Shiina had always wished to work with a band, and selected its members while working on her third solo album, 加爾基 精液 栗ノ花. The band, comprised of guitarist ヒラマミキオ (Mikio Hirama), PE'Z keyboardist H ZETT M, drummer 畑利樹 (Toshiki Hata), and music producer 亀田誠治 (Seiji Kameda) as bassist, was first introduced as Tokyo Jihen during Shiina's Sugoroku Ecstasy tour. Being part of a band allowed Shiina to both share the songwriting process as well as tone down her public image.
In July 2005, H ZETT M and Hirama left the band. H ZETT M returned to his duties as pianist for PE'Z and Hirama returned to his solo career. Two months later, あっぱ pianist and vocalist 伊澤一葉 (Ichiyo Izawa) and 浮雲 (Ukigumo) joined Tokyo Jihen as the replacement keyboardist and guitarist, respectively.
On January 11th 2012 Shiina Ringo announced the band's breakup on their official website.
January 1st, 2020,marks a new beginning for the band since Tokyo Jihen released a surprise digital single, "Erabarezaru Kokumin", and announced a tour on Japan titled "Live Tour 2020 News Flash", beginning on February 29th. In February, the band announced their 5-song EP "News" would be released on April 8, 2020. The band's sixth album, Music (音楽) would then be released on June 9th, 2021.
顔
東京事変 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I yours you look nice from the side
Were I you, I would have said something better
Like what? I can find nothing to say
"Try to search for"
You don't know me
'Cause you do not know yourself
Look at yourself
"Try to search for my face of truth"
So we touch each other
Strongly after slight inquiry
And play our trump card
And scar ourselves for life
We are so fine
That is exactly what we have really wanted
I know you better than you know yourself
That's not possible after all, I've never known you
"Try to show me your face of truth"
When I want to put my detector deep inside you
Just as now
You shut off the one way in then hide it away
Just as now
What's more when you want to
Go out I want to stay home, and vice versa
"Lovely!"
You know my profile better than I do
I imagine, and vice versa
I know your profile better than you
I promise, and vice versa
But you'll you never see my front
I'll never see your face
And I'll never see your front
You'll never see my face
The lyrics of the song "顔" or "Kao" by the Japanese band Tokyo Jihen (known in English as Tokyo Incidents) are reflective of the complexities of human relationships, particularly the inability to truly know another person. Lead singer and songwriter Shiina Ringo explores the dynamics of physical attraction and emotional intimacy, highlighting the ways in which we create illusions about ourselves and others. The first two stanzas of the song reveal a sense of disillusionment and disappointment with the other. The singer confesses that they only love the other person's profile and vice versa, indicating that their connection is superficial and based on appearances rather than genuine connection. The singer suggests that the other person could have said something better, but they are unable to find the words that could convey true emotions.
The third and fourth stanzas introduce a theme of introspection and self-examination, with the lyrics "Try to search for / You don't know me / 'Cause you do not know yourself / Neither do you / Look at yourself / "Try to search for my face of truth"." The singer recognizes that the other person does not truly know them because they do not know themselves, indicating a lack of self-awareness that prevents them from fully connecting with others. This self-examination is mirrored in the bridge of the song, which describes a moment of physical intimacy that ultimately leads to emotional harm. The stanza reveals that the two engage in "touch," but this is followed by the lyrics "And scar ourselves for life," indicating that their physical interaction leads to emotional damage or trauma.
The final stanzas are perhaps the most poignant, emphasizing the limitations of human relationships. The singer declares, "I know you better than you know yourself / That's not possible after all, I've never known you / 'Try to show me your face of truth'." The lyrics reveal a sense of longing and desire to truly connect with the other person, but also a recognition that true intimacy is elusive or impossible. The final line of the song, "You'll never see my face / I'll never see your face" emphasizes this theme of separation and disconnection between the two.
Line by Line Meaning
I think I only love your profile
I am attracted to your physical appearance only
And I yours you look nice from the side
And I think you look good from a different angle
Were I you, I would have said something better
If I were in your position, I would have responded differently
Like what? I can find nothing to say
What would you say? I cannot think of anything to say
"Try to search for"
Try to look for
You don't know me
You do not understand who I really am
'Cause you do not know yourself
Because you do not understand yourself completely
Neither do you
And neither do I
Look at yourself
Take a good look at yourself
"Try to search for my face of truth"
Try to see the real me
So we touch each other
We physically connect with each other
Strongly after slight inquiry
After a little hesitation, we touch each other strongly
And play our trump card
And reveal our most important secret
And scar ourselves for life
And hurt ourselves permanently
We are so fine
We are doing well
That is exactly what we have really wanted
This is what we have always desired
I know you better than you know yourself
I understand you better than you understand yourself
That's not possible after all, I've never known you
That is impossible, I do not know you completely
"Try to show me your face of truth"
Try to reveal your true self to me
When I want to put my detector deep inside you
When I want to understand you on a deeper level
Just as now
Right now
You shut off the one way in then hide it away
You close yourself off and keep your true self hidden
What's more when you want to
Furthermore, when you want to
Go out I want to stay home, and vice versa
When you want to leave, I want to stay, and when I want to leave, you want to stay
"Lovely!"
Great!
You know my profile better than I do
You understand my physical appearance better than I do
I imagine, and vice versa
I believe the same is true for me understanding your physical appearance
I know your profile better than you
I understand your physical appearance better than you do
I promise, and vice versa
I am confident you understand my physical appearance as well
But you'll you never see my front
But you will never see me face-to-face
I'll never see your face
I will never see you face-to-face
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ringo Shiina, Mikio Hirama
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
林檎をむいて歩こう
i think i only love your profile.
and i yours. you look nice from the side.
…were i you, i would have said something better.
like what? i can find nothing to say.
"try to search for…"
you don't know me.
'cause you do not know yourself.
neither do you...look at yourself.
"try to search for my face of truth"
――so we touch each other strongly after slight inquiry.
and play our trump card,
and scar ourselves for life.
we are so fine.
that is exactly what we have really wanted.――
i know you better than you know yourself.
that's not possible. after all,
i've never known you.
"try to show me your face of truth."
――when i want to put my detector deep inside you, just as now,
you shut off the one way in, then hide it away, just as now.
what's more when you want to go out i want to stay home, and vice versa.――
"lovely!"
you know my profile better than i do,
i imagine, and vice versa.
i know your profile better than you,
i promise, and vice versa.
――but you'll you never see my front,
i'll never see your face.
and i'll never see your front.
you'll never see my face.――
林檎をむいて歩こう
i think i only love your profile.
and i yours. you look nice from the side.
…were i you, i would have said something better.
like what? i can find nothing to say.
"try to search for…"
you don't know me.
'cause you do not know yourself.
neither do you...look at yourself.
"try to search for my face of truth"
――so we touch each other strongly after slight inquiry.
and play our trump card,
and scar ourselves for life.
we are so fine.
that is exactly what we have really wanted.――
i know you better than you know yourself.
that's not possible. after all,
i've never known you.
"try to show me your face of truth."
――when i want to put my detector deep inside you, just as now,
you shut off the one way in, then hide it away, just as now.
what's more when you want to go out i want to stay home, and vice versa.――
"lovely!"
you know my profile better than i do,
i imagine, and vice versa.
i know your profile better than you,
i promise, and vice versa.
――but you'll you never see my front,
i'll never see your face.
and i'll never see your front.
you'll never see my face.――
fufufuaru
really wish this song was more popular, I love it so much
0115 PENNY
大好きこの歌
三神
これは林檎とミキオだからええんやぞ
Roarshark12
This song fits so well together with the games Max Payne 1 & 2
Roarshark12
Also, the song "Shinunoga E-Wa" from Fuji Kaze reminds me of this song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sABVNz31WA0
高橋香代子
とても悲しい歌。男子の友だちにお願いして一緒に歌ってもらってます(´；ω；`)
田中のパパのパパ
ミッキーもいいけどウッキーバージョンも聴きたい
hitomi ishizaki
カラオケで男友達と唄ったら何とも言えない雰囲気になっちゃって気恥ずかしかったw
0115 PENNY
一緒に歌ってくれる友達がいて素敵🥺✨