When talking about visuals in J-Pop, one of the more well-known images is what is known as the fashion style of Visual Kei that emerged during the 1980s. However, Visual Kei is not only a fashion style but is also part of music, the wild extravagant dress up style varying from punk, cyberpunk, steampunk and gothic, along with the rock or metal music characterized by heavy guitar riffs, dynamic rhythms and emotive vocals.  We also see traditional Japanese being drawn from with the use of excessive makeup within Visual Kei that likely draws inspiration from traditional Japanese Kabuki which often used male actors. "One of the most striking aspects of visual kei, and indeed of its appeal to its female fan base, is the elaborate cross-dressing of many male band members. Androgyny has often been used in, Noh drama and Kabuki for example, not only to explore the unconventional hybrid territories between male and female, or gay, but also the juncture between expectation and reality, history, other and self. " (McLeod 316) We see change within culture going against traditional gender roles and expectations with male members cross dressing and going out of the boundaries between female and male gender norms.

Within the 1990s as technology advanced, music videos became more of an accessible means of showing visuals for music.  Many factors such as the television networks like Japan MTV and NHK allowed for the further promotion of music artists. (Made in Japan: Studies in Popular Music.) Similar to album covers, the music videos helped convey a deeper story behind the songs along with choreographies. These music videos helped reinforce their image and became a way for artists to connect deeper with their audience. For example, in the 1990s to early 2000s rose the popularity of anime and the creation of VOCALOID. These led to association of music to characters like Hatsune Miku connected to VOCALOID artists and music anime such as K-On!  with the creation of a band "Houkago Tea Time!" a group that was formed by voice actresses of an anime, became #1 on Oricon weekly charts and was the first album of anime characters to reach number one. (k-on Theme Songs Rank #2, #4 on Oricon Weekly Chart (Updated)"

One of my personal favorite ways that visuals have also evolved is through stage performances. Live concerts have still remained with the same general concept as they first started in jazz cafes or small shops starting in the 1920s with Ryūkōka music (J-Pop Wikipedia) but have since evolved with all sorts of lighting and production. Choreographers, and live instrument performances and singing. I think one of the artists who show this the best is a modern J-Pop artist named ZUTOMAYO.  With a unique style of hosting live concerts making lives different each time and something to bring fans together to connect with each other.  

McLeod, Ken. “Visual Kei: Hybridity and gender in Japanese popular culture.” YOUNG, vol. 21, no. 4, Nov. 2013, pp. 309–325, https://doi.org/10.1177/1103308813506145.

“What Is Visual Kei Fashion - Guide from Japan.”  , 25 Mar. 2022, zenmarket.jp/en/blog/post/10302/what-is-visual-kei-fashion#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20V%2DKei,End%2C%20and%20Buck%2DTick.

Mitsui, Tōru. Made in Japan: Studies in Popular Music. Routledge, 2015.

 “K-on! Theme Songs Rank #2, #4 on Oricon Weekly Chart (Updated).” Anime News Network, www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-28/k-on-theme-songs-rank-no.2-no.4-on-oricon-weekly-chart. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

“J-Pop.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Jan. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J-pop.