Japanese Music. AKB48

Continuing my series on music, I thought I would get the inevitable out of the way.

AKB 48.

AKB 48 has been classified as a social phenomenon, and I would have to agree. These girls have, and continue to be, almost everywhere since I returned to Japan. The group has a massive 88 members ranging from early teens to mid twenties, although there is, arguably, a core group of about 12 girls who seem to have the most exposure.

AKB 48 were named after the Akihabara district of Tokyo, home of electronics, otaku culture and maid cafe and founded by Yasushi Akimoto. Akimoto`s idea was to create a girl group that didn`t just play occasional concerts, but had their own theatre and would play daily, increasing their interaction with the fan base.

The band has sold over 20 million CDs and raked in over $200 million in 2011.

To be honest, their music is awful eurotrash/bubblegum pop with awful lyrics and they have been criticized for overtly sexual imagery (check out the video for their most "famous" song, "Heavy Rotation, and see for yourself).

On the plus side, they have been used to promote Japan overseas, donated around 1 billion yen to the Red Cross and raised 1.25 billion yen for the Tsunami and Earthquake relief fund.