This is a more in-depth update of a post I did on the Jpop Amino a while back; a list of Jpop terminology! Some of these words or phrases may not neccesarily be exclusive to the Jpop fandom but they are just sayings that I see commonly used so I thought I would make this post to help out any new fans who don't know what they mean. Hope it's helpful and feel free to comment down below if there are any words that I've missed.
Showing posts with label how to. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to. Show all posts
What is BATTLE BOYS? | Show Love for the Tokyo Boys in EBiDAN's Newest Project!
If you're subscribed to Stardust Digital on YouTube you may have noticed a few of these short videos popping up lately which feature a member of EBiDAN Tokyo introducing themselves and talking about their skills, charm points, and goals within EBiDAN. Below is Jeffrey Malone's video because I'm biased as heck.
Most Accessible Jpop Boy Groups for Overseas Fans | Jpop on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube?
One of the main reasons I believe that Jpop often doesn't catch the interest of as many people overseas as Kpop does is its lack of accesibility. Most Kpop artists are more than interested in growing their overseas fanbase and it's pretty easy to find Kpop songs on sites like YouTube and iTunes with a simple search. However with Jpop, depending on the artist it can still be a little difficult to find their content if you don't live in Japan.
There are still many Japanese labels who only make their artist's music videos available to Japanese audiences or worse; don't let their music videos be uploaded online at all. A lot of Japanese artists do have their music up to purchase on iTunes these days but most only make it available to buyers in the Japanese store so if you're a foreigner your only option is to get the physical CD imported from Japan which not everyone can afford for every single release.
Of course there are ways around these obstacles *cough* e.g. proxy services, hiding your IP address, sneaky fan uploads *cough* but if you're just getting into Jpop for the first time you probably don't want to go through all of that trouble! So I've complied a list of a few of the more easy to access Jpop boy groups; taking into account factors such as their music and videos being available outside of Japan, how much information can be found on them in English, and how involved they've been with their foreign audience in the past.Notice how there aren't any Johnny's Entertainment groups in this list. Then let's go!
There are still many Japanese labels who only make their artist's music videos available to Japanese audiences or worse; don't let their music videos be uploaded online at all. A lot of Japanese artists do have their music up to purchase on iTunes these days but most only make it available to buyers in the Japanese store so if you're a foreigner your only option is to get the physical CD imported from Japan which not everyone can afford for every single release.
Of course there are ways around these obstacles *cough* e.g. proxy services, hiding your IP address, sneaky fan uploads *cough* but if you're just getting into Jpop for the first time you probably don't want to go through all of that trouble! So I've complied a list of a few of the more easy to access Jpop boy groups; taking into account factors such as their music and videos being available outside of Japan, how much information can be found on them in English, and how involved they've been with their foreign audience in the past.
A Guide to Buying Male Idol Goods for Overseas Fans
I think it's pretty easy these days to buy Japanese CDs if you don't live in Japan. There are lots of websites like CDJapan and HMV Japan that take their foreign customers into account by having an English version of their website, multiple different payment options, and of course international shipping. However, it might be a little more tricky to buy less common merchandise (such as concert goods and very limited items) especially if you don't speak Japanese so I've put together a kind of guide/list of resources I've used and personally had good experiences with. This guide mainly focuses on male idol merchandise as that's my main interest but most things can probably be applied to any Japanese artist.
Where to Buy
The Artist's Official Store
The most obvious place to buy goods from is the artist's own website. Of course this is the best place to buy from if you want to support the artist but it has some draw backs (such as price, older items no longer being available etc.).
Surugaya
Surugaya is a store where you can buy secondhand anime, idol etc. merchandise. Their selection of items isn't the biggest but it's constantly changing so if you check the website regularly you may occasionally get lucky and find some items you want. Items on Surugaya tend to be super cheap and they've been good quality in my experience. Their shipping is often free too (within Japan). My only issue with them is that they often take several weeks to ship out your items.
Mercari Japan
Mercari is an online auction site (there is also an English version of the Mercari site so make sure you're using the Japanese version). It's quite common for people to sell their unwanted idol merchandise here for good prices so be sure to search for your favourite groups regularly! Note that most sellers on Mercari don't appreciate people purchasing items outright without commenting first so if you do this they'll likely cancel your order.
Yahoo Auction Japan
Yahoo Auction Japan is the same story as Mercari, really. YAJ might be easier to purchase from though as it has its own official proxy service (Buyee).
A list of keywords you can use when searching for items:
How to Buy
Now that you've chosen your items, here are a couple of ways you can purchase them.
Tenso
When I first discovered Tenso it was a life-saver. Tenso is a website that gives you a Japanese address that you can use to purchase from stores that only ship within Japan. When purchasing the item, you input the address of their warehouse (as well as the unique member ID that they give you) and the item will be shipped to them. Once they receive it you pay a small free and they send it to you.
Proxy Services
The one problem I had with Tenso is that some Japanese websites don't accept foreign credit cards or have the option to pay with PayPal. It's all well and good having a Japanese address until you can't actually pay for the items to be shipped there in the first place, haha. For websites that have this issue I use a proxy service. They work the same as Tenso pretty much expect proxy services will actually make the order for you so they might be a better alternate if you don't speak Japanese. My personal favourite proxy service is From Japan but some others I've used and had no problems with include Buyee and Japonica Market.
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Where to Buy
The most obvious place to buy goods from is the artist's own website. Of course this is the best place to buy from if you want to support the artist but it has some draw backs (such as price, older items no longer being available etc.).
Surugaya is a store where you can buy secondhand anime, idol etc. merchandise. Their selection of items isn't the biggest but it's constantly changing so if you check the website regularly you may occasionally get lucky and find some items you want. Items on Surugaya tend to be super cheap and they've been good quality in my experience. Their shipping is often free too (within Japan). My only issue with them is that they often take several weeks to ship out your items.
Mercari Japan
Mercari is an online auction site (there is also an English version of the Mercari site so make sure you're using the Japanese version). It's quite common for people to sell their unwanted idol merchandise here for good prices so be sure to search for your favourite groups regularly! Note that most sellers on Mercari don't appreciate people purchasing items outright without commenting first so if you do this they'll likely cancel your order.
Yahoo Auction Japan is the same story as Mercari, really. YAJ might be easier to purchase from though as it has its own official proxy service (Buyee).
A list of keywords you can use when searching for items:
- Badge - 缶バッチ
- Bromide - ブロマイド
- Eco bag / bag - エコバッグ / バッグ
- Event edition - イベント版
- Goods -グッズ
- Keychain - キーホルダー
- Penlight - ペンライト
- Poster - ポスター
- T-shirt - Tシャツ
- Trading Card - トレカ
- Set - セット
- Uchiwa - うちわ
How to Buy
Now that you've chosen your items, here are a couple of ways you can purchase them.
When I first discovered Tenso it was a life-saver. Tenso is a website that gives you a Japanese address that you can use to purchase from stores that only ship within Japan. When purchasing the item, you input the address of their warehouse (as well as the unique member ID that they give you) and the item will be shipped to them. Once they receive it you pay a small free and they send it to you.
The one problem I had with Tenso is that some Japanese websites don't accept foreign credit cards or have the option to pay with PayPal. It's all well and good having a Japanese address until you can't actually pay for the items to be shipped there in the first place, haha. For websites that have this issue I use a proxy service. They work the same as Tenso pretty much expect proxy services will actually make the order for you so they might be a better alternate if you don't speak Japanese. My personal favourite proxy service is From Japan but some others I've used and had no problems with include Buyee and Japonica Market.
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