Sultry-voiced Aki Yashiro, beloved as the “queen of enka” (Japanese ballads), died of rapidly progressive interstitial ...

In a scene from the 1981 Japanese film “Eki” (Station), a man--played by Ken Takakura--walks into an “izakaya” pub in a small, snow-blown coastal town. In the back of the pub is the proprietress, ...

The musical style enka usually gets referred to as Japan’s equivalent of country western music. The two do have a lot in common thematically, as the biggest hits of both genres are often centered on ...

Singer Aki Yashiro, the grand dame of Japanese enka ballads who had many big hits during her career spanning five decades, died Dec 30 of lung disease, her office said Wednesday. She was 73. Yashiro, ...

Western pop and enka, the Japanese traditional ballad, will come together in this most unexpected of collaborations. Les Romanesques, a Japanese duo formed in Paris in 2011, will attempt to meld their ...