The country that’s often referred to as the ‘ land of the rising sun’ is characterized by its popular culture’s colorful excess. From its youth’s fashion choices to its quirky game shows, Japan is indeed a land that loves attention. The West’s take on the great Eastern power is revealed in three music videos .
Lovers in Japan - Coldplay
Rating: 4/5
The first half of the video seems to be set, not in the Far East, but somewhere in the U.K. As the song progresses, Chris Martin’s background dissolves into a montage of optical illusions, video clips, and disco-inspired effects . Additionally, the only reference to Japan in the song’s lyrics comes when Martin sings ‘ Tonight maybe we’re gonna run, dreaming on the Osaka sun.’ ‘Lovers in Japan’ is a great song in a great album from a great band, but as far as painting a picture of what Japan might be like for two lovers (as the title suggests), the title and the video feel like oil and water - they won’t mix, no matter how hard.
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Turning Japanese - The Peppermint Creeps
Rating: 4/5
The video release for this cover of The Vapors’ original shows everything that the song is about: a satire of popular Japanese customs through the exaggerations that modern Japan is known for. The band plays dressed in traditional Japanese garb, with a set containing lamps, samurai swords, and fans. As the fake kabuki artists and geishas continue playing, they trade the new wave feel of the original for a more pop-punk feel. At the end of the day though, the ‘real’ Japan doesn’t shine through this mess of a video that needs a little more congruence.
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