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  • BUCK∞TICK

    BUCK∞TICK
    2026/08/29
    In this special episode of The Kimi Kato Show, Kimi sits down with Hisashi Imai, guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of legendary Japanese rock band BUCK∞TICK. Nearly four decades after their 1987 major-label debut, BUCK∞TICK continues to evolve following the passing of longtime vocalist Atsushi Sakurai in 2023. Imai reflects on the band’s transition from five members to four, how their songwriting and roles have changed, and why limitations have actually opened new creative possibilities. The conversation also explores BUCK∞TICK’s evolving sound, the influence of hip-hop and dance music, the future of the band’s iconic aesthetic, their impact on generations of Japanese artists, and what excites Imai most about what comes next. Featuring music from SUBROSA, this episode is both a look back at one of Japanese rock’s most influential careers and a conversation about BUCK∞TICK’s next chapter. Host: Kimi Kato Producer: Kimi Kato Executive Producer: Jeremiah D. Higgins Powered by: Project Asteri | Pantheon Media | Radio Candy Media Inquiries: ⁠info@projectasteri.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間
  • Japan Music Journey: Niigata

    Japan Music Journey: Niigata
    2026/08/29
    From snow-covered mountains to the vast Echigo Plain and the roaring waves of the Sea of Japan, this episode takes you deep into Niigata Prefecture—Japan’s fifth-largest prefecture and one of its most quietly powerful regions. Just 90 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen, Niigata is a land of dramatic contrasts: 3-meter snowfalls that nourish Japan’s finest Koshihikari rice, nearly 90 sake breweries crafting world-class tanrei karakuchi, the legendary spirit of Uesugi Kenshin, and the newly recognized UNESCO World Heritage Sado Gold Mines. We explore the craftsmanship of Tsubame-Sanjo, the global rise of Snow Peak, the emotional scale of Nagaoka’s fireworks, and the unmistakable taste of Niigata—from Nanban shrimp to Le Lectier pears. Nature. History. Industry. Gastronomy.Niigata is not just a snow country—it’s a living philosophy of resilience, refinement, and pride. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 4 分
  • Japan Music Journey: Shonan 02

    Japan Music Journey: Shonan 02
    2026/08/28
    In Part Two of The Kimi Kato Show’s Japan Music Journey through Shonan, Kimi heads to Enoshima and follows the legendary coastline aboard the Enoden railway. From the ancient story of Benzaiten and the five-headed dragon to Enoshima Shrine, Kimi explores the mythology that has surrounded the island for centuries. The journey then continues along the Shonan coast to Inamuragasaki, where samurai commander Nitta Yoshisada is said to have thrown his sword into the sea before the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate in 1333. Along the way, we trace the Enoden through some of Kanagawa’s most iconic seaside scenery and explore how history, surfing, music, film, and generations of Japanese popular culture have transformed Shonan into much more than a beach destination. Host: Kimi Kato Producer: Kimi Kato Executive Producer: Jeremiah D. Higgins Powered by: Project Asteri | Pantheon Media | Radio Candy Media Inquiries: info@projectasteri.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 分
  • Japan Music Journey: Shonan 01

    Japan Music Journey: Shonan 01
    2026/08/25
    In this episode of The Kimi Kato Show – Japan Music Journey, Kimi heads south of Tokyo to Shonan, Kanagawa’s iconic Pacific coastline and the birthplace of one of Japan’s most distinctive beach cultures. From the postwar Taiyōzoku “Sun Tribe” and the rise of Japanese surfing culture to the music of Southern All Stars, TUBE, and Shonan no Kaze, this episode explores how the sea, summer, youth, and music became inseparable from Shonan’s identity. Along the way, Kimi visits Inamuragasaki, Yuigahama, Shichirigahama, Kugenuma, and Chigasaki, while exploring umi no ie beach houses, summer fireworks, surf culture, and the experiences that make a Shonan summer uniquely Japanese. Host: Kimi KatoProducer: Kimi KatoExecutive Producer: Jeremiah D. HigginsPowered by: Project Asteri | Pantheon Media | Radio Candy Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    36 分
  • Japan Music Journey: Yokohama 02

    Japan Music Journey: Yokohama 02
    2026/08/23
    In Part Two of The Kimi Kato Show’s Japan Music Journey through Yokohama, Kimi explores the food, landmarks, communities, and ghost stories that shaped Japan’s great international port city. Discover Yokohama’s many “Japan firsts,” the fascinating history of Yokohama Chinatown, and the remarkable survival story of the iconic Red Brick Warehouses. Then, as night falls, the journey takes a darker turn into some of the city’s most enduring haunted locations and urban legends. From Chinatown and Napolitan spaghetti to historic warehouses and haunted bridges, this episode explores the resilience, international influence, and unexpected stories that make Yokohama unlike anywhere else in Japan. Host: Kimi KatoProducer: Kimi Kato Executive Producer: Jeremiah D. Higgins Powered by: Project Asteri | Pantheon Media | Radio Candy MediaInquiries: info@projectasteri.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    34 分
  • Japan Music Journey: Yokohama 01

    Japan Music Journey: Yokohama 01
    2026/08/23
    In this episode of The Kimi Kato Show – Japan Music Journey, Kimi Kato begins a multi-part exploration of Yokohama, one of Japan’s most important and internationally connected cities. What started as a quiet fishing village on the shores of Edo Bay became the gateway through which modern Japan entered the world. Kimi traces the dramatic chain of events that transformed Yokohama from an obscure coastal settlement into one of the largest cities in Japan, beginning with Commodore Matthew Perry’s arrival in 1853 and the appearance of the infamous “Black Ships.” Listeners will follow the geopolitical tensions of the mid-19th century, learn about Japan’s 200-year policy of controlled isolation, discover the remarkable diplomatic negotiations that took place through Dutch and Chinese interpreters, and uncover the political crisis that ultimately led to the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The episode also reveals one of the greatest bureaucratic maneuvers in Japanese history: how the shogunate, attempting to keep foreign influence away from the main highways of Japan, redirected international trade to a small fishing village called Yokohama—accidentally creating the city that would become Japan’s primary window to the world. Featuring music from Kroi, Fujii Kaze, and Vaundy, this episode blends history, diplomacy, politics, international trade, and cultural transformation into the fascinating origin story of modern Yokohama. Host: Kimi Kato Producer: Kimi Kato Executive Producer: Jeremiah D. Higgins Powered by: Project Asteri | Pantheon Media | Radio Candy Media Inquiries: info@projectasteri.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    36 分
  • Japan Music Journey: Tokyo 08 - Asakusa

    Japan Music Journey: Tokyo 08 - Asakusa
    2026/08/21
    In this episode of The Kimi Kato Show – Japan Music Journey, Kimi Kato concludes the Tokyo series with a journey to Asakusa, the historic heart of old Edo and one of Japan’s most beloved cultural districts. More than a tourist destination, Asakusa is a living connection to over 1,400 years of Japanese history, spirituality, craftsmanship, and community. Listeners will explore the legendary founding of Sensō-ji Temple in 628 AD, the story of the golden Kannon statue discovered by two fishermen on the Sumida River, and the evolution of Asakusa from a small riverside settlement into the spiritual center of Edo. Along the way, Kimi unpacks the origins of the name “Asakusa,” the mysteries of Japanese language and kanji pronunciation, and the unique relationship between Buddhism, Shintoism, and everyday life in Japan. The episode also takes a deeper dive into Tokyo’s hidden spiritual geography, examining the ancient concept of kekkai—protective sacred barriers that once defended Edo from misfortune. From Sensō-ji and Ueno’s Kan’ei-ji Temple to Kanda Myōjin Shrine, Taira no Masakado, and the legendary “Demon Gate” of Tokyo, listeners will discover a side of the city rarely covered in guidebooks. Kimi also explores Nakamise Street, Sanja Matsuri, the Sumida River Fireworks Festival, Yoshiwara, Tokyo Skytree, and the enduring spirit of shitamachi culture that continues to define Asakusa today. Featuring music from Kenshi Yonezu, Aimyon, SEKAI NO OWARI, Hoshino Gen, YOASOBI, and ONE OK ROCK, this episode blends history, folklore, religion, language, urban mythology, and modern Japanese music into a rich portrait of the neighborhood many consider the soul of Tokyo. Host: Kimi Kato Producer: Kimi Kato Executive Producer: Jeremiah D. Higgins Powered by: Project Asteri | Pantheon Media | Radio Candy Media Inquiries: info@projectasteri.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 6 分
  • Japan Music Journey: Tokyo 07 - Aoyama & Nishiazabu

    Japan Music Journey: Tokyo 07 - Aoyama & Nishiazabu
    2026/05/30
    In this episode of The Kimi Kato Show – Japan Music Journey, Kimi Kato explores two of Tokyo’s most sophisticated and culturally layered neighborhoods: Aoyama and Nishiazabu. From the samurai origins of the Aoyama name under Tokugawa Ieyasu, to the transformation of the district into Tokyo’s center of international fashion, architecture, music, and creative culture, this episode traces the hidden history behind one of the city’s most elegant areas. Kimi takes listeners through Aoyama Cemetery, Omotesando’s world-famous architecture, the rise of Japanese designer fashion, and the internationalization of Minato Ward after World War II. The episode also dives into the fall of the samurai class during the Meiji Restoration, the Satsuma Rebellion, and the historical inspirations behind The Last Samurai, connecting Japan’s modernization directly to the neighborhoods listeners walk through today. Crossing into Nishiazabu, Kimi explores Tokyo’s hidden nightlife culture — the signless restaurants, late-night creative circles, and private social networks that shaped Japan’s entertainment world through the 1980s and 90s. The story of legendary restaurant Chianti, the rise of City Pop, Blue Note Tokyo, and the rediscovery of Miki Matsubara’s “Mayonaka no Door〜Stay With Me” reveal how this corner of Tokyo became one of the spiritual homes of modern Japanese music. Featuring music from Suchmos, Official HIGE DANdism, King Gnu, Fujii Kaze, Yuming, Matsubara Miki, and Yellow Magic Orchestra, this episode blends history, architecture, jazz, fashion, nightlife, and City Pop into a portrait of Tokyo at its most refined, creative, and quietly magnetic. Host: Kimi Kato Producer: Kimi Kato Executive Producer: Jeremiah D. Higgins Powered by: Project Asteri | Pantheon Media | Radio Candy Media Inquiries: info@projectasteri.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 3 分