Not many Americans are familiar with Japanese rock. Rock is not what comes to mind when you think "Japanese music." But Josephine Yun thinks differently. She's written a book called "jrock.ink: a concise report on 40 of the biggest rock acts in Japan." Yun says the book doesn't just list the best Japanese rock bands.

Yun: I did try to include a mix of more well-known mainstream artists that are popular there, but also maybe lesser known founders of the genre who've been around since the beginning, as well as a few indie bands and female artists, to kind of create a representative slice of Japanese rock music as a whole. It's a very diverse genre and, of course, Japan also now has its own sub-genre called "Visual Kei" and I tried to include some bands from that genre as well.

Marco: What is "Visual Kei?"

Yun: "Visual Kei" literally means "visual style." It's a style of dress, there's a lot of costuming and make up and it's uniquely Japanese because it goes back to ancient Japan. Men would often wear women's clothing; I guess if they were here today they would be the underground kind of independent anarchist type people who spend their time in coffee houses thinking radical thoughts for that time. A lot of times "Visual Kei" musicians are mistaken for women, when in fact they are men. It's not really testosterone driven either, it's very poetic and effeminate.

Marco: Now Josephine Yun, you've chosen three bands for us to listen to, and one of them fits into this category, "Visual Kei," that's the group Kagraa. Tell us about Kagraa.

Yun: They use traditional Japanese melodies and instruments and blend those elements with an indie, underground rock sound. In the song I chose, "Gen'oku," you can hear this very beautiful melody which it begins with and it's very sweet and melancholy.

Marco: It kinda sounds like The Cure meets Kitaro, or something.

Yun: A little bit, there's that melancholy aspect to it.

Marco: Is the lead singer a man or a woman?

Yun: They're all men, all of the band members are men. Marco: That's extraordinary. He's singing very effeminately, you were saying that earlier.

Yun: Yes. Actually one of the things that is unique to Kagraa in being "Visual Kei" is that they craft their music around ancient Japanese history. They'll evoke scenes. And the vocalist often writes his lyrics in old Japanese.

Marco: Now another band that actually I think some Americans who are steeped in the underground and independent music scene probably have heard of is Shonen Knife. Tell us about Shonen Knife, they're named after a brand of pencil sharpener, right?

Yun: Yes, and they picked the name Shonen Knife because it's that mix of cute, Shonen means "boy," and knife which is a weapon. Shonen Knife, to me, represents longevity because they have been on the Japanese music scene for over 20 years. They also represent female artists in Japan and exactly how tight an ensemble can be. Their music is so well put together, and from having played together for so many years, they really are extraordinarily tight.

Marco: That's the song "Public Bath" by Shonen Knife from Japan. Now unlike Kagraa the band Shonen Knife is an all-girl band, but they're really pushing the testosterone, so there's a whole lot of gender bending going on here.

Yun: They're really dedicated to old school rock, they're really influenced by punk bands, they really exhibit a certain rawness, especially in this particular live performance. The thing that makes Shonen Knife unique is their cuteness aspect: their whimsical lyrics, they'll write about anything from strawberry cream puffs to ice cream, if anyone would think they're just a sweet girl band, their music would certainly balance those lyrics out.

Marco: Kurt Cobain, the late Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was a big fan of Shonen Knife.

Yun: Yes, he was.

Marco: What do you think the future is going to be for Jrock in the US?

Yun: It largely depends on how diverse Japanese music continues to be. Because, whereas, before people kind of seemed to think that all Japanese music was the same, but as the rock scene has evolved there's really something for everyone out there right now.

Marco: The Japanese girl-duo Puffy Ami Yumi has been quite successful in part because they first had a theme song for the Cartoon Network and now they have their own show on the Cartoon Network. Is it going to take more parallel marketing devices to push Japanese rock in the US?

Yun: It might. I think it does need to come from all different sides media-wise, but I really think touring will be the main thing that increases popularity in the US, because seeing these artists live, they exude such energy I really think many more fans will be made that way.

Marco: Well, Josephine let's go out with the final band you chose for us. This is a group that, as I look in Billboard Magazine every so often, at the charts around the world, I look at the Japanese charts and this band Mr. Children is consistently up there on the Top 10. They started in 1989. Why did you choose this track "Dance, Dance, Dance" that we're about to hear?

Yun: Because it's upbeat and complex. I mean, Mr. Children is a mainstream band in Japan and I think one of the reasons they are is because their music is so understanding.

Josephine Yun is the author of the book "jrock.ink: a concise report on 40 of the biggest rock acts in Japan."