Ever since idol culture took off in the early 1970s, Japan has had an affinity for pop idols, extremely cute singers who represent the pinnacle of kawaii in Japanese society at any given moment. These days Japan’s musical landscape is dominated by groups of idols like Perfume, Momoiro Clover Z and AKB48 with its many spin-off groups, and no matter how a person might resist their siren song, the constant bombardment from the Japanese media guarantees you’ll find yourself gravitating to one group or another subconsciously. The other night I was flipping through late-night TV and caught an episode of HKT48 no Odekake!, a late-night variety show featuring the popular AKB48 spin-off group based in Hakata, Kyushu. In the show, the girls played a game of dodge-ball, and whenever a girl got tagged “out” she was forced to do something embarrassing on camera. This included touching strange objects like cold pasta or insects that were hidden in a box and a competition in which the girls had to pull plastic wrap across their faces until it broke, which caused their faces to become twisted and ridiculous in an oddly endearingly way. If you’re a fan of Japan’s idol culture, we recommend our iTunes Japan prepaid cards, which give you access to all the latest releases by your favorite groups.
It can be hard to resist the lure of Japanese idols.
