My Top 10.

• Maki Goto - Aikotoba (VOICE)
  Every single track in this album is awesome enough if released as a single. What a solid album.
• Miu Sakamoto - HATSUKOI
  This is the real pop with some classical flavors, unique and versatile album.
• Chihiro Onitsuka - Ken to Kaede
  This album gives a strong message and emotion. I love the various genre included in this album.
• Superfly - Mind Travel
  Pure awesomeness. Most of the genres are pop rock but most of the arrangements are so different from any other Pop Rock music.
• Yuki Kajiura - FICTION II
  Vocal talent meets genuine arrangement & composition. This album is pure magical.
• Love - Tsunagaru Kimochi
  Probably the best Pop R&B album of the year. This album sounds so fresh compared to other R&B music this year, it's just so catchy.
• Oda Kazumasa - Doumo
  Calm and mesmerizing, this album is soft yet sounds great.
• Kalafina - After Eden
  Another album with pure magical sounds, amazing.
• Shibasaki Kou - CIRCLE CYCLE
  This album has the most unique arrangement imo, it sounds like an experimental pop and then succeeded, very interesting album.
• Do As Infinity - EIGHT
  Has pretty good flow, and some of the album tracks is as epic as the A-side.

I just knew I forgot to include a few more albums in the list 8D

Shota Shimizu - COLOURS
Ken Hirai - JAPANESE SINGER

Kuroki Meisa - MAGAZINE
Shoujo Jidai - GIRLS' GENERATION
ONE OK ROCK - Zankyou Reference
MAA - BubbleMan Engine
Maki Goto - Aikotoba (VOICE)

Ayumi Hamasaki - FIVE
Yamashita Tomohisa - Supergood, Superbad
MAA- BubbleMan Engine
BENI - Fortune
AILI - Vivid
moumoon - 15 Doors

Let's see...

SPYAIR - Rockin' the World
Home Made Kazoku - Akatsuki
Tohoshinki - TONE
Kylee - 17
Monkey Majik - westview
Sakanaction - DocumentaLy
KyaryPamyuPamyu - Moshi Moshi Harajuku

.... That's all I can think of. Many great albums, especially on the rock side!

Another one 8D

Yamashita Tomohisa - SUPERGOOD , SUPERBAD

I'm surprised I like the SUPERBAD side a lot more than expected :laugh

Hamasaki Ayumi - FIVE
Shibasaki Kou - CIRCLE CYCLE
AAA - Buzz Communication
galaxias! - galaxias!

Koda Kumi - Dejavu
Namie Amuro - Checkmate
Kana Nishino - Thank you, Love

These are the best. I think FIVE is great, but it's not as awesome as these three are to me. :/

definitely not FIVE. Don't think Deja Vu impressed me thattttttt much, Checkmate! was mainly a compilation so I'm not gonna include that.

It's either BUBBLEMAN ENGINE by MAA or Thank you, LOVE by Kana Nishino...

I think I'll go with Queen Kanayan :D

BubbleMan Engine by MAA. Gold Lion is the most flawless song ever.

Perfume - JPN
Kalafina - After Eden

Girls' Generation - 1st Japan Album --> wasn't expecting a great first album by a K-pop group debuting in Japan, and it was even better than lots of their Korean stuff in my opinion..
Maki Goto - Aikotoba (Voice) --> so she released this album, turns me into a fan, and retires *sigh*

miwa - guitarissimo
MAA - Bubbleman Engine

I think 2010 was a better year in terms of J-Pop...

Some pretty good stuff this year.

I loved Noanowa's Hi! How are you?, although that was a mini-album. Sakanaction's Documentaly was great, as expected. Chiaki Kuriyama's CIRCUS had some awesome songs on it. moumoon's 15 doors was really good. I think the first half of the year was better.

I loved Girls' Generation too, really really strong album, not as much longevity as something like Sakanaction, but still good.

And Rie Fu and Nana Mizuki both released best-of albums... which don't really count but they have amazing songs on them. ♥ I've been pretty happy with 2011.

Very naff year.

Koda Kumi - Dejavu

Rina Aiuchi - Forever Songs -Brand New Remixes-

Dream Morning Musume - Dreams 1

So, a post retirement remix album, a tired bands revival surviving on 10 year old hits and a Kumi album so badly by the numbers even she named it like it was something you'd heard before.
2011 = bad year for J-Pop.