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For a sidenote, your choice of using ONLY visual bands to demonstrate the variety in the large scale music industry for Japan is rather unstable. The bands that consistenly sell out arena tours and are considerably more popular than anything that once held visual roots are just as homogeneous as those represented in America. Spitz, Mr. Children, B'z, Bump of Chicken-- these bands are more representative of the rock market available domestically in Japan, and other bands that gain their 5 minutes of fame are almost clones of these large players.

Now to the pop spectrum. Morning Musume, SMAP, any one of the myriad offshoots of Johnny's Entertainment and their female idol counterparts, Hamasaki Ayumi, etc. They all sound the same and a great deal of them depend on the same composers to make their sound. It's the Jpop sound we've all attached to the genre and that, my friends, it really what is popular in Japan that is made in Japan. Gackt has verged closer to this realm of pop in his releases, but considering how most TV hosts treat him they consider him a joke. They're incredibly condescending to him and there is a difference in respect handed to him and other artists.

You'd be hard-pressed to find the average Japanese who knows who Dir en grey are, who Miyavi is, who Malice Mizer were. Good luck on finding anyone who'll know about Nightmare, Kagrra, etc. The Visual scene has become a joke to most Japanese.


A fairer comparison between the "variety" available in Japan and that in western music must be between Apples and Apples. It won't work to focus on an small genre in one country and use that to compare how bland huge bands are in the West. neutral

Morning Musume = Mickey Mouse Club - Men.