Not to start off on a negative note once again, but sometimes the ridiculous of Japan confuses me. I do love this country, and like all places it has its pros and cons.
In 2009 when I came to Japan on exchange I remember hearing a song on TV over and over. The lyrics were 'aitakatta, aitakatta, aitakatta, yes!' For those of you familiar with current pop culture, you should already know who I am talking about! Although I've been a big Japan enthusiast for a while, I did not know who this particular group was; their pop image was too garish and girly for me (being a lover of heavier styles). Hence, I passed them off as another J-Pop sensation that would be unheard of within a week.
Fast forward to 2011, I'm here in Japan again, and all over TV I hear songs like 'Heavy Rotation' and 'Everyday Katsusha'. Eventually I see AKB48 on screen, realise that's the name of the pop group, then start hearing everyone, everywhere, talking about them. The kids at Kindergarten, Elementary, Junior High...all the teachers and students can't seem to get enough of them! The AKB48 girls always seem to be performing on TV, and I get sick of their music and image after about one day. Nevertheless, the songs are catchy, upbeat, and I can't seem to get them out of my head, despite my hardest efforts! So I decide to look them up on Wikipedia, where I got the following information from:
AKB48 was founded in 2005 after Akihabara in Tokyo. The idea was to make a theater where the girls would perform for the public everyday, and still do to this day. It is the largest pop group in the entire world, and as of July this year there are over 60 members! There are various teams, which I suspect perform on rotation, and aspiring members. In 2009 fans were able to vote for their favourite members to record the new single, but since July the girls enter a rock-scissors-paper (called janken in Japanese - I do janken everyday with the kids; it's a huge part of Japanese life, believe it or not).
There's a lot of information, too much really, so I skip to today. I've managed to avoid AKB48 for a while, but that damn Heavy Rotation got in my head again. (I wanjuuu, I needjuuu, I rabyuu) To remedy this unwanted situation, I decided to look it up on Youtube in the hope to get it out of my head.
What I saw from the first second disgusted me! I have heard this group for being hailed as good role models for their nice-girl image and purity, compared to American artists. This particular video clip was the opposite...in a way. The girls are singing their song, romping around in underwear. And not just normal underwear, provocative, complete with garter belts, g-strings and thigh-high stockings. Of course, they are all acting cutesy and 'perfect', kissing each other, eating...I honestly have no idea what to think. It is an extremely mixed message to send; this is probably the most popular group in Japan at the moment, who have fans from three years old and onwards!
At school, I refuse to get involved in idol conversation. It may close off a big line of communication with my students, but I don't mind. I can only hope that this group eventually becomes uncool, but with the large rotation of members, who knows how long it will take.
For those of you interested, here's the link to the video. Be dismayed! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkHlnWFnA0c
And if you aren't yet questioning the entire world, here is something that really scared me...honestly. (Not AKB48, but Kyari Pamyu Pamyu)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzC4hFK5P3g
In 2009 when I came to Japan on exchange I remember hearing a song on TV over and over. The lyrics were 'aitakatta, aitakatta, aitakatta, yes!' For those of you familiar with current pop culture, you should already know who I am talking about! Although I've been a big Japan enthusiast for a while, I did not know who this particular group was; their pop image was too garish and girly for me (being a lover of heavier styles). Hence, I passed them off as another J-Pop sensation that would be unheard of within a week.
Fast forward to 2011, I'm here in Japan again, and all over TV I hear songs like 'Heavy Rotation' and 'Everyday Katsusha'. Eventually I see AKB48 on screen, realise that's the name of the pop group, then start hearing everyone, everywhere, talking about them. The kids at Kindergarten, Elementary, Junior High...all the teachers and students can't seem to get enough of them! The AKB48 girls always seem to be performing on TV, and I get sick of their music and image after about one day. Nevertheless, the songs are catchy, upbeat, and I can't seem to get them out of my head, despite my hardest efforts! So I decide to look them up on Wikipedia, where I got the following information from:
AKB48 was founded in 2005 after Akihabara in Tokyo. The idea was to make a theater where the girls would perform for the public everyday, and still do to this day. It is the largest pop group in the entire world, and as of July this year there are over 60 members! There are various teams, which I suspect perform on rotation, and aspiring members. In 2009 fans were able to vote for their favourite members to record the new single, but since July the girls enter a rock-scissors-paper (called janken in Japanese - I do janken everyday with the kids; it's a huge part of Japanese life, believe it or not).
There's a lot of information, too much really, so I skip to today. I've managed to avoid AKB48 for a while, but that damn Heavy Rotation got in my head again. (I wanjuuu, I needjuuu, I rabyuu) To remedy this unwanted situation, I decided to look it up on Youtube in the hope to get it out of my head.
What I saw from the first second disgusted me! I have heard this group for being hailed as good role models for their nice-girl image and purity, compared to American artists. This particular video clip was the opposite...in a way. The girls are singing their song, romping around in underwear. And not just normal underwear, provocative, complete with garter belts, g-strings and thigh-high stockings. Of course, they are all acting cutesy and 'perfect', kissing each other, eating...I honestly have no idea what to think. It is an extremely mixed message to send; this is probably the most popular group in Japan at the moment, who have fans from three years old and onwards!
At school, I refuse to get involved in idol conversation. It may close off a big line of communication with my students, but I don't mind. I can only hope that this group eventually becomes uncool, but with the large rotation of members, who knows how long it will take.
For those of you interested, here's the link to the video. Be dismayed! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkHlnWFnA0c
And if you aren't yet questioning the entire world, here is something that really scared me...honestly. (Not AKB48, but Kyari Pamyu Pamyu)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzC4hFK5P3g
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