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Japanese editions, Japanese versions, and Japanese imports are the domestic pressings of any foreign-released record in Japan. Most Western music sold in Japan is pressed and distributed domestically. [1] . These releases typically feature one or more bonus tracks not included on standard pressings of the same record elsewhere.
Power: Both US and Japan use the two-bladed Type A plugs; however, Japan is rated at 100 V while the US is 120 V ( see here ). Many modern consumer electronics have variable voltage inputs - for example, most if not all smartphone USB-A chargers are 100-240 V compatible.
- So, What Is A Japanese Bonus Track?
- Why Japan?
- Where Do These Bonus Tracks Come from?
- Are They Worth The Price?
- Does This only Happen in Japan?
- Conclusion and More Thoughts
Suppose you wanted to own a CD edition of Paul McCartney’s last studio album, 2020's McCartney III.Which version do you go for? The standard CD, which you can pick up new for around $8, contains 11 tracks. There are, however, four additional versions of the album on colored discs — white, red, yellow and blue — each of which contains the original s...
The short answer is that these extras exist to encourage domestic shoppers to buy physical music manufactured in Japan rather than import records from the U.S. or elsewhere. The cost to manufacture CDs in Japan is significantly higher, meaning that by the time they hit the shelves, a standard album might cost around 2,500 Yen, equivalent to $23. Th...
The practice is completely legitimate. When Japanese labels acquire the rights to distribute Western albums, part of the deal will be that the artist/band in question offers extra tracks not available on the 'standard' edition. It's worth noting here that Japan is a country where physical media is still surprisingly sought after. At the time of thi...
This is a tricky question to answer. Some artists and labels seem more conscientious than others in providing quality material. Live versions are a staple, as well as outtakes, remixes and alternative edits. You might well ask the same question concerning Western “deluxe” or “anniversary” editions. The answer varies from case to case and very much ...
No. Typically, an artist's first label will be a small, regional one, located in their country of origin. Traditionally, such outfits have not had the resources to distribute worldwide. They would instead lease the recordings to other labels in other locales, who will understandably want to differentiate their release from the original. There are a...
As you can see, when it comes to Japanese bonus tracks, or bonus material of any variety, this is a broad and complicated subject. Which begs the question: Will album releases ever be standardized? You might expect the rise of online streaming to be a positive in that respect, however, to take just Spotify as an example, available content still var...
May 21, 2024 · As of October 6, 2023, the Nintendo Switch – OLED Model: Mario Red Edition featuring Mario’s red color is priced at 37,980 yen, including tax. 19. Do Japanese switch games have language options? Most games on the Japanese eShop have a Japanese language option. However, there is no requirement for an English language option. 20.
May 1, 2017 · In the online shop I usually buy CDs from, I often see 2 versions, one indicated as "Japanese Edition", with Japanese booklets but the same track list (real CDs, not SHCD or so). For roughly double the price. Does anybody know why they exist? Do they have better sound quality? Different mastering...
- I have some JVC XRCDs (don't know if this is what you mean). Can sound very good, but also (IMO) at times overly bright and fatiguing to listen to.
- Screen shot below (4 Japan Editions, 2 normal CDs). I asked the shop some time ago, didn't get an answer. I'm not sure it's a collectors or SQ topi...
- I agree with Norton. Most of the Japanese SHM-CD remasters sound bright, and are not worth the premium price as imports. Then again, 80% of recent...
- The album releases in Japan tend to have more tracks on the CD (if just a normal CD release) compared with the US and Europe, and that could be one...
- Some (older) Japanese editions use pre-emphasis, I wonder if this could be the reason for a few of them sounding bright. R
- @foodfiend and @semente make very good points. Echoing and adding on: 1. Japan CDs with same track listing as US versions: Premium price based on t...
- Hi, Your post mirrors both my understanding & experience. I must admit that I cannot tell the difference between any SHM redbook CD vs redbook...
- From what I've seen, the Japanese versions, when different from others, have dynamic range compression or EQ trickery (not sure exactly what) that...
- Some Japanese CD remasters sound just great. I searched eg for Miles Davis 'Pangaea' and 'Agharta' (albums originally issued in Japan only) at the...
- Interesting. I've definitely heard some Japanese CDs from the '80s and '90s that have different mastering than the US/EU versions, and generally sp...
1.2K votes, 116 comments. As my knowledge artists like Coldplay, Daft Punk make additional edition for their albums specific to Japan. Why is that?
The attraction of Japanese CDs and records is quality. In the USA, early CDs were made from 4th-5th generation tapes. Whatever tape the record company had lying around, they used it to produce the CD. This obviously resulted in early CD releases of good albums sounding like shit. Pink Floyd Meddle is one good example.
