Yoshiki in his Oakland, Calif. hotel room (photo by White Menace)

Japan makes its case for worldwide metal domination with [lastfm]X Japan[/lastfm], and it’s about time. The veteran glam-metal group is massively popular back home…yet is only touring the U.S. for the first time this fall (after a successful appearance this summer during Lollapalooza).

Getting its start during the late ’80s, X Japan pioneered a highly influential, stylistic movement called “visual kei” (elaborate makeup/costumes — think a Japanese version of [lastfm]Kiss[/lastfm] or the [lastfm]New York Dolls[/lastfm]). They combined this with old-school metal that shifts between slow and trashy into something so blazing and intense.

Ranking as one of the most popular bands of all time in its homeland, we caught up with X Japan’s legendary front man Yoshiki Hayashi before the group’s Oakland, California performance (the second stop on the U.S. tour). Topics included Yoshiki’s first memory of making music, scoring music for films like Saw IV, and the forthcoming X Japan album.

X Japan brought its elaborate stage show to The Fox Theater in Oakland, California earlier this week. Our friends at Live 105 were there to take in the experience. Click on the image below to flip through a photo gallery of “visual kei.”

Click for the image gallery

Listen to X Japan radio on Last.fm

See more about X Japan’s U.S. tour, which includes stops in Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, and New York.