Once upon a time, bands that hadn’t caught on with an audience in their own country, but had achieved success with Japanese audiences were tagged with the label “big in Japan.” Although the phrase was originally coined by the Japanese music press as a pity, complimentary descriptor to highlight these artists, back in the west, “big in Japan” took on slightly different connotations.
In the days before the internet rendered geographical distance a minor obstacle in terms of cross cultural communication, the notion of an artist enjoying overseas popularity while being unable to achieve mainstream popularity in their own country was considered something of a novelty.
Today, “big in Japan” is more likely to mean “influential tastemaker” than minor league success.
Get a taste of the modern "big in Japan." The “high performance vandalism” of Sasquatchfabrix blends modern streetwear, high fashion, and traditional Asian motifs into impeccably crafted, fantastically individualistic creations.
