I recall reading an announcement about Yuzuru's health condition and replacement.

The last piece of info I've seen ever since was In September 2025: Polaris' Yusuke Oya wrote "I am determined to continue, with the hope that someday Yuzuru will return and we can once again enjoy playing together".

LONG SEASON is in my top three albums of all time (a 10/10 on first listen), and I decided that for my birthday this year, I wanted the vinyl. Obviously, it's pretty expensive, so this was the only thing I got, but I honestly couldn't be more grateful. I think I'm going to get a special shelf just to put the vinyl on, since it's my most precious one. I still can't believe I have it. I think I'm also so excited because not many people have it and it's kinda rare, and I've never owned anything this "exclusive".

Spent the bulk of today ripping each album included on my set of Fishmans Rock Festival so that everyone can experience what it sounds like without scaling the second-hand paywall I had to hop over to get these. The mastering and pressing of these records is nothing short of phenomenal in every way. Not to mention the music itself which is sublime.

The Metadata should all be included and accurate. There will be a needle drop at the start of the first track to each album to emulate the real vinyl experience, but not on the flips for a more seamless experience.

Please feel free to download yourself a copy of any of these albums. It's the closest I can get you without shipping the disks to your door. I hope you guys enjoy! Yes - 98.12.28 Long Season is the best of the bunch :)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BkE78heRsKeMByY6qOl2cYujbMCwXj-y?usp=sharing

Cheers!

Oh my god i think its happening the a/b labels are different

I found Weather Report and listen to it basically on repeat sometimes. I just love the plaintive, wistful sound… it’s one of my favourite songs of all time. I’ve tried listening to some other Fishmans but find it quite challenging.

Can anyone recommend any other tracks that are in a similar vein to Weather Report that might help me get into the band a bit more?

thanks!

I'm still really stiff and I need to practice switching strings but I'll get used to it, pretty happy already because I was able to find a music sheet for this song.

I found this on the internet archive entry of Long Season. I thought it was really cool that the visuals are constantly changing and new as well. Any idea where it came from?

https://archive.org/details/fishmans-longseason?webamp=default

I'm thinking about going to the Tokyo concert in February, but I don't have a phone number in Japan, so I'm wondering if I should ask a friend in Japan to buy the tickets for me. Does this band verify identity? Has anyone been there?

Please excuse any awkwardness as I'm using a translator. Saying greetings from Korea.

I mean you could totally say that by the time that finale hits you're surrounded with sound.. There's loud and cathartic instrumentation here that's just so pleasant on the ears.. it feels like post-rock , it has that post rock dynamic and feel in it ,yk..

Is this the best live album of all time? That’s what the ranking on Rate Your Music would suggest, where 98.12.28 Otokotachi no wakare sits at number one among live albums, with an average rating of 4.40 out of 5. Well, it made a huge impression on me too, and I’m not surprised at all by the widespread praise it receives.

Before hearing this album, I considered Fishmans a solid and adventurous band, but definitely an overrated one. Although albums like Long Season and Uchu Nippon Setagaya made quite a good impression on me (especially the latter), I was far from praising them to the heavens. That’s why I was somewhat reluctant to dive into their most famous live album, which runs for a whopping two hours and contains 14 tracks. After hearing it, though, I don’t regret a single second I spent listening to it.

There are at least several things that make a great impression here: the juicy, rich sound, the distinctive vocals, hypnotic repetitions, charming melodies, the original arrangements, as well as the emotionality and exuberance of the music, which give it a unique, almost dreamlike atmosphere. The psychedelic keyboards and guitars play an especially important role. Genre-wise, it is a combination of neo-psychedelia, dream pop, dub, and psychedelic rock. It’s therefore a veritable genre collage, yet one that comes together into an incredibly cohesive album.

The influence of dub is particularly important here. Reggae rhythms and fat basslines frequently appear in the songs (you can especially hear this in “頼りない天使” and “ひこうき”). Combined with various keyboards and Shinji Sato’s high-pitched vocals, they create an incredibly tasty and hypnotic mixture. Elsewhere, the musicians lean more toward dream pop and neo-psychedelic territory, often building tension very effectively by skillfully manipulating dynamics and texture. This can be heard particularly well in tracks such as “In the Flight,” “Walking in the Rhythm,” and the closing “Long Season.”

This album is a true celebration of life and music, with the Fishmans achieving this through the excellent melodies and optimistic atmosphere of “Thank You,” “Smilin’ Days, Summer Holiday,” “Melody,” and “いかれたBaby,” the wild performance of “Oh Slime,” as well as the catchy melodies and beautiful sounds of “なんてったの” and “幸せ者.” There is also the melancholic, bittersweet “ナイトクルージング,” which provides a slight counterbalance to the otherwise optimistic atmosphere.

The 40-minute performance of “Long Season” is phenomenal, and I appreciate it even more than the studio version. The experiments with sound are much more interesting here than the toilet noises on the studio version (those who have heard the studio version will know what I mean), the tension is built in less obvious ways, and the whole thing feels looser and more excitingly performed.

The historical context is also important: the album was recorded during the band’s final concert tour, which was intended as a farewell to bassist Yuzuru Kashiwabara, who was planning to leave the band. Fishmans intended to continue, but just a few months after the tour, vocalist Shinji Sato died of cardiac arrest.

A brilliant album. Despite its length, I wholeheartedly recommend it to absolutely everyone. Everything that’s best about dream pop and neo-psychedelia, as well as the heights of ’90s music.

Rating: 10/10

Cannot believe how to late I am to this party! Weather Report was on my Tidal Discover playlist today, and I am MESMERISED. The whole album has just blown my mind. Sitting here with my headphones on, getting completely lost in the sound. Work can get lost today; I am in a trance!

What album should I try next?

The album is truly an incredible masterpiece. It’s not just an album but rather a legitimate experience. When listening, I legit felt every emotion at once not gonna lie: nostalgia, melancholy, happiness, love, warmth, memories, whimsiness, trippiness, etc.

I’ve heard snippets of the album before and I’ve listened to their first track in the past but I never fully listened to the entirety for some reason, although I have been wanting to for a while now. Listening to an album like this for the first time is one of the best experiences ever, it’s one of the best things my ears have personally heard. Long Season is definitely is going in my top 5 of favorites. This album makes me feel like everything is truly going to be okay.

Fishmans are unique, although when I first heard the album it reminded me of a mix of AIR, Hiroshi Yoshimura and Lullatone, with maybe a little bit of The Avalanches kind of vibe in there too. When the accordions came in towards the end it sounded like something straight out of the 2000s Professor Layton games. And I happen to love all those musicians/games so this album is perfect for me. It reminds me of 90s Japan. It reminds me of being a young kid in the 2000s again sitting in my family’s backyard surrounded by nature. 💙💚

Where do I go from here after this one? I’ve heard Uchū Nippon Setagaya and Kuchu Camp are great. Need some recommendations plz thanks

RIP to Shinji Sato of course too 🙏🕊️

I listened to this song for the first time about a month ago, and I don’t remember all of it, but I remember really enjoying it. I just came back to listen to the live version after hearing how good it’s supposed to be, and holy shit. This is probably the greatest piece of music I’ve ever heard. There’s genuinely just something so special about how well written it is, and how interesting the song remains for its runtime. I don’t speak Japanese so I’ll have to read up on what the songs about, but i feel that part of the reason I love it is just the feeling it conveys. It’s so peaceful, and feels quite optimistic, yet also somewhat bleak at the same time. It’s really indescribable. And of course the musicianship is ridiculously good. On the studio and the live version the band members are just so tight and well rehearsed. I’m so disappointed in myself that I haven’t discovered these guys sooner. Any other standouts I should check out? I hope they aren’t a one hit wonder sorta band

No clue when it'll get here, but its a birthday gift to myself!

It was fairly expensive, but it'll only be worn on special occasions, and I'll most likely only be testing an incense stick for each season.

I'm no scent reviewer, but I'll be sure to post a video showing the kit, and describing how the seasons smell. B )

Holy fish balls I’m actually already planning to be in Tokyo that day.

When I was listening to the LONG SEASON of 98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare, it feels like that the bass in the first half is out of tune. Am I trippin?

The Big Romance in Dublin have agreed to let me spin Fishmans records on Nov 4th, 7.00pm.

Will be starting with some of their lighter, poppier, more danceable stuff and finishing the night on a full play through of Long Season.

On the off chance there's other Irish people on here, please come through and say hi.

can´t really explain how I have this one but im so happy . fly it from japan to latam, its a towel but shhh

Hello guys, my father plans to go to Berlin Tuesday, he asked me if I’d like him to bring me something. Do you know any records store where he could buy Fishmans CDs please ? If you don't know, do you know any store where I can check their stock online ?
Thanks 🙏