This Side of Japan's Best of 2022: The Friends List

We wrap up our best of 2022 coverage with selections picked by friends of the newsletter

Dec 23, 2022

Hi! Welcome to the Best of 2022 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 our other year-end lists here: Top 100 Idol Songs of 2022 / Top 100 Songs of 2022

If I missed a spot in either of my main top 100 lists, I can always count on my friends to fill in the gaps. This is the third year that I invite folks on to share their favorite Japanese songs of the year—maybe regular readers can recognize a few names!—and the lack of overlap with my choices continues to impress me. Seeing the results inspire me to keep on doing this, and I hope you enjoy looking through this list as well.

You can check out the songs in this list of lists on as a Spotify playlist. Happy listening!

Jude

PASSEPIED - “4x4”
SPECIAL CHEESE MENU - “YAGI”
4s4ki - “0h G0D!”
JYOCHO - “The End of Sorrow”
without - “Hot Water”
O’CHAWANZ - “Colorful”
te’resa - “Don’t slow me down”
ZOMBIE-CHANG - “Switch”
Guchon - “Lemonade”
WRACK x Rattlesnakke - “Flawless”

Jude’s writing has also appeared on Pitchfork and Bandcamp. You can follow him on Twitter. Jude previously wrote about Tokyo Karankoron on This Side of Japan (flipped) issue #60.

Myrna

MIGMA SHELTER - “Redo”
BiS - “DA DA DA DANCE SONG”
Yumekui NEON - “pa~w”
HO6LA - “IDOL FIRE”
Kinopo. - “Tamashii Release”
ONE LOVE ONE HEART - “Now or Never”
situasion - “EVENT HORIZON”
RILISREVERSE - “Shoujo Ether”
anarchy inc. - “go to the anarchy”
SIPP - “SPIN4CH”

Myrna is an avid music fan that focuses mostly on underground idols and K-pop. She constantly blabbers about it on Twitter. She previously collaborated with us for The Conversation: Bellring Shojo Heart and Sound and Style: Our Favorite Idol Costumes of the 2020s.

Papermaiden

nonamera - “Dye in Lily”
swancry - “Ignorance”
Chick-flick - “Mabuta, Romantics”
KAQRIYOTERROR - “Nyo”
DAREMO SHIRANAI - “Uramashia”
KAQRIYOTERROR - “Reaper Feeder”
On the treat Super Season - “Chou Chou Chou”
Zenbu Kimi No Seida - “ICE CREAM REBEL”
GEMS COMPANY - “Cheerlita♡Cheer girl”
SPECIAL CHEESE MENU - “ALPACA”

Papermaiden also writes for Homicidols. She previously contributed for Sound and Style: Our Favorite Idol Costumes of the 2020s and more for This Side of Japan.

Mustafa

Wienners - “SOLAR KIDS”
MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS - “Birds and Rhythm”
Penguin No Yuuutsu - “2086”
downt - “I couldn’t have done this without you”
Pop Shinanaide - “The Dance Calling UFO”
Carpainter - “Answers”
chelmico - “Roller Coaster”
Niji No Conquistador - “BE MYSELF”
femme fatale - “Role of a Life”
HARU NEMURI - “Heart of Gold”

Mustafa keeps the music blog An Extension of Musty: From Myself to Those I Hold Dear, where he has interviewed Haru Nemuri and Penguin No Yuuutsu. You can also find him on Twitter.

Daemon

situasion - “The girls movement”
CYCLONISTA - “ASITA GA KOWAKUTE NANIGA WARUI”
Anon Clara - “Tokeisou”
YURAPICO - “magic beat”
swancry - “Bayou To Shite”
GoodDay - “ShuttuP”
Buddha TOKYO - “Shibuya syndrome”
Hitsujibungaku - “hopi”
MAD JAMIE - “Kawaii is Fuck!!”
YUP YUP - “Breath”

Daemon is the caretaker of the alt-idol blog Homicidols. You can find their writing here.

Micha

1. Ado. Everything Ado. (but for ease, let's say “BINKUSUNO SAKE” & “Domestic de Violence”)
Chrones of Chrome sire the last Great Human Voice. Let us rejoice!

2. Sheena Ringo - “~la salle de bain~ (Takkyu Ishino Remix)” & “Itowokashi”
OK. Now let’s adopt Erzebet Bathory both in the style of the new Interview with a Vampire AND Queen Of The Damned. But like, concurrently.

3. Merzbow & Lawrence English - ETERNAL STALKER
A good mother kisses her child goodnight before letting them sink.

4. Namichie & Ayu & Marukido - “Illegal”
The world gave you madness, exile and hate to be able to make it better. Walk on.

5. Perfume - “Spinning World”
Catalog Name: Purple Ice 9. Status: Inextinguishable. The most human virus ever.

6. Yasuaki Shimizu - Kiren
Industrial Music for the REAL Industrial People.

7. Ryuichi Sakamoto - “suicidal”
“We will all be made to pay for our own apuestas.”

8. Zsasz - “Dark Hero”
Puella Magi Momoclo Magicka

9. ARCANA PROJECT - “Echochrome”
Watch out! Your sense of wonder and imagination is becoming deep fried!

10. PIGGS - “Majimuri Game”
What if King Louie lived for over 500 and teased the next evolutionary stages?

Micha Valentine has many homes, all of which can't count until she remembers how to get there. Until then, follow her to your demise at Substack or @CrowleyHead on Twitter. Micha previously wrote about G.I.S.M. for This Side of Japan (flipped) issue #48.

Nathan

Hikaru Utada - “Somewhere Near Marseilles”
JYOCHO - “All The Same”
Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band - “Années de solitude”
Dos Monos ft. Yasutaka Tsutsui - “Dog Eats God”
MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS - “Dramatic”
Makoto ft. SOLAH - “Motion of Change”
Soshi Takeda - “Same Place, Another Time”
Angry Son - “Dialogue”
cero - “Fuha”

Nathan currently runs The 2010s, a blog showcasing the best music of the ‘10s through writing and interviews. You can find him on Twitter. He previously wrote about Fishmans for This Side of Japan (flipped) issue #51.

Kyunchi

Perfume - “Sayonara Plastic World”
nonamera - “Dye in Lily”
MANON - “Fake Friends”
SATOH ft. Lovely Summer-chan - “ON AIR”
Amane Uyama - “Tapeta”
4s4ki - “Hyper 5th Dimension”
hirihiri - “GOING DOWN”
valknee - “BET ME!”
Zenbu Kimi No Seida - “Neoealous ∞ Melochaos (2022 ver.)”
TOKYO TEFUTEFU - “ash.”

Kyunchi is a hyperpop artist, and you can listen to their 2022 single “WORLDWIDE GIRL” featuring nonamera and many more on Spotify. You can also check out their interview with Homicidols.

Melissa

Queen Bee - “MYSTERIOUS”
ExWHYZ - “D.Y.D”
MONDO GROSSO ft. Hikari Mitsushima & Ryuichi Sakamoto - “IN THIS WORLD”
Perfume - “Hatenabito”
Hikaru Utada - “BAD Mode”
STU48 - “Hana wa Dare no Mono?”
WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA - “Maneki Neko”
Hitsujibungaku - “Hikaru Toki”
WASUTA - “Mash’d Art”
i☆Ris - “Queens Bluff”

Melissa writes about k-pop on her blog the mind reels. She can be found on Twitter at @meljohnso. She previously wrote about Takako Ohta for This Side of Japan (flipped) issue #48.

Crests

.BPM - “Dancin’ Chicken”
SUMMER ROCKET - “Koisuru Summer Beach”
Namie Joshihatsu Kumiai - “Harenohi No Ashiato”
Kaede Tsukimori - “Miracle☆Magical”
OCHA NORMA - “Uchira No Jimoto Wa Chikyuu Jan!”
HimeKyunFruitCan - “Kohaku No Digit”
Roselia - “ROZEN HORIZON”
YYY - “Waaai Wai Wai Wai Wai Wai!”
SUMMER ROCKET - “Star Tracker”
Momoiro Clover Z - “Kodoku No Naka De Naru Beat!”

Crests is an idol enthusiast (chika, major, female, male, you name it) and also a Hyadain enthusiast with a collection of over 900 of his works. They can be found on Twitter talking about these things. They also contributed to This Side of Japan’s Hyadain Week as well as Idol Watch Presents Verzuz: Dempagumi.inc vs. Momoiro Clover Z.

Shy

4s4ki - “BOUNCE DANCE”
majiko - “TENGIC”
macaroom - “ushiro”
Perfume - “Drive’n The Rain”
Hikaru Utada - “Kibunjanaino (Not In The Mood)”
PAS TASTA ft. Peanuts-kun - “peanut phenomenon”
Akari Akase - “Koinoyukue”
Kaho Nakamura - “Aimiru”
Seiko Oomori - “Faultasy Improvisation”
Mioko Yamaguchi - “Kuronoyukinohime”

Shy’s writing has also appeared on the Bandcamp Daily and Pitchfork. She previously wrote about Yuki Alani Yamauchi for This Side of Japan (flipped) issue #43.

farfromsleep

MAD JAMIE - “BUREIKO”
BiSH - “LiE LiE LiE”
BiS - “DA DA DA DANCE SONG”
PIGGS - “Ghost”
MIGMA SHELTER - “Redo”
KAQRIYOTERROR - “Nyo”
situasion - “BELU”
nonamera - “I wanna be my GOD”
Beni Usakura - “pureness”
Isiliel - “Koumyou Kishi”

Farfromsleep’s work such as interviews of idol groups from the Korean live idol scene can be found at Homicidols. You can also find them on Twitter.

James

odd eyes - “Aoi Kyori”
Tetsu Umehara - “Neu_Am”
Asunojokei - “From the Bottom of the Isotope”
BBBBBBB - “G.N.B Rave”
yuzuha - “thru 7+”
Himera ft. Golin - “Pose!”
HEAVEN ft. aryy, lil soft tennis, ry0n4 - “Nebula”

James's writing has also appeared on Bandcamp Daily, the Wire and more. He also contributed mixes of video game music and anime soundtracks for NTS Radio.

Anna

BE:FIRST - “Bye-Good-Bye”
Batten Shojotai - “YOIMIYA”
Hikaru Utada - “Somewhere Near Marseilles”
Anna Takeuchi - “YOU+ME=”
Pasocom Music Club ft. Takashi Fujii - “SIGN”
Miyuna – “Choudai”
Snow Man - “Brother Beat”
Perfume - “Spinning World”
MONDO GROSSO ft. Hikari Mitsushima & Ryuichi Sakamoto - “IN THIS WORLD”
Pictured Resort - “Day In Day Out”

Anna’s writing on pop music has also appeared at The Singles Jukebox. She previously wrote about Monta & Brothers for This Side of Japan (flipped) issue #48.

Cal

GANG PARADE - “Priority”
RILISREVERSE - “Amaterasu”
nonamera - “Nymphaea”
ExWHYZ - “Wanna Dance”
Seiko Oomori - “Maesetsu ADvance”
Planck Stars - “DARLING DARLING”
WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA - “Issunboushi”
Haze - “Enmu”
KAQRIYOTERROR - “Who are U?”
BiS - “DA DA DA DANCE SONG”

Cal also writes for Homicidols. They can typically be found screaming about bad cinema and music on Twitter. They previously contributed to Sound and Style: Our Favorite Idol Costumes of the 2020s and more for This Side of Japan.

Patrick

Dr.Anon - “Day Break. SCVer.”
peterparker69 - “Flight to Mumbai”
Gimgigam & punipunidenki - “Lucky Drive”
eill - "HAPPY BIRTHDAY 2 ME"
AOTQ & Natsume Kanfu - "Slump"
Photon Maiden - “Wonder Wonder Trip”
SERINA - “Nice Time With U”
Pachipachi Cosmic Computer! - “꒰ঌ処女覚♡醒革命໒꒱⡱”
DiverDiva - “Eternal Light”
PAS TASTA ft. Cwondo - “sunameri smoke”

Patrick St. Michel sends out the Japanese music newsletter, Make Believe Mailer. His writing has appeared on The Japan Times, Bandcamp Daily and many, many more. He also wrote a 33 1/3 book on Perfume’s GAME. He previously collaborated with me for 10 Years of JPN: A Conversation About Perfume Trajectory-Changing Third Album.

Bacci

ARCANA PROJECT - “Dokoku No Tormenta”
WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA - “Maneki Neko”
Dempagumi.inc - “Yurameku Kuuchuusen”
Yukkyun - “DANCESELF”
Yufu Terashima - “Love*Song”
Queen Bee - “MYSTERIOUS”
Hikaru Utada - “BAD Mode”
Philosophy No Dance - “Chikaiattandattene, Love”
Koharu Nushi from Planck Stars - “Little Devil Girlfriend”
Sheryl Nome starring May’n & Ranka Lee = Megumi Nakajima - “Bokura No Senjou”

Bacci is a hobby writer mainly focused on music reviews and analyzing visual narratives. They also shared much less streamlined thoughts on Twitter. They previously contributed to Sound and Style: Our Favorite Idol Costumes of the 2020s and more for This Side of Japan.

Juju

ExWHYZ - “Wanna Dance”
fishbowl - “Neppa”
Miira Misato - “Meramera Mousou”
Korone Inugami - “Doggy god’s street”
Not Equal Me - “Chocolate Melancholy”
femme fatale - “Role of a Life”
QUEENDOM - “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
Up Up Girls (2) - “Tell Me”
AKB48 - “Motokaredesu”
Star★Fiore Nerd - “:Dum spiro spero”

Juju can be found on Twitter sharing mostly Japanese idol content, and as a collaborator in the music blog Kayo Kyoku Plus. She previously contributed to Sound and Style: Our Favorite Idol Costumes of the 2020s and more for This Side of Japan.

Jack

chelmico - “Meidaimae”
HARU NEMURI - “Never Let You Go”
sakanaction - “Tsuki No Wan”
UA - “Ocha”
iri - “Matenrou”
tofubeats - “PEAK TIME”
AAAMYYY ft. ano - “That smile”
Fujii Kaze - “Matsuri”
Kaho Nakamura - “Good bye Claire”
BiSH - “Pyo”

Jack is a journalist from Toronto currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the field at Toronto Metropolitan University.. He writes about sports, music, tech and business, along with other topics. He can be found on Twitter. Jack previously wrote a review of chelmico’s gokigen for This Side of Japan issue #52.

Joshua

Hikaru Utada - “Somewhere Near Marseilles”
meme tokyo - “Anemoa”
Amane Uyama - “Tapeta”
Kaho Nakamura - “Good bye Claire”
WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA - “Hot Pot Commander”
CVN & BBBBBBB - “gambatterukara”
moreru - “kireta otaku”
Hatis Noit - “Aura”
iri - “Hazudeshita”
MONDO GROSSO ft. Hikari Mitsushima & Ryuichi Sakamoto - “IN THIS WORLD”

Joshua Minsoo Kim is a high school science teacher and the editor-in-chief of Tone Glow. He also writes about music for Pitchfork, NPR, and the Chicago Reader.

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