Biography
Not sure who the Japanese(?) artist is, but an Oakland, California - based Steven Strauss just released his debut album, Ukebox*. Steven's a member of old puppy and besides ukelele is known for playing bass and even singing (Till We Meet). He loves taking a piece of under-appreciated music, stripping it down to its basics and laying it out for you in all the virtuosity he can deliver (which is quite a lot).
* Feria de las Flores is available as a free download there
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.