Reggae Music Around The World: Japan - Inspired by @crypticat

Reggae in Japan

Japanese culture and Jamaican culture combine together to form Japanese reggae music. It can simply be thought as roots reggae originating from an island on the other side of the globe. The two cultures clash positively to collaborate and form a new wave of connectivity to Reggae music, which can be shared throughout the world. The combination of these two very different cultures transcends far beyond the scope of music however.

Recently, @crypticat introduced us to the Reggae Around the World Series, where a point of connection with Jamaican culture and Reggae music is found, cultivated and expressed in hope to spread the one love vibrations Jamaica is so commonly known for. This is exactly what ReggaeSteem is all about. Here on Reggaesteem, we want to spread those vibes as far reaching as possible and share the love among various cultures by also bringing other cultures to reggae as well. The opportunity for culture transcendence is essentially limitless, especially when it comes to sharing a love and passion for music. Music brings people of different cultures together through means of expression by which many can relate.

Jamaican-Japan Reggae Music

Reggae music was first brought to the island of Japan in the mid-70s when the Pioneers began their tour in 1975. Reggae on the island did not really explode, however, until famous music legend, Bob Marley, visited in 1979 on holiday. Marley masterly connected with several individuals on his visit to bring reggae some new blood. He met a previous member from the Flower Travellin Band who suggested Marley and other Jamaican reggae artists collaborate with well-renowned Japanese artists to formulate a new wave of reggae roots vibrations, Jamaican-Japanese music. This suggestion resulted in the famous albums, Pecker Power and Instant Rasta, being recorded in the year 1980, only one short year after Marley’s visit to Japan. These albums featured some top Japanese and Jamaican artists together directly influencing the spread of reggae music to Japan.

During the time of Marley’s reggae rage, Japan actually had the third largest number of ska and reggae musicians, behind the obvious front runners, Jamaica and the United States. Ska, or Japanese-ska (j-ska) in Japan, is a combination of Jamaican Afro-Caribbean with a sprinkle of American R &B, which is quite different than Japanese pop music. Ska has had three waves since its origination in Japan. The third wave became the most popular J-Ska version, which was the classic punk wave. Despite that, some J-Ska songs have distinct pop elements, making the genre a cross-over hybrid mix between the two. Japanese ska also includes electronic and heavy rock attributes, making it a little bit harsher to listen to, but for those of you who enjoy this type of vibe, it's definitely a genre you should look into a bit more.

I will focus more attention on the Japanese-Ska genre. If you are interested, then you should check out Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, widely considered to be the most successful J-Ska band of all time. Their music hits a bit "hoppy" and doesn't really remind me much of traditional reggae, but this is Japan's 'Jamaica-Japan reggae,' their own unique flavor and twist on a genre that is fluid and flexible. I’ll reference a link below so you can check them out!

Article Source: Cheng & Tsui, 2013

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra:

More Irie Japanese Ska Music:

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