Chiyuki Asami -- Sushi Ya de...（鮨屋で…）

 

Welcome to another work week at KKP! To start things off, I received a message from a downtown foodie emporium that Wednesday June 18th is International Sushi Day. Had no idea...I do love my sushi, though, although the realization hadn't punched in until that Japanese Language School trip to Japan in 1981. It wasn't just the love for music that arose within me that fateful July that year...sushi, sashimi and eel all became a thing for me.

Of course, I was scouting around for some sort of sushi-themed kayo kyoku. I'd already posted Shibugakitaki's（シブがき隊）"Sushi Kui ne!"（スシ食いねェ！）and Hibari Misora's（美空ひばり）"Edokko Sushi"（江戸っ子寿司）, both of which are pretty genki tunes.

But on the other hand, enka singer Chiyuki Asami's（あさみちゆき）"Sushi ya de..." (At the Sushi Restaurant...), her 8th single from December 2008, there's quite a solemn and bittersweet atmosphere hanging over the father and daughter dining at the titular eatery. The lyrics by Chiho Inoue（井上千穂）talk of the daughter, on the verge of her wedding day, no longer being able to have regular talks with Dad and no longer being to talk with Mom for quite a while now. Not sure if Mom had already passed away or left the family, but there is plenty of regret emanating from the lass as the sushi chef is molding his wares. Masato Sugimoto's（杉本眞人）melody is also very sad in a folk music kind of way. Masashi Sada（さだまさし）would nod in approval. "Sushi ya de..." managed to reach No. 38 on Oricon.

Have that negitoro on me!🍣