Dir en grey are one of the newer generation of "visual-kei" bands, and a leading contender to be the first to break internationally in a major way. The band formed in February 1997 from the...

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Birthplace: Aichi Prefecture Blood type: A Height: 153 cm

HARUNA, the eldest among the group and also serves as the leader. A girl who had a passion for dancing and dreamed of...

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RINA, the youngest among the group and serves as the drummer. A girl that always has a smile painted on her face when performing – showing that performing and music is nothing but love. She’s...

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Birthplace: Hyogo Prefecture Blood type: A Height: 157 cm

TOMOMI, the bass and writer of majority of their songs. Like HARUNA, she also dreamed of becoming a dancer but rock n’ roll opened...

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One Ok Rock (stylized as ONE OK ROCK) is a Japanese rock band formed in 2005, composed of four members, Taka, Toru, Ryota, and Tomoya. It originally contained a fifth member, Alex, but...

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Kyu Sakamoto has the distinction of being the only Japanese artist to ever to score a #1 hit internationally. His song "Ue o Muite Aruko", known outside Japan as "Sukiyaki", went...

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Aya Hirano is a seiyū and J-pop singer who has had roles in several anime, visual novels, and TV commercials in Japan. She is contracted to Space Craft Produce, a branch of Space Craft Group for her...

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L'Arc-en-Ciel is not a "visual-kei" band. Repeat - not a "visual-kei" band. Not at all. Just a straightahead rock band. That message bears repeating because the band vehemently...

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South Korean female vocalist BoA, who made her Japanese debut in May 2001 with the single "ID; Peace, is unusual in that she's a star both in her home country and in Japan. BoA was born on Nov....

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Glay is possibly the most popular of Japan's "visual-kei" acts (rivaled only by Luna Sea, L'Arc-en-Ciel, and X ), and are definitely one of the most successful rock groups in the country....

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The quartet Asian Kung-Fu Generation plays high octane guitar rock with emo and powerpunk influences. The group was formed in 1996 when Kensuke Kita (guitar, vocals), Hideyo Yamada (bass, vocals),...

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The Peanuts were one of Japan's first pop sensations, and one of the few that has become well known internationally. The duo comprised identical twin sisters Emi and Yumi Ito, born Hideyo and Tsukiko...

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Along with Tomoyasu Hotei, Char is one of Japan's few bona fide guitar heroes, and after a long and eventful career he has become firmly ensconced as one of the Japanese music scene's elder statesmen....

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Sketch Show is the current vehicle for former Yellow Magic Orchestra members Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. The band was formed in 2002, when Hosono approached Takahashi with the idea. Similar...

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Despite the name, The Mods were one of Japan's first high profile punk bands. In their earliest days they were mod-geared, but during their heyday their musical and fashion influences were primarily...

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Ellegarden are Takeshi Hosomi on vocals and guitar, Shinichi Ubutaka on guitar, Yuichi Takada on bass, and Hirotaka Takahashi on drums. In their tenth year as a band, 2008, they announced they would...

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Kenji Sawada has been one of Japan's top entertainers for nearly 40 years, and is a prototype of the seemingly gay male entertainer, the concept of which has long fascinated Japanese. Sawada debuted...

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To students of ancient Irish runes, the word "Sowelu" means "sun", but to music fans in Japan it generally connotes R&B tinged pop with an upbeat, positive vibe and message....

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In Japan's "chew 'm up and spit 'm out" idol culture, Aya Ueto has had a run longer than most. The Tokyo native, born in 1985, has been a force on the radio and television, and in theaters...

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Akina Nakamori was born July 13, 1965 in Tokyo. She began taking ballet lessons at age four, and at the age of six penned a school essay about her desire to become a singer. Both athletic and artistic...

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Go! Go! 7188 are an alternative rock trio who have built up a strong following by writing strong melodic songs and delivering solid rockin’ live shows. Go! Go! 7188 (pronounced Go Go Nana Ichi...

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Sandii is a colorful veteran of the Japanese music business, who has gone through a number of stylistic changes over time, yet still maintained a substantial audience. Born Sandii Suzuki in Hawaii,...

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Luminaries of the much-hyped Shibuya-kei scene, the Pizzicato Five's music combines Burt Bacharach songcraft with go-go kitsch; chanteusy murmurings backed by an updated pastiche of everything that...

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The 5.6.7.8's formed in Tokyo in 1986. Since then the line-up has changed many times, with the constants being singer/ guitarist Ronnie "Yoshiko" Fujiyama, and drummer Sachiko. The band embraces...

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Keiji Haino is an unconventional guitarist with a noisy, intense, squalling, feedback drenched sound that has made him a cult artist in Japan and an underground favorite around the world. He describes...

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Following in the footsteps of Orange Range and High and Mighty Color, guitar rockers Stereopony just might be the next Okinawa band to hit it big in the fickle world of Japanese pop.  Formed in...

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Seminal is an overused word in the rock critic's lexicon, but it certainly applies to Yellow Magic Orchestra. The pioneering electro-pop band was formed in 1978 by classically-trained keyboardist Ryuichi...

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 Maia Hirasawa was born in stockholm Sweden, her father is Japanese, and mother is Swedish. In 2007 she made her debut with the album "Though, I'm Just Me" was acclaimed as Gold...

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The artist known as Dorlis swings with an ease and lack of pretense that bely her age - 23 years old at the time of this writing. Born and raised in Okayama, Dorlis began studying classical guitar...

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The GazettE is a Japanese visual kei[1] alternative metal band formed in early 2002, currently signed to PS Company, King Records and CLJ Records. In March 2002, Ruki, Uruha, and Reita (all former band...

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 Hideto Matsumoto was born in St Joseph's Hospital, Midorigaoka, Yokosuka, on December 13, 1964. He entered kindergarten in 1968, studying English for three years, followed by...

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Eikichi Yazawa, born September 14, 1949 in Hiroshima, is a veteran rock music figure, with such an incredibly devoted following that it is tempting to call him the Japanese Elvis. He first burst onto...

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 Janne Da Arc is currently signed on the motorod record label, a subsidiary of avex trax. They have released three indies albums, nine major-label albums (including single collections), 26 singles,...

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 Sakanaction is a five-piece rock band. Their style is a mixture of techno-electronica and live rock sounds. Formed in 2005 by Ichiro Yamaguchi (vocals + guitar) and Motoharu Iwadera (guitar) in...

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Women all have their own special qualities and allures. Audrey Hepburn is known for her neck, Marilyn Monroe for her cleavage, J. Lo for her ample bottom, and Japan's veteran pop star Linda Yamamoto...

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In the fast-paced, fickle world of J-pop, Yumi Matsutoya is a constant reliable presence. You could almost set your watch by her. Just about every fall she releases a new album, and most years she does...

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Chatmonchy is an all-girl guitar rock trio originally hailing from Tokushima Prefecture. The current lineup is Eriko Hashimoto (guitar, vocals), Akiko Fukuoka (bass, chorus), and Kumiko Takahashi (drums,...

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Like many gifted musicians, the music of DJ Krush defies simple classification. To call him a hip-hop artist, for example, would be to focus on only one aspect of his complex musical personality. Club...

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Camisama are a band born out of teenage rebellion, and a deep feeling that the world is damaged and needs to heal.  As a teen, founding member Elly found parental control and school stifling, often...

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Akiko Yano was born Akiko Suzuki in Tokyo, and grew up in Aomori. She became Akiko Yano when at a young age she married producer Makoto Yano, who produced her debut album Japanese Girl. She...

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Audio Active's shimmering brew of dub reggae and club music influences, has created fans all over the world, while at home in Japan establishing out a solid if non-mainstream following. The band have...

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The Spiders were usually considered the biggest of the "Group Sounds" bands. The term "Group Sounds", often shortened to "GS", was coined as after a huge buzz was created...

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Petty Booka is an engaging, if unusual, concept - two women singing and playing different genres of music on ukuleles. The duo first formed from the ashes of the all-girl punk band Flamingo A Go Go,...

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Kazuyuki Matsumoto (bassist from Janne Da Arc) born January 21, 1975 in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan, blood type A. Favorite artists include CRAZY COOL JOE (ex DEAD END bassist) and BOOWY. ka-yu is like a...

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Hikaru Utada holds the distinction of having Japan's all-time top-selling album: her 1999 debut set, First Love has sold about 10 million copies. Including First Love, Utada has so far...

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Dataspeaker is a one-man electronica wonder, launched in 1999 by the artist known as Ainee, a seasoned, eclectic...

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There is no shortage of bands with wacky names in Japan, and Thee Michelle Gun Elephant is up there with the best of them. The band, which broke up at the end of 2003, excelled at incredibly high-energy...

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AKB48 is an all-female Japanese theater/idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. AKB48 is theater-based and has its own theater in Akihabara (a district in Tokyo) where the group...

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Like the Beastie Boys, their default western counterparts, Scha Dara Parr masterfully balances mass public appeal with strong credibility among kids and artists alike - a balance which has helped them...

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