EDITORIAL FEATURES & REVIEWS (34)
We Are X Documentary is a Must See Featured
We Are X Documentary is a Must See
Visual Kei Pioneers Go from the Center Stage to the Silver Screen
By Tokyo Journal Intern Michael Tang
We Are X is a documentary about the lives of the Japanese rock band X Japan and its leader Yoshiki. Even those who have never listened to X Japan before will leave the theater incredibly emotional and moved.
Winter Solstice:1947
The following article by Donald Richie is a reprint of his article that first appeared in the Tokyo Journal in April 1991.
IN 1947 Postwar Tokyo was a city of silence, its populace stunned by massive destruction and despair. Yet a young GI witnessed signs that the people were on a slow mend, ready to rebuild Tokyo and themselves. It was winter – cold, crisp, clear – and Mt. Fuji stood sharp on the horizon, growing purple, then indigo in the fading light. I was standing at the main crossing at Ginza 4-chome.
There was no smoke because there were few factories, no fumes because the few cars were charcoal-burning. Fuji looked much as it had for Hokusai and Hiroshige.
Then the sky darkened and the stars appeared – bright, near. The horizon stayed white in the winter light after the sun had vanished and Fuji had turned a solid black.
The Ginza was illuminated by acetylene torches of the night stalls and the passing headlights of Occupation jeeps and trucks. In the darkness Fuji remained visible, a jagged shadow fading into the winter night.
Most of the buildings were cinders. It was wasteland. And from the crossing Japan’s familiar peak was seen as it had not been seen since Edo times and as it would not be again seen until another catastrophe.
At the crossing there were only two large buildings still standing. One was the Ginza branch of the Mitsukoshi Department Store. But it was gutted, hit by a fire bomb, and even the window frames had been twisted by the heat. Across the street was the white stone Hattori Building with its clock tower. It was much as it had always been, once the clock itself was repaired. With its curved front window, cornices, and pediments, it remained from the pre-war Ginza.
The complete article is available in Issue #271. Click here to order from Amazon
X Japan Rocks New York
X Japan Rocks New York's Madison Square Garden
Japan’s Greatest Rock Band Takes a Bite out of the Big Apple
Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie
On October 11, 2014, X Japan did what most Japanese bands and performers have only dreamt of doing for decades. They played the most revered concert venue in the United States–Madison Square Garden–on the stage that has been graced by the likes of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, The Who, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Michael Jackson. X Japan is one of the most successful Japanese rock bands in history with more than 30 million albums, songs and videos sold. They sold out the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times, and in fall of 2014, just prior to their historic Madison Square Garden concert, the band returned to their old stomping grounds for a two-night stint at Yokohama Arena. X Japan pioneered an entire musical genre known as visual kei, fusing glam rock, punk rock and heavy metal with wild hair, androgynous makeup and flamboyant costumes. Formed in 1982, X Japan was one of the first Japanese bands to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label. In their three-decade career, they have released five studio albums, six live albums, eleven compilation albums and numerous videos. They’ve had their share of drama with the tragic deaths of their beloved guitarist HIDE and bassist TAIJI. At HIDE’s funeral in 1997, more than 50,000 fans came out to mourn his passing. At the same time, lead singer Toshi was struggling with the beginning of a horrific 12-year experience of being abused and taken advantage of by his wife and her co-conspirator as described in his alltelling autobiographical book Brainwashed. After X Japan’s breakup in 1997 and reunion in 2007, fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting a new album and another world tour. What’s in store for X Japan? The following is a series of interviews carried out by Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie with X Japan, including a pre-Madison Square Garden New York interview with the entire band and pre- and post-MSG interviews with the individual band members. These interviews with bandleader Yoshiki (drums and piano), Toshi (vocals), PATA (guitar), HEATH (bass), and SUGIZO (guitar and violin) took place while the band members were in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo.
X Japan Rocks New York (Japanese)
2014年10月11日、X Japan は多くの日本人バンドにとっての長年の夢を達成した。レッド・ツェッペリンやザ・ローリング・ストーンズ、ザ・フー、
Yoshiki
Japan’s Rock Legend Yoshiki Rocks Classical Charts Worldwide
Visual Kei Pioneer Rock Legend and Classical Genius Gets Intimate with TJ
Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie
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30 million records sold, a 15-country world tour, 18 sold out Tokyo Dome concerts for 1,000,000 screaming fans, and Yoshiki and his band X Japan, are gearing up for another world tour. In his spare time, Yoshiki composed and recorded Eternal Melody, which remains one of Japan’s top-selling classical albums, and his most recent release “Yoshiki Classical” debuted at the top of the iTunes classical charts worldwide. He has collaborated with some of the world’s leading artists and producers including Queen’s Roger Taylor and legendary Beatles Producer Sir George Martin, performed for the Emperor of Japan, and he has created the theme songs for the World Expo and the last two Golden Globes. This classical genius is a hard rocking innovator and creator of the genre “Visual kei” – combining the styles of punk, rock, heavy metal, glam rock and classical music. In 2008, four years before Tupac’s hologram wowed Coachella, Yoshiki and X Japan brought back their deceased guitarist HIDE by hologram to perform in concert. Some may think it requires a super hero to accomplish all of this. Stan Lee, Marvel Comics founder and creator of Spiderman and the Hulk, agreed and created a superhero based on Yoshiki called “Blood Red Dragon.” What can’t Yoshiki do? Let’s find out.
Yoshiki
日本摇滚传奇Yoshiki摇滚古典乐排行震撼全球
视觉系摇滚开创者摇滚传奇，古典天才与TJ的零距离接触
采访者：Anthony Al-Jamie
To read this article in English click here.
横跨十五个国家，十八场合共一百万粉丝的Tokyo Dome世界巡回演唱会的门票，在尖叫声中销售一空。 Yoshiki和他的乐队X Japan正快马加鞭准备下一场世界巡演。在他的闲暇时间，Yoshiki创作并灌录了Eternal Melody这张独霸日本古典乐排行鳌首的专辑， 而他最新发行的“Yoshiki Classical”刚一亮相便占据了全世界iTunes古典音乐榜榜首。他也曾与世界首屈一指的艺术家和制作人，包括Queen乐队的Roger Taylor和传奇乐队披头士的制作人Sir George Martin 合作为日本天皇演奏。他创作了世博会和最新两届金球奖的主题曲。这位古典音乐天才更是硬摇流派的创新者和“视觉系摇滚”的创造者—结合朋克，摇滚，重金属，华丽摇滚和古典音乐的摇滚新形态。2008年，在图派克的全息影像震撼了图切拉音乐节的四年前， Yoshiki和X Japan就通过全息影像将逝去的吉他手HIDE带回了演唱会现场。许多人认为只有一个超级英雄才能完成这些。 Stan Lee， 漫威漫画的创始人，蜘蛛侠，无敌浩克的创作者，同意以Yoshiki为原型创作了名为“赤血飞龙”的超级英雄。Yoshiki是否无所不能？让我们来一探究竟。