Japanese Kayokyoku
Kayokyoku Today...
Is Kayokyoku Dead Nowadays??
Most of the singers from Showa period have already retired. But kayokyoku still exists today in various shapes.
Kayokyoku Inspired Artists
Some of the young artists today show big respect to kayokyoku. Kayokyoku-like characteristcs can be heard in their songs.
"Doyoubi no Onna"('Saturday's Lady') -Sid (2004)
"I Love Tokyo" -Kouki Hanamizakura (2015)
NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen
"NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen" is a TV program in Japan with one of the higest audiece rating, which is broadcasted live on NHK(Japanese TV station) since 1953. The show features the most popular music artists of the year, and they will be competing in team red (female artists) and team white (male artists) with their songs. Although it mainly features the recent artists, this year-end song festival still features the artists from Showa era. This is because since it has become an annual event for the family in Japan to watch Kouhaku Uta Gassen together at the end of the year, the show is made to be enjoyable to the audiences of all ages.
Natsu-Melo
Today, kayokyoku is often categorized as "Natsu-Melo", which is a shortened word for "natsukashii melody". "natsukashii", a Japanese word meaning close to "nostalgic" in English, is an emotion when we feel fond memories brought back in mind when seeing or hearing things. So when we say natsu-melo, it literally means "the melody of old days that brings back sweet memories". The TV shows featuring natsu-melos these days are aiming middle-aged to elderly audiences, who are likely to feel natsukashii.