Today is February 3rd … in Japan, it’s a holiday called 節分 (Setsubun).
On this day, fathers wear a demon mask and the children throw beans at him and shout 「鬼は外！福は内！」 (“Demon (bad luck) go out! Good fortune come in!”) until he runs away.
Then everyone eats the number of beans corresponding to their age (one bean for each year of their age).
Also, there is a special sushi people eat on this day.
And, at major temples in Japan, there is a ceremony in which celebrities who were born in the current Chinese zodiac year throw beans at the crowd.
We went to the famous 浅草寺 (Sensouji Temple) in 浅草 (Asakusa, Tokyo) and caught some beans that were thrown by famous people there. The celebrity that I was most looking forward to seeing was 「アニマル浜口)」 (“Animal” Hamaguchi)!
Animal Hamaguchi was a professional wrestler in Japan and then he became the trainer / coach of his daughter, Kyoko, who was a female wrestler that represented Japan at the Olympics and other games.
Animal Hamaguchi is well-known for his loud, animated and humorous support and cheering of his daughter!
I like him!
The charismatic “Animal” Hamaguchi throwing beans at the crowd.
I like to listen to heavy metal music. I enjoy most all “genres” of heavy metal (as “heavy metal” itself is a “genre” of rock music, you may be surprised that there are different “types” of heavy metal music).
Some of my favorite bands are KISS, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Megadeth and “pre-1991” Metallica.
But I’d say my favorite heavy metal genre is “Shock Rock“.
Bands that have a shocking* or “over-the-top” image and stage-show to go with their excellent music.
Bands in this genre includes acts such as KISS, Alice Cooper, Lordi, GWAR, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson, W.A.S.P., etc.
The concerts by these bands include frightening costumes and/or make-up, fire, blood, guillotines, snakes , and bats (one even had it’s head bit off 😉 ) all while playing the type of music I enjoy.
It’s a much more entertaining concert than is common by musicians of other types of music.
And of course since I’ve been living in Japan for the past twenty years I listen to a number of Japanese bands as well.
I wrote a post about the Japanese hard rock band X-Japan. I think they’re okay.
Then there’s the Japanese band 「カブキロックス」 (Kabuki Rocks). Probably inspired by the American band KISS (who, ironically, were inspired by Japanese 歌舞伎 (Kabuki theater)), Kabuki Rocks dress as Japanese kabuki actors while they’re on stage performing.
Here’s a video of them performing their most famous song 「お江戸」 (“O-Edo“):
But probably the best Japanese band in this genre is 「聖飢魔 II」 (“Seikima-Two“).
「聖飢魔II」 ("Seikima-II")
Their name is kind of a Japanese play-on-words. It’s spelled to say “The Holy Starving Demons (II)” but is pronounced “Seikimatsu”, which means “The end of the century”.
The reason for their name is because their gimmick is that they are a band of demons who came to Earth from Hell to punish humans for destroying the environment.
The band was formed in the 1980s and they intended from the beginning to take over the world and disband on New Years Eve 1999 at 11:59:59PM (the “end of the century”), and that’s what they did.
(Well, they didn’t take over the “world” but they were popular in Japan in the 1990s).
I remember at the height of their popularity in the ’90s, the lead vocalist “Demon Kogure” was doing funny TV commercials for Fuji Film.
"Demon Kogure", lead vocalist
In these commercials, the “demon” with his spiky hair and make-up was the “father” of a kindergarten-age girl.
Instead of his usual outfits that he wore, in these commercials he dressed in regular “human clothes” and he’d have some humorous adventure and his “daughter” would snap a photo of his facial expression with a “Fuji Film” disposable camera.
I liked these commercials a lot.
Here’s one where his “daughter” is on her school bus and he’s trying to give her her lunch that he forgot to give before she got on the bus:
And another one where he’s trying (and failing) to fly a kite with his “daughter” at New Years time (which is a tradition in Japan):
These commercials were so popular in Japan in the ’90s that Fuji Film began to offer “Demon Kogure” alarm clocks and pajamas (with “spiky hair” night-cap).
I remember that I wanted the alarm clock…but I didn’t buy film often enough to acquire the necessary “points” to get one. Oh well.
Here’s the commercial for the clock and pajamas:
Anyways, as I mentioned above, 「聖飢魔 II」 (“Seikima-II“) disbanded on New Years Eve 1999 at one second before midnight…but this year they had a reunion concert (including a show in America and one in France) and a new album.
I intend to get their new album.
Here’s a promotion video for a song by them that I like. It’s called 「蝋人形の館」 (“House of Wax”):
I have been a fan of the band KISS since I was about eight years old in the late 1970s (at the height of KISS‘s popularity in America).
I have a number of KISS-related posts on this site. For example, click here to see one that gets many visitors (I wrote it in 2008 August, and it still gets alot of hits.)
KISS has recently announced that their first studio album since their 1998 “Psycho Circus” album will be released this Autumn (2009).
KISS is getting old. Founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were in their late-forties when they released their last album eleven years ago, already a bit old for a rock ‘n roll band…but now they’re both almost 60!
Although KISS is notorious for over-commercializing their brand by putting the KISS logo on anything and everything (they sell KISS notebooks, KISS golf equipment, KISS dolls, KISS comics, KISS condoms, even a KISS funeral casket and much, much more!), and KISS bassist Gene Simmons is infamous for behaving like a “dirty old man” (when he was young and single, it was acceptable for him to flirt with young women. But now that he’s old and has a family…he just embarrasses himself).
But, regardless, I’m still a KISS fan. And I’ll be buying the new KISS album when it’s released in Japan (there are about 40 albums in the KISS catalog so far, and I have them all (I have some of them on LP record, cassette tape and CD!)).
I will also see them in concert again if they include dates in Japan on the tour to promote this new album.
KISS has also announced the titles of three songs that will be included on their new album (the album has yet to be titled).
The song titles are:
“Russian Roulette“, “Modern Day Delilah“, and “Stand“.
It was also announced by KISS that on the new album, lead guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer will sing lead vocals on a song each.
This is interesting to a KISS fan because the current line-up of KISS is: bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, lead guitaris Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer…of which, only Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have ever sung lead vocals.
Current KISS line-up
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are founding KISS members…but the lead guitarist and drummer position in the band has changed members a number of times (there have five different lead guitarists and three different drummers in KISS). All of the original KISS members have sung lead vocals on various songs…but of the replacement members, only Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr have been allowed to sing lead (one song and two, respectively). Vinnie Vincent and Mark St. John never sang on a KISS album.
Anyways, I’m looking forward to hearing the new KISS album (and seeing the artwork)!
Have you ever owned a KISS album? Which one? Have you ever seen one of their amazing concerts? Which tour?
What’s your favorite KISS song?
As I’ve mentioned a few times on this blog (for example: here and here), I’m a big fan of the American rock band KISS.
(By the way, I wrote a post about the Japanese KISS-related movie called Detroit Metal City (click here) last August and it’s still the most popular post on my blog!)
Well, I just found out that a new KISSパチンコ (pachinko) machine has debuted here in Japan.
パチンコ (pachinko) is a Japanese game that can be compared to a vertical pinball machine…with many small balls played simultaneously rather than just one larger ball. And unlike pinball, the object is to get the balls into certain holes at the right time. And, unlike pinball, パチンコ (pachinko) can also be compared to a slot machine in that there’s a payout…albeit the jackpot is more BB balls rather than money (due to anti-gambling laws), but the balls are exchanged for prizes (and then “sold” for money). It’s a loophole in the law, and the only reason for the popularity of パチンコ(pachinko).
I’ve already written a post about パチンコ (pachinko)…(click here to see it).
I’ve played パチンコ (pachinko) a few times…I’m not a big fan of the game—especially since I usually lose and the parlors are noisy and smokey from all the smokers (but recently, many パチンコ (pachinko) parlors have begun enforcing “No Smoking” rules to lure more customers)—but if I happen to see a parlor advertising that they have the new KISSパチンコ (pachinko) machine, I may go inside and try it out! Just because it’s KISS.
Wanna see the website for the KISSパチンコ (pachinko) machine? It’s in 日本語 (Japanese)…but it has a cool Flash® intro.
Click here to visit the KISSパチンコ (pachinko) website.
パチンコ (pachinko) machines, like pinball machines, usually have a theme…and it’s often something from pop-culture. Usually it’s Japanese pop-culture…but sometimes, like the KISSパチンコ (pachinko) machine, it’s from Western culture.
Another example (that may interest a friend of mine whose a big Star Wars fan), is the fairly new Darth Vaderパチンコ (pachinko) machine.
I guess the machine’s full name is 「Fever STAR WARS ダース・ベイダー降臨」 (“Fever STAR WARS: Darth Vader’s Arrival“).
It has a 日本語 (Japanese) website with a Flash® intro, too. Click here to see it.
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