When thinking about pop culture in Japan one name can cover a lot of ground. There are twelve performing groups with the Johnny's label and even more dance groups. Each performing group usually consists of six to twelve members, however two groups are only two people each. Each fan however tends to pick only one band and within the band one member to obsess over. Most people know about the groups appearances on the popular television dramas, their talk shows, advertisements, and music; which is what Johnny wants people to know about he would rather keep the rape allegations against him out of the news. Which has worked and even when they did make it into the news he won a lawsuit against the magazine for printing a story that could hurt his reputation, despite the fact that it was agreed that it was true. Regardless of this less than wholesome news women both young and old are still obsessed with them and guys still want to be them.
This can be seen in the types of advertisements that the Johnny's boys make. There are commercials of them shaving and selling what must be one great razor because I can't remember seeing a johnny with facial hair so it must work. Then there is the happy bath day ad campaign which features all the members of one of the more popular groups carrying a rose to wish women a happy bath day when they buy and use this particualr brand of soap. All of that leads the female fans in hoards to the Johnny's stores all over Japan. Not a single cd is available at the store, but rather pictures of the Johnny's boys (which is the reason I dared not take a photo inside the store I shudder to think what the high schoolers and house wives would have done if I took a picture, also the legal reasons).
On a weekend the stores are quite easy to find just look for the stream of girls walking out with the bright yellow bags. However why make the trip when one or more of Johnny's boys are constantly on television, on the pepsi vending machine around the corner, on the majority of magazines at 7-11, and pretty much anywhere else you can think to look.
This is a great example of what I am looking for in these posts. You picked an interesting topic within the theme of popular culture, J-pop, and narrowed it down further to Johnny's groups. I'd like to hear more about the store you visited.
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