Classical German culture had a profound influence on modern Japan, especially in the fields of philosophy and medicine, but recent German trends have had to compete for attention with all the other international cultural imports. The Deutschland in Japan Year aims to give Germany a higher profile here, and it's the specific goal of the Goethe-Institut Tokyo to provide enlightenment about current German pop culture.
"It's catching on among Japanese young people," says Markus Wernhard, head of the institute's Arts Dept., "and music is a major facet." Wernhard has invited 11 musical artists to perform as part of the Soundz from Germany festival in Tokyo and Osaka. "Germany is the third largest music market in the world," he explains, "and not just in terms of consumption. It's also a major producer of pop music."
When most people think of German pop they probably think of proto-techno 1970s Krautrock bands like Kraftwerk and Neu!, which had a direct influence on the international electronica waves of the 1990s, not to mention hip-hop. Wernhard says that many of Germany's biggest pop artists "are directly related to this tradition," incorporating electronic elements into different styles, be it heavy metal or reggae.