Brass Bands 2 - What's Cool - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Koshien Stadium, located near Kobe in western Japan, hosts the National High School Baseball Championship every August. Koshien has long been famous for the brass bands that play there, and they have recently even been the subject of movies. This has inspired more and more middle and high school students to join their schools’ brass band clubs.

Hamigaki Samba - What's Cool in Japan - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A song about brushing teeth called "Hamigaki Samba" (Teeth-Brushing Samba) has become popular among elementary school students in Fukushima Prefecture. In April 2005, Fukushima Prefecture and the Fukushima Dental Association created "Hamigaki Samba" as part of an effort to promote healthy teeth and gums among elementary students.

Osakana Tengoku - What's Cool in Japan - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Right now in Japan, a song can be heard playing everywhere. The song, "Osakana Tengoku" (Fish Paradise), has a lively tune that gets people humming after hearing it only once. And the lyrics are also fun, being interspersed with the names of 31 kinds of fish.

Hi Hi PUFFY AMIYUMI - What's Cool in Japan - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This article highlights how an animated TV show starring a Japanese pop duo called Puffy has taken US children's TV by storm.

HEADS - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Hip-hop unit HEADS, made up of two fifth-grade and two sixth-grade boys from Osaka, are in the spotlight after two years of weekend performances on busy streets in Osaka's Kyobashi and Tokyo's Shibuya, shopping and amusement districts that draw many young people.

Jazz - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Two of Japan's youngest professional jazz musicians, both teenagers, are quickly making their way up the ladder of fame.

Actor's School - What's Cool in Japan - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Many popular female Japanese singing acts have come out of the Okinawa Actors' School, an entertainment academy established in 1983 in the city of Naha in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture. The school has already produced more than 30 popular professional singers, and is causing a sensation in Japan's world of entertainment.

Concert - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
For 33 sixth graders at Minami Kokura Elementary School in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, playing musical instruments and singing by themselves wasn't enough. They wanted to play for a much bigger audience, but renting a concert hall and inviting people to come and see them wasn't easy to do.

Pianist - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A 9-year-old boy who is completely blind in both eyes made his international debut as a pianist in a concert hall in Moscow in September.

Sapporo - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Two of the youngest disc jockeys in Japan are sixth graders who have a weekly radio program at a community FM station in Sapporo, Hokkaido. They run the show all by themselves, selecting what songs to air, deciding what to talk about, and operating the equipment.

Brass Bands 3 - What's Cool - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Koshien Stadium, located near Kobe in western Japan, hosts the National High School Baseball Championship every August. Koshien has long been famous for the brass bands that play there, and they have recently even been the subject of movies. This has inspired more and more middle and high school students to join their schools’ brass band clubs.

Brass Bands 1 - What's Cool - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Koshien Stadium, located near Kobe in western Japan, hosts the National High School Baseball Championship every August. Koshien has long been famous for the brass bands that play there, and they have recently even been the subject of movies. This has inspired more and more middle and high school students to join their schools’ brass band clubs.

Brass Bands 3 - What's Cool - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Koshien Stadium, located near Kobe in western Japan, hosts the National High School Baseball Championship every August. Koshien has long been famous for the brass bands that play there, and they have recently even been the subject of movies. This has inspired more and more middle and high school students to join their schools’ brass band clubs.

Samurai Samba | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
"Matsuken Samba II," a song and dance act by a TV star who is best known for his samurai roles, is riding a wave of popularity. The act is by Matsudaira Ken, a veteran entertainer who dresses as a samurai to perform the song.

Dumpling Brothers - What's Cool in Japan - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Children and parents across Japan are singing a tango song with the refrain "dango, dango" (rice dumpling). Entitled "Dango Sankyodai" (Three Dumpling Brothers), the song has simple but amusing lyrics and is accompanied by an accordion and piano. It has also become one of the best-selling songs ever.

Wakayama - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
When school ends, fifth-grade classmates Rika Satake and Haruna Oe don't head straight home but visit a local radio station in Shirahama, their hometown in Wakayama Prefecture, on the Pacific coast.

Sanshin - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A group of 30 children from Okinawa flew to the United States in April to show their traditional performing arts skills in Washington as part of the city's Sakura (cherry blossom) Festival.

Earth - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Singing and dancing their ways into people's hearts, 43 kids put on a musical called "I Love the Earth" (sponsored by Kids Earth Fund) in Nagoya on May 3 and 4. They brought to life the story of kids who stand up to protect the earth while adults are destroying it through pollution and war.

Rap - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A unique CD has come out that helps Japanese kids to learn kuku (multiplication tables) in English using a rap song. The song was written by Tadashi Tomomura, a teacher at Nakama Higashi Elementary School in Nakama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is performed by Q'z, a band made up of elementary school students, who are his current and former students. The title is none other than "Multiply."

Waste - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A class of fourth graders at an elementary school in the city of Kanazawa has formed an orchestra using musical instruments made from items thrown away at home. Dubbed the Trash Recycling Orchestra, the 28 schoolchildren in the class performed in front of elderly residents living in their neighborhood in late October.