The Yartz

The Yartz is Strine for arts (and entertainment). Read about Japan- and Australia-related yartz here.
「ヤーツ」はストラインで「アーツ（芸術・エンタメ）」のこと。ここでは、日本やオーストラリアに関わるヤーツを紹介します

  • How Molly Meldrum Almost Created A Japanese Juggernaut

    Ian “Molly” Meldrum, one of Australia’s most prominent figures in the popular music world, came within a whisker in 1984 of making a then rising Japanese band reach superstardom while using Down Under as a launching pad to hit the top. Sandii and the Sunsetz had become only the second-ever Japanese act to reach the Top 10 in Australia with their 1983 hit, Sticky Music, but they were about to get kicked out of the country in disgrace. Meldrum, probably one of the world’s best-known rock journalists despite being notorious for poor elocution, stepped in and asked for help on behalf of the band, whose members had overstayed their visas…

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    Have A Very Merry Mad Max Xmas!

    It was with great delight that I learned overnight that Christmas in Japan in 2025 will have a tinge of Aussie about it. And my enthusiasm was in no way quelled by the fact that this merely meant a screening of Mad Max. With a message of “Merry Mad Max,” National broadcaster NHK‘s Premium Cinema channel will celebrate the festive season with a screening of the Aussie classic propelled to worldwide success on the back of becoming a hit in Japan when it was released here in 1979. Mad Max is Australia’s most successful film franchise and Japan played a huge role in it becoming that way, as we have…

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    Bigger Than The Beatles! ’60s Strayan Schoolkids Swoon At Shintaro The Samurai

    Possibly my first connection with Japan was waking at an ungodly hour (lifelong habit) and turning on the telly to watch Shintaro the samurai and his sidekick, Tombei the Mist, take on the evil Koga ninja and other assorted nasties threatening the Shogunate. I was watching The Samurai, a program where Shintaro, played by Koichi Ose, possibly did more than anything else to restore friendly postwar relations between Australia and Japan. The Samurai was the first Japanese TV to screen in Australia in late 1965, and when Ose toured Down Under the following year, thousands of children swarmed Melbourne and Sydney airports to catch a glimpse of their hero, their…

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    Japan’s Fans Still Go Mad For Australia’s Most Successful Film Franchise

    One of the most outstanding characteristics I have found of many Japanese people in almost four decades of living here is that it is highly common for fun to be taken very seriously, indeed. One area where I have seen that trait on display comes with the franchise related to Mad Max, whose five movies dating from 1979’s Mad Max to Furiosia: A Mad Max Saga in 2024 make it the most successful Australian cinematic series in history. In fact, had it not been for avid fans in Japan, the franchise would probably not have continued past the first entry, but Mad Max has also given back to Japan, inspiring…

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    A Symbol Of Japan That Fits Australia Like A Shoe

    Given the powerful pull of the surf culture in Australia, a link with Katsushika Hokusai‘s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa that immediately conveys an image of Japan was almost inevitable, but also symbolizes the strong ties between the two countries almost made for each other. Countless Australian companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, artists and others utilize or have utilized directly or derivatively the iconic Japanese work forming one of Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Even though the Great Wave is an instantly recognizable image that embodies the essence of Japanese spirit, particularly with the inclusion of Mount Fuji, Australia has long recognized the work as a shared connection between the countries….

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    Australia’s ‘Voice’ So Close Yet So Far To Japan

    豪州の“ザ・ヴォイス”、日本ではあと一歩届かず John Farnham is probably the most successful solo male singer Australia has ever produced. Despite decades of Australia producing performers who achieved global superstardom, Farnham never quite joined their ranks. But he came tantalizingly close early in his career with a launchpad from Japan. ジョニー・ファーナムは、おそらくオーストラリアが生んだ最も成功した男性ソロ歌手だと言っていいでしょう。世界的スーパースターを何人も輩出してきたオーストラリアですが、ファーナムはなぜかその仲間入りには至りませんでした。でもキャリア初期、日本がそのきっかけになり得る大舞台を用意してくれていたのです。 Farnham has long been “The Voice” of Australian pop music. The now-retired star is renowned in Australia almost without exception for at least two things: a singing capacity so great he is commonly referred to as “The Voice;” and for being a delightfully warm and friendly person. When prolific Aussie songwriter Brian Cadd penned the powerful “Don’t You Know It’s Magic” and earned entry…

  • Acca Dacca Back In Oz As Well As Black

    AC/DC、ついにBack In Black もBack Inオーストラリア！ Legendary Australian rock band AC/DC returned home on Nov. 12, playing a concert in Australia for the first time in more than a decade. 伝説のロックバンド、AC/DCが11月12日、なんと約10年ぶりに母国オーストラリアでライブを敢行！ Angus Young and Brian Johnson dazzled a crowd of more than 80,000 in the outdoor concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 会場はメルボルン・クリケット・グラウンド。屋外に集まった8万人超の観客を、アンガス・ヤングとブライアン・ジョンソンが圧巻のパフォーマンスでぶっ飛ばした。 It was the first time Australia’s most successful band with sales of more than 200 million albums played in its home country since December 2015. Its achievement ranks among the top 10 performing artists of all time. 2000万枚以上のアルバムセールスを誇るオージー史上最強バンドが、地元でステージに立つのは2015年12月以来。世界でもトップ10に入るレジェンドのひとつだ。 Critics raved over the show with incredibly energetic performances by 78-year-old Johnson on vocals and guitar god Young belying his…

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    Southern Crust: Japanese Snapper-Baker Not Loafing Around To Make Dough From Bread Down Under

    Photographer and baker Kazuaki Ono has combined his dual talents to create the Southern Crust exhibition at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Marunouchi until Oct. 31. Southern Crust showcases signature loaves from remarkable Australian bakeries that Ono photographs in iconic locations across Australia from Bondi Beach to Brighton Bathing Boxes. He’ll give a reception and talk show at the FCCJ tonight (Oct. 7) to detail his remarkable story, which includes operating Akipan, a bakery in Sydney offering super soft Japanese bread, since 2023. “Running Akipan as both the owner and head baker has given me a unique perspective, balancing the creativity of photography with the craftsmanship of breadmaking….

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    Canny Kate Raises Tokyo Comedy Bar

    Acerbic Aussie comedian Kate Hanley Corley‘s razor sharp wit got a cosmopolitan crowd (including superfans who traveled to Japan just to see her) at the Tokyo Comedy Club guffawing loudly. The comedian on a whirlwind tour of Japan put on a rapid-fire display of comedy focused on love, marriage, life and motherhood, using flawless delivery to tap into French, German and Swedish influences at times and touch a nerve with a multicultural crowd including Neddie* from Norwich, Chie* from Chofu, Patty* from Paris and Dorothy* from Kansas, enrupturing all comers. And commas**. She really had her finger on the pulse–and more–with an unbelievably clever and catch tune about an intimate…