The four of them came together in the music club of their university in 1996; for Gotoh, Kita, and Yamada, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION was the first band they ever formed.
After a while, they began to perform at the school and in the local Yokohama area. Interestingly, their first songs were all written in English and, in fact, their first independent 6 track album (released in 2000) was entirely sung in English. The CDs were sold at concerts and over the internet.
In 2001, beginning with "YMD" they held many self-planned events at Yokohama's CLUB24.
Once "Konayuki," the first song in which they used Japanese lyrics, was completed, they sent copies to all the independent shows on the FM stations, and were consequently able to get their music played for the first time on FM radio.
After that, they released their second CD of original works, this time using Japanese lyrics. It achieved great success within the region and at all the Live Houses.
From this time on, starting at Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, Kichijouji and other places, they started putting on shows famed for their energy.
In 2002, they submitted a track to the Underflow Records Compilation CD. In November of the same year, they released "Houkai Amplifier," their first Mini Album to be produced professionally. This album, which would decide their future, debuted in the number 1 spot of Highline Records weekly charts, and also made it to the number 35 spot in the Oricon Indies Chart.
On April 4, 2003, "Houkai Amplifier" was re-released under Ki/oon Records. That summer, they appeared at FUJI ROCK (on the "ROOKIE A GO GO" stage), and at SUMMER SONIC '03 in Osaka.
Following their October 16, 2003 single "Kimi to Iu Hana," their first full album "Kimi Tsunagi Five M" was released on November 19.
From January 19 to February 25 2004, they went on the "five nano seconds" tour. All shows immediately sold out and were a massive success.
In 2004, their first proper single "Siren" and their second single, the iconic "Loop & Loop," were released, the former on April 14th and the latter on May 19th.
Their self-planned event ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION presents "NANO-MUGEN FEST" took place on July 1st at Nihon Budoukan and, that summer, they appeared live at festivals in areas all over the country. On August 4th, their new single "Rewrite" was released, followed by "Kimi no Machi Made" on September 23rd.
On October 20, 2004, their long-awaited new album "Sol-fa" was released and this really pushed the band to the forefront of the J-Rock scene. Then, on November 2nd, they started their second national tour: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Tour Suihai No!
June 8 2005 saw the release of "NANO-MUGEN COMPILATION," an album composed of songs from various acts, both Japanese and English-language alike. Included was their first single after "Sol-fa": "Blackout." Later, the band released their first real single in over a year; "Blue Train."
In 2006, the band released another single "World Apart," followed by their third album, "Fanclub." A month later, they released their latest album "Feedback File," which includes live versions of some of their most popular tracks.
Their song "Haruka Kanata" was chosen to be a theme song for the anime series "Naruto," and the popular single "Rewrite" was selected as a theme song to the hit anime series "Fullmetal Alchemist." The song "Aru Machi no Gunjou" was used in the animated movie "Tekkon Kinkreet," and the song "After Dark" was used as a theme song for the animated series "BLEACH." The song "Maigo Inu to Ame no Beat" was used as the opening theme for the anime "The Tatami Galaxy".
Travelogue
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deambulo las pantallas Tropezando adelante
Las palabras excesivas que revolotean en las profundidades de mis zócalos de mis ojos
Reflexiono
Ah
Sin el mínimo de comodidad, estas palabras me saturan
Y me entierran siempre
Encontré un callejón por las pistas ferroviarias
Deambulo los márgenes Tropezando adelante
Estableciendo en las profundidades de mi córnea es el vacío del mundo
Que se desliza alrededor suavemente
Ah
Las cosas que existen aquí
Las cosas que se consideran aquí
¿A quién pertenecen todos?
En vez de cerrarse,
Usted necesita comprender que hay más tanto usted tenga todavía poner sus ojos sobre
La pasión más allá de su imaginación
Un encuentro accidental fugaz
Despediendo
Caminando sin rumbo por una eternidad
Sueños y realidad
Es lo que estoy buscando al fin de mis viajes
La superficie húmeda del camino El olor de la lluvia
Mi sentido de olfato, sí, me dice del futuro
Las líneas eléctricas resuenan Un camino ventoso
Mi sentido de oído, sí, me lleva al presente
La pasión más allá del mundo que sacude
Un encuentro accidental fugaz
Despediendo
Caminando sin rumbo por una eternidad
Sueños y realidad
Es lo que estoy buscando al fin de mis viajes
The song "Travelogue" by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION is a reflective and introspective journey through the mind of the singer as they wander through a falsified city, stumbling forward and reflecting on the overwhelming words and images they encounter. The lyrics are full of vivid sensory details, from the fluttering words in the depths of their eyes' sockets, to the wet surface of the road and the smell of rain.
As the song progresses, the singer seems to come to a realization that they need to open themselves up and embrace the world around them, even if it is confusing or overwhelming. They question who owns the things that exist and are considered, and instead call for a deeper understanding and connection to the world. The song ends on a hopeful note, speaking of a passion beyond imagination and a search for dreams and reality at the end of their travels.
Line by Line Meaning
Mirando la ciudad falsa de lejos
Gazing at the distant fake city
Deambulo las pantallas Tropezando adelante
I wander among the screens, stumbling forward
Las palabras excesivas que revolotean en las profundidades de mis zócalos de mis ojos
Excessive words fluttering in the depths behind my eye sockets
Reflexiono
I reflect
Ah
Ah
Sin el mínimo de comodidad, estas palabras me saturan
Without the slightest comfort, these words saturate me
Y me entierran siempre
And always bury me
Encontré un callejón por las pistas ferroviarias
I found an alley along the railway tracks
Deambulo los márgenes Tropezando adelante
I wander the margins, stumbling forward
Estableciendo en las profundidades de mi córnea es el vacío del mundo
Establishing in the depths of my cornea is the void of the world
Que se desliza alrededor suavemente
That slides around smoothly
Ah
Ah
Las cosas que existen aquí
The things that exist here
Las cosas que se consideran aquí
The things that are considered here
¿A quién pertenecen todos?
To whom do they all belong?
En vez de cerrarse,
Instead of closing off,
Usted necesita comprender que hay más tanto usted tenga todavía poner sus ojos sobre
You need to understand that there's more for you to see as long as you keep your eyes open
La pasión más allá de su imaginación
The passion beyond your imagination
Un encuentro accidental fugaz
A brief accidental encounter
Despediendo
Parting ways
Caminando sin rumbo por una eternidad
Walking aimlessly for eternity
Sueños y realidad
Dreams and reality
Es lo que estoy buscando al fin de mis viajes
It's what I'm searching for at the end of my travels
La superficie húmeda del camino El olor de la lluvia
The wet surface of the road, the smell of rain
Mi sentido de olfato, sí, me dice del futuro
My sense of smell, yes, tells me of the future
Las líneas eléctricas resuenan Un camino ventoso
Electrical lines resonate, a windy road
Mi sentido de oído, sí, me lleva al presente
My sense of hearing, yes, brings me to the present
La pasión más allá del mundo que sacude
The passion beyond the shaking world
Un encuentro accidental fugaz
A brief accidental encounter
Despediendo
Parting ways
Caminando sin rumbo por una eternidad
Walking aimlessly for eternity
Sueños y realidad
Dreams and reality
Es lo que estoy buscando al fin de mis viajes
It's what I'm searching for at the end of my travels
Contributed by Adalyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.