Utada Hikaru - Simple and Clean

You can't chronicle Asian music without mentioning Utada Hikaru. Hikki is an international phenomenon, breaking all kinds of records for sales everywhere. It's no wonder. She has an absolutely gorgeous voice. This is one of my favorites.

The 5.6.7.8's - Woo Hoo

The 5.6.7.8's have a great retro sound. The name refers to the styles they play, music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s.

If you get a chance to see them live, do so. Their shows are a lot of fun. It's a stunning pattern interrupt to see three cute little jpanese girls pack such an amazing Western style wallop.

Shonen Knife - Public Bath

Everybody loves Shonen Knife. How can you help but love them? Catchy, bouncy pop/punk with songs about jelly beans and bicycles and strawberry cream puffs. They're one of a kind, and completely awesome.

Doesn't that just make you want to smile and dance and shout? So much happy energy. So genki.

It's no wonder they have so many fans. A lot of alternative bands gush about them. I love what Kurt Cobain said about them: "When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert."

They have that effect on people.

Yui - Tokyo

Here's Yui with the beautiful song Tokyo.

Yui's full name is Yui Yoshioka. She dropped out of high school to study guitar and songwriting at a juku (cram school) in Fukuoka. Her career started when she sang at an audition hosted by Sony Music Japan after being recommended by the juku. The rule was that participants could only sing two songs, but the judges gave her the highest scores possible and she was asked to perform a third song. Several record labels scrambled to sign her.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Rewrite

Another one from Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Rewrite was the fourth opening theme for the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. It won the Best Anime Theme Song Award in 2007 at the American Anime Awards. It's also featured in the Konami music games GuitarFreaks and DrumMania, Taiko Drum Master Portable for the PSP, and Daigasso! Band-Brothers for the Nintendo DS.

FLOW - GO!!!

Here's an amusing video from the Japanese rock band Flow that parodies the Terminator movie. Flow is made up of two MC's, Keigo Hayashi and Koshi Asakawa, guitarist Takeshi Asakawa, Yasutaro Goto on the bass, and drummer Hiroshi Iwasaki. This song, GO!!!, was an opening theme for the anime series Naruto.

Maki Goto - Glass no Pumps

Maki has done a lot of happy bubblegum pop, but with her latest album How To Use Sexy she shows she's grown up very, very nicely. Here she is with the song Glass Pumps.

After her brother's theft arrest and all that controversy, and her break with her agency and label, and her "graduation" from Hello! Project, fans have been anxiously awaiting her next career move. At Maki's official blog she has revealed that she's in Los Angeles taking dancing lessons and vocal coaching and exercising. Here's hoping there's some good news from my lovely girl in the near future.