'Japanese Invasion' sends one-of-a-kind J-sounds overseas

Last autumn, Webster Hall, a jumping nightclub in New York's East Village, hosted a eye-popping performance that surprised even denizens of a city that has seen it all.

Hundreds of U.S. fans screamed their delight as 16 young Japanese women, aged 15 to 21 and clad in miniskirted school uniforms, danced on stage.

The group, just a small part of the 42-member AKB48 pop idol group that is based in Tokyo's Akihabara district, instantly launched into their upbeat number "Aitakatta" (We've missed you). Each of the girls was an amateur performer before beating out thousands of applicants who auditioned to join the group.

About 700 American J-culture fans who had won tickets in a drawing lined up in front of the club long before the doors opened. In the audience, they waved pink glow sticks and red scarves, just like AKB48 fans do at their Akihabara home venue.

AKB48's enthusiastic New York reception convinced Yasushi Akimoto, the idol group's producer, that the world is ready for a musical Japanese "invasion."

"The reason AKB48 was accepted enthusiastically in New York is that nobody had seen such a group of amateurish singers and dancers. They seem strange to them, like natto or other Japanese foods," Akimoto said in a recent interview with Asahi Weekly.

Through the Internet, the world is falling in love with Japan's unique pop culture, which includes anime, manga, J-pop and kitschy fashions.

It's not just Hello Kitty and Hayao Miyazaki's anime films anymore. People all over the world are finding peculiar subcultures--such as Akihabara's pop idols and the "Visual-kei" rock movement--cool and cutting edge.

"I believe that Japanese entertainers and creators should be more confident that the Western audiences now strongly admire Japanese popular culture, just as we once admired American culture," said Akimoto, a versatile producer, songwriter and writer.

His words may be especially encouraging to Reni Mimura, a self-produced "Akiba-kei" idol who moved to New York in July 2008 after years of failed efforts to find stardom in Japan.

In Japan, she crafted her style as a "sexy singer" mimicking Madonna and Britney Spears, but when she moved to New York, she reinvented herself as "Akiba-kei"--wearing a frilly pink maid's costume and bunny ears in performances.

Mimura's makeover struck the right chord. She has been invited to sing at large anime and cosplay events now held almost monthly in New York. Her solo stage shows attract 100 fans each month.

"For an unknown singer from Japan to sing in front of thousands of people here is like a dream, but it is possible if you associate your image with the anime/cosplay scene here, which can mobilize thousands of people," Mimura said by telephone from New York.

"Many American men, in this era of economic slump, also seem tired of pop stars who have the image of a strong woman, modeled by Madonna," Mimura added. "I believe there is a need here for a Japanese-style idol who is innocent but erotic, and can make men feel strong about themselves."

While J-idols and their promoters are trying to steal the hearts of men worldwide, female rock fans have discovered a rock subgenre that is performed almost exclusively by male Japanese musicians.

While AKB48 was performing in New York and Paris last fall, rock guitarist and singer Miyavi, an icon of the Visual-kei music movement, was touring Europe, including former Soviet bloc countries.

Since its inception in the 1980s, Visual-kei Japanese rock has been characterized by its shocking makeup, elaborate costumes and towering hairstyles. It has developed a melodic and dark sound, along with a darker aesthetic.

"Visual-kei is a distinct culture (in Japan) that has developed in a sakoku-like exclusive situation. I was surprised to see audiences in countries where I don't even know the name of the currency lining up to see me," said Miyavi, referencing Japan's isolationist policy during the Edo Period (1603-1868).

"The scene is young, but I believe it is rooted in traditional Japanese cultures such as Kabuki, as seen in its colorful makeup, theatrical performances and androgynous aesthetics," he said. Miyavi ended his world tour on Dec. 12 in Taipei, having covered 25 major cities in Europe, the Americas and East Asia and drawing a total of 78,000 spectators.

To help expand the genre's global fan base, Japan's first international music festival for Visual-kei bands was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Oct. 24 and 25.

The V-Rock Festival 2009 featured shows by more than 50 bands, including U.S. rock heavyweight Marilyn Manson and Visual-kei scene leaders La'cryma Christi and the GazettE. It attracted more than 30,000 festival-goers, including more than 1,000 people from about 50 countries.

The festival was the brainchild of Keiji Sugimoto, the president of Backstage Project Inc., who has run major Visual-kei concerts since the 1980s.

Asked if he thinks Visual-kei will be recognized globally as a major rock subgenre, like glam rock or punk rock, Sugimoto voiced doubts, saying that it is both a strength and weakness of Visual-kei music that it is performable only by Japanese artists.

"With its peculiar fashions and sound influenced by kayokyoku (traditional Japanese popular music), only Japanese men can be true Visual-kei stars, making it impossible for the scene to develop into a mainstream genre overseas," Sugimoto said.

"But it creates lasting demand for Japanese bands from foreign fans. It makes Japanese artists a good export in a time when the domestic music market is shrinking."