Idol Culture in Japan (Yu Jin Yi)

Of course idols aren’t so rare in Korea. It’s not like the huge term “Idol
Culture” can be applied only to the idol culture in Japan, nor is it that Koreans aren’t
familiar with the concept of idol culture. Nonetheless I am writing about the Japanese
idol culture to highlight the subtle differences in the idol cultures of the two countries.
One of the most shocking Japanese idol groups for Koreans would be the
AKB48. Literally with 48 members, the idol group operate in a weird way that only a
group of such a big number can dare try—they have their own theater in which the
group puts up performances every day (though not all the members are there to perform
every single day—they rotate). This is to emphasize the proximity between the idol
group and the fans. Moreover, they would distribute in the newly released single a vote.
With that suffrage each fan who buys the CD can vote for their favorite members, and
later the vote will determine who will have more importance in the next single. This
gives the fans a sense of playing an RPG game and raising the main character, and
grows loyalty among fans.
But AKB48 isn’t the only idol group that grabs the attention of its fans. One of
the biggest entertainment companies in Japan, Johnny’s, effectively gathers all the
loyalties it can receive from the fans. Johnny’s, an entertainment company that is
famous to have only male idols such as SMAP, Arashi, and Kat-tun, uses a method that
resembles a pyramid selling method. Within the entertainment company, the
relationship between the upper group (the one that debuted first) and the lower group is
very strict but intertwined at the same time. The lower group would feather as guests in
the concerts by the upper group, and vice versa, and in that process the fans of one idol
group are exposed to the other idol group. Moreover, sometimes one or two members
per each idol group are gathered as temporary groups, and perform together. In that
process a fan of a specific idol group eventually becomes a fan for the entire Johnny’s.
Furthermore, sometimes the individuals who are not yet quite idols themselves
but are within the Johnny’s as practitioners go on stage as backstage dancers in the
concerts by idols, in which the fans of that idol group are exposed and then eventually
become fans of the backstage dancers. There’s even a place called Johnny’s Shop in
which the photographs, posters, calendars and much more that have the idol groups’
faces on them are sold. The queue to the shop is so long that one has to wait for several
hours to get in.
Unlike in Korea, in which idols are not really “raised” like they’re in a
simulation game, or the pyramid selling of idol groups are common, Japan has the
unique idol culture that is somewhat different from that in Korea.