"Mambo U" is another entry from Duke Aces' "Nihon no Uta Series" (「にほんのうた」シリーズ)and the prefecture of focus would be Gifu. Frankly, when I stumbled upon this interesting song on YouTube over the weekend, I had no idea that "Mambo U" is part of this series, I just thought that it's probably one of their other jazzy or weird-but-good ditties I had yet to discover. It was only when I saw the names of these songwriters, Rokusuke Ei (永六輔) and Taku Izumi (いずみたく), in the video's description did it finally dawn on me.
So what well-known thing in Gifu is being featured in Ei's lyrics this time? No, it's not temples, or hot springs or frogs. It's the "U" (鵜) or the cormorant, an aquatic bird I've seen in TV shows/documentaries (mostly on a province in China) diving into rivers and swallowing up fish before returning to their human employers (fishermen) and regurgitating the catch on to the bamboo boat. As it turns out, this method of fishing, known as Ukai (鵜飼... Cormorant fishing), is also used in Gifu City along the Nagaragawa River since the beginning of time, according to a tourist guide I visited to find out why a song on Gifu had featured this species of bird. Izumi's smooth, bossa nova styled music makes "Mambo U" quite whimsical and together with Mi-Chan's brassy baritone, it makes you imagine the city's brightly-lit night scene. I wonder if Izumi wanted it to that way since the Ukai is usually held in the evening?
"Mambo U" was released in 1969 and I think it's not one of Duke Aces' better known songs in the "Nihon no Uta Series" since I've never heard or seen of it until a few days ago. But dang it's really catchy!
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Hi Noelle,
ReplyDeleteYour entry caught my attention since Gifu City was my home in Japan for a year I spent there, so I've grown attached to the place and learned quite a bit about it from my teachers and co-workers. I observed Ukai from a bridge while crossing Nagara River in the summer and it was an interesting sight. I heard they hold it every night in the summer when the weather is friendly.
"Mambo U" sounded intriguing in the context of what I've seen in Gifu. The music makes me think of the downtown area of the city with all its shopping arcades and restaurants, even though the tradition it describes takes place by the relatively humble-looking shores of Nagara river. In any case, I found it really enjoyable and the chorus is still stuck in my head. It's a quirky tune with a lovely jazzy-ish instrumentation, and I love the guys' rich vocal harmony. Thank you for sharing. :)
Hi nikala,
DeleteNice to know that you enjoyed "Mambo U", and just like you this amusing song has been stuck in my head for the past few days.
Looking at pictures of the Ukai in motion, it is quite different from what I usually see on TV - the birds are leashed to a much bigger boat. So I'd like to check out this spectacle sometime if I get the chance to visit Gifu.
Hi, Noelle.
ReplyDeleteMan, that's a snazzy tune bringing some of that South American sizzle into inland Japan. I think it was especially clever of Ei and Izumi with the exhortation of "U"!
To join in on what nikala was saying about the shopping arcades, I also enjoyed my time visiting the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, Maebashi, with its major shopping arcade. I went there monthly and always had that steaming-hot bowl of Chuuka-don in one restaurant there.
Hi J-Canuck,
DeleteThe "U" bit was quite funny, especially the third one.
I was wondering what a Chuuka-don is so I went to look it up, turns out its something I see here from time to time; vegetables and meat in a gooey sauce over rice... I don't remember what it's called in Cantonese, but what I do remember is not taking a particular liking to it because of the strong taste of ginger in the sauce (or at least in the one that I tried).
Hi, Noelle.
DeleteYeah, the beni-shoga is not to everyone's liking but I was OK with it. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of the sour stuff like pickles and ginger way back when but living in Japan changed all that for me. Still can't swallow natto, though.:)
Y'know, before trying natto, I thought that it tastes better than it looks. It looks pretty revolting, but its just a bunch of beans so what could go wrong? And then I tried it once about a year back... yup, it tastes just as it looks, quite terrible. I thinking about giving it another go though.
DeleteI still can't stomach or stand the smell of ginger, especially at those sushi joints when its smell mixes with the vinegar from the sushi, and I'm still apprehensive about trying the pickles (I usually ignore them).
None of my family ever tried natto. Apparently, people in the Kansai don't really go for it whereas the folks in the Kanto supposedly treat it like the ideal food. Obviously that's a huge generalization but that delineation apparently exists. I tried it once when a couple of sisters who were my students (humorously) took me to a small restaurant that specialized in natto dishes. I gamely tried some natto sushi...frankly, it tasted like old socks.
DeleteThe one story that I've got to tell you about my history with natto, though, is when I was staying with my host family in Gunma. My host father knew I hated the stuff, and so one morning for breakfast, he slapped a hunk of natto onto white bread, rolled it up and dunked it into a glass of milk before giving it a good chew. Then he gave me the biggest natto-eating grin. His mouth looked like paratroopers scaling down a cliff!
Yep, old socks is quite accurate. Its got that musty, pungent taste that makes it hard to swallow. And dang, dipping a the natto "sandwich" into the milk, that's nasty! I can only imagine that grin.
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DeleteNah, you don't want to imagine that...you'll lose years off your life. :)
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