Japanzine

Japanzine is a Japan-based English-language magazine, published by Carter Witt Media. Now 20 years in publication, it is the successor magazine to The Alien and caters largely to the expatriate community in Japan. Each edition of the magazine contains a map of various Japanese cities and an entertainment guide, as well as several articles - both satirical and serious - on Japanese life. The comic strip character Charisma Man first appeared in The Alien and later in Japanzine.

Japanzine
June 2010 cover
EditorDoug Breath
CategoriesNewsmagazine, Local interest magazine
FrequencyMonthly
Circulation52,000
PublisherCarter Witt
First issueApril 1990 (as The Alien)
CompanyCarter Witt Media
CountryJapan
LanguageEnglish
Websiteseekjapan.jp

The magazine provided a regular gig guide for music lovers in Tokyo with a mix of international and up and coming local artists.[1] In May 2008 the magazine introduced Gaijin Sounds,[2] a national music competition for foreign artists residing in Japan, created as an attempt to counteract the lack of press coverage given to "home-grown" artists. Twelve artists from around Japan were selected as winners with music ranging from techno to indie-pop to rap. The popularity of the contest meant another competition, Gaijin Sounds Vol. 2, was launched the following year, featuring in the May 2009 issue.[2] The competition soon expanded to the live arena, with 2 live "finals" in Osaka and Tokyo in autumn 2009, featuring over 8 bands such as Fukuoka outfit, Nanbanjin; Tokyo-based Kev Gray & The Gravy Train - both who had won the award twice[3] - and the former Matsuyama indie rock band The Watanabes, also based in Tokyo.[4][5]

The competition returned in 2010, where winners included Andy Tyrone Rogers[2] and The Mootekkis, who featured on the cover.

In 2012, Japanzine opened up the competition to all-Japanese line-ups with a national Bands of Japan contest.[5]

References
  1. "Japanzine Gig Guide". Archived from the original on 2008-03-29.
  2. "Seek Japan :: Gaijin Sounds". www.seekjapan.jp. Archived from the original on 2009-06-07.
  3. Wilks, Jon. "Kev Gray: A Bit of a Genius". Seek Japan. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Avid readers will recall that he was one of the winners of our Gaijin Sounds competition, when "How the Story Ends" went in for such heavy rotation in the Japanzine office that our neighbors called in the medics, convinced we'd dropped dead on the repeat button.
  4. Davies, Jonti (9 October 2009), "The Watanabes: A Tale of Indie Success in Japan", Japanzine, archived from the original on 28 September 2011
  5. Ostrander, Daniel (20 June 2012), "Bands Of Japan: The Watanabes", Japanzine, archived from the original on 3 December 2013


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