This post is for all of you who didn’t read the comments on that post from so long ago, and I hope you enjoy the band as much as I do. Again, big thanks to Meroigo for making it all possible!

It’s Every Genre I’ve Ever Loved All Rolled Up Into One

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This right here is the first song I ever heard from them. Right from the beginning I was hooked. As soon as the music started, I instantly had the biggest smile on my face, and then once the vocals came in, holy crap, I knew right then I was going to love everything about this band.

They really combine all of my favorite music styles into one and I never get tired of listening to their stuff. I also usually don’t enjoy such a liberal use of auto-tune in songs, but I think it actually works really well for these guys and the songs just wouldn’t sound quite the same without it.

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The band formed in the summer of 2008 and was composed of the former members from Ending for a Start and Blank Time. They ended up adding another member to the group in 2009 when they decided they should include some clean vocals along with the screaming. Always a good choice, I say.

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Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas mainly plays heavy music with both high pitched shouts and low guttural growls. The screamer really has a wide range and even plays the keyboard. I’m not sure who the official headman of the band is, but in my eyes, it’s him.

And unlike typical metal bands, Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas has electronic beats and clean vocals as well. Their songs are all over the place, but they never sound confused or like they’ve lost focus. Every song makes sense and all of they elements really come together in the end. It makes for a really enjoyable listening experience (if you like electro-pop and screamo, that is).

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The band members themselves have a really unique look as well and sport some interesting fashions. This, along with their many instruments and wild energy, make them a joy to behold at live concerts. If I could just see one band play a show and then never be able to see any other bands play ever again, it would most likely be these guys.

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The video below is an anime PV from the show Hunter x Hunter. It’s one of their latest tracks and it’s just as good as their earlier stuff. They don’t really have a whole lot of music out yet so far, but they’re a pretty young band, both as people and as a group. The average age of the band members is just about 20 years old.

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And as of right now that’s about all the music videos they have available on YouTube. Pretty great, huh? Well, I know this type of music isn’t for everyone, so I do apologize if you’re one of those people who can’t ever come to enjoy a song if there’s screaming in it. Sorry. Better luck next time, eh?

So, how did you like the band? Which song is your favorite? Have any other musical suggestions? Let us know in the comments!

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Pulls the look off

Doesn’t pull the look off

Rakuten seems to have a good selection of these if you’re in Japan. If you’re outside of Japan, you can actually buy these on ThinkGeek or Flutterscape, and there’s even a tanto version (short katana… er… umbrella) as well. That way you can commit seppuku from your embarrassment of actually buying one of these and then taking it out in public.

Then again, maybe you’re just a badass ninja who doesn’t like getting wet. I totally understand. When I go out on patrols while wearing my cashmere ninja suit, I do everything I can to keep it from getting wet. That’s basic Ninja 101 training right there.

Regretful Ninja sees lightning. Wishes he had brought an umbrella.

Personally, though, if I were to get a katana umbrella (I wouldn’t, let’s stay hypothetical here), I’d want to get something a little fancier than this. Why get something so plain when you could get a katana umbrella that shows your allegiance to your favorite military leader or daimyo?

Where’s your allegiance?

Take that Tokugawa. You may have won the Shogunate, but I don’t see you with an umbrella sword.

Okay, maybe this isn’t your thing. You’re more into Japanese pirates, or something. Totally understandable. Then you’ll like this Roronoa Zoro katana umbrella from the famous manga/anime One Piece.

Konichiwarrrrr

I’m pretty sure if you want to really be like the rain-hating Roronoa Zoro, though, you’ll have to get your hands on at least three of these. 三傘流!!

I gotta admit though, I’m kind of intrigued. Although I’m almost certain I’d never want to be seen in public with one of these (not to mention all the trouble you’d probably run into with people thinking you’re carrying around a katana), it’s certainly a fun gimmick.

How about you, though? Will you be getting yourself a samurai kasa to strike down the rain where it stands in single combat? Maybe you’ll get both the regular one and the tanto so you can use both at the same time like Miyamoto Musashi? Let me know in the comments below.

Saturday Timewaster is a weekly post that features Japanese videos, music, images, or games that will certainly waste your time (some weeks more than others). We hope you enjoy!

The enjoyability of the following CMs may vary depending on your level of Japanese, but basically it depicts the two actors as the reincarnations of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At the end of their journey they arrive in Tohoku and meet the one-eyed dragon and ancient warlord of Tohoku, Date Masamune.

Kimura Takuya keeps referring to Beat Takeshi as Saru (meaning monkey) because as legend has it, Oda Nobunaga gave that nickname to Toyotomi Hideyoshi because of his facial resemblance to a monkey. This recognition directly contributes to the popular image of him being monkey-like, both in appearance and behavior.

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Could you follow along okay? If you have any questions about what’s going on feel free to inquire in the comments below. Toyota hopes these commercials will help promote the recovery of the region as well as promote their vehicles which in turn helps Japan as a whole.

For those interested, you can read more about Toyota’s endeavors in Tohoku here.

And Now A Message From Arashi

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Even though this video is from last year, I still find it appropriate for today’s post. And for those of you unfamiliar with Arashi, they are a very popular music group in Japan and the members frequently appear on variety shows and TV dramas.

And from all of us at Tofugu, thank you so much for keeping Japan in your hearts this past year and helping them to rebuild for a better tomorrow.

Saturday Timewaster is a weekly post that features Japanese videos, music, images, or games that will certainly waste your time (some weeks more than others). We hope you enjoy!

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Formed in 2005, the members of The Telephones include: Akira Ishige (石毛輝) on vocals, guitar, and keyboard, Ryohei Nagashima (長島涼平) on bass and chorus, Nobuaki Okamoto (岡本伸明 ) on keyboard and chorus, and Seiji Matsumoto (松本誠治) on drums. And now onto the music!

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I found this band a while back while I was looking for new bands and searching around on last.fm and YouTube. I also think it was around the time I found out about Vola and the Oriental Machine, but I’m not sure, it was a while ago.

Anyway, The Telephones are really, really good. They have a great unique sound and their music videos are awesome. So please, continue on and feast your eyes!

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After playing their first show together in January of 2005, The Telephones began to ring with resounding potential. The electronic rock quartet released their first demo in July of the same year and established their official line up not too long after that. With their roster set, The Telephones released their second demo in February of 2006 and followed things up with a short summer tour around the Kanto region of Japan.

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The Telephones released their debut mini album, We are the Handclaps, with July Records in April of 2007 and have continued to rock the nation of Japan with their discotheque rock anthems ever since.

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July 2009 saw the release of The Telephones’ first full length album, Dance Floor Monsters. The debut single from this album, Monkey Discooooooo, was in heavy rotation on MTV Japan. You can watch said video near the end of this post.

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Band Information Source: last.fm

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Pre-2010 Songs

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I like their latest stuff the best, but here’s a few of their older songs. Which batch do you like better? The older stuff or the newer stuff?

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Akira Ishige’s Solo Career

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It would also seem that the lead vocalist has gone solo. I just discovered this a few days ago and it’s a real departure from the sound of The Telephones. What do you think? It’s much softer, relaxing, and not disco-like at all. How strange!

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