fivedollardare great question. i get that feeling with the Pop Radio Hits in Japan’s mainstream music scene, and always have. even though i’ve lived here for 12 years, i still can’t process most of the top radio (streaming) hits beyond, “this sounds like something that would play in a tv show or car commercial.” current examples include Yoasobi, King Gnu, or Macaroni Enpitsu. i constantly try to engage with the stuff i hear passively, but i can never get legitimately into it.
of course there is also lots of cool music being made in Japan all the time!
as for games, a lot of these intentionally retro-looking games that clog up the Nintendo eShop also give me those vibes. in some cases, it’s not clear whether they’re made by people who have ever genuinely played a game made in the 80s or 90s. haven’t played any of them to find out, though. so it’s second-hand vibes at best.
