Miki Imai -- Natsu wo Kasanete （夏をかさねて）

The first time I'd ever listened to Miki Imai（今井美樹）was in late 1989 when I was having a cup of coffee with a teaching colleague of mine at this Gunma-ken coffeehouse built like a trendy little wood cabin. "Natsu wo Kasanete" (Keep Summer Going) filtered in through the cafe's very good speakers, and it just seemed to make the atmosphere even more content and the coffee taste better. Yes, I am waxing a bit too dreamily (I'm writing this past midnight) but when you listen to this song, I think you'll understand what I'm talking about. Lyrically, it's about a couple enjoying another lazy Sunday at home.

Composed by singer-songwriter Akemi Kakihara（柿原朱美） (who is now based in New York under the name AK) and written by Junko Sato （佐藤純子）, it was the first track in Imai's 3rd album, "Bewith". I don't know if the single itself ever broke the top 100 of Oricon, but the album, released on June 21 1988, hit No. 1 on July 4th. It is also the first track on her first Best album, "Ivory", released the next year.