{"id":24886,"date":"2021-01-20T05:09:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T04:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/?p=24886"},"modified":"2025-07-18T13:28:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:28:38","slug":"introduction-world-j-pop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/introduction-world-j-pop\/","title":{"rendered":"An introduction to the wonderful world of J-Pop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With millions of fans all over the world, you\u2019ve probably heard of J-Pop and its superstar artists by now. The genre has been taking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/destinations\/asia\/japan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Japan<\/a> by storm since the nineties and you may have even heard some J-Pop hits in movies, TV shows and video games. So what exactly does J-Pop mean? And which artists should you be listening to? We\u2019ve got the lowdown on everything you need to know about the wacky world of J-Pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-j-pop\"><strong>What is J-Pop?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CEec0aKhMQL\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CEec0aKhMQL\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CEec0aKhMQL\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by ayumi hamasaki (@a.you)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<p>Japanese pop music, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/popasia\/jpop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">J-Pop<\/a>, is one of the most popular music genres in Japan. Although it started to gain popularity in the 1960s, it hit the mainstream in the 1990s and today it has millions of fans all over the world. Think Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Drake are big? The superstars of J-Pop are just as revered in Japan and the biggest bands and stars are pop culture icons. They set the trends on everything, from music to fashion and makeup. And while it\u2019s called \u2018pop\u2019 music, you can\u2019t really put it into one musical box. Some bands do have that boppy pop sound, but you can hear everything from soulful ballads to metal to funky R&amp;B. So how did it all begin?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/tours\/t\/splendours-of-japan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Splendours of Japan<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-did-j-pop-start\"><strong>How did J-Pop start?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CAG95Z-lLjr\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CAG95Z-lLjr\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CAG95Z-lLjr\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by BABYMETAL (@babymetal_official)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<p>J-Pop is no passing trend. In fact, it can be traced all the way back to the popular jazz music of the early Sh\u014dwa period from 1926 to the end of World War II in 1945. The music style used instruments that were previously only used in military marches and classical music. The genre also introduced \u201cOngakuKissa\u201d, trendy caf\u00e9s where people could enjoy live jazz music. After the war put a pause on jazz music, it returned in a big way and 1952 became renowned as the \u201cYear of the Jazz Boom\u201d in Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next up was the rock-n-roll mania in Japan which kicked off in 1956 and peaked in 1959, when a popular movie featured Japanese rock-n-roll bands. After that, several artists started to merge traditional Japanese pop music with rock-n-roll. Other artists were influenced by Western music covered popular American songs, which gave rise to \u201ccover pop\u201d. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Japanese pop music began to boom and by the 1990s, J-Pop was the word on everybody\u2019s lips. Two decades later, and the love for J-Pop artists has continued to spread all over the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>RELATED CONTENT:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/japan-travel-guide-where-go-what-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">From samurai to sakura, where to go and what to do in Japan<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-j-pop-is-unique-to-japan-and-not-to-be-confused-with-k-pop\"><strong>Why J-Pop is unique to Japan\u2026 And not to be confused with K-Pop<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bvoy8ByDTUv\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bvoy8ByDTUv\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bvoy8ByDTUv\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by \u304d\u3083\u308a\u30fc\u306f\u309a\u307f\u3085\u306f\u309a\u307f\u3085 (@kyarypappa)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<p>You may have heard of K-Pop (Korean pop) but if you\u2019re thinking the two genres are similar, think again! From the music to the style and marketing, K-Pop and J-Pop are completely different genres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sound\">Sound<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While K-Pop music is more mainstream and familiar to Western pop fans, J-Pop is more obscure, with unusual key changes and high-pitched vocals. However, it&#8217;s still considered mainstream music, and whatever you\u2019re into, you\u2019re sure to find a J-Pop band you love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-image\">Image<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A pop group\u2019s image is just as important as their image, and J-Pop and K-Pop differ here too. In Japan, it\u2019s all about being \u201ckawaii\u201d (cute) and whether you\u2019re a sweet girl group like AKB48 or a metal band like Babymetal, cuteness is always key. Meanwhile, K-Pop stars are edgier and cooler, with a bigger emphasis on sex appeal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/five-japanese-cultures-customs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Five Japanese cultures and customs we need to protect<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B8wOmyuJm-z\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B8wOmyuJm-z\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B8wOmyuJm-z\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Official\u9aed\u7537dism (@officialhigedandism)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-marketing\">Marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Japan has a population of almost 130 million people &#8211; over twice the size of South Korea &#8211; they don\u2019t need to market to outside audiences. That means most J-Pop artists don\u2019t tour internationally or cater to fans in any languages other than Japanese. And although J-Pop is musically diverse, the genre isn\u2019t really influenced by outside audiences or music scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, most J-Pop stars don\u2019t garner the international hype of their K-Pop counterparts, who are more like the cool cousin of American pop. K-Pop markets to international audiences and is more accessible on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, while many K-Pop stars also collaborate with US artists to help bring K-Pop to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/en-us\/tours\/classic-japan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Classic Japan<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-guide-to-j-pop-artists\"><strong>Guide to J-Pop artists<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready to dive into the world of J-Pop? Don\u2019t get overwhelmed by the countless artists and musical styles! To help you get started, here are some of the biggest stars in J-Pop, from the nineties &#8217;till now.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-arashi\">Arashi<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This wildly popular boy band formed in 1999 and their pop hits just haven\u2019t stopped coming. They released a compilation album of their top hits in 2019 and it became the best-selling album in the world at the time. They even beat out Taylor Swift and K-Pop giant BTS! Although they did announce their retirement at the end of 2020, new fans still have two decades worth of music to dive into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CJaeDsnBfc7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CJaeDsnBfc7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CJaeDsnBfc7\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by ARASHI (@arashi_5_official)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ayumi-hamasaki\">Ayumi Hamasaki<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ayumi Hamasaki burst onto the scene in 1998 and quickly attracted an adoring fan base with her self-written music and trendy style. 30 albums and a biopic TV drama later, and Ayumi has cemented herself as one of J-Pop\u2019s biggest stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B61GnhoBWJm\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B61GnhoBWJm\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B61GnhoBWJm\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by ayumi hamasaki (@a.you)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hikaru-utada\">Hikaru Utada<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After releasing her debut album &#8216;First Love&#8217; in 1999, Hikaru Utada quickly became one of the biggest names in J-Pop. Her music is inspired by Western pop and R&amp;B, and she still holds the record for the highest-selling album in Japan for First Love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/lifespans-japanese-secrets-living-longer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Japan holds the secret to living longer, and they can prove it<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-babymetal\">Babymetal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to get into metal music? Babymetal may be the J-Pop band for you. They hit the scene in 2010, bringing a unique blend of kawaii style and metal music, and since then they\u2019ve gained international superstardom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CJImu83ltMg\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CJImu83ltMg\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CJImu83ltMg\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by BABYMETAL (@babymetal_official)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gackt\">GACKT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You might have already heard music by Gakuto Oshiro, known as GACKT. His music has been used for dozens of TV shows, video games and anime shows, and he\u2019s been doing it since the early 1990s. While he\u2019s known for his rock music, he can sing all different styles, so you\u2019re sure to find some surprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-kyary-pamyu-pamyu\">Kyary Pamyu Pamyu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is the queen of kawaii, Harajuku style and is Japan\u2019s undisputed pop princess right now. Her sound and image is cotton candy sweet and she\u2019s toured all over the world for the last decade.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BvoteWij24L\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BvoteWij24L\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BvoteWij24L\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by \u304d\u3083\u308a\u30fc\u306f\u309a\u307f\u3085\u306f\u309a\u307f\u3085 (@kyarypappa)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-official\u9aed\u7537dism-official-hige-dandism\">Official\u9aed\u7537dism (Official HIGE DANdism)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This pop band is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/culture\/2019\/12\/26\/music\/japan-music-2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hottest J-Pop acts<\/a> in Japan right now. Their 2019 single \u201cPretender\u201d had racked up 300 million streams on Apple Music only one year after its release. Then, their 2019 debut studio album Traveler shot straight to number one on the Japan Albums Chart. Be sure to check them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B83re0ZF5yZ\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\"><div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B83re0ZF5yZ\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px\"> <div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\"> View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto\"> <div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div> <div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B83re0ZF5yZ\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Official\u9aed\u7537dism (@officialhigedandism)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-kenshi-yonezu\">Kenshi Yonezu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This incredible singer-songwriter debuted in 2009 under the stage name Hachi, before switching to his own name in 2012. He wrote the song \u201cLemon\u201d, which is now the most-viewed Japanese music video on YouTube with over 610 million views. It\u2019s even the theme song for the Japanese TV drama \u201cUnnatural\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Who are your favourite J-Pop artists? Let us know in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With millions of fans all over the world, you\u2019ve probably heard of J-Pop and its superstar artists by now. The genre has been taking Japan by storm since the nineties and you may have even heard some J-Pop hits in movies, TV shows and video games. So what exactly does J-Pop mean? And which artists [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":24890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4910],"tags":[20962,20963,320,20964,20965],"class_list":["post-24886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","tag-j-pop","tag-j-pop-artists","tag-japan","tag-japanese-music","tag-japanese-pop-music"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>An introduction to the wonderful world of J-Pop<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It&#039;s got millions of fans all over the world and is a musical force in Japan. 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