Top 5 most played J-Pop songs I've Heard in Japan

Hello! As you may know, I'm studying in Nagoya, Japan. It's a great experience, and despite the personal nature of my journal blog, I encourage you to read it!

Despite what you might think, Japan plays a lot of American music in public spaces. I've heard renditions of "And I will always love you," "Soul Sister," and of course "Baby" (Justin Beiber) over vairous loud speakers. But when the Japanese play their hits, they tend to favor a select few...

... So! I've been in Department stores, phone stores, dining halls, karaoke bars, and delicious restaurants. And I can say with great pride that I've discovered some of the most widely played musical tracks in Japan's public spaces. Of course these are simply the most recent songs, but they're quite catchy and I wanna share them with you!

Note: They are in the order of most frequently played (from my experience this past week). They are not in accordance with the Oricon charts.




5. THE OVER - UVERworld (2)

UVERworld's new single, THE OVER, seems to be a hit with the current generation. Although I've only heard it twice, I heard the 40 something year old man next to me give it a little hum near the end. Maybe the salary man finds his shounen companion in the form of the aging rock band?

4. The Beginning - One Ok Rock (2)


 I knew about their tour, but I didn't know it was named after their new single until I heard it being played on street speakers. It is one of OOR's best songs to date, as they define themselves with punk-American style mixed with J-Rock aesthetics.

3. ODDS&ENDS - Hatsune Miku ft. ryo (3)


SoftBank seems to be in tune with the youth! The Opening song of Project Diva's PS Vita release is what's being played around Japan. It's catchy and pretty low-key compared to its predecessors. But it'll soon be a ryo classic!

2. crossing field - LiSA (7)


 If you're a true otaku, then you're keeping up with Sword Art Online. Well apparently LiSA's stardom and American debut has pushed her to the top of the must-play list! I heard crossing field so many times a day that it's almost annoying. Almost. 

And the #1 song is....

1. Spending All My Time - Perfume(11)


Surprised? I sure was. I didn't know Perfume was so popular in Japan. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I've heard this song ELEVEN TIMES. Yes, after the first three times I decided to count. And low and behold, this song is most popul-SPENDING ALL SPENDING SPENDING ALL MY TIME~~

Anyway thanks for reading!

-chansu