Welcome to Rock of Japan!

I announced I was taking down Rock of Japan, and a few people expressed alarm. Denise at Anusaya.com was one of them, and she offered to put Rock of Japan on her server. I no longer wanted to do Rock of Japan, but I was happy to have what I had done continue to be available on the internet. Thanks to Dan Payne for recommending that I do the site. Thanks to Hitoshi Toyoda for helping me with translations and photography in the beginning. Thanks to Keiko Oka for translating for me faithfully for the bulk of the site’s eleven years. Thanks to Yuko Oz for stepping in at the tail end of the site, and doing an excellent job with translations as I tried to smoothly wind things down. Thanks to all the bands who inspired me, and thanks to all of you who cared what I had to say. There's lots of info here about Japanese rock--enjoy it, and buy yourself or someone you love a Rock of Japan T-shirt! Yes, you can still do that, and you can still email me. Rock of Japan is probably finished, but Denise has invited me to write for Anusaya if I get the craving. Keep rockin'!

Paul Wheeler

Rock of Japan began in May 1999 and finally bowed out after eleven years in July 2010.


   

Check Out These Artists!

& OTHERS (CD reviews) (#s-E); (F-L); (M-Z)

including: The 5,6,7,8’s; Thee 50’s Highteens; 54 Nude Honeys; Afrirampo; The Amppez; Asakusa Jinta; Blankey Jet City; Blow One’s Cool; Boom Boom Satellites; Bo-Peep; The Brilliant Green; The Captains; China Chop; Crawl; Dirtrucks; Ellegarden; The Emeralds; The Ends; Esrevnoc; Firestarter; Flamenco A Go Go; Flip; Gasoline; Gitogito Hustler; Go Bangs; Grapevine; Green Milk From The Planet Orange; Guinny Vamps; Gyogun Rend’s; Hal From Apollo ‘69; Havana Exotica; The Heiz; Hige; Hoover’s Ooover; Hydro-Guru; Invisibleman’s Deathbed; Jet Boys; Jitterin’ Jinn; Judy And Mary; Kazha; Kegawa No Maries; Lin Clover; Ling Tosite Sigure; Lolita No. 18; Love Pigs; Love Psychedelico; Luminous Orange; Macarthur a Contti; Mad Moisell; Mean Machine; Thee Michelle Gun Elephant; Milk Crown; Missile Girl Scoot; Molice; Mong Hang; Mono; Mummy The Peepshow; Akina Nakamori; Papaya Paranoia; Polysics; The Portugal Japan; Prambath; The Predators; Puffy (aka Puffy AmiYumi); The Questionmarks; Rocket Jack Vaders; The Rodeo Carburettor; Ron Ron Clou; Sentimental Bus; Shakalabbits; Six O’Minus; Spandecks; Spoozys; Stone Deaf; Supercar; Supersnazz; Susan; Tama; Teeny Frahoop; Jun Togawa; Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re; Up-Tight; Who The Bitch; Yen Town Band; and Zoobombs

& OTHERS (live reviews) (#s-A); (B-C); (D-E); (F); (G-J); (K-L); (M-N); (O-P); (Q-R); (S); (T-Z)

including: 2Up; The 5,6,7,8’s; 10 Yen Ana Kinoko; 50 Kaitenz; Thee 50’s High Teens; 54-71; 54 Nude Honeys; Accel 4; Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paradaiso U.F.O.; Acid Mothers Temple SWR; Tomomi Adachi; Afrirampo; Agatsuma; Air; Akaten; AKB48; Akima & Neos; Asakusa Jinta; Attack Haus; Bakubeni; Balloons; Bathtub Shitter; The Beaches; Big Frog; Blue III; Bonkin’ Clapper; Boom Boom Satellites; Boredoms; Boris; Bossston Cruising Mania; Budo Grape; The Captains; Charisma Pampie; Chatmonchy; Clammbon; Clione-Index; Condor 44; Core Of Soul; Cornelius; Curlies; Demi Semi Quaver; Déspairs Ray; Dip; DMBQ; Do Thank Anal; Drillchop 9; The Dudoos; Eastern Youth; Ed Woods; Electric Eel Shock; Elekibass; Ellegarden; The Emeralds; Emulsion; Envy; Steve Eto; Falsies On Heat; Fantasy’s Core; Far East Native; Flight Of Idea; Flip; Flower Travellin’ Band; Fushitsusha; Fuzzass; Garorinz; Gasoline; Gaucho; Gevil; Ghost; Gitogito Hustler; Goggle-A; Gouka; Grapevine; Green Milk From The Planet Orange; Guva; Keiji Haino; Hard Tricks; Head Phones President; Heart Bazaar; The Heiz; Henry Tennis; High Rise; The High-Lows; Hikashu; Himawari; Holidays Of Seventeen; Hypercube; Indian Hi; Invisibleman’s Deathbed; Jackie & The Cedrics; The Jerry Lee Phantom; Jet Boys; Jinny Oops!; Jitterin’ Jinn; Kahimi Karie; Masami Kawaguchi’s New Rock Syndicate; Ai Kawashima; Kazha; Ketchup Mania; Kiiiiiii; Minami Kizuki; Koenji Hyakkei; Kokeshi Doll; Kokusyoko Sumire; Limited Express (has gone?); Local Sound Style; Lolita No. 18; Love Psychedelico; LSD March; Luminous Orange; Macarthur a Contti; The Mad Capsule Markets; Mainliner; Marble Sheep; Maruosa; Melt-Banana; Mermort Sounds Film; Merzbow; Thee Michelle Gun Elephant; Miminokoto; Kosetsu Minami; Takako Minekawa; Yuto Miyazawa; Moja; Mong Hang; Mono; Moon Mama; Muddy World; Mummy The Peepshow; My Way My Love; Nananine; Natural Calamity; The Neat Beats; Ni-Hao; Noodles; Numb; Number Girl; OK City OK; Okamoto’s; Omodaka; OOIOO; Oorutaichi; Orange Pekoe; Ovum; Papaya Paranoia; Peck You!!; Perorins; Petit Mit; Petty Booka; Pe´z; Picarince; Pillows; PINE*am; Pistol Valve; Polysics; The Portugal Japan; Prambath; Puffy (aka Puffy AmiYumi); Puppypet; Quaff; Qypthone; Red Bacteria Vacuum; Riddim Saunter; Rin’; Rinken Band; Rocket Jack Vaders; The Rodeo Carburettor; Ruins; Ruins Alone; SA; Sabbat; Ryuichi Sakamoto; The Salinger; Scandal; Seikazoku; Shrinp Wark; Space Combine; Spanam; Sparky Quano; Sparta Locals; Spoozys; Stance Punks; Stone Deaf; Strike Out; Suishou No Fune; The Suzan; Swinging Popsicle; Techma; Teengenerate; Titan Go Kings; Tokyo Pinsalocks; Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra; Tomiya; Tomovsky; Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re; Noriko Tujiko; Typhoon Ministers; Understatements; Unicorn Table; Up-Tight; Vampillia; Veronica’s Violet; Volume Out; Water Fai; We Acediasts; Fuyuki Yamakawa; Yoshitake Expe; The Young Ones; Yura Yura Teikoku; Zazen Boys; Zoffy; The Zoobombs; ZOoOoOm; and Zubi Zuva X