Beatlemania in Japan: Beatles cover bands but no 'Rock Band'
CNN looks at Tokyo's legendary Cavern Club, where Beatles tribute bands play nightly
Embedded video from CNN Video
The Japanese 'John' really, really looks like John. And yes, the bassist is left handed.
Japan has always played a big part in the Beatles story. The group's 1966 Budokan gig was one of their last epic concerts. John married Japanese conceptual artist Yoko Ono. And there's always the strange coincidence that the word 'ringo' means 'apple' in Japanese.
Add this close relationship with the Japanese propensity for painstakenly detailed recreations of past Western pop culture, and of course, there is going to be a bar in Tokyo called the Cavern Club where a pitch-perfect Beatles cover band plays a full set of Beatles tunes nightly. As seen in the video, the Shirokuma Company (meaning 'white bear company' -- we don't get why they didn't use a Beatles reference either) dress in the Shea Stadium concert Nehru-collar jackets, play identical instruments and manage to pronounce the lyrics in the original Beatles brogue without even knowing English.
And they are just the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of Beatles tribute bands in Japan, and even a store in Tokyo With (Sakuradai 1-23-7, Nerima-ku, tel. 03 3557 3372) that is 100% dedicated to Beatles' favorite musical instrument brands and apparel.
Despite this Beatles mania and a healthy national obsession with video games, the new critically acclaimed The Beatles: Rock Band (reviewed previously on CNN) will not be coming out in Japan today. Apparently, there has been some friction between the developer and royalty collector JASRAC over the licensing fees (JASRAC is rumored to want to be paid every time somebody plays the game and uses the songs). The Beatles: Rock Band is slated for an eventual Japanese release but no date has been set.
While you are waiting to recreate Beatles songs by frantically pushing buttons on plastic controllers in rhythmic patterns, you can sing along at the Cavern Club (Saito Building 1F, Roppongi 5-3-2, Minato-ku, tel. 03 3405 5207) or start your own tribute band with goods from With. I call Paul!
