This Side of Japan's Best of 2023: The Friends List
We wrap up our best of 2023 coverage with selections picked by friends of the newsletter
Hi! Welcome to the Best of 2023 edition of This Side of Japan, a newsletter about Japanese music, new and old. You can check out previous issues of the newsletter here. You can check out the other year-end lists here: Top 100 Idol Songs of 2023 / Top 100 Songs of 2023
Over the course of these couple of months, I shared with you all nearly 300 songs from this year through our Best of 2023 lists. And yet, after all these lists as well as a little more than a dozen issues, our friends here have managed to share favorites from the year that appear on a This Side of Japan newsletter for the first time. Some of them, I am also discovering for the first time myself. Again and again, these friends lists remain my favorite part of the end-of-year coverage because it goes to show there’s so much good music out there from Japan, and so much variety.
You can also check out most of the songs listed from our friends on this Spotify playlist. Enjoy! And see you next year!
Ronald
cero - “Angelus Novus”
Sexy Zone - “Stolen Heart”
SixTONES - “Kokkara”
Snow Man - “Julieta”
King & Prince - “Rainbow”
Anzai Kalen - “Heaven”
Awich ft. MFS - “ALI BABA”
Mall Boyz - “mango run”
NOA - “Runaway Love”
DE DE MOUSE & Hitomitoi - “Love Groovin’”
Ronald covers Japanese music and entertainment for Nante Japan and has contributed in the past for the Japan Times. You can find him on Twitter.
Mustafa
Uchudan - “FU-RE-FU-RE”
Layla - “WONDERLAND”
Shiho Mochizuki - “Obakachan”
Sachiko Aoyama - “Hi no Tori”
Penguin no Yuuutsu - “OCD”
ULTRA - “Knight”
Chinese Hoodie - “THUNDER GIRL”
nhomme - “Isshu No Kaon i”
QUBIT - “G.A.D.”
PASSEPIED - “Basilico”
Mustafa writes about Japanese music and interviews musicians on Substack. Mustafa also wrote about Wienners on This Side of Japan issue #71.
Luisa
&TEAM - “FIREWORK”
Ayumi Hamasaki - “Remember you”
B’z - “STARS”
Koshi Inaba - “Stray Hearts”
Ami Suzuki - “I just feel good”
Ai Otsuka - “Vanity”
Perfume - “Moon”
BE:FIRST - “SOS”
Uru - “Kokoroe”
OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM - “Nichijo”
Luisa writes about Japanese music, film and culture for Nante Japan. She previously contributed for This Side of Japan: (Flipped) Issue #71.
Ivan
KAF x MONDO GROSSO - “Watashi No Koe”
Cornelius - “Jikan No Soto De - Out of Time”
Ryuichi Sakamoto - “20220214”
Gezan with Million Wish Collective - “Third Summer of Love”
Strange Reitaro ft. Moeka Shiotsuka - “Haru No Shura”
Ohzora Kimishima - “Arashi”
Wednesday Campanella - “Akazukin”
Lamp - “A Winter's Day”
Dresscodes - “Shonen Saison”
Homecomings - “Lapse”
Iván is in charge of sending out City Game Pop every week, a newsletter in Spanish primarily focused on Japanese music. You can also find him on Twitter discussing not only that but also topics like the Japanese video game industry. He has contributed to various publications, including Akihabara Blues and Caninomag.
Leika
AHN MIKA - “Ahn Mika Carnival”
bala - “barla”
PAS TASTA ft. peterparker69 - “blanc benzo”
Pasocom Music Club ft. Mei Takahashi - “Day After Day”
Local Visions & Yuka Nagase - “Sakurarira”
Takashi Fujii - “Makeruna Heidi”
Ichiko Aoba - “meringue doll”
ExWHYZ - “Metronome”
Various Artists - “Tamagotchi Sound Experiment #2 GO GO TAMAGOTCHI!!! 2023”
LIL SOFT TENNIS ft. VaVa - “VIP”
Leika lives in Tokyo and has been recently enjoying warmed-up soy milk with cinnamon and maple syrup at night and engaging in other little indulgences. She previously contributed “Nanda Kanda: A 5 Song Intro to Fujii Takashi” for the newsletter.
Jimmu
Sakurazaka46 - “Bokutachi no La vie en rose”
=LOVE - “Natsumatope”
Sakurazaka46 - “Drone Senkaichuu”
AiNA THE END - “Red:birthmark”
Hinatazaka46 - “Koi Wa Nigeashi Ga Hayai”
FRUITS ZIPPER - “Hapichoco”
STU48 - “Iki Wo Suru Kokoro”
CYNHN - “Raku No Uwanuri”
Ryokuoushoku Shakai - “Summertime Cinderella”
Mrs. GREEN APPLE - “ANTENNA”
Jimmu is part of the Slope Club, a collaborative project among content creators focused on idol.
Idolcast
Yo Ga Yo Nara!!! - “Medachitagarian”
SixTONES - “KOKKARA”
THE SUPER FRUIT - “Summer☆★Gecchu-”
KID PHENOMENON - “Wheelie”
BE:FIRST - “Boom Boom Back”
IMP. - “CRUISIN’”
Bullet Train - “MORA MORA”
ONE N' ONLY - “Reflection”
JO1 - “RadioVision”
Snow Man - “slow…”
Idolcast has been following Asian pop culture and music for over 25 years, with a specialty in boy groups and vintage music. The collection of her writings and her idol music-focused podcast are over at her website.
Shane
TESTSET - “Moneyman”
Ichiko Aoba - “meringue doll”
Hikari Mitsushima - “Shadow Dance”
ExWHYZ- “Furachina Summer”
I's - “Eienshoudou”
Lamp - “A Winter's Day”
QUBIT - “Beautiful Days”
HARU NEMURI - “I refuse”
millennium parade x Shiina Ringo - “W●RK”
Seiko Oomori - “Kouishitsu Dystopia”
Shane is a huge fan of Shiina Ringo, Jun Togawa, G-Schmitt and YMO and usually talking about them, idols, some 80s new wave/post-punk act or music in general on Twitter.
Leap
ASU - “Lightyears”
Blooming Bungei - “plan-ted forest”
chilldspot - “crush”
Ako - “Atashi No Zenbu Aisenai”
JONAGOLD - “WEEKEND”
Myuk - “Ai No Uta”
KAF x Kenmochi Hidefumi - “Shugei-High!!!”
Chilli Beans - “Raise”
Hitsujibungaku - “more than words”
TOGENASHI TOGEARI - “Bleeding Hearts”
Leap writes about Japanese music and provides monthly recommendations on the blog Leap250. You can find them on Twitter. Leap also wrote about Negoto for This Side of Japan issue #71.
ziwzih
Qumali Depart - “Budou♡Grape♡For♡You♡”
Negicco - “Ohisashiburidesu Ogenkidesuka”
EBiDAN - “Zenryaku, Michi No Ue Yori”
Awich, NENE, LANA, MaRI, AI & YURIYAN RETRIEVER - “Bad B*tch Bigaku Remix”
Sexy Zone - “Cream”
20th Century - “Koi Wa Korekara”
Kokoro Umetani - “Akogarebashi”
PAiDA - “Secret Moon”
Yanchangakuen-ongakubu - “Yacchae Seishun”
Ryuichi Sakamoto - “20220302 - sarabande”
ziwzih is an arasa that hasn't given up on their dream of becoming an idol. Currently concerned about Sony Music Entertainment's monopoly in Japan. You can find their ramblings about Japanese entertainment on Twitter.
Hannah
KAF - “Chance Meeting”
SKE48 Team E - “Koe Dashite Iko-ze!!!”
YOASOBI - “Idol”
Nogizaka46 - “Ohitorisama Tengoku”
Sakurazaka46 - “Start over!”
KEN MIYAKE - “Ready to Dance”
millennium parade x Shiina Ringo - “W●RK”
KAF x Kenmochi Hidefumi - “Shugei-High!!!”
Hakos Baelz - “Psycho”
Ui Shigure - “Shukusei!! Loli Kami Requiem”
Hannah/Angry covers Japanese music and entertainment at Nante Japan. She also shares her very vocal opinion on everything entertainment on her Twitter. Aside from listening to way too much K-pop and J-pop/rock music, she frequently reads trashy light novels, manga, webtoons and web novels.
Jack
Ayano Kaneko - “Yokan”
iri - “Go Back”
SARI - “Jeopardy”
Fujii Kaze - “Hana”
Ohzora Kimishima - “19℃”
Lamp - “As time goes by”
Wednesday Campanella - “Prince Shoutoku”
Betcover!! - “Flamenco”
Yuragi - “Here I Stand”
SIRUP ft. iri - “umi tsuki”
Jack Wannan is a writer and journalist from Toronto, Ontario. He covers many topics, but currently is a beat writer on MMA for Bloody Elbow and professional wrestling for POST Wrestling. You can follow him on Twitter. Jack previously wrote “Up Up Girls Pro Wrestling Take on America” for the newsletter.
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Next issue of This Side of Japan is out January. You can check out previous issues of the newsletter here.
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