Some people travel to experience cities, peoples, check out old relics and view new worlds. Have people considered taking a vacation for music? Japan has a very distinct musical world. In much of their tradition of incorporating western ideas and then making them into strange, almost cartoonish Japanese versions, western music has been modified and played with by the Japanese in ways westerners could never imagine. What if Devo played Beatles covers? What if New Order composed video game scores? What if Fifty Cent rapped about samurais? Without further ado, from the land of indoor sky hills, ninjas, tentacles and low grade steel comes the future of music.

Polysics - I My Me Mine

Now there is a common stereotype in the west that whenever the Japanese get a hold of something they mutate it into a strange alien creation. When you’ve lost a world war, been stripped of your empire, been basically treated as a protectorate by the United States for so many years you become a little weird. It is not uncommon to see grown men reading hardcore pornography in public spaces (mainly the subway). There are vending machines that sell used/soiled women’s panties. There are social networks devoted to dressing up like dolls. There is a cult that follows Anne of Green Gables (they visit PEI en mass for just this - a lot of the hotels and resorts in the maritime are filled with japanese people). Would it be unfair at this point to say that Japan has a strange mentality that is perfect for creating mutant strains of popular music? Still not convinced? Watch this next video.

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Computer Games

As the Wu-tang Clan was obsessed with old kung-fu and samurai movies, Japanese teens have become enamored with the Wu-tang Clan and rap. Shing02 is a great example of this.
Shing02 - Battlecry

The bilingual melodic punk band Nicotine was formed in 1993 just across the bay from Tokyo in the city of Chiba. With successive performances in both 2001 and 2002 as part of the Vans Warped Tour, Nicotine continues to expand on their popularity as international punk rock icons.

Nicotine - Black Flys

Japan has very few natural resources but it has a people that are so far past the brink that they can accomplish nearly anything. If they build a giant robot, I’m sure it would be blasting this kind of stuff as it rampages through a massive city fighting a dinosaur or something. So if you’re on vacation in Japan and you want to explore their bizarre and fantastic adaptations of Western music, you can find many of these bands and their upcoming shows at Japan Visitor.