not just from young ladies, but older women and even men. Many bands from Johnny’s have broad appeal among young men too, since their image is more “cool” and less overtly sexual. You really can’t be in Japan long before you hear the name “Janizu” when talking with Japanese people, and it’s worth noting.

In Japan, celebrities are often linked with their agency, so it’s a popular topic to talk about new upcoming singers or comedians, which agency they’re in, and who their senpai or “mentors/elders” are in the same agency. Even if you’re not in to J-Pop at all, at least learn the name Johnny’s. The topic of agencies definitely not limited to singers either, but any entertainer really.

Arashi is just one in a long line of boy-bands promoted and put out by Johnny’s each reaching a new generation, but my little girl happens to like them a lot. We listen to Arashi CDs in the car, my little girl watches the Arashi “greatest hits” DVD, and she likes to pretend they are her imaginary friends and come to our house, as only a 3-year old can. I’ll be sad when she outgrows that imagination someday.

She likes MatsuJun the best, apparently, though she’s too young to remember his name. It’s just a phase of course, but it is very cute. I think I can vaguely remember having a crush on actress Erin Gray when she starred on “Buck Rogers in the 25th century” when I was about 4 or 5, so I’ve been there.¹ But believe me when I say I can feel the reach of Johnny’s and Arashi all the way here in the US.

I have to admit that I recently put their music on my iPhone as well. My wife, when she first came to the US, practiced listening to English by listening to the radio a lot, and listening to American music and reading the lyrics with the song. By the same token I thought it would be a good way to listen to Japanese as podcasts to help break up the routine. Sometimes podcasts can be a bit dry or just too hard to follow. I usually don’t listen to pop, especially J-Pop, but I do have a few other albums (e.g. Hirai Ken, Spitz), so it’s not that unusual for me. I guess I am the latest Johnny’s fan now. :p

¹ Around this time, I also remember watching the TV show Battlestar Galactica (the original) with rapt attention. I definitely credit that show with kindling a life-long interest in space and science-fiction.