Chara

Chara is a pretty prolific and popular alternative J-pop singer. She's been around since the early 1990s and still going. The most outstanding part of her act is definitely her voice. Sometimes I find it hard to listen to depending on my mood, but you can't deny her unique whispery style.

Also of note she was married to (one of my favourite actors) Tadanobu Asano for fourteen years. She has also done some film work herself and currently hosts a TV Show Ongaku Baka. Keep an eye for her 2011 release Dark Candy.

Clammbon

Technically this song is a remix by Nujabes of a Clammbon song - so it's a good thing. Nujabes is amazing (R.I.P.) and check out his stuff. But this post will focus on Clammbon, another amazing alternative pop band from Japan. I think this group has a lot of character in their sound. At times it's jazzy, at others just pop, rock, techno and altogether fusion. The singer is also very unique as well (though personally I can only listen so long myself). They've got a large discography with lots of different sounds throughout, so it's worth an exploration.