Japanese Ska - Characteristics

Characteristics

According to one music critic, Japanese ska "music translates well, as they have fully embraced the Western horned-based ska idiom". Another remarks "from traditional ska to ska-punk, Japan has a thriving scene that is ready to invade America.

A source at MIT describes:

Although far less popular than J-pop, J-rock Japanese rock, or electronica, ska music has a definite presence in Japan. Emerging about a decade ago with forerunner bands Ska-Flames and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, the Japanese ska scene saw a huge popular surge in 1997 (mirroring the burst of popularity in the United States) which quickly died out. However, many Japanese ska bands continue to persist despite a lack of mainstream support. The Determinations, The Side Burns, and Blue Beat Players are Japanese ska bands popular among fans of the genre.

In Japan, both Japanese and traditional Jamaican ska enjoy some popularity. An article in Jamaica Observer quoted a Japanese music seller as saying:

Ska is very big in Japan and we have about five Japanese ska bands in my city. We just had Prince Buster performing there Japanese people love Ska in fact, they love every period of music from Jamaica.

A Japanese pop authority remarked that some see:

...similarities between the highly stylized "skanking" dance style associated with ska music and Japanese "bon odori" festival dances. (Ska music and ska-punk have long been favorites in Japan, and today there are countless Japanese ska and ska-punk bands.) And reggae’s syncopated rhythms are echoed in the rhythm of Okinawan music -- so much so that Okinawa music is sometimes called "Japanese reggae."

Although the Japanese ska scene is centered in Tokyo there are ska venues elsewhere in Japan, even in smaller cities such as Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture.