could you please tell me where do you download all that music? I usually get everything from kickasstorrents, but could not find the stuff you recommend over there.

Many thanks!

Dominik

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYV-XJdzupY

Today is my 4th day into the AJATT life, and I’m still feeling a bit confused about the whole thing, so I’m trying to pep myself up. Been listening to The Pillows and Bump of Chicken all day [because it’s the only Japanese music I have right now, and although I love them like crazy right now, I will go insane if I don’t get more music, hahaha], and I’m reminded of why I enjoy rock [which I haven’t heard much of in ages, as I’ve been a hardcore techno guy for a few years].

…and having my OS in Japanese is driving me nuts, because right now I’m only able to use my computer by having memorized the layout of where things are [or hoping the control is in katakana so I can just read it]…

Asian Kung-Fu Generation – More recent stuff is usually a chill sort of rock, bit like Weezer(?). First album more punk-ish.

Boris – (I believe they’ve straddled most genres 😉 though I think they’re best playing stoner rock)

Radwimps – lots of influences here. When done right – www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MaF-bWeLGw (singing along to this one is great)

Sakanaction – indie/alt electronic. Ranges from more atmospheric songs to songs great for Karaoke (like アルクアラウンド)

9mm Parabellum Bullet – post-hardcore type of rock, though they have some good slower songs, ie; www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmawA9Jns14.

The Pillows – very prolific alt rock band – www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4_Qzx-E2LQ

Suneohair – calming light rock – www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Vi3wfo_Yw

Ogre you asshole – calming and often odd alt-rock

Sukima Switch – jazzy pop/rock – www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q1anDhjRoM

YUI – female singer, pop/rock

and some that deserve a mention:

DOES – garage-rock – www.youtube.com/watch?v=aejQJ-vUE_g.

Number Girl – alt/indie rock with some great guitar work, very influential – www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJJPvFK4pEQ

Andymori – fairly new band, energetic indie-rock – www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk80Mb_9sXI

SID – more like visual kei, also good for sing-alongs – www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFixbptQ7ik

Ling Tosite Sigure/Rin Toshite Shigure/凛として時雨 – post-hardcore, pretty progressive with lots of tempo changes and still very catchy (probably my favourite japanese band!) – www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4tA1I0e3PE

However, I highly recommend looking through as many B’z songs as you can find. I’m sure at least a few will fit that style, but if it doesn’t work for ya, sorry. 

B’z — It’s like the contemporary Beatles of Japan. Most people know them, but for those that don’t, you’ll probably find a myriad of songs you like by them (unless you can’t stand rock).

Asian Kung-Fu Generation —  Tons of songs that are sorta in an alternative rock genre, and they just have a feel that you’d have to listen to in order to understand.

HOME MADE 家族 — They have some pretty mainstream hiphop/pop/rap-type stuff. Funky beats that keep ya listenin’.

L’Arc~en~Ciel — They’re sorta like a punk rock scene (god, I’m not good with genres), but they have this really emotional feel to most of their songs.

FLOW — They do a -lot- of anime songs. They’re mostly upbeat and really catchy. Check ’em out.

There are more bands I could mention, but I usually just have like 1-20 of their songs because I picked up an album or a few singles from hearing them in an anime opening. That’s one of the greatest ways to find catchy music: watch anime. 

ViViD’s 2009 single – www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R9nibT8JLQ
Some Oshare Kei – SuG – www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQnoSPSn6Dg
Acid Black Cherry, Luna Sea, Miyavi, The GazettE, BORN, ScReW, D=out, Kagrra., An Cafe (Oshare Kei), Nega, Deathgaze. Just to name a few.

tetsu and Gaz dropped out early. whatever became of tehm, look on wiki.
mana hung around and created Moi dix mois
Kami passed away, Rest in Peace.
kozi has an excellent solo project, was in Eve of Destiny and now is in XA-VAT along with a member of caligari
& Yu~ki kinda dropped off the map
p.s. Gackt is actually a bit infamous. Unpopular opinion: he has kind of sold out. He is more of a game show host than a musician and has had a lot of plastic surgery.

Last Alliance
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahOYxzmtuuI&feature=related

Asian kung fu generation
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ePEbtpipn0

For most songs (Japanese, Korean, and Chinese), you will have the translated lyrics, romaji lyrics, and then the Kanji lyrics. You can then scroll down and see the artist’s previous hits. Even if there isn’t a video, you can search the artist’s lyrics and some of them will have some combination of the T/R/K lyrics. There is even a section about which songs are topping the Oricon Chart.

I just started to put music and lyrics into my SRS (and loving it, I had to cut myself off because it was almost 2 am XD ) and I know I’ll be getting a lot of my lyrics and whatnot from Jpopasia.

いきものがかり / ikimono gakari – “My song your song”

YeLLOW Generation – “Carpe Diem”

Ore Ska Band – “Wao!!”

Missile Innovation – “Be a Man”

All are like pop/hip hop/alt tones. they’re great for learning the language because the vocalists are really clear.

Now, for my request.

If anyone knows of an artist named Nujabes. He’s Japanese. Well, was Japanese. He’s the king of jazzical hip hop… but he died. And his music has english lyrics.

I’m humbly requesting that if anyone knows of anyone of the caliber of Nujabes with beautiful instrumentals and great features like him, please let me know on my blog or in these comments. I beg of you. He is my favorite artist but I can’t listen to him because he’s English lyrics (despite being Japanese! FU!!”

I can’t tell you how often I do that. I must find a clear cut method, clear cut instructions, a step-by-step guide that tells me exactly what I need to do and exactly what steps I need to take and what each of those steps are going to do to help me achieve my goal. I don’t know if that was upbringing/education or simply something some people do that others don’t, but when you’re trying to do something like learn Japanese, you really need to just do it.

Because you won’t understand. Understanding the process is counter-productive to learning the process. This has been said many times before, but it doesn’t matter how many books you read about people who know how to speak Japanese, you’re not going to learn it yourself until you start speaking and listening and immersing. You just need to DO it. Stop thinking altogether!

Something about the human mind requires you to actually experience before you are able to reproduce. Educational instutes would have you believing otherwise, but you really need to do something before you can do it yourself.

I haven’t mastered Japanese yet, but I can tell you that I’ve learned the most in the shortest amount of time when I was actively listening and speaking, rather than trying to find out how I’m going to start listening and speaking effectively. You learn on the way; while doing. Not beforehand.