I've been studying the Japanese language for a while, and I'm wanting to surround myself with it. I'm looking for some great Japanese language music to listen to just to get myself that much more familiar with it. I'm looking for music of all types from rock to pop to whatever else you can come up with for me. I guess I need music where the words are more clearly spoken to start with, so no super fast rap and the such for now.

Thanks a lot guys.

Listen to music by Gackt Kamui. He's got an amazing voice.

Also Koda Kumi is good too.

There is a lot of great Japanese music out there... and it's ironic that most people in Japan listen to English music. lol.

Listen, if you want to learn Japanese, you'll learn it so much better if you watch Naruto, the anime series.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I can't say the same about reading and writing, but Japanese has come to me much easier than even Spanish. It might have to do with my being more interested in Japanese, but I do not know.

that's wierd. coz i find spanish easier to learn than japanese!!
yea, maybe you are more interested in learnin japanese, that's why!!

Listen to GLAY's Survival, Be With You, Kanojo No Modern. Gackt's Mizerable is good. then there's The Brilliant Green. no one seems to have heard of them. but you should! and B'z. they got like all 5 spots on the Oricon charts one time

here are some of my favorite tracks

happy end - kaze wo astumete

polysics - each life each end

malice mizer - beast blood

There were mainly two singers in the Malice Mizer era. The earlier part was Gackt doing Au Revoir, Bel Air, etc and then the other dude doing Beast of Blood, Gardenia, etc. So if you don't like gackt's singin you gotta check out the other dude.. what's his name. kami? kam.. har.. something. mana kozi kami .. .hmm

gackt - last song
gact - memories

ayumi hamasaki - M
ayumi hamasaki - evolution
ayumi hamasaki - memorial address
ayumi hamasaki - GAME
ayumi hamasaki - teddy bear

No probs.

Here are a few Gackt songs that I really like


Story
Gatsu no Love Song
Tsuki no Uta

Those all have a very sad theme to them; each has its own very unique melodies. All at slow.


If you are into more upbeat ones:

Vanilla
Miserable
Mirror



Enjoy.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Damn. You beat me to it.

Shiina Ringo and Art School would be a good start

Well then I may have something you'd like: http://www.japanaradio.com/
Japan-A-Radio.
Yes, they play music from Anime, but they also play JPop and JRock.
Great station.
Been listening to this station for some time.
I think you will like it as well.

I recommend that too, but his songs take a few listens to fully appreciate them, I don't know why but its' not too catchy like Ayu is.

ps: it's "camui," gackt says so himself.

Utada hikaru is very good J-Pop music to listen to, she has a new album out and it kicks @$$.

uh....if ur just beginning to learn about the japanese language and learning to speak it, would u be able to understand what the singer would be saying? becuz i took 4 years at school; at that level im just still a ameature, talking a like a japanese second grader. cuz theres hella vocabs out there, plus kanji's n etc.

When learning a new language, just as most others would suggest, I find it very helpful to surround yourself as much as you possibly can with the language that you are learning.

Japanese is coming to me a lot easier than any other language, I can't explain why, but that's just how it is.

I obviously will not be able to understand all of what is said, but already I've been able to pick out words here and there when watching a Japanese film or listening to a Japanese song. That in and of itself tells me that I'm already learning.

Thanks for the suggestions so far everyone! I've downloaded some music by Chara, and I really dig her sound.

Exactly the same way with me.
I'm surrounded by alot of japanese speaking stuff(Music, anime, movies) so I am learning better than if I wasn't.