Koda Kumi - real Emotion
This song is the first one that really pops in my head when I hear other people talk about Koda Kumi. It was the song that truly jettisoned her into the spotlight, and is (to me) her breakout song. However, I did have a hard time deciding between that and
Butterfly, since she won the Japan Record Award for it.
Otsuka Ai - Planetarium (+Sakuranbo in video)
Otsuka Ai is another really hard artist to define... Her biggest hit
Sakuranbo didn't cut it out for me, though. Planetarium just has much more to it than itself, since it was tied in with the biggest show in 2005 (Hana Yori Dango). Also, this song is probably her best composition I've heard from her yet, from start to finish. Although the fact that it's tied in with my favorite drama, the overall composition and lyrics gives it more of an edge.
Hamasaki Ayumi - RAINBOW (fanvid)
I swear, I choose the hardest artists to define. In my opinion, RAINBOW holds the best of Ayumi. Turning to her fans for help with the lyrics, and any comments of the composition so far (when released on RAINBOW), she really brought it with this song. Although it wasn't featured on a re-cut single (which would have been much smarter than A BALLADS, even if we wouldn't have gotten the remixes), this song is something really special and worth buying A BALLADS for. Even in the A BALLADS book, she mentions her fans for helping her. Her best composition, in my opinion.
Morning Musume - LOVE MACHINE
Of course. Their highest selling single, and probably their most reknown song they've ever released. No concert is complete without LOVE MACHINE, in my opinion. Performed as much on Kouhaku as Nada Sou Sou by Natsukawa Rimi or Yuki Shin Shin by Fuji Ayako, this song just never gets old to me. Although Momusu (as called by fans) should have performed another original song this past Kouhaku, it's something that everyone in Japan can relate to. Released when Japan was experiencing an economic decline, this song was perfect for the time, and will always be perfect for Japan.