Korea has invaded Japan! I repeat! Korea has invaded Japan ……. with their Hallyu Virus (more commonly known as the Hallyu Wave)!

Sold out concerts, Korean music on top music charts! Sounds like it happens all the time in Korea. Yes, but I’m not talking about Korea, I’m talking about JAPAN! 日本です。NIPPON.

As you all know, Japan is a “closed society” but a handful of Korean artists have successfully broken into the Japanese music industry. Their hit-topping songs manage to make its way into the Oricon Chart upon release. Majority managed to get very high rankings. It’s no surprise that this has something to do with their management’s smart marketing strategies and pure hard work. The artists’ passion and hard work as well

Mention TVXQ (東方神起) and, not only fan girls, but fan boys squeal with delight. TVXQ has come a long, long way and have successfully captured the hearts of many fans with their amazing vocals. Ah, did I mention that they have charming good looks and chiseled bodies. They also can dance oh so smoothly. Indeed, they are the whole package. Conquering the Japanese music industry was not an easy feat. It took them some time before they saw some results. Soon enough their songs were entering the Oricon charts, having sold-out concerts all over Japan, and the rest is history. A little additional info to show how powerful they were in Japan, they staged a concert in Tokyo Dome AND they were the first Korean act to perform at the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (2008). Fast forward to 2010, the group was having legal issues and they split two-ways. Three members formed a new group called JYJ while the other two remained. TVXQ is no longer a quintet but a duo. This created quite a stir in the music industry but both JYJ and TVXQ are going strong as we speak (or type in this case).

Gods of the Rising East, TVXQ

This is them now.

JYJ (L-R: Junsu, Jaejoong, Yoochun)

TVXQ (Changmin & Yunho)

These guys are legendary and deserve a whole post to themselves because they were the very first Korean group to make it big in Japan. They are high respected by their fellow Korean juniors (“後輩” in Japanese or “후배” in Korean). Thanks to TVXQ, they have paved way for their juniors to break into the Japanese market. Many Korean singers have made their official debut in Japan. Some of noted ones are SNSD (Girls’ Generation) or Shoujo Jidai ( 少女時代) as known in Japan, SS501, Super Junior, KARA, Big Bang, and 4minute.

BoA (Acronym for Beat of Angel)

The only solo artist I know that debuted way ealier than TVXQ was BoA. She was also considered a legend as she was the very first Korean to enter the Oricon charts. I personally didn’t know she was Korean until I saw her comeback performance on a Korean Cable Channel, which was a few years later! She blended in with the Japanese too well I don’t really know a lot about BoA because I didn’t really fancy her songs. Not my style I guess, but she was HUGE in Japan, enough said.

Last October, I was lucky enough to attend JYJ’s showcase and it was amazing but too short. Their vocals were amazing, as always. They really knew the right things to say and do just to get their fans (guys AND girls) screaming on top of their lungs for more! I shall do a write up on that later.

I hope that you enjoyed this article I wrote. It seriously has been a while since I last wrote an article and my dried up brain didn’t help either. You wouldn’t believe me if I said that it took me 3 hours to do this. I’ll be bringing you more news regarding Korean crossovers into the Japanese market right here on Jpopexpress!  With some good luck, I’ll TRY to cover some events such as concerts/album launches/showcases for these artists.

ゆき～