Glay is a Japanese rock band formed in Hakodate in 1988. The core four members, vocalist Teru, guitarists Takuro and Hisashi, and bassist Jiro, have been together since 1992. Primarily composing songs in the rock and pop genres, they have also arranged songs using elements from a variety of other genres, including progressive rock, punk, gothic rock, electronic, R&B, folk, gospel, reggae, and ska. Originally a visual kei band, the group slowly shifted to less dramatic attire through the years. With five million copies sold, Glay's 1997 compilation album Review is the fifth best-selling album of all time in Japan. Their July 1999 concert "Expo '99" at Makuhari Messe was attended by 200,000 people, making it the largest-ticketed concert ever held by a single act at the time. As of 2008, Glay had sold an estimated 51 million records; 28 million singles and 23 million albums, making them one of the top ten best-selling artists of all time in Japan.
Glay at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. From left to right: Jiro, Hisashi, Takuro, Teru.
A Japan Airlines Boeing 747 featuring Glay Expo '99 Survival livery
The front of the Nippon Budokan in 2006, advertising Glay's Rock 'n' Roll Swindle concerts
A plaque in Ishikari commemorating the 2001 Glay Expo
Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 households, and a population density of 354 persons per km². The total area is 677.86 square kilometres (261.72 sq mi). The city is the third biggest in Hokkaido after Sapporo and Asahikawa.
Clockwise from the top: Goryokaku, Hakodate Orthodox Church, Night View from Mount Hakodate, Goryokaku Tower, Hachiman-Zaka and Hakodate Port
Lithograph entitled "View of Hakodate from Snow Peak" looking towards the sea—artist, Wilhelm Heine (1856)
Naval Battle of Hakodate (1869)
Omachi, one of the neighborhoods in the Hakodate foreign settlement (1880)