Hitomi Yaida
 

Other than Apple and Coconut, there's Hitomi. I've heard only one song called Hitori Jenga, and it has a strong Kabukichō no Joō vibe, and it totally rocks.

What do you guys think about her music?

Stock standard anime OP fare IMO

B'coz I Love You

Andante

I found some more Ringo-like songs. She is ... adorable (musically speaking of course of course ;p)

I first learned about her around the same time I discovered Shiina, when I was seeking out talented Japanese female singer/songwriters. I've always found her music to be sometimes unusually good, which in itself is unusual.

I like this rather recent song.

Hitomi Yaeda - Mogitate no Yuuutsu

^Thanks! Monster song!

The first time I heard her it's like the first time I heard Tokyo Jihen - the music is just unrelentingly catchy and full of frenetic energy, and immediately stands out among other J-pop acts.

What other Japanese female singers (who debuted around the same time Ringo did) do you recommend? I heard many praises for Chara and Bonnie Pink, who came out earlier, but their music hasn't clicked with me, at all. :)

There's sort of a history regarding super-popular female singer-songwriters that create this sort of continuum of influence, not necessarily in terms of style, but more in regards to inspiration.

Personally I think it really began in 1973 with Matsutoya Yumi, but the case could be made it started with Hibari Misora. Chara debuted in 1991 and is pretty much the "godmother' of the modern female singer-songwriter movement. Pretty much every female singer-songwriter acknowledges her as an inspiration. She's a big deal, partially because her voice is so technically awful (she can only sing in the whisper register). She wasn't a technically gifted singer, but she was a good songwriter, and presented herself in a very artsy, atypical manner for the contemporary industry. The thing is, she's a pop singer through and through. Her popularity despite being so unconventional is what made her inspiring to other women.

The deal with Bonnie Pink has to do with how she takes outside influences and merges it with pop music. Whereas Shiina has jazz and punk-rock, Bonnie Pink has blues and funk/soul. Her early music is really reminiscent of the modern female blue eyed soul revival in Great Britan (Adele, Duffy, Amy Winehouse) even though it came out more than a decade ago. Her more recent output is mostly pop with some occasional minor folk influences, like Suzanne Vega.

I generally like to include Utada Hikaru with these lists because it shows how all of these singer-songwriters who debuted around the same time all share common inspirations but can differ drastically in terms of style. Utada Hikaru started out as a pop-R&B singer reminiscent of American pop like Brandy or Aaliyah, and is now more influenced by New Wave and electronic music.

And the thing is, even though all of these women can acknowledge the importance and skills of each other, stylistically, they are very different. They all went to great lengths to carve out individual identities, and their integrity is especially appealing taken with the context of the way the Japanese music industry typically treats women. Which is why, even though I think it is important to acknowledge them as inspirations and important, I don't generally like to group them together as "female Japanese singers" because it tells you absolutely nothing about their music. It's completely superficial and taken into the context of how hard they had to work to be taken seriously in the Japanese music industry, frankly insulting.

Do you want to hear more music similar to Yaida Hitomi? It's better to look for bands or singers that sound similar. If you are only interested in the superficial qualities then I can tell you about other Japanese female singer-songwriters, but the music won't really be similar.

EDIT: I don't really know why I gave you such a long-winded explanation for something so straightforward. However, I spent so much time typing it up I think I'm going to leave it.

Unless one band rips off another band (like Godsmack ripping off Alice In Chains), I have yet to find two bands that sound completely similar. Superficial similarities that’s all they have, YET they make me feel the same way.

For example, when I listen to Blonde Redhead, Kazu Makino’s dreamy voice reminds me of Ringo’s, but Blonde Redhead sounds nothing like Tokyo Jihen. It’s how both bands make me feel that counts. I prefer to listen to Blonde Redhead, rather than Hirama’s solo work, even though he’s technically 20% or less Phase 1 Tokyo Jihen.

I can total second Chara (starting with Strange Fruits onward, I never got into any earlier work) and Hitomi Yaida (first 5 albums).

How about the first two Yuki solo albums (Prismic and Commune)? I'm also very partial to UA, but she's not really "rock" per say. Other solo female singers I really enjoy are bird, salyu and Ando Yuko. Was never able to get into Bonnie Pink.

Two of Chara's most recent albums are absolutely gorgeous through and through, both in production and in the absolute rawness of her delivery - CAROL and Cocoon. She has a tendency to release her more mainstream sounding ballads as singles, but her album-only tracks are really beast. In particular, "18" and "DADAAAN" from Cocoon are absolutely spectacular.

Bonnie Pink's voice just doesn't have enough personality for me to like her consistently but I enjoy some of her singles. UA's pretty great but she doesn't really give 2 hoots about "pop" so her stuff of late isn't the most accessible. I lost interest in Yaiko by some point of time but I can't quite remember why. The last song of hers that I enjoyed was her duet with Oda Kazumasa (Koi bus? or something)

Bonnie Pink: "Only for Him" and the Daisy EP to start. Then listen to her major-label debut Heaven's Kitchen
Chara: Greatest Hits "Caramel Milk", especially Yasashii Kimochi, her album with Yen Town Band, and her collab single with Yuki. That's pretty much early Chara.
UA: Start with her latest release, cover album KABA. Familiar melodies but inventive arrangements, then work from her singles. Expect Acid Jazz mixed with Ethereal Pop mixed with Okinawan Folk.
Sakamoto Maaya: I'm not super familiar, but I like "Shounen Alice" album.
Utada Hikaru: Start with Deep River, then work from her first album onwards. First two albums are pop-R&B, all the ones after are more New Wave with layering, beats, and sampling.