In Japan, the music of the world is "International"

I'm in Tokyo, and where do I end up? An HMV, of course. Now the burning question can be answered - what will they call "world music" outside of the west?

It's kind of the same, actually. But there is a section in world music for Okinawa, which apparently is differnet enough from japanese mainstream to be folk. Then the rest of the store is divided into "japanese" (which seems to include everything, although there is a seperate section for pop) and then "international" which appears to be mostly western, somewhat divided by category.

Facinating stuff, really. The international is west, the world is everything else.


This is a good trip. More later.