Idols

In both Korea and Japan, there are many different types of famous people. In both Japan and Korea, there are celebrities. However, there’s a different phenomenon that exists in Japan that’s not very popular in America. It’s a type of famous people. These famous people are called idols. Idols in Japan and Korea have a similar appeal. In Japan, idols have a specific characteristic or personality trait that makes the popular. What makes these idols famous is their personality trait. Japanese idols create their persona in order to gain more popularity and become famous. Some idols in Japan are known for their certain cute style, or how funny they are. Others are known for how cool they are. Sometimes Japanese idols' traits can conflict with their real personalities. For example, an idol whose persona is very kind and good natured may be a person who is very short tempered in real life.

Idols are very often associated with music. These idols often perform in groups. Some idol groups make sure each idol has a different personality trait or fashion statement so they blend well together. Having differences also allows each idol to be easily differentiated from fans.


[source]

Other jpop groups use fashion and appearance to try to be very similar. These groups are pretty cool. The biggest one I've seen in Japan is AKB48. AKB48 is a girl's group with a huge number of girls. They match their fashion styles in photoshoots and music videos to try to blend. The huge number of girls also allows for many interesting dance styles and choreography.

Here is a picture of AKB48:

[source]

Speaking of choreography, dancing is a HUGE part of idols and the music industry in Japan and Korea. There are even schools for dance, and a famous "idol school" in Korea where students are trained to dance, uphold an appearance on camera, deal with fans, and perform on stage as well as under pressure. The success rate of students who go to this school is huge. It's very hard to make it into the school, but almost all of the students who get in make it in the music industry as idols. It's crazy. Often there are lots of people who cheer them on, and that helps the succeed as well.

In both Korea and Japan, pop music is popular. In Japan, they have their own form of pop music called Japanese pop, or Jpop for short. Jpop features upbeat music and dancing. The dancing in music videos for Jpop is very tight and in sync, that's part of the aesthetic. Korean pop music is called kpop. Kpop is very popular in Japan, but jpop is not popular in Korea. Many dancers in kpop and jpop videos are much better than American dancers. Here is a video of Kpop dance practice:

video