Music in Japan

So I promised that I would explain the title of my blog in a later post, and lucky you! This is that post! One of the first days that I lived in Odate, one of my sempai (older) JETs told me that all of my students were going to call me “Kyari Pamyu Pamyu” because our names sound similar (the Japanese pronunciation of my name is Kyari). Now at the time, I had no idea who that was so I looked her up later and found a very interesting video online. 

I look just like her, right? Anyway, Kyari Pamyu Pamyu is a singer/model/whatever who has a few big songs in Japan, but one song that I know fairly well: Ponponpon. Click this link for the video (I don't own this video...just a disclaimer!) This might be the catchiest song in the world (it's stuck in my head as I type), so if you watch the video, watch out because you will start singing it over and over again. Also just watch out for the video in general...it's interesting. All I know is the chorus “ponpon we ponpon we pon we pon we ponpon”-or something like that. Anyway, the first day of school I was disappointed that no one said that to me, but the second day I might have been called Pamyu Pamyu at least 20 times. It was magnificent. I am totally fine with being called Pamyu-sensai. The other song that has been stuck in my head since the dawn of time (or less than 4 weeks ago) is called Heavy Rotation. Once again, watch this video at your own risk...it is...interesting (I don't own this video either)? For those of you whom I have now scared, the music video is a bunch of 18-25 year old girls wearing lingerie and cat outfits and feeding each other food. Yeah, that's basically it. The group itself is made up of 60ish 13-25 year old girls (I'm not too old to audition-next step, international fame!) who are extremely popular in Japan, are overly sexualized, and who produce extremely catchy music. Oh Japan. Anyway, five of the Odate JETs performed a dance to this song (that I choreographed with help from the dancey parts of the music video) at an enkai (drinking party) with our Board of Education. I thought that it was fabulous, but I'm not allowed to put it online or show it to anyone (my life has been threatened), so just imagine 5 adults (aged 23-33) wearing bunny ears and acting like fools. Finest choreography in all of my years as a professional choreographer. Also my fellow dancers (and Shane who was the lead singer) were all amazing! And of course the Board of Education loved it (who wouldn't?). So those are my two favorite J (Japanese)-Pop songs, but that's mostly because those are the songs that I have listened to over and over again. There are other groups that I need to listen to, including Bump of Chicken, Funky Monkey Babies, and Arashii. Arashii is a Japanese boy band (whenever I talk about Backstreet Boys I call them the American Arashii) that all of my female students love. I don't actually know any of their music, but soon I will learn and be a better person because of it. Another song that is big here (but is not Japanese) is Gangam Style, a K (Korean) Pop song that has also become popular in the States recently. I wish I was the man in that video. Justin Timberlake will never be good enough now. So to sum up, you all are welcome for introducing you to these wonderful songs that will never leave your head. Enjoy!