Beatles never fade away. It was 43 years ago when the Beatles came to Japan for their concerts in Tokyo. 43 years. Who imagined that the idol group at the time would appear in the hit chart again 43 years later.

Beatles released their remaster CDs over the world. That is on the hit chart in Japan without any doubt. All the CD titles are in top 100 and the box set of 39800 Japanese Yen ( roughly 380 US dollars ) also is in the top 10. The CDs are alreay sold over 2 million copies in Japan. This is JUST remaster CD project. Not a single new song is in any CDs.  How can we explain this ?  This is truly unbelievable for any musicians but it’s not so strange when it comes to the Beatles. We saw the same thing when ANTHOLOGY project happened. Beatles high Jacked the world in spite that John Lennon joined the group only from Heaven through his roughly recorded voice.

When they came to Japan in 1966, they were regarded as the world idol group with some talent of composing music. That’s not a misunderstanding but it described only one aspect of their universal scale talent. When they came, they had already finished the recording of REVOLVER. But they didn’t play any songs from that album.  They played PAPERBACK WRITER on the stage, but not RAIN. They didn’t show their true faces. Probably they knew that fans didn’t know who the Bealtes really were. So they continued to play to meet the “demand”.

Now they are known as the never appearing gunius and thei music is a kind of voice of God. It’s not overrating. If they were average musicians, their CD would have never sold as today’s news. No other music group or musicians are the same as the Beatles. 

Beatles is the only exception also in the Japanese music industry. When Beatles moves, CD sells without doubt. Beatles doesn’t exist any more. John and George are not on this planet. But fans still want them.  In other words, fans can’t yet find the next talent that beats the past music, Beatles.

43 years ago, our parents screemed to them in Tokyo. Their children in Japan are still moved by the same musician. But what their children see through the CD now is not the idol but the God of the music.

Beatles is now recognized fairly. It took so long time in Japan.

Kazuhiko Kato, a singer song writer of postwar generation, seems to have suicided at a hotel in resort place in Japan. Yet the correct information is not coming to us, however, it seems to be so.

Kazuhiko Kato produced some popular songs in the 1960′s and 1970′s. Recently he has not so many hit records. It’s true that he was one of the Japanese popular music vans influenced by 60′s music from England.

Indeed he looks like an exotic artist and remembering his remarks, it’s not a big surprise if he chose a suicide in the end. He was one of the out-of -standard person among the Japanese no matter if it menas good or bad.

Recently famous persons die one by one.  Time never stops.

 Japanese Fall started. From now till the end of November, the trees in the mountain turn their leaves into red. Fall is the most beautiful season in Japan.

In the history, many poets were born writing about the heart of fall.  Dining table becomes colorful with seasonal food stuff.

For travelers, Kyoto’s fall is especially beautiful with historical buildings and the red leaves. Above photo is the Golden Temple in Kyoto, which is probably one of most popular sightseeing spots in Kyoto.  Red and gold match well now.

Golden Temple is also known to the world because the renowned novelist of Japan, Yukio Mishima, wrote a book with the title, Golden temple or Kinkakuji. It’s his masterpiece which represents his works. It’s translated into some languages, please read if you have some interest in Japanese novels.

Well, this ultimate beauty needs no explanation. Its beyond words. Again this music is composed by Joe Hisaishi for the amazingly great movie, Princess Mononoke directed by master director, Hayao Miyazaki.

I have no word for this movie. It’s just a Japanese culture and it’s a complete form of talent realized by the collaboration of Joe Hisaishi and Hayao Miyazaki.

This great movie should be accessed by fair approach as a film, not only from the angle of animation work. This grand story is really an epic. Please experience the music and the movie together. There is no hesitation for recommending this art of human.

This song is very beautiful.  For us, Japanese, this song gives us a compete image of summer.  Such remoriesas playing in the river with friends, catching beetles under the shining sun, and eating watermeron with bottled coke appear just when listening to this music.

Joe Hisaishi is certainly a magician. His music moves us from the deep spot of our mind. It’s not a fashion. It’s a kind of re-experience of our time.  Beautiful time, precious memories, and joy of the nature around us are all written in his melody.

This song, Summer, is a theme song of a Movie by director, Takeshi Kitano.

Takeshi Kitano is also becoming famous in France, UK,  Italy, and in Russia. He is not that famous in the USA.  Many of Kitano’s fans found this music in his movie and they still like it. 

Joe Hisaishi is probably a famous mind among Kitano fans and Hayao Miyazaki movie fans. They recently admit that Joe Hisaishi can work even without their great movies, which means Joe Hisaishi’s music alone is great enough to move them.

In Japan, the first encounter with Joe Hisaishi for average Japanese people was through the movies of such great directors.  Present understanding about Joe Hisaishi among that average Japanese people is that Joe Hisaishi is real genius.  Many expect new movies with Joe’s music, also probably they expect Joe’s music as well as the movies, or sometime more than the movies.

His music give the Japanese fantastic dream, nostalgic dream, and joy of our life.

Tetsuwan Atom is a Japanese animation character. I do think all the Japanese know this animation even if some didn’t see the TV series in 1960′s. Atom is a national animation, national hero and national idol when Japan was in the mood of postwar. Japan wanted to recover from waste and deserted cities. They worked hard for the dream of future, they believed they could do it. Atom was born at that era.

Atom is kind to human, he try hard to help people with magic power. He builds the city with harmony with people. He expressed the heart of the Japanese and gave hope to the Japanese then.

Above video is the opening theme song and animation of the TV series then. That’s too nostalgic but it still gives us smile and hope. For the Japanese, this TV series is unforgettable. We grew with this, we loved this, we needed this to keep our dream on.

The animator, Osamu Tezuka is a real genius although he passed away years ago. His idea to human is clearly described through his works, of course, in Atom series, the robot, Atom, has kind heart like human and he is loved by human. He has power to help, knowledge to invent, and wisdom to live. We might have tried to become Atom like person then.

Osamu Tezuka is still alive within us. His contribution to post war generation was irreplaceable. Without him, we can’t remember what we were like. Atom’s history were equal to the growth of young generation at the era.

To our surprise, this hero will be reborn by the CG in the USA as the video below.
For the Japanese, the impression may be a little strange and complicated. Atom still lives on in the mind of the Japanese. The New Atom, Astroboy, looks different and the Japanese believe that it never can be retouch because the image of the original is too strong.

On the other hand, it might be a nice trial because it can reach to the people in the USA and the talent that lived in Japan in 1960′s might be discovered now in the USA.

In my opinion, it’s hard for me to enjoy the NEW Atom. I can’t change the image. But if Atom could grow as Astroboy again in the different place, that would be nice. It’s a great animation. It should not be kept under the dust.

 Hayao Miyazaki fans or Studio Ghibli fans maybe know that there is a Ghibli museum in Tokyo, Japan. It’s a very very popular attraction in Tokyo which gathers a lot of people every day from all the parts of Japan and from the world.

If you have a chance to visit Tokyo, this place is one of the top recommendation to visit for travelers. If you don’t like Anime or animation, maybe it’s not your interest. But Anime is one of the Japanese POP culture already and the quality is high enough for adults too.

Many of the Japanese adults also like Studio Ghibli animation.  You can see the website at Ghibli Museum by Hayao Miyazaki. 

Look at this.  A fan is explaining the films well.

Haruki Murakami seems to be the most popular or well known Japanese story writer at this generation. He used to be a popular writer among Japanese college students 20 to 30 years ago. It’s a kind of mystery why he became such a popular author in the world after that. Many read his book, Norwegian Wood when it’s published in Japan and it was like a fashion of non heavy book readers because that was easy to read and easy to put the readers into the world of story.

But now it seems that his popularity is more than a fashion. Actually his style is not that emotional, it’s more like a dry and modern urban life style when we read, but to our surprise, as we read his books, we go further into his world with deeper emotion that we never feel at the beginning.  That means we find ourselves in the story as we proceed.

If the world readers feel the same way, it again means that human nature is not that different whichever the racial group they belong to. And it also means Haruki Murakami has real sense of human nature that reaches at all kind of people living on this planet.

Akira Kurosawa was the most renowned Japanese film director ever. When I grew up and got interested in films, he was already old man. My first encounter with Akira Kurosawa was Rashomon, but the time I saw Rashomon, the new film, Dream, was about to be released in the theaters of Japan.

In that sense, Kurosawa movies were appearing all together to me at a time.

That was too shocking event. His movies are not just Japanese taste, but they reach to substantial human mind. I could not tell his movies were Japanese movies, I thought his ones were human’s movies.

Since then, my respect to Kurosawa has never faded. Somethimes I still want to see his old movies because they are human art. Often, they are more important than seeing new movies. And this consciousness is really rare in my life. I met some wonderful work of art, but they are not many. One of the most precious experience of cultural encounter was certainly the Kurosawa movies.

I miss him. The same guy is no more here. I know it, but some day I want to experience the big excitement of my mind again just like when I first met with an Akira Kurosawa movie.

He was Japanese, but for me, his nationality is not that important. The most important thing for me is that I could live in the same time with the artist. Certainly it’s nice to have the same ethnic blood with him. But I don’t like nationalism before the art or human talent because they are the treassure for all of human.

Joe Hisaishi is getting famous in the world. He is already a kind of national treasure of Japan. Many of us are raised by his music through the movies of Hayao Miyazaki and Takeshi Kitano. I aslo love his music. It’s a godsent talent.

This video is a concert held in Japan some years ago. He plays Howl’s Moving Castle Theme song here. Not only this one but also many others have really touching melody and harmony. If you have never listened to his music, please try. I don’t think you would regret it.