Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 1995: "Ganbaro KOBE" and Quake Relief, Evangelion Goes on Air, and Windows 95 Lands
On January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck, causing severe damage in Kobe and surrounding areas. Concerts and fundraisers were held to support the affected region, and Kobe’s baseball team fought the season under the banner “Ganbaro KOBE” (“Hang in there, KOBE”).
In the fall, the TV anime Neon Genesis Evangelion began, and the Japanese version of the PC operating system Windows 95 went on sale.
“Ganbaro KOBE”: Cheering the Team of a Stricken City
The earthquake hit the Orix BlueWave, a Kobe-based team, as well. The club played the season with “Ganbaro KOBE” as its rallying cry and won the Pacific League pennant. Orix Buffaloes look back (in Japanese)
They finished 82-47 with one tie. Ichiro won the batting title with a .342 average and was named MVP for the second straight year. They lost the Japan Series to the Yakult Swallows. Nippon Professional Baseball (in Japanese)
- 82-47-1
- Wins, losses and one tie
- .342
- Ichiro's batting average
- 2nd
- Straight MVP award
Source: Nippon Professional Baseball
Across the Pacific, Hideo Nomo starred for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was named Major League Baseball’s Rookie of the Year. In July, he was the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game. MLB / Number Web (in Japanese)
At the November sumo tournament, the older brother Wakanohana and the younger brother Takanohana met in a playoff for the title, and Wakanohana won. It was the first title playoff between brothers, and both had finished the final day at 12-3. Nippon.com (in Japanese)
Charity Concerts and Fundraisers: Artists and Fans Join the Relief Effort
On March 7, a Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake charity concert was held at Nippon Budokan. It is also recorded in Kyosuke Himuro’s official records. Kyosuke Himuro official site (in Japanese)
From the end of January into early February, the talent agency Johnny & Associates (now called SMILE-UP.) asked people at concert venues to donate relief supplies. Hikaru GENJI SUPER 5, TOKIO and KinKi Kids sorted supplies and collected donations on the street in front of JR Osaka Station. SMILE-UP. activity record (in Japanese)
- Appeals at venues
- Asked fans coming to concerts to donate relief supplies.
- Sorting supplies and fundraising
- Idol groups also took part in sorting supplies and collecting donations on the street.
- Charity concerts
- Concerts were held to support the affected area.
The agency’s relief work continued afterward, and in December 1997 the disaster-recovery support project “J-FRIENDS” was formed. J-FRIENDS stayed active until March 2003 and donated a total of ¥918,226,449. SMILE-UP. activity record (in Japanese)
GLAY’s Tour Sells Out All 10 Shows, and L’Arc-en-Ciel Heads to Budokan
GLAY released their first major-label album, SPEED POP, on March 1. Tickets for all 10 shows of the national tour that began April 22 sold out on the same day they went on sale. The final show was at Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo on June 12. GLAY official site (in Japanese)
The album also included “RAIN” and “Freeze My Love,” which had already been released. It peaked at No. 8 on Oricon’s weekly chart. GLAY official site (in Japanese)
The same year, Kuroyume took No. 1 on the Oricon chart with the album feminism. L’Arc-en-Ciel held a show at Nippon Budokan on December 27. Kuroyume activity record (in Japanese) / L’Arc-en-Ciel official site (in Japanese)
DREAMS COME TRUE, H Jungle with t and Namie Amuro: Hit Songs Heard on TV
On July 24, DREAMS COME TRUE released “LOVE LOVE LOVE.” It was the theme and insert song of the drama Aishite Iru to Itte Kure. It sold about 2.5 million copies and was No. 1 on Oricon’s singles chart for the year. DREAMS COME TRUE official site (in Japanese) / ORICON NEWS (in Japanese)
In March, H Jungle with t, the duo of Masatoshi Hamada of the comedy duo Downtown and Tetsuya Komuro, released “WOW WAR TONIGHT: Toki ni wa Okose yo Movement” (“Sometimes, Start a Movement”). Sung by a face familiar from variety shows, it became a song people knew from music programs and karaoke. Record of the work (in Japanese)
The year-end Japan Record Award went to trf’s “Overnight Sensation: Jidai wa Anata ni Yudanetteru.” Gold prizes also went to Spitz’s “Robinson,” Mr.Children’s “Seesaw Game: Yuukan na Koi no Uta” and SMAP’s “KANSHA shite,” among others. Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)
Namie Amuro released “Chase the Chance,” produced by Tetsuya Komuro, in December. Along with her singing and dancing, fans who copied her clothes and hairstyles began to draw attention. “Amuraa” would make the buzzword top ten in 1996, the following year. ORICON NEWS (in Japanese) / Jiyu Kokuminsha: 1996 (in Japanese)
Windows 95 and Telehodai: Looking Up Information and Writing Impressions From Home
On November 23, the Japanese version of Windows 95, the operating system that runs personal computers, went on sale. In Akihabara, lines formed of people waiting for the midnight launch. UPI report from the time
That year brought several changes in communications.
- July
PHS service begins
A portable phone system separate from mobile phones appears.
- August
Telehodai begins
A service that makes calls to designated phone numbers a flat rate late at night and early in the morning.
- November
Windows 95 Japanese version released
Interest in PCs grows, and more people start using the internet from home.
PCs at the time generally connected to the internet and other services over telephone lines, so the phone bill rose the longer you stayed connected. That made the flat-rate hours under Telehodai a time to read hobby information at leisure or to write. The access provider’s fees were charged separately. JPNIC (in Japanese)
Earlier computer networks (pasokon tsushin) had also let people exchange messages on hobby bulletin boards, and there were 3.69 million users in 1995. That was more than triple the 1.15 million of 1991, four years earlier. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (in Japanese)
Evangelion Goes on Air, and Comiket’s Last Run at Harumi
On October 4, Neon Genesis Evangelion began airing on the TV Tokyo network. It is a story of boys and girls who pilot giant humanoid weapons, and it aired on Wednesday evenings each week. TV Tokyo (in Japanese)
The characters’ anguish and the mysteries left in the story drew fans’ interest. As of 1995 the story was still in progress, and the final episode came in March 1996.
The summer Comic Market 48 was held over three days for the first time to mark its 20th anniversary, with a combined 250,000 attendees. The winter 49th drew a combined 220,000 over two days. It became the last Comic Market held at the Harumi venue in Tokyo. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)
- 250,000
- Comic Market 48 attendance
- 220,000
- Comic Market 49 attendance
The gathering place for people who make and buy doujinshi (self-published fan books) moved to Tokyo Big Sight the next year.
Key Events of the Year
- Jan. 17The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake strikesSociety
- Jan. 22Takanohana wins his first tournament as yokozunaSports
- Mar. 1GLAY releases "SPEED POP" (peaks at No. 8 on Oricon)Music
- Mar. 7A charity concert for the earthquake is held at the Nippon BudokanMusic
- Mar. 15H Jungle with t releases "WOW WAR TONIGHT"Music
- Mar. 20The Tokyo subway sarin attack occursSociety
- Apr. 22GLAY's national tour begins; all 10 shows sell out immediatelyMusic
- MayKuroyume's "feminism" debuts at No. 1 on OriconMusic
- July 1PHS service beginsTechnology
- July 24Dreams Come True releases "LOVE LOVE LOVE / Arashi ga kuru"Music
- Aug. 18–20Comic Market 48 (first 3-day run; 250,000 total visits)Fan works
- Aug."Tele-Hodai" begins, a flat rate for late-night phone callsTelecom
- Sept.The Orix BlueWave win the league pennantSports
- Oct. 4Neon Genesis Evangelion begins broadcasting (TV Tokyo network)Anime
- Nov. 23Windows 95 Japanese edition goes on sale; crowds line up in AkihabaraTechnology
- Nov. 26Wakanohana and Takanohana meet in the first-ever brothers' title playoffSports
- Dec. 4Namie Amuro releases "Chase the Chance"Music
- Dec. 31The 37th Japan Record Awards; trf wins the Grand PrixMusic
- Great Hanshin-Awaji EarthquakeSevere damage in Kobe
- Charity concertHeld at Nippon Budokan
- GLAY's tourAll 10 shows sold out
- Evangelion beginsOn the TV Tokyo network
- Windows 95 in JapanMidnight lines in Akihabara
- Chase the ChanceNamie Amuro's new single
Even in a hard year, support kept finding new places to happen.
The Year’s Buzzword Awards
- Grand PrizeMutoha ("the unaffiliated," voters with no party loyalty)
- Yukio Aoshima
- Grand PrizeNOMO
- Hideo Nomo
- Grand PrizeGanbarou KOBE ("Hang in there, Kobe")
- Akira Ogi
- Top 10Lifeline (essential services such as convenience stores after the earthquake)
- Hiroo Kurita
- Top 10Anzen shinwa (the "myth of safety")
- Atsuyuki Sassa
- Top 10Da-yo-ne (DA-YO-NE) / Ma, ikka (MA-I-C-CA) (song by EAST END x YURI)
- EAST END x YURI
- Top 10Kawaranakya ("We have to change," a Nissan slogan)
- Yoshifumi Tsuji
- Top 10Kankan settai (wining and dining of officials by officials)
- Yoshio Inoue
- Top 10Mitame de erande nani ga warui no! ("What's wrong with choosing by looks!")
- Asaka Seto
- Top 10Internet
- Jun Murai
The grand prizes at the Buzzword of the Year awards were “Muto-ha” (“nonpartisan voters”), “NOMO” and “Ganbaro KOBE.” “Internet” also made the top ten. The awards went to Tokyo Governor Yukio Aoshima, to Hideo Nomo and to Orix manager Akira Ogi. Jiyu Kokuminsha (in Japanese)
In 1996, Pocket Monsters and Tamagotchi appear, and Comiket moves to Tokyo Big Sight.
FAQ
Where did "Ganbaro KOBE" come from?
It was the rallying cry of the Orix BlueWave, whose home is Kobe, a city hit hard by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. At the 12th Buzzword of the Year awards it was chosen as a grand prize, with manager Akira Ogi accepting.
What music-world relief efforts took place in 1995?
A Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake charity concert was held at Nippon Budokan on March 7. At Johnny & Associates, Hikaru GENJI SUPER 5, TOKIO and KinKi Kids collected donations on the street from the end of January, which later led to J-FRIENDS.
What kind of year was 1995 for GLAY?
They released their first major-label album, *SPEED POP*, on March 1 (peaking at No. 8 on Oricon), and all 10 shows of the national tour "SPEED POP STANDING GIG," which began April 22, sold out on the day tickets went on sale. A regular radio program in the Kanto region, their first, also began in April.
What were the hit songs of 1995?
The No. 1 single on Oricon's yearly chart was DREAMS COME TRUE's "LOVE LOVE LOVE / Arashi ga Kuru" with cumulative sales of 2.489 million, and No. 2 was H Jungle with t's "WOW WAR TONIGHT: Toki ni wa Okose yo Movement." The Japan Record Award went to trf's "OVERNIGHT SENSATION."
Was "Amuraa" a 1995 buzzword?
"Amuraa" made the top ten at the Buzzword of the Year awards in 1996, not 1995. In 1995, songs such as "Chase the Chance" were hits, and the following year fans who copied Namie Amuro's clothes and hairstyles drew attention.
Does Windows 95 have anything to do with oshi-katsu?
It helped more people start using personal computers, which in turn led to later use of fan sites and bulletin boards. Telehodai, a service that began the same year, made phone charges to designated numbers a flat rate late at night and early in the morning.
