Vegetus

Who: Vegetus is the solo project of　富樫てっぺい　(Teppei Togashi)
What: Noise
Link: Vegetus myspace
Well?

In terms of buzz, it might be better to focus more on Teppei's duo with Amano Takuya オゼ (which they spell "Oser" in English, but is phonetically closer to "o-ze").
That duo has been playing some excellent gigs in Tokyo of late - see here for Working Towards blogs handy video of a gig I missed - and are even in line to be released on a PSF Tokyo flashback CD - approval from the old guard! In my opinion, although I'm sure Teppei wouldn't be so rude as to agree with me, Oze is managing to save Japan noise music from the increasingly stodgy old guard.

Vegetus, Teppei's solo project, is also a noise project of great listenability which for me is a welcome replacement for Merzbow (who didn't thrill me either of the two times I've seen him live) or any of the numerous pedal-noise acts I've seen in Tokyo in the last four years. What's more, Vegetus is just as vegan as the original shogun  of noise, dances a lot better, and is a generally warm person.

Some might argue that in decades past, Japan's society was more stifling than what it has become, and that people like Keiji Haino and Masami Akita needed to have a tough exterior to exist on the fringes of such a strict culture. Perhaps approachability is just a luxury the slowly relaxing Japan of today didn't afford the first wave of noise musicians. Nonetheless, it's a welcome characteristic.

Here's a video where Vegetus projects noise from a balcony overlooking a lake.