Haku ハク。
Who is Haku?
In 2019 Osaka Japan, four young women met at a vocational school club that teaches instruments to high school students. One of their advisors suggested that they join up to form a band and Haku was born. The circle punctuation mark at the end of Haku’s name in Japanese reflects these roots, symbolizing the “circle” where they first met. (these types of clubs are referred to as “circles” in Japan)
Haku released their first single in 2020 and by 2021 they had won the grand prize at a Kansai prefecture talent contest. Attention in Japan started to grow as the band released more music and played live shows. Haku hosts an annual “Haku Day” on August 9th, inviting their favourite musicians to play with them in Japan, drawing inspiration from their fellow artists.
Recently, at the request of fans outside of Japan, Haku has begun playing international shows. They played their very first overseas show in Korea. Singapore was next and, in September 2025, Haku made their North American debut in Toronto, Canada as part of the Next Music From Tokyo showcase.
Releases
In their seven year career, Haku has released a steady stream of singles, EPs and two albums.
- Blue Girl single, 2021
- 本物 / honmono, single, 2021
- ワタシ / watashi, single, 2021
- 収録曲 / hitonatsu, single, 2021
- ふたり基地 / hutari kichi, single, 2021
- 若者日記 / wakamono nikki, mini-album, 2022
- ナイーブ女の子 / naive girl, single, 2022
- 無題 / mudai, single, 2023
- 直感way, chokkan way, single, 2023
- 僕ら / bokkura, EP, 2023
- 僕らじゃなきゃだめになって / Bokurajanakyadameninatte, single, 2023
- 自由のショート / jiyuu no short, single, 2023
- 僕らじゃなきゃダメになって / Bokurajanakyadameninatte, album, 2023
- dedede, single, 2024
- 頭の中の宇宙 / The Universe of my Mind, single, 2024
- あいっ！ / Ai!, single, 2024
- Catch, EP, 2025
- 南新町 / minami shinmachi, single, 2025
- それしか言えない / soreshika ienai, single, 2025 (***this marks Haku debut on major label Toy’s Factory)
- 夢中猫 / Patapata Cat, single, 2025
- ふわ輪 / Fuwa Rin, single, Feb 2026
Just Released! :
EP 世界 / Sekai released March 4th, 2026. Includes singles Soreshika Ienai, Pata Pata Cat as well as new tracks Fuwa Rin and 世界 / Sekai.
Physical Copies (CDs) of Haku Releases
If you are outside of Japan, you can now order directly from Tower Records. Fill in search bar as normal and you should get a pop-up for “WorldShopping”. This is a 3rd party shipping service associated with Tower Records in Japan. Shipping rates are surprisingly reasonable.
Haku lineup:
- Ai (あい) – Lead Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
- Mayu (まゆ) – Drums
- Nazuna (なずな) – Lead Guitar
- Kano (カノ) – Bass and Backing Vocals
Haku everywhere!
Largely unknown outside of Japan, Haku became famous globally with their cover of Mono No Aware’s かむかもしかもにどもかも! The catchy nonsense-lyric tongue twister was released on YouTube in Haku’s trademark vertical frame practice-session format. The popularity of the video sparked a massive social media following and requests from fans around the world for overseas live shows. Local Haku shows also began to attract foreign fans who were travelling in Japan. Fans started sending them videos of themselves mimicking Ai’s groovy dance. Below is the original video of Haku covering the Mono No Aware song. As of this writing, it has over 16 million views.
Next Music from Tokyo vol 17
Late this summer, Haku made their North American debut in Toronto, Canada at Next Music From Tokyo Volume 17.
Next Music from Tokyo is an annual showcase of young Japanese indie bands put together by Toronto anesthesiologist Steven Tanaka. Each year, Tanaka handpicks a group of bands to tour three cities in Canada over 10 days and it is always a fantastic scene. The bands give everything they have and the crowds happily take it all in, dancing and crowd surfing (Steve too)!
This year when the NMFT line-up was announced, I was surprised to see that it featured Haku. The website even issued a warning that since the massively popular band is coming, tickets will sell out faster than usual. This got my attention and I started listening to their back catalog as well as newer releases. I was happy to find that, although the viral video clip is cute and obviously popular, Haku’s original music is even better.
Haku live at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Canada
Around a year ago, Haku performed on NHK Japan and talked about influences and future goals. Ai expressed that although they were a band of 4 young girls, they did not want to be bound by the expectations of being a “girl band”. They hoped to show a more aggressive sound in live shows and to write songs that would have a broad appeal to fans of all genders and ages. With that statement in mind, it was fun to witness their first North American show in person.
From the very first song, the band delivered an energetic and gritty sound. The crowd, made up of men and women of all ages in equal number, responded with enthusiastic dancing and clapping. Surprisingly, many of their fans were singing along in Japanese to Haku’s originals. If their goal was to win over a broad spectrum of fans with high-intensity live versions of their original songs I think it was accomplished with great success. I loved the show and I was immediately sorry I didn’t buy tickets for both nights in Toronto.
THIS JUST IN !!!
Haku will be back in Canada this September for Next Music From Tokyo vol 18
Haku will be returning to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver this September for Next Music From Tokyo vol 18. Toronto dates Sept 18 and 19, Montreal on Sept 21 and Vancouver Sept 23 and 24. They are joined by SYAYOS, pudelhunds and yureruwayurei. More information and ticket links at Next Music From Tokyo website.
Haku original music
For a band whose members are probably somewhere in their early 20s, Haku has released a good volume of music. The early singles and first mini album (Wakamono Nikki) sound like a young band still developing their identity and musical style but the playing is solid and the songwriting is good. The second full length album, Bokurajanakyadameninatte, is where the band really starts to shine and the most recent EP titled Catch showcases the fully developed Haku at their best.
The songs are bright and energetic with memorable vocal melodies and guitar hooks. They manage to sound fresh and original but somehow familiar at the same time. In the NHK interview, Ai talked about how many older fans have said that Haku’s music takes them back to their youth. She attributes this to the influence of 90s US and UK indie on Haku songwriting. These 90s flavours blended with modern J-pop and J-rock influences give Haku their defining sound and broad appeal.
Recipe for Success
Ai’s vocals are full of catchy melodies and fun cadence. Her lyrics (all in Japanese) touch on the universal topics of love and relationships with others, as well as her relationship with the world at large. Ai takes centre stage as the main vocalist and delivers crunchy rhythm playing on her 70s Telecaster Custom. She hopes to write songs that “stand the test of time” and from the enthusiasm of the live audience and the fact that they knew most these songs by heart, I think she is on the right track.
Nazuna’s guitar playing is mostly clean with an unmistakable Stratocaster chime. She sometimes doubles the rhythm guitar but more often wanders away on her own with melodic single-note lines. At NHK, she said that she wanted to invent guitar phrases that “linger in your ear”. I think that Nazuna’s guitar lines are just as catchy as Ai’s vocals and the two together create melodies that are hard to forget.
Kano is a creative bass player never lingering very long on a single note. Bass lines bounce along with the drums, counter guitar lines, experiment with harmonies and always add to the overall big energy of the song. Kano is also the second voice for doubling or vocal harmony and, in interviews, stands out as the most outgoing spokesperson for the band.
Mayu keeps it all together with breezy style, creative fills and lots of happy energy. She is a great drummer now but I think her ambition to learn and improve will sharpen her skills even more in the future.
Each player in the band brings their own unique style but it is definitely the combination of these four talents that gives Haku it’s appeal. The musicianship is undeniable and their obvious close friendship just adds to their charm.
Gear:
Haku uses some interesting guitars. Ai is playing a 70’s style Telecaster Custom and Nazuna’s Stratocaster is the same vintage. Both have 3 bolt neck plates used mainly on 70s Fenders. I think Fender Japan reissued these sometime in the 90’s so it is possible these 2 guitars are from that era. Either way, they are unusual instruments. Ai runs her Tele through a Marshall half-stack and Nazuna is using a Jazz Chorus 120.
In recent videos Ai is using a new red, maple neck standard Telecaster. After a few live guitar malfunctions lately, her Tele Custom may be in for service or retired altogether.
As for pedals, Ai’s main sound seems to be Telecaster, JHS Morning Glory, Marshall amplifier. She switches out dirt pedals often: Ibanez Tube Screamer, Anasouds Savage (Klon Centaur clone), Animals Pedal Surfing Bear Overdrive (cute Japanese made tube screamer variant), NYC Big Muff fuzz have made the rounds.
Nazuna has a big pedal board which includes a Strymon Big Sky and Timeline, JHS Double Barrel, JHS Charlie Brown (cool and uncommon), Boss Turbo Distortion, Triangle Big Muff, Suhr Jack Rabbit Tremolo, Digitech Whammy as well as a Maxon Stereo Chorus.
Kano is running a Fender Precision Bass though a solid state head and Ampeg cabinet (at least at live shows). This deep, punchy Precision bass through a big cabinet is my favourite electric bass sound.
At least in their practice space, I have seen Mayu using a 4-piece gold sparkle Tama drum kit. Beyond that, I am not sure. Unless they are popular enough to carry their whole kit around, drummers usually just travel with their snare and cymbals so…hard to say.
Where to find Haku:
You can stream Haku in all the usual places.
Haku is also active on Instagram and YouTube. Click here for the Haku official website.
Haku is rumoured to be returning to Canada for Next Music From Tokyo Volume 18! Keep an eye on the NMFT website for details.
For a list of all upcoming live shows look here.
Here is the song Ai! from the Catch EP….it is a great record. Look it up on your favourite streaming platform.
A great song and video from Bokurajanakyadameninatte….
The latest release Sekai…
If you have any questions or comments or if I spelled anesthesiologist or anything else wrong… please share in the space below.
What’s your favourite Haku song? Leave it in the comments!
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Jeow Bong
What is it?
Jeow bong (or jaew bong) is a Lao chili paste used as a dip or seasoning. It is powerful and complex: full of strong aromatics and potent citrus and fruit flavours, all tied together with fermented fish sauce.
One summer at the restaurant we had a food runner who’s mom was from Laos. We became pretty good friends and her family ended up visiting for a meal a few times. I had fun preparing interesting veggie dishes (off menu) for her vegetarian dad and sister.
Afterwards, on more than one occasion, her mom sent me homemade Lao beef jerky and other little snacks. One time I even got a full dinner-set of larp, sticky rice, sides and, of course, jeow bong! This was my first experience with Lao food and I was hooked.
Sometime before our food runner left to go to university, she brought me my own bamboo sticky rice steamer and pot set with a couple of little rice baskets. This was such a thoughtful gift and I use them often. Thanks Tounie, Émilie and famille Desrosiers!
Jeow bong recipe:
This is a very good recipe. I am always surprised at how incredibly delicious it is every time I eat it.
First let me say that although I am a professional chef, I am no expert at Lao cooking. I have learned to make a few dishes because I like them so much but I am still learning. When I looked around the internet for recipes, I found many different recipes for jeow bong. I pulled from a few of them, combining ingredients that I can easily get in my neighbourhood. Many recipes include pig skin as an ingredient but I left it out of this recipe only because I didn’t have time to pick it up. This recipe turned out very well without it but next time I may try with pork included.
Ingredients
- 10 cloves garlic
- 4 medium shallots
- around 25 grams fresh galangal (one thumb-size chunk)
- 20 grams dried chilis
- 60ml (1/4 cup) of water
- olive oil for frying (1-2 tablespoons)
- 30ml (2 tablespoons) fish sauce
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 25 grams tamarind paste (a little less than 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon MSG or Aji-no-moto (same thing, different name)
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or use regular white sugar)
Process
Now what?
Store the paste in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
You can use your jeow bong as a dip for meats or veggies or mix it into stir fried dishes. Or, try swiping a little onto a ball of warm sticky rice and popping it into your mouth. This is my favourite way to eat it.
Go easy with this stuff. It is surprisingly powerful!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them below.
Thanks for reading : )
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Diagram
***this post will not work in tiny form on your phone. Have a look on a bigger screen if you can***
What’s a diagram?
In broad terms, a diagram is a visual representation of an idea or a system of related parts. It might explain how the parts function together or, it might just depict how the parts relate to each other in physical space. A diagram is usually a drawing or a flow of symbols representing and simplifying the workings of something.
Can a photograph be a diagram?
I think so. A photo can be labeled with words or over-laid with symbols that clarify what you are looking at or, how the different things in the photo relate to each other. I can remember school textbooks full of diagrams, from drawings showing the organs of a plant cell to photos labeling the parts of an airplane wing. I would pour over them for hours and I still love looking at them today.
It seems like a lot of old technical instructions came with roughly labeled black and white photos too. I had a motorcycle repair manual that was full of terrible black and white photos with what looked like taped-on labels. Things like lawn mowers, power tools, instruction manuals from small factories…these often used to come with labeled photos.
When I was a boy, some of these diagrams inspired me to take apart appliances when my parents weren’t home and draw pictures as I went so that I could put them back together again. These were my own diagrams and they worked! Usually…
IKEA
IKEA is notorious for it’s cryptic diagrams aimed at having a single instruction manual that works across all languages and cultures. This is a pretty ambitious goal and I don’t think it always works. The IKEA diagrams have become kind of a universal joke with anyone who has had to sweat over assembling a flat-packed bookcase or file cabinet. Over the years, I have gotten a little better at understanding them but….I also think I could improve them quite a bit. That would be a fun job : )
The Calypso
The Calypso was Jacques Cousteau’s ship. When I was small, all I could think about was the ocean. I read everything I could in the school library and then begged my parents for my own Jacques Cousteau Encyclopedia. Eventually they got me the books. My absolute favourite book was the last volume. In it was a 4 page foldout of all the rooms and systems on the ship. Both sides! The rest of the books are long gone now but the Calypso book is still on my bookshelf. This is a classic diagram with numbered lines that correspond to a key on the opposite page. It is one of my favourite diagrams of all time.
Here is one side of the Calypso diagram:
How we arrange all of our “things”
Something I like to do on Instagram: when someone posts a selfie or other photo taken inside their house, I like to zoom in on the backgrounds and have a look at what is on the walls, what is on a bookshelf or a table. I like to see how people arrange their “stuff”. The background is sometimes more interesting than the main subject.
With that thought in mind, I had a look at some of my old photos and also around my apartment to see how my things were arranged and how they might relate to each other. Sometimes arrangements seem random but other times there are patterns…the stuff we use more often is easier to access. Or things that get used together are grouped together. Sometimes there is a logical flow to the physical arrangement of our things. And sometimes, there is a kind of beauty to the random placement of things, how they just happen to end up in space. I often think how difficult it must be for art directors on a set to get all these kinds of details just right to make a fictional environment feel believable.
My photo-diagrams
Below are some diagrams that I made of stuff around my house or things in past pictures. I like the look of these kinds of labeled photos. They remind me of old parts manuals or science fair projects when paper and glue was the only way…
photo copyright TigerSalad 2025
photo copyright TigerSalad 2025
photo copyright TigerSalad 2025
photo copyright TigerSalad 2025
photo copyright TigerSalad 2025
Diagrams as art
I think there is something meaningful and personal about the way we arrange our “stuff”, our tools and our less functional objects. And I also think there is both art and science in good diagrams. I tried to combine both ideas here into something fun and engaging. What do you think? If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them below. And subscribe if you would like a note about new posts. Thanks for reading!
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