[DesertRhino]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7lBjY_fHAo

Buck Owens fits on this thread.

[Fiji Hill]

After the war, the Japanese quickly learned how to boogie.

Tokyo Boogie Woogie--Kasaki Shizuko with the Columbia Tokyo Orchestra (1948)

The tune soon crossed the Pacific.

Tokyo Boogie--Moon Mullican (1952)

[sushiman]

Charlie Nagatani is from Kumamoto where we live . Heard his band and met him some years ago . Not a C&W fan but he was playing locally and a Japanese friend wanted us to go so we did . I don’t see much interest in C&W music amongst younger Japanese .

[Fiji Hill]

This isn't exactly country-western, but it's most likely inspired by the country-western tune Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy.

Tokyo Shoeshine Boy--Akatsuki Teruko (1951)

This is a rough translation:

I'm a shoeshine boy with a deerstalker hat and a chest protector, with a maroon tie and a cheerful whistle.
I'm good at dancing and fluent in English.
The young lady that I like hasn't arrived yet, but surely she will come whether it's rainy or windy.
If I shine any shoes, they will shine beautifully; it's a Tokyo specialty.
That young lady in red shoes, wandering around Ginza again today,
Surely she’ll bring souvenirs, chocolate, chewing gum, and Coca-Cola.
The young lady I like, what has kept her away today? Surely she’ll come tomorrow, and someday we’ll dance together.
If I shine, everyone will be cheerful, and shoes will shine beautifully

[simpson96]

It sure has been a well kept secret.

I’ve never seen or heard of Country music in Japan - not in any news or magazine articles, tv segments, films, whatever.

[jimtorr]

It’s not just Japan. Country music is also popular in England. I took a ferry ride from England to Gothenburg, Sweden in 1992, just so I could say I’d been there.

I was only on the ground for 6 hours. I and a friend walked to a mall near the ferry terminal, and we saw American light trucks everywhere. While walking thru the mall, we saw and heard an American playing guitar and singing. You guessed it, he sang country music.

[Nachoman]

The Japanese probably never heard Slim Whitman.

[1066AD]

During World War II, the Armed Forces Radio Service provided entertainment for American troops stationed in Japan. But in the days after the war ended in 1945, . . . .

Only Americans in Japan during WW2 were POWs.

[Songcraft]

"Thank God For Country Music" - Hank Sasaki

"A Fool Such As I"

"Amarillo By Morning" - Eric Shi (Chinese?)

"Take Me Home Country Roads" - Nishida Hikaru

[redfreedom]

This isn’t exactly Country, but was a hit in the early 60’s and is one of my favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UIn3lufcZ0&list=RD_UIn3lufcZ0&start_radio=1

[TheThirdRuffian]

They also have little bars or cafes where there is minimal talking.

Music played on extraordinary stereo systems — vinyl. I’m talking $3-400,000 systems of extreme audiophile quality. Boulder, Nagra, KEF, Bowers. Lyra Atlas cartridges. Silver wires.

Walked into a cafe and drank beer because I heard Texas swing.

Their blues/jazz is also amazing. They fuse with old country.

Watched an anime (believe it or not) called “Cowboy Bebop” (NOT the awful live action version) just for the music. About a Jewish space bounty hunter modeled after the 1960s spy and detective shows. Very Peter Gunn. Great theme song.

Wife was shocked I watched a cartoon and then got sucked into it!

[dagunk]

Different country, but...

Hearing Loretta Lynn sing “Stand By Your Man” in Germany was semi-strange the first time.

[bert]

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) still offers a major in bluegrass music as of October 2025. It’s formally titled the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies, housed in the Department of Appalachian Studies within the College of Arts and Sciences. This program, which began in 1982, remains the oldest and most established of its kind in higher education, with a focus on bluegrass alongside old-time, roots, and related styles like country and Appalachian traditions.Key Details:Degree Structure: A 120-credit B.A. program with customizable concentrations (e.g., Bluegrass Professional for performance/business skills, or Audio Production for recording/studio work).
Accreditation and Recognition: Fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). ETSU alumni and faculty have earned over 170 awards, including 6 Grammys and 54 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) honors since 2013.
Admissions and Scholarships: Open to full-time students; scholarships like the Grey Fox Music Education Scholarship and Benny Sims Scholarship support talented bluegrass musicians.
Minor Option: A complementary minor in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies is also available.
**********
All the above is well known in Japan and students come all the way to East Tennessee for the degree in Bluegrass

[vetvetdoug]

From 58’ to 63’ the only way to hear Country Music was on AFR from 4am to 6am. My Father was an aircraft mechanic at Yokota on the RB-57’s and had to get up early and I'd get up with him just so we could listen to Lefty, Hank, Johnny Horton and others.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

This is what cultural appropriation looks like.

[fidelis]

Some Japanese bluegrass:

Red Bull - Fox On The Run

[Albion Wilde]

It’s a universal folk form. On a taxi ride in Dublin, Ireland, the driver had bluegrass on his car radio.