Yes, Jitterin'Jinn are still going.
Arguably the definitive Japanese rockabilly pop band, Jitterin'Jinn formed in 1986 in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, capturing national attention when they appeared on the audition show "Miyake Yuuji no Ikasu Bando Tengoku" ("Yuuji Miyake's Rising Band Heaven," which also exposed such revered bands as Blanky Jet City and Tama) in 1989. They went on to moderate success in the early '90s with such songs as the wistful "Natsu Matsuri" ("Summer Festival") and "Present" (appropriately enough, a song about presents). Later, in 2000, "Natsu Matsuri" became a smash hit for Hokkaido pop group Whiteberry, appearing even now in various iterations of Bandai Namco's taiko arcade games.
The band's allure lies in their bittersweet melodies and kinetic rhythms, a runaway-train sound that somehow captures the nostalgia of decades gone by while still being cool enough to groove to. Vocalist/accordion player Reiko Harukawa has a thin but nonetheless emotive voice, and Jinta Hashi's guitar is a pure distillation of the early sounds of Johnnys Cash and Marr.
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