From this list here. This was the best I could find when looking for a list of  "classic" Japanese songs. English sources that talk about J-pop mostly focus on idols or anime songs. The list is a bit outdated, but it covers a good variety of genres.

1. Southern All-Stars
tsunami (2000)
涙の海で抱かれたい　～sea Of Love～  (2003)

2. YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra)
firecracker (1978)
solid state survivor (1979)

3. Yumi Matsutoya
ひこうき雲 (1973)
ルージュの伝言 (1975)

4. Happy End
風をあつめて (1971)
夏なんです (1971)

5. Hibari Misora
川の流れのように (1988) - voted best Japanese song of all time in 1997
愛燦燦 (1986)

6. Tatsuro Yamashita
Ride On Time (1980)
Christmas Eve (1983)

7. Momoe Yamaguchi
さよならの向こう側 (1980)
秋桜 (1977)

8. Yosui Inoue
夢の中へ (1989)
少年時代 (1990)

9. Eiichi Ohtaki (member of Happy End)
君は天然色 (1981)
さらばシベリア鉄道 (1980)

10. Seiko Matsuda
風は秋色 (1980)
あなたに逢いたくて ～Missing You～ (1996)

11. Ryuichi Sakamoto (member of YMO)
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (1983)
bibo no aozora (1996)

12. Keisuke Kuwata (member of Southern All-Stars)
明日晴れるかな (2007)
白い恋人達 (2001)

13. Motoharu Sano
Visitors (1984)
アンジェリーナ (1980)

14. Eikichi Yazawa
止まらないHA～HA (1986)
I LOVE YOU, OK (1975)

15. Flipper's Guitar
恋とマシンガン (1990) - highlight of this quarter of the list for me.
Groove Tube (1991)

16. RC Succession
I LIKE YOU (1990)
Transistor Radio (1980)

17. Kenji Sawada
時の過ぎゆくままに (1975)
勝手にしやがれ (1977)

18. Kyu Sakamoto
上を向いて歩こう (1961) - aka Sukiyaki. The only Japanese song to top the Billboard 100.
坂本九見上げてごらん夜の星を (1963)

19. The Blue Hearts
Linda Linda (1987) - heard it in Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan
Train-Train (1988)

20. Miyuki Nakajima
わかれうた (1977)
地上の星 (2000)

21. Tetsuya Komura
Running to Horizon (1989)
I want you back (1989)

22. Boowy
Marionette (1987)
わがままジュリエット (1986)

23. Yutaka Ozaki
I Love You (1991)
Oh My Little Girl (1991)

24. Hikaru Utada
First Love (1999)
travelling (2001)

25. Tamio Okuda
愛のために (1994)
息子 (1995)

2015 Releases

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
This is super hyped, but I'm not totally won over yet. I like the songs that are on Spotify, so there's hope.

Courtney Barnett - Depreston
"If you've got a spare half a million, you could knock it down and start rebuilding" makes me think of my friend who is knocking down his house and splitting the lot in half. Early contender for song of the year for me. Future Australian classic, even.

Susanne Sundfor - Ten Love Songs
This is fun. Current highlight for me is Kamikaze.

The Grates - 7-Eleven
Used to hate this band. But this song was just what I needed after coming back from two weeks in Japan, which involved a lot of hanging around in convenience stores. "I light up like a NightOwl in Brisbane" gets it some points too.


Vocaloid - Because I actually heard Vocaloid songs playing in shops in Japan.

rerulili - Spinal Fluid Explosion Girl
This is it, this is my theme song. Those lyrics are on point. There should be more pop songs with jazz piano and chiptune together.

hachi - Panda Hero
Does this song have two bridges? Excellent. Covers don't hold up to the original, because I think it works better with the deadpan, robot voice. Everyone seems to think it needs to be shouted because of the rollicking backing track.

Jin - Kagerou Days
Worth watching the PV and reading the subs.


Other things

Halfway - Dulcify
Won Song of the Year at the Queensland Music Awards. Improves my opinion of QLD slightly. But they seem to have misplaced 2014 on the website.

Top Artists
1. The Go-Betweens [839]
2. Augie March [794]
3. The Middle East [342]
4. The Triffids [327]
5. Susanne Sundfor [308]
6. The Church [286]
7. Crowded House [273]
8. Halfway [267]
9. Neil Finn (& Paul Kelly) [258]
10. Ed Kuepper / Charli XCX [251]

Top Tracks
1. The Go-Betweens - Cattle and Cane [388]
2. The Triffids - Wide Open Road [238]
3. The Middle East - Land of the Bloody Unknown [151]
4. Ed Kuepper - Sleepy Head [131]
5. Ben Salter - The Coward [119]
6. Augie March - One Crowded Hour [112]
7. Lorde - Ribs [111]
8. Ed Kuepper/The Saints - Brisbane (Security City) [110]
9. The Church - Under The Milky Way [108]
10. Cass McCombs - County Line [107]

I'm back because of a tweet from a friend about dull baby boomer music he used to pretend to like. I was like that too. Now I never want to hear The Beatles ever again.

The Peep Tempel - Tales: This would probably have been one of my favourites of the year if I'd discovered it earlier. I guess it's not too late.

Halfway: Friend on facebook got tagged in some statuses about going to a Robert Forster gig. She got a setlist from the supporting band. I looked them up on Spotify. A concept album about railway workers in central Queensland? This is what I live for. Dulcify is my song of the year even though I don't understand 80% of the lyrics.

Jen Cloher ft. Tim Rogers - Stone Age Brain: This has been in my 2014 playlist for ages but I've only just noticed it properly.

Augie March: The video for Definitive History is my aesthetic. It actually makes me want to visit Melbourne. The song itself has some great lines. Make abominable children, vicious little animals / Reared up like pit bull dogs / By the ordinary Australians… 

Taylor Swift: Had to check this out after I noticed that The Quietus gave it a good review. It's pretty good for a mainstream release, but I didn't love  it. Wildest Dreams is like an improved version of LDR's Without You.

Lists: Looking at a bunch of  "best of 2014" lists and I'm unfamiliar with 80% of the stuff mentioned. I still don't like the St Vincent album. Friend and I were into FKA twigs for about a week, but it didn't seem to leave an impression. Not my scene I guess, like how we walked around the CBD for hours looking for a bar that wasn't too white and old for us. I'm too young for Double J, dammit.

Hello blog, I'm back! I have hopefully survived my final exams. Let's go.

Best Adult Contemporary Album
Neil Finn & Paul Kelly - Goin' Your Way: Not sure if live albums should count but this was one of my favourites from this year. It's even better with the video.

Best Female Artist
I hope Sia, but Iggy has a chance too. Wow, I'm usually so into this category but this year has been a bit meh. Sarah Blasko should've been nominated, but I guess she released it way too early. Maybe she dissed the Australian music industry. That tends to kill your awards/radio career.

Best Group
Anything except Sheppard, please. Man, I thought Of Monsters & Men had unbearably watered down the whole Mumford & Sons sound but this is next-level insipid. Thanks, Brisbane.

Best Independent Release
As above. Maybe Violent Soho should get it.

Best International Artist
Lorde is international now? I mean, Kimbra is from NZ but managed to get Best Female Artist back in 2011. Guess we can't get away with stealing people from them forever.

Best Male Artist
I'm not a fan but Vance Joy seems popular.

Best Pop Release
Sia or 5SOS are acceptable, though I think 5SOS will get it.

Best Rock Album
Ball Park Music - Puddinghead: This is a rock album? OK. This isn't their best but I think they deserve to get something at some point.

Best Urban Album
No real opinion from me, but I think Iggy might get it. Or maybe not, if they couldn't get her to perform.

Breakthrough Artist
5SOS obviously, you can tell that they're going for the mainstream audience this year. They're actually properly successful overseas and stuff too.

Song Of The Year
My vote goes to Chandelier. I actually like that song (7/10), and not just in the "well it's pretty good for something on Nova I guess" way. Fancy and She Looks So Perfect (5/10) would be acceptable too.

Album Of The Year
Sia? She's supported by both mainstream and jjj. I don't think Chet Faker and Dan Sultan were pushed that hard. Where the heck is Total Control?