How would I respond if I were asked which Japanese musician is the most talented?
That’s a very difficult question because I know many great Japanese musicians. The names of young Japanese female singers such as Hitoto You, Kou Shibasaki, Ayaka Hirahara,  Mika Nakashima , and Hikaru Utada readily come to mind.

These singers surely capture the Japanese sense of beauty in their songs. Their subtle inclination for nature has been handed down to them from our ancestors. Japanese old short poems called “Waka “or “Tanka” portrayed the beauty of nature in certain forms of syllables. Poets tried to express their emotions of love in an indirect way by using figurative expressions of nature. Actually, there has been a sincere effort among popular contemporary Japanese female singers to faithfully preserve this tradition. They also represent current trends in thinking among young Japanese women. They express their willingness to be strong in their convictions in the face of traditional perceptions that Japanese women have weak minds. Furthermore, I have noticed these female singers often use the word “Boku” in Japanese, which is the way Japanese males say “I” in English. Such is the case for the song “Hanamizuki”. That's why these songs strongly appeal to me.

In terms of their musical backgrounds, it is natural that they are strongly influenced by American popular music, R&B, jazz, rock, etc, given the high popularity of American pop music in Japan. At the same time, they have grown up with Japanese culture. I strongly feel that young singers readily identify with Japanese or Asian tastes. In the past, a few enlightened Japanese artists tried to blend contemporary musical forms with traditional musical forms in an awkward way. Young singers and their songwriters and producers continue to build upon the works of musical artists from the past; thereby sowing the seeds of great things to come in the Japanese music scene.

Let me introduce Mika Nakashima, a greatly talented Japanese diva to you. I haven’t listened to such a delicate voice for years. Her unique voice is mysteriously exotic, sometimes sexy, and sometimes pure. Her cool and passionate voice really goes well with dance and/or club music. I‘d like to try providing an English translation of selected parts of the lyrics of one of her songs. Of course, merely translating and displaying the lyrics of one of her songs is an inadequate way to demonstrate the greatness of her performances. But I want to try my best to convey her amazingly sensitive world to you.

 “Snowflakes/ YUKII NO HANA ”
(This song is quite a beautiful ballad. This song also uses the word “Boku” for “I”.)

“You and I are walking on a road with long shadows of us in the dusk.
I strongly wish I could take your hand forever.
Cold air makes me smell the odour of winter.
The season, when I can feel you more closely, is coming soon to this town.
At the moment you and I are cuddling together, we are seeing snowflakes falling down for the first time this year.
I 'm surely witnessing my bliss in full bloom. I certainly feel my strong love towards you from my heart.
As long as you are beside me, I can overcome any trials and tribulations.
I pray this moment will continue forever.
The ceaseless snowflakes have covered our town.
I’ve come to realize that love is all about doing something for others.”


Well…the image of falling snowflakes is a beautiful depiction of his feelings toward a very special person in his life at that moment, isn’t it?