The music on this compilation comes from a time long before the modern J Pop behemoth. In the early 50s, the music brought by occupying forces was embraced by the country’s youth. At the military clubs which opened up throughout the country, Japanese artists learned to play the popular American styles, such as jazz, country, mambo, and rock’n’roll. They later developed into a hybrid style known as kayōkyoku, which fused western rhythms and melodies together with traditional folkloric themes and vibrato vocal techniques peculiar to the indigenous strain of music called min’yō. Enchanted by the west, but with one eye always on its own traditions, the music on this compilation presents an entertainingly vivid snapshot of Japan in the mid-20th century. So grab a kohii (coffee) – or sake should you be so inclined, and dive in.