I try not to form stereotypes about other cultures but... well, there's no denying Japan produces some really, really weird popular culture. Japan's penchant for weirdness was out in full force this ...

On paper, Babymetal sound absurd: a Japanese trio who fuse their national culture of cute – “kawaii” – with the chainsaw chug of heavy metal. But in the studio and on stage, their “kawaii metal” ...

Politics and music aren’t miles apart, with musicians frequently using their craft to engage with prescient issues, raise awareness for causes close to their hearts, or protest injustices in the world ...

Japan ranks low in gender equality among developed nations. The first woman to lead the country is an ultraconservative who ...

Japanese anime characters are easy to spot for those obsessed with the genre and casual observers alike. The way Japanese anime artists put the finishing touches on each character is truly unique to ...

Of all the things Coachella’s been known for over the years, heavy metal has never been one of them. There’s always a wide variety of hip-hop, EDM, pop hits, hipster-friendly lighter rock bands, but ...

Japanese heavy metal legends have been around for 43 years and released a wealth of good music, with their most recent release, the 2021 album Sunburst, being their 28th studio recording. They first ...

KASHIHARA, Japan — As a young woman in the late 1970s, Sanae Takaichi commuted six hours a day by bus and train from her parents’ home in western Japan to attend university. She was a fan of heavy ...