Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! Still traveling today, so I’ll just share Gen Hoshino’s (星野源) new album, in case you haven’t listened to it yet. Because you should! And, as always… What have you been … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (May 28, 2025)
Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! The first ever Music Awards Japan will be live streaming on YouTube May 21 and May 22. If I wasn’t traveling right now I’d be watching these live but I’ll … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (May 21, 2025)
This is my favorite tree. The one in the featured image. Do you see it? Yeah, that one. It’s my favorite! Not my favorite type of tree. My favorite individual, specific tree. It’s in my backyard. And it was planted … Continue reading The 5/16 Day Thread’s Favorite Tree
Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! I promise I held back for as long as possible…but today is the &TEAM header. If the last few weeks are any indication, I suspect it won’t be the last. … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (May 14, 2025)
Amanita Design, a Czech indie developer, is well-known for their various point-and-click adventure games that incorporate a unique and immersive art style, quirky characters and puzzles, and strongly atmospheric music. Their first full-length game, Machinarium (released in 2009) is no … Continue reading The Relaxing 5/13 Day Thread Listens to Some Atmospheric Tunes from Machinarium
This Night Thread is a sequel to the Day Thread, as we are taking a look at the soothing music of Anodyne 2: Return to Dust. Released in 2019, six years after the first Anodyne, Return to Dust serves more … Continue reading The Relaxing 5/12 Night Thread Listens to Some Melodies from Anodyne 2: Return to Dust
In 2013, developers Melos Han-Tani and Marina Kittaka of Analgesic Productions released Anodyne, a weird little indie game inspired in part by the older Legend of Zelda games. When I first played last year I was a bit meh on … Continue reading The Relaxing 5/12 Day Thread Listens to Some Anodyne Tunes
Another Night Thread was open, which means I have another one of my favorite singers to share! This time, it’s syudou, who is also a vocaloid producer. He’s responsible for Ado’s massively popular breakout hit “Ussewa” 「うっせぇわ」and he creates a … Continue reading The 5/11 syudou Night Thread
My header series on relaxing video game music that I love listening to continues with Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights. Ender Lilies is a 2021 Metroidvania noted for its beautiful visuals, difficult boss fights, and – most relevant right … Continue reading The Relaxing 5/11 Day Thread Listens to Some Ender Lilies Melodies
Let me preface this by saying that I’ve never played the indie platformer Dustforce. And yet one part of it has had a lasting impact on me – the soothing electronic soundtrack, composed by Terence Lee, aka Lifeformed. For the … Continue reading The Relaxing 5/10 Day Thread Listens to Some Dustforce Tunes
Keina Suda (須田景凪) is one of my favorite singers. The first time I heard his voice, I was hooked. Just love everything about his sound. This The First Take performance features one of my favorite songs, “Darling”「ダーリン」, which is from … Continue reading The 5/9 Ghost Pop Night Thread
No one signed up for this, so I figured I’d go back to my usual Japanese music brand with some QUEEN BEE (Ziyoou-vachi 女王蜂). After all these years, “STARRY NIGHT”「 夜天」 is still my favorite song of theirs. Every time … Continue reading The 4/25 STARRY NIGHT Thread
Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! On our last night in Tokyo last August we went to a concert featuring four bands in a small venue. Not surprisingly, it was one of my favorite experiences from … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (April 23, 2025)
Happy Earth Day, everyone! Please enjoy this Sparks song in honor of this special day! 🌍 Have a nice day/night! 💖 Continue reading The 4/22 Day Thread Loves the Earth
Today’s K-Tel offering, 20 Dynamic Hits, was released in New Zealand in 1971. It’s pop focused featuring Elton John, Mungo Jerry, BJ Thomas, Olivia Newton-John, and more. Continue reading The 16 April 2025 Day Thread is Invaded By K-Tel Records!
Just want to share my favorite yama song tonight. Written and produced by Nobuo Oki (作曲 大木伸夫), the English title of the song is “The World is Supposed to Be Beautiful” (世界は美しいはずなんだ). If you watch anime, you may have heard … Continue reading The 4/15 Night Thread Heard the World Was Beautiful
One of my the many ways I like to study Japanese is through music. I find that any time I can combine something I already love with studying I absorb the information much better. If I have a context for … Continue reading The 4/14 Day Thread Learns with Music
Also released in 1971, was 25 Polka Greats Volume 1. I don’t have any real insight except to say that it make me want to be at an outside festival eating sausages. Continue reading The 10 April 2025 Day Thread is Invaded By K-Tel Records!
Picture it: Japan. 1971. K-Tel Records releases Superstars of the 70s. They had less than two years to gather superstars of this brand-new decade, which is why I’m sure that 55% of the songs are from the 60s, going back … Continue reading The 09 April 2025 Day Thread is Invaded By K-Tel Records!
Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! This morning, yama released this nice lyric video for one of the songs from their latest album, semicolon. Their previous album was good but not my favorite, so I’m really … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (April 9, 2025)
Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! I had something else planned for today but now that’s gone because I woke up and the first thing I saw was that YUZURU HANYU IS IN KENSHI YONEZU’S NEW … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 5, 2025)
