SMAP is breaking up!

Japan’s iconic boy band, SMAP, has recently announced that it plans to break up after this year.

SMAP, also considered as Japan’s national treasure, consists of Nakai Masahiro, Kimura Takuya, Inagaki Goro, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, and Katori Shingo. Apparently, though not specified which, some of the members’ desire to disband has led to the break up.

Since it was formed in 1988, SMAP has always been relevant in the Japanese media as the most popular boy band in Japan and as the best selling band in Asia. Their TV show, SMAPxSMAP is one of the most watched and highest rated TV shows, and they have fans from all around the world.

To commemorate SMAP, let’s take a look at some of their most prominent moments, and how they’ve changed history:

1988: SMAP was created by Johnny Kitagawa, a famous music producer and the president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency which has produced other boy bands including Arashi and KAT-TUN. As the oldest, 15 year old Nakai took on the leader role, while Katori was the youngest at 11. There was a sixth member, but he left the group in the early 90s. They were at first backup dancers for another boy band, Hikaru Genji, and were on TV as television personalities before they released any music.

1992: They released their first studio album, SMAP 001 early in 1992, and then also released their second studio album SMAP 002 later that year. They both didn’t do so well in the charts, but it is still iconic as the start of their musical career.

1994: Their 12th single “Hey Hey Ookini Maidoari” (Ookini, means “thanks” and Maidoari means “Thanks for your business” in an Osaka/Kansai dialect) became their first single to reach number one in the Oricon charts. Every single they’ve released since 2003 has reached number one, with 33 number one singles in total.

1996: SMAPxSMAP, their variety show, began airing. Though they’ve had other TV shows before this, this became their first TV show that aired on a prime time slot. It became commonly known as “Suma Suma”, and it’s the most watched television show in Japan.

The show consists of comical skits and competitions, interviews, singing and dancing, mostly performed by them. In the first half of the show, they have a segment called “Bistro SMAP” hosted by Nakai, in which they invite a celebrity, and the rest of the SMAP members create a dish with a theme given by the guest. They’ve invited many international celebrities throughout the years, including Michael Jackson, Jackie Chan, and Whoopi Goldberg. The cooking SMAP members usually divide into two groups, and the guest in the end decides which group’s food they liked better.

1998: In another show of theirs, “Sata Suma”, Katori had a segment called Shingo Mama no Kossori Asagohan (Shingo Mama’s Secret Breakfast), in which he dressed up as a mom, and went into homes with children early in the morning, turned off the mom’s alarm, and made breakfast and lunch to bring to school for the child. As the mother slept in, not knowing that Shingo Mama has done all her chores for her, (obviously the father or any other members of the household were notified, he didn’t go into random homes), he would wake the moms up by saying “Ohha!”, which became an extremely popular catchphrase, which later became a song called “Ohha Rock”, and even earned him a New Buzzword Award.

2003: Their best selling single Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana (The One and Only Flower in the World) was released, which is now the ninth best selling single in Japanese history. It’s a great inspirational song!

(not the original version, can’t find the original online)

2011: After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, they released their first and only digital single “Not Alone”, in which 100 yen per download was donated to the victims. For a special episode of Bistro SMAP, the members flew out to regions heavily affected by the earthquake and tsunami, and cooked more than 1000 meals to those evacuated from the disaster. They also released a compilation album “SMAP AID”, in which 200 yen for each album sold was donated.

Their announcement to break up is a shock for everyone in Japan, from young to old, and obviously not all are happy. But as sad as it may be to see them go, it’s the best to respect their wishes and for them to do what’s best for them. Though it seems like all good things must come to an end, it’s not like they’ll disappear forever - I’m sure they will still continue to entertain us and make Japan great with their talents, just as they have been.