Visitors take masks off to take pictures as hydrangea flowers are fully blooming at Meigetsu-in Buddhist temple Friday, June 11, 2021, in Kamakura, south of Tokyo. (Photo by Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo)
宇多田ヒカル (Utada Hikaru) –One Last Kiss. Utada Hikaru is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter and producer. By the end of the 2000s, Utada was deemed “the most influential artist of the decade” in the Japanese music landscape by The Japan Times. Utada's commercial success has made her one of Japan's top-selling recording artists of all time.
久米小百合 (Sayuri Kume) – 異邦人 A Foreigner (Ihoujin) – Covered by チャラン・ポ・ランタン (Charan-Po-Rantan). Charan-Po-Rantan is a sister duo that has an “exuberant, alternative-cabaret-meets-circus vibe” as described by Wall Street Journal, comprised of Momo on vocals, and her older sister Koharu on the accordion.
Fumie Takino, 89, founder of a senior cheer squad called Japan Pom Pom, and other members pose for commemorative photos before filming a dance routine for an online performance in Tokyo, Japan, April 12, 2021. “It's dancing; moving your body is nice”, Takino said. “And the costumes are unbelievably showy. Some people join just so they can wear them”. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
ちゃんみな (Chanmina) – 美人 (Beauty) (Official Music Video). Mina Otomonai, 23, known professionally as Chanmina, is a South Korean/Japanese rapper and pop musician. She debuted in 2016 independently, before releasing her major label debut album Miseinen in 2017.