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The Sakoku Edict of 1635 made Japan an isolated state, cutting off trade relationships with most other countries of the world and banning foreigners from entering Japan upon pain of death. Over the next two hundred years, the land of the rising sun would become a place of mystery for the rest of the world, and from this period of isolation it is thought that the West\\u2019s fascination with all things Japanese sprang. Indeed, many learned folk trace the first instances of Japanophilia to the 1894 book \\u201cGlimpses of Unfamiliar Japan\\u201d by Greek writer Lafcadio Hearn. In this work Lafcadio detailed many fascinating and foreign aspects of Japanese culture, descriptions of the striking and romantic landscapes of a pre-industrialised Japan, and gave illuminating explorations of the Shinto and Buddhist religions, both relatively unknown to the West at the time.

At No Stairway, however, we understand what truly makes Japan cool - Godzilla, Ninjas and some of the greatest and most insane popular music ever made. Come with us as we explore dubiously named power-pop combos, Super Mario sound-tracking super bands and the peerless genius of Sheena Ringo. You\\u2019ll have to use your imaginations for Godzilla and the ninjas, but in all honesty if these playlists don\\u2019t invoke images of 300 feet tall lizards breathing nuclear fire on an army of robotic ninja warriors, then frankly there\\u2019s no hope for you. Ikimashou!

This week\\u2019s Playlists:

Bill\'s playlist

Carl\'s playlist

Tim\'s playlist

The Golden Shuffle