During the era of rental videos from Nippon Video and the family top-loading VCR, my parents made it a virtually nightly tradition to watch dramas from the old country. Basically they would watch while I made a beeline to my room to study. However for one program that my parents caught, I hung around the living room for a couple of minutes since I actually enjoyed the theme song.
There was no mistaking Iruka's（イルカ） voice behind the mike. But I wouldn't find out the title of the ballad for a few years until my Gunma days when I decided to pick up her BEST compilation. It was the 2nd track and as soon as I heard it, I went "Ahhh...THAT'S the one!". Iruka's 21st single "Mou Umi ni wa Kaerenai" (Can't Return to the Sea Anymore) came out in February 1985, and it just had that serenity to it. The lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康） were sad and wistful, though, as they talk about someone's return to a tiny beach and the memories of yet another lost love. However, it was the melody by Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司） that hooked me, and because of this blog, I've become quite attuned to some of the marvelous songs he has woven for folks like Anri（杏里） and Omega Tribe in the 80s.
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