To start this off. 2011 was a tragic year for Japan, in which many industries and parts of the entertainment industry suffered from the earthquake and tsunami in March. More importantly, the people suffered losses of loved ones and their livelihoods. Through this, however, Japan gathered and dealt with the problems as a collective. This was rough at times since the political atmosphere in Japan is never a wholly stable one, but, nonetheless it was accomplished.

My top 5 of 2011 is not going to be full of my favorite rock songs, but it will be a collection of personal favorites along with known and unknown musicians including some pop music.

#5 Yui – Paradise Kiss

While studying in Japan over the summer, I can surely say I heard this song everyday. Whether it was at school, the lobby of my dorms, or a random restaurant or shopping district, this song was somewhere all the time. This may not fit into the genre of rock that tends to be posted on this site (YUI is very much a J-pop icon), but this list isn’t the norm either. For that reason, and the fact that it is a good song, it makes the list!

#4 BIGMAMA –  Secrets (Himitsu)

BIGMAMA comes in at number 4 with their fantastic single “Secrets.” Not only did this song rock, they released a song Dec 31st to top off the new year so make sure you check that out here. When people ask me about some good clean Japanese bands I do not fail to mention BIGMAMA as the Japanese Yellowcard that did everything right. Their violin always adds great qualities to their music, and I look forward to hearing from them in 2012.

#3 Goosehouse – Sing

Goosehouse is a fantastic collective of musicians who each hold a truly unique quality either in their playing or singing. Sing is their most popular original, but if you take a peek around their Youtube page you will see how spectacular their song covers are. My persoanl favorite, and the reason I found them in the first place, is their cover of “週末 not yet – “not yet”. I highly recommend subscribing to their channel and checking out some of their music. It is simply great.

#2 This Morning Day – A Signal of Good Night

Back in November, I posted this song with much praise. Since it not being too long ago I was hesitant to repost in my top 5 list. However, I feel like if it didn’t make this list this list would become personally irrelevant. I have constantly listened to this song over the last 2 months. Especially during finals week, this song was set on repeat while studying. To me this song holds great qualities that need to be the model for future bands trying to break into the scene, even though This Morning Day has not reached stardom or much popularity as of yet, themselves.

#1 Amazarashi – Miracle (Kiseki)

This song doesn’t have a video, and that is unfortunate because all of Amazarashi’s PVs are amazing. Who cares, I found some Evangelion anime music video to replace that little empty spot. Truly, this song is extremely well written. It has a great sound that makes Amazarashi my personal favorite band of 2011 and, possibly, my favorite Japanese band to date.

I started writing here only a few months ago at the beginning of October. It has truly been fun and I will certainly continue into the new year. SparkPlugged has given me a chance to expand my own taste in music and had given me a great hobby for the last few months. I thank everyone who visits this website and the writers who make this place great. Happy New Year!