130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿 

Shonen Knife’s Happy Hour

Food, Gender, Rock and Roll
Series: 33 1/3 Japan
3.63 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 19 ratings, 6 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Shonen Knife’s Happy Hour explores the unique intersection of food, music, and gender through the lens of Shonen Knife, an all-female punk band from Osaka, Japan. The book delves into the band’s 1998 album Happy Hour, known for its catchy songs about snacks like sushi and banana chips, highlighting their blend of playful charm and punk attitude. Author Prof Brooke McCorkle Okazaki traces the history of food themes in josei rock and examines how Shonen Knife uses seemingly simple lyrics to challenge gender stereotypes in popular culture over four decades.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$4399
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book appeals to enthusiasts of punk rock, Japanese culture, gender studies, and music history. It is ideal for readers interested in how popular culture intersects with social commentary, especially in the context of women in the arts.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

"Happy Hour, filled with pop punk songs about food, encapsulates the international allure of the all-female punk trio from Osaka, Japan"--

Happy Hour, filled with pop punk songs about food, encapsulates the international allure of the all-female punk trio from Osaka, Japan.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Shonen Knife—an all-female punk trio from Osaka, Japan—cultivated a global fan base that has included the likes of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore.

Their 1998 album Happy Hour, filled with tunes about delicacies ranging from sushi to banana chips, encapsulates the band’s charming fusion of cuteness with punk rock cool.

Tracing histories of food and josei rock in Japan, McCorkle Okazaki outlines the ways Shonen Knife has, over the last forty years, consistently used seemingly straightforward songs about food to comment on gender stereotypes in popular culture.

Series: 33 1/3 Japan

View all
  • Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band’s Kogun
    A study of the 1974 album Kogun by the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band, this book assesses not just its importance in jazz history but also its part in public remembrance of World War II in Japan. In 1974, a Japanese soldier emerged from the Philippine jungle where he had hidden for three decades, unconvinced that World War II had...
    Paperback
    $3899
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Shonen Knife’s Happy Hour
    Shonen Knife—an all-female punk trio from Osaka, Japan—cultivated a global fan base that has included the likes of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. Their 1998 album Happy Hour, filled with tunes about delicacies ranging from sushi to banana chips, encapsulates the band’s charming fusion of cuteness with punk rock cool. Tracing histories of food and josei rock...
    Paperback
    $4399
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • S.O.B.’s Don’t Be Swindle
    This book chronicles the Kyoto/Kansai 1980s hardcore punk scene through the album Don’t Be Swindle by S.O.B., with a focus on Kyoto’s main venues and the networks they created. Apart from being the centre of Japan’s cultural heritage, Kyoto is home to one of Japan’s leading avant-garde art and music scenes. The Kyoto University-affiliated venue Seibu Kodo has historically been...
    Paperback
    $3899
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Yuming's The 14th Moon
    It is not an exaggeration that Matsutoya Yumi—better known by her stage name Yuming—is one of the most influential figures in Japanese popular music history. A singer-songwriter recognized globally for her songs used in Miyazaki Hayao’s beloved animations, Yuming has captured the hearts of listeners of different generations since her debut in the early 1970s. Her fourth album, The 14th...
    Paperback
    $4099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Joe Hisaishi's Soundtrack for My Neighbor Totoro
    My Neighbor Totoro is a long-standing international icon of Japanese pop culture that grew out of the partnership between the legendary animator Miyazaki Hayao and the world-renowned composer Joe Hisaishi. A crucial step in the two artists’ collaboration was the creation of the album, My Neighbor Totoro: Image Song Collection, with lyrics penned by Miyazaki and Nakagawa Rieko, a famed...
    Paperback
    $4399
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Cornelius's Fantasma
    In Tokyo in the early 1990s, an indie band called Flipper’s Guitar was at the forefront of a new wave in Japanese popular music known as Shibuya-kei. The band’s founder, Keigo Oyamada, would go on to produce, under the name Cornelius, a series of albums that are among the most innovative in Japanese popular music of the past two decades....
    Paperback
    $4099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Yoko Kanno's Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack
    Cowboy Bebop is one of the most beloved anime series of all time, and if you ask its fans why, you can expect to hear about its music. Composer Yoko Kanno created an eclectic blend of jazz, rock, lullabies, folk, and funk (to list just a few) for Cowboy Bebop's many moods and environments. Cowboy Bebop's blend of science fiction,...
    Paperback
    $4500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781501347948

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 February 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 180g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Brooke McCorkle Okazaki is Assistant Professor of Music at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. McCorkle Okazaki co-authored the book Japan's Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema (2018) with Sean Rhoads. In it, they explore the various ways Japanese monster movies address contemporary ecological concerns. Thanks to a Japan Foundation Fellowship, McCorkle Okazaki is currently completing her next book, Searching for Wagner in Japan.

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    I’ll Believe in Anything
    From Jacob Tierney, the creator of Heated Rivalry, in partnership with Brendan Brady and Accent Aigu, comes I’ll Believe in Anything, an official and complete collection of annotated scripts for the biggest cultural sensation of the year, with all new exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Based on Rachel Reid’s blockbuster Game Changers book series, Heated Rivalry premiered on Crave and HBO in late 2025 and immediately took the world by storm. I’ll...
    Hardback
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    16% off
    New Release
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoir Home Again.This is more than a rock story. Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it. From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    21% off
    The Iliad
    When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017—revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)—critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    A Life in Lyrics
    Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest showmen of the twentieth century. With his unparalleled voice and searing on-stage energy, he was a great pretender, a killer queen and a champion of the world. But behind the glamour lived a musician and lyricist talented beyond measure, and the creative force behind one of the most culturally significant and musically diverse...
    Hardback
    $5000
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Birdlands Birdlands
    New Release
    Birdlands
    A rare, intimate journey into the wild islands where Aotearoa's birds live beyond the reach of most human lives. In the most remote outposts of Aotearoa, our islands are populated not with people, but with birds. From the storm-lashed Subantarctic Islands in the deep south to the scattered volcanic islands of Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf in the north, Birdlands offers a...
    Hardback
    $4199
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    21% off
    This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $5800
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Beautiful Chaos
    New Release
    Beautiful Chaos
    Featuring five exclusive new poems, this stunning foil-embossed hardback edition is a collector's item and a gorgeous gift. The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller. Selected poems on motherhood from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'Reading Jess's poems makes me feel like she's somehow reached into my own personal reflections and articulated them in a way I never could.' –...
    Hardback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Split Enz
    New Release
    Split Enz
    'My favourite band. Ever! And certainly the best dressed.' Sam Neill Split Enz were never designed to fit. Emerging from art school mischief in early-1970s New Zealand, they turned pop into surreal theatre: costume, character and melody colliding in a rock band that refused to behave like one. At the centre of that vision was Noel Crombie—percussionist, performer and the...
    Hardback
    $5199
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Mah Jong Player's Companion
    Since the arrival on the market of Patricia Thompson and Betty Maloney's two previous books, The Game of Mah Jong Illustrated and Improve Your Mah Jong, a wide range of hands from many parts of the world has been sent to them. In this player's companion, the authors have put together a cross-filled reference guide where over 120 hands, illustrated...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.