As a solo artist, Yamashita has released 17 studio albums, 2 live albums, multiple compilations and over 40 singles. He has been one of the most commercially successful Japanese male solo recording artists in the history of the Japanese album chart, selling approximately 9 million albums in total. He composed for films, television commercials, and collaborated with other artists. Yamashita was also a member of the Band “Sugar Babe” and the “Niagara Triangle.” He married artist Mariya Takeuchi in 1982. Yamashita is regarded as one of the best artists of City Pop.

Despite his fame, Yamashita was reluctant to tour outside of Japan, record live performances or perform in larger venues. It is said that Yamashita feared being criticized for his looks and preferred smaller venues in order for his music to touch the audience. As a result, footage of Yamashita is rare.

In a 2013 interview, which appeared in “Made in Japan: Studies in Popular Music,” Yamashita says that he didn’t aim to be a top charting musician. He wanted to develop his sound and have creative control over his albums. He felt that a musician’s top charting songs, like his “Christmas Eve”, are often not the musician’s favorite song and artists are then forced to perform that song due to popular demand. Yamashita says he’s “very lucky, [he] was blessed with a chart-topper only once… and [has] avoided appearing on TV.”