In the musical world Japanese pop music is shortened J-pop and the stars are many. To an amateur's eye the J-pop stars all resemble each other to the point where it's hard to separate them from one another, but that is just ignorance. The popscene in Japan is rich and fruitful. One of the brightest shining start on the scene is Ayumi Hamasaki who over the years slowly has been shifting genre from pop to a more rock like sound. Ayumi is popular even in western countries, which is quite unusual.