Shinjinrui - The New Generation
One of the funniest things I saw during my 14 month hiatus in Japan were the punk and
heavy metal bands at Harijuku-Yoyogi park in Tokyo. Every Sunday, dozens of bands come out
to set up and play a few hours for adoring fans. Each band has its own distinct sound,
gimmicks on stage, groupies dancing in sync, and outlandish hair.
Shinjinrui - The New Generation
The most hilarious aspect were the musicians themselves. They were decked out
in leather, lipstick, and spiked hair. They took themselves and their music
very seriously. All for good reason too: this is the new generation (shinjinrui)
of Japanese youth whose changing values and work ethic are reverberating around
the nation. Japan today is a lot like America in the 1950's. Economic prosperity,
free of most social woes, and an innocent youth in search of new definition.
White Polka-dot groupies do their groove.
Another funny aspect of the Harijuku bands were their English names: Rude Craft, The Slash Boyz, Freek Zeene, and, of course, KFC (King Fucker Chicken). All the bands, quite ironically, sang their lyrics in Japanese...
