Cool quotes from Japanese (J-pop) artists and musicians
Many great songs are born from a wide range of artists.
Not limited to music, we’re often struck by words spoken from perspectives different from our own and by the richness of a broad sensibility.
The allure of nuanced Japanese.
The ways artists and musicians live and think.
From a single line that makes you think, “Alright, I’ll do my best,” to big phrases that can serve as signposts in life, we’ve picked out a diverse array of cool, memorable quotes.
You’ll surely end up loving those artists even more.
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Cool quotes from Japanese artists and musicians (21–30)
I’ve never once managed to get there and actually do it.Ringo Sheena
These are famous words that speak to the fundamental heart of artists and creators.
When asked whether they always envision a finished form within themselves, they say “yes,” yet they also admit they have never actually reached that finished form.
Perhaps this feeling is what fuels the desire to create the next work.
It’s a sentiment unique to those who continuously express diverse worldviews.
It made me reflect on the true meaning of school.Motoharu Sano
What is a school? Motoharu Sano poses this question in a dialogue with Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Rather than trying to raise only people who are convenient for society, a school should be a place that can help each child let their unique talents blossom—that, he says, is what a school is meant to be.
I couldn’t agree more!
Cool quotes by Japanese (J-pop) artists and musicians (31–40)
If there’s a dream beyond the door, keep knocking until it opens.Eikichi Yazawa
Eikichi Yazawa is a major artist with many devoted fans, but it’s said that because his mother left home early and his father died young due to the aftereffects of the atomic bomb, he was passed around among relatives in his childhood, then raised by his grandmother, spending a poor boyhood.
His unique quotes about never giving up on dreams are words of truth—and undeniably cool.
Without putting off our ideals, we want to always expect, be expected, and steadily build up one piece of work after another that makes us say, ‘We did it.’Kazumasa Oda
Mr.
Oda’s words give us a glimpse of how serious and self-disciplined he is.
He says he doesn’t want to lower the key of his songs even as he gets older.
It’s probably because he lives this way that he’s still doing such great work now.
You can also see his uncompromising stance in “Christmas no Yakusoku,” the annual collaboration project he does with other artists.
It’s not the bottom of the ninth inning in life yet.Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi
Life still has plenty left; we’re not playing a dead rubber, nor are we nearing the bottom of the ninth! From here, we can turn things around as much as we want! These are words that rouse everyone.
It’s fine to give up when you die—until then, you’ve got to keep running.
That’s what they make you feel.
My mother is such a pure person.Makoto Ayukawa
Makoto Ayukawa of Sheena & The Rokkets also said that his mother was “an old-fashioned Japanese.” In a time when it was hard to live as a Japanese–American mixed-race child, she scolded the kids who bullied Makoto.
Everyone is the same human being—that was the spirit his mother had.
Applause to her!
They say the weaker the dog, the more it barks—but it’s better than doing nothing.Yutaka Ozaki
These are words imbued with the message, so characteristic of singer-songwriter Yutaka Ozaki—who electrified Japan’s music scene from the ’80s through the ’90s—urging us to shout what’s in our hearts.
He spoke these words during the MC segment while performing “Scrambling Rock ’n’ Roll” live.
They connect with the song’s lyrics about how “rock ’n’ roll is raising your voice in pursuit of something,” and they resonate deeply with modern people who so often feel compelled to swallow their true feelings after looking around at those around them.
