Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 1990: B'z's First No. 1, Chibi Maruko-chan, the Super Famicom and Sanrio Puroland

In 1990, bands discovered through the late-night TV show Yuji Miyake’s Ikasu Band Tengoku climbed the hit charts, and B’z took No. 1 on the weekly Oricon singles chart for the first time. Out in the city, private-room karaoke boxes spread across urban neighborhoods, and a feature in the magazine Hanako sparked a nationwide boom for the Italian dessert tiramisu.

In January the TV anime Chibi Maruko-chan began airing, and in November the Super Famicom home console went on sale. In December the indoor theme park Sanrio Puroland also opened, multiplying the places in daily life where people could enjoy music, anime and characters.

1. January 7Chibi Maruko-chan beginsAn anime about elementary school life in Shizuoka
2. April 12Hanako features tiramisuSparks the Heisei sweets boom alongside Italian dining
3. June 13B'z reach No. 1First weekly Oricon No. 1 with Taiyo no Komachi Angel
4. SeptemberWakahanada enters the top divisionTakahanada had joined in May at age 17
5. November 21Super Famicom launchesWith Super Mario World and F-ZERO
6. DecemberIkaten ends, Puroland opens846 acts by December 29; Puroland on December 7

Music, anime, games, karaoke rooms and characters all moved forward at once.

Bands From “Ikaten” Make It Big, and the Program Ends in December

Yuji Miyake’s Ikasu Band Tengoku, nicknamed “Ikaten,” the late-night program where judges rated the playing of amateur bands, held the “Kagayake! Nippon Ikaten Taisho” event at Nippon Budokan on New Year’s Day of this year. Between its launch the previous year and its final broadcast on December 29, 1990, a total of 846 bands appeared on the show. Rolling Stone Japan (in Japanese)

The four-piece band Tama, which had won five consecutive weeks on the program, made its major debut in May with the single “Sayonara Jinrui” (“Goodbye, Humanity”). Drawing wide attention for its distinctive lyrics and acoustic instrumentation, the group was chosen for the Best New Rock Artist award at the 32nd Japan Record Awards at the end of the year and made its first appearance on NHK’s New Year’s Eve Kohaku Uta Gassen. Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

Fellow program alumni BEGIN also debuted in March with “Koishikute” and won an Excellence Album New Artist Award at the Japan Record Awards. JITTERIN’JINN’s “Present” and “Natsumatsuri” also reached the upper ranks of the Oricon chart, bringing songs by bands discovered on late-night TV into everyday rotation on street corners and television. Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

1. 01Hear it on TVA band you had never heard
2. 02Buy the CDTake the song home
3. 03Sing it at a karaoke boxRent a private room with friends
4. 04Go to a showMeet the band in person

The program ended in December, but the habit of following its bands did not.

The Theme Song of Chibi Maruko-chan Wins at the Japan Record Awards

On January 7, the TV anime Chibi Maruko-chan, adapted from Momoko Sakura’s girls’ manga, began airing on Fuji TV. Set in Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture around 1974, it depicts the everyday life of third-grader Maruko with her family and classmates. The Sunday 6:00 p.m. broadcast became a favorite across generations, and a theatrical film was released in December. Nippon Animation (in Japanese)

The first ending theme, “Odoru Ponpokorin,” was sung by B.B. Queens, formed around Fusanosuke Kondo and Yuiko Tsubokura. With lyrics by original creator Momoko Sakura and music and arrangement by Tetsuro Oda, its upbeat rhythm and call-and-response hooks made it a hit sung far beyond the anime’s viewership. Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

That year, the 32nd Japan Record Awards switched to a system dividing selection into a “Kayokyoku and Enka category” and a “Pop and Rock category.” With the Grand Prix in each category decided by popular vote from two nominated songs, “Odoru Ponpokorin” won the Pop and Rock Grand Prix—the first time an anime theme song stood at the top of the Japan Record Awards. Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

Kayokyoku and Enka category

Takao Horiuchi
"Koiuta Tsuzuri"

Pop and Rock category

B.B. Queens
"Odoru Ponpokorin"

B’z Reach No. 1 on the Weekly Chart for the First Time, and a Concert Industry Group Is Founded

B’z, the unit of guitarist Tak Matsumoto and vocalist Koshi Inaba, released their fifth single “Taiyo no Komachi Angel” on June 13. About one year and nine months after their September 1988 debut, they took No. 1 on the weekly Oricon singles chart for the first time. B’z official chronology (in Japanese)

They released the all-English mini-album WICKED BEAT in June, followed in autumn by the singles “Easy Come, Easy Go!” and “Itoshii Hito yo Good Night…”. Their album RISKY, released on November 7, also hit weekly No. 1, and from October 4 they launched the 49-show national tour “LIVE-GYM ‘90-‘91 -RISKY-” running into the following year. B’z official chronology (in Japanese)

That same spring, Kome Kome CLUB released the single “Roman Hikou” on April 8. Recut from a 1987 album track as the commercial song for Japan Airlines’ (JAL) Okinawa travel campaign, it became a million-seller alongside the travel boom, showing how songs heard daily in television commercials drove CD sales. Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

Large-scale dome concerts also took root, with the British rock band The Rolling Stones making their first visit to Japan in February for a ten-show run at Tokyo Dome. Following Michael Jackson and Hibari Misora the year before, stadium-scale productions welcoming tens of thousands of fans continued one after another. Tokyo Dome concert records (in Japanese)

As nationwide concert tours multiplied, regional concert promoters also organized. Founded on October 12, the All-Japan Concert Tour Business Association (now the Concert Promoters Association of Japan, ACPC) took on statistical surveys of the live market and the establishment of operating standards. Concert Promoters Association (in Japanese)

Karaoke Boxes Spread Nationwide, and Hanako Sparks the Tiramisu Boom

As a place to sing favorite songs in your own voice, private-room “karaoke boxes” spread rapidly into city centers. Originating in Okayama Prefecture in 1985 using converted freight containers, karaoke boxes evolved around 1989 and 1990 into multi-room “building-in” establishments near train stations. After opening its first directly managed “Big Echo” shop in Fukuoka in September 1988, Daiichikosho expanded its chain nationwide. Daiichikosho (in Japanese)

Previously, karaoke at bars and snack lounges meant singing one song at a time in front of strangers sharing the room. Soundproofed private karaoke boxes rented by the hour let high schoolers, college students and families gather casually with just their own group. Singing newly learned band songs and anime themes back-to-back with friends became an everyday pastime. Daiichikosho (in Japanese)

In dining out, a boom affectionately calling Italian restaurants “Ita-meshi” brought the after-dinner dessert tiramisu into the spotlight. The catalyst was an eight-page feature in the April 12, 1990 issue of Magazine House’s women’s magazine Hanako. Introducing Tokyo restaurants under the headline “The new queen of Italian desserts,” the issue sent young women flocking to cafes and trattorias across the city. Hanako Web (in Japanese)

Combining smooth mascarpone cheese with bitter espresso and cocoa powder, tiramisu soon appeared at family restaurants such as Denny’s and in convenience stores. This pattern—a magazine feature igniting nationwide demand for a specific dessert—became the forerunner of Heisei-era sweets booms such as nata de coco and panna cotta. Hanako Web (in Japanese)

Comic Market Is Held at Makuhari Messe: 480,000 Attendances Over Two Events

Comic Market, where people who make and read fan-made doujinshi books gather, was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture in both summer and winter. Using the spacious exhibition halls it had moved to from Harumi the previous winter, large-scale conventions continued. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

August 18-19

38th: 13,000 circles, 230,000 attendees combined

December 23-24

39th: 13,000 circles, 250,000 attendees combined

Attendance figures are the organizer's estimates for the two days combined. They include people who come on both days.

230,000

38th, August 18-19

250,000

39th, December 23-24

13,000

Circles at each event

Organizer's estimates for two days combined, including people who came on both days.

Source: Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

The summer 38th drew such crowds that the line of general attendees waiting to enter wrapped all the way around the Makuhari Messe complex. The winter 39th drew 250,000 attendances over two days, setting a new record for the event’s size. Combined across summer and winter, the two conventions recorded 480,000 attendances for the year. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

In movie theaters, director Haruki Kadokawa’s historical epic Heaven and Earth (Ten to Chi to) took No. 1 among Japanese films with distribution income of ¥5.05 billion, while Back to the Future Part II led imported films at ¥5.53 billion, followed that summer by the trilogy’s conclusion Part III. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (in Japanese)

Takahanada and Wakahanada Reach the Top Division: Cheering for Brother Wrestlers

In grand sumo, yokozuna Chiyonofuji achieved the first 1,000th career victory in history at the March tournament. Even as the great yokozuna who had anchored the Showa ring set that milestone, two brothers—the sons of former ozeki Takanohana—climbed the rankings one after another. The younger brother, Takahanada (later yokozuna Takanohana), made his top-division debut at the May tournament at age 17 years and 8 months, the youngest in history. His older brother Wakahanada (later yokozuna Wakanohana) was promoted to juryo in March and entered the top division at the September tournament. The top division (makuuchi) is the upper tier of wrestlers on the official banzuke ranking sheet. Japan Sumo Association: Chiyonofuji (in Japanese) / Takanohana (in Japanese) / Wakanohana (in Japanese)

Watching the teenage and early-twenties brothers challenge top-ranked wrestlers in the ring drew in young viewers and female fans who had not previously watched sumo broadcasts. The combined nickname “Wakataka” appeared daily in sports papers and daytime TV shows, winning a gold prize in the trendy-phrase category at the New Words and Buzzwords Awards the following year, 1991. Jiyu Kokuminsha (in Japanese)

The Super Famicom Goes on Sale, and Puroland Lets You Meet Characters

In home video games, Enix released the Famicom RPG Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen on February 11, telling the stories of each companion character across five omnibus chapters. Then on November 21, Nintendo launched its new 16-bit home console, the Super Famicom, priced at ¥25,000. Arriving two years after its November 1988 announcement, the console drew long lines for reservations and launch-day sales at toy stores nationwide. Nintendo: Super Mario World (in Japanese) / F-ZERO (in Japanese)

Two launch titles went on sale alongside the hardware: Super Mario World, which introduced the dinosaur companion Yoshi, and F-ZERO, which used screen rotation and scaling to depict high-speed futuristic racing. Expanded color palettes and sound channels made character movement and game music far richer. Nintendo: Super Mario World (in Japanese) / F-ZERO (in Japanese)

On December 7, the indoor theme park Sanrio Puroland opened in Tama New Town in Tama, Tokyo. Built as an all-weather facility, it staged full-scale musical shows and parades every day. Characters such as Hello Kitty, long familiar from stationery and small goods, now had a dedicated theater venue where fans could meet them in person. Sanrio Entertainment: notice for the 35th anniversary of its opening (in Japanese)

Key Events of the Year

1. Jan. 1"Shining! Japan Ika-ten Grand Prize" is held at the Nippon BudokanMusic
2. Jan. 7The first season of the anime Chibi Maruko-chan begins broadcastingAnime
3. Mar.Nippon TV's "Uta no Top Ten" endsMedia
4. Mar.Wakahanada is promoted to shin-juryo (March 1990 tournament)Sports
5. Apr.The judges of Ikasu Band Tengoku are replacedMusic
6. Apr. 25–26Madonna performs in Japan at Yokohama StadiumMusic
7. MayTakahanada makes his debut in the top makuuchi division (the May 1990 tournament)Sports
8. Jun. 13B'z release "Taiyo no Komachi Angel"Music
9. Aug. 18–19Comic Market 38 (230,000 total visits over two days)Fan works
10. Sep.Wakahanada makes his debut in the top makuuchi division (the September 1990 tournament)Sports
11. Oct. 12The National Concert Tour Promoters Association is founded as an incorporated associationBusiness
12. Nov. 21The Super Famicom (Super NES) goes on saleGames
13. Dec. 7Sanrio Puroland opens in Tama CityVenues
14. Dec. 15The Chibi Maruko-chan movie is releasedAnime
15. Dec. 23–24Comic Market 39 (250,000 total visits over two days)Fan works
16. Dec. 29Yuji Miyake's Ikasu Band Tengoku goes off the airMusic
17. Dec. 31The 32nd Japan Record Awards are held with a two-category systemMusic

The Year’s Buzzword Awards

New words · GoldFuzzy (fuzzy-logic technology in appliances)

Juntaro Mikami (Matsushita Electric Industrial)

New words · Silver"Bush" hon ("Bush phone," a play on telephone diplomacy)

Moriyasu Okazaki (Nihon Keizai Shimbun)

New words · BronzeOyaji gyaru ("old-man gal," a young woman with middle-aged men's habits)

Yutsuko Chusonji (manga artist)

Popular phrases · GoldChibi Maruko-chan (phenomenon)

Thomas Reid (Washington Post reporter)

Popular phrases · SilverBaburu keizai (the bubble economy)

No recipient

Popular phrases · BronzeIchiban shibori (Kirin's "first press" beer)

Hideyo Motoyama (president, Kirin Brewery)

Popular phrases · Popular AwardAisareru riyu ("The reason you are loved," title of a bestselling book)

Yurie Nitani

At the seventh New Words and Buzzwords Awards, the gold prize in the new-word category went to “Fuzzy,” a term widely used in appliance advertising for control technology that adjusted finely to load size and dirt levels in washing machines and other electronics. In the trendy-phrase category, the Chibi Maruko-chan phenomenon won the gold prize and “Bubble Economy” took silver. Jiyu Kokuminsha: winners of the seventh awards (in Japanese)

In 1991, the TV dramas Tokyo Love Story and 101st Proposal aired, and their theme songs sold more than two million copies each. With the opening of the Shibaura disco Juliana’s Tokyo and Oita’s Harmonyland alongside the founding of the J.League corporate body, the pieces of the next era came together.