Top 10 Japanese Songs of Summer 1

Japanese Top 10 Songs of Summer (part 1) This list is divided into 2 parts. The first part is a little more traditional, or at least songs that you’ll associate with summer because they only are heard in the summer or because they are about the summer. The second half is made of songs I think sounds awesome when chilling at the beach or a barbecue. PART 1 #1 阿波よしこの Awa Yoshikono This is the song the accompanies the most famous of the 盆踊り Bon Odori dances. The dance and this incarnation of the song originated in 徳島県 Tokushima-ken Tokushima … Continue reading Top 10 Japanese Songs of Summer 1

Lady GAGAku

Gagaku is the name of a type of Japanese music that was developed in the Imperial Court during the Heian Period (794-1185). This music features classical wind, wood and string instruments originally imported from China and Korea.  Even if you don’t know much about East Asian music traditions, I think you’ll agree this one is recognizably Japanese. Since we’re getting close to o-shōgatsu (Japanese New Year), I’m getting in the mood for traditional music. So today I’m going to post 3 YouTube links to some very famous gagaku compositions. But first, lets look at the kanji! 雅楽 ががく gagaku The … Continue reading Lady GAGAku