Chisato Moritaka -- Kibun Sokai （気分爽快）

Well, it was quite the day today. In a sequel report to that horrid day a few weeks ago when the hot water pipe burst and gushed into the ceiling and onto the kitchen floor, the painters finally came in to fix things and of course, there was a misunderstanding right off the bat between my family and them about how big the project was. So, the first half-hour was fairly tense but after that, it was evident that these guys were no fly-by-nighters and some hours later, we were all shaking hands in gratitude. It's Miller Time!

Actually, it was more like Swiss Chalet time (you folks in Eastern Canada would know the reference). As for Chisato Moritaka（森高千里）, it's more of kibun sokai. And not surprisingly, she actually provided the lyrics for "Kibun Sokai" (Mood Refreshing), her 21st single from January 1994. As she illustrates in the video, it's all about knocking back a few brewskis and getting rid of any tension. She plays a regular company cog keeping the troops' morale up through the wonders of a metabolic tonic known as alcohol.

Moritaka has been providing whimsical takes on Japanese society so it was about time she took on the collaboration between her fellow Japanese and beer. As I may have already pointed out in a past article, Japan taught me to drink. I had my fair share of alcohol in the form of Screwdrivers, Brown Cows and Fuzzy Navels back in my days at U of T but beer was never (and it still isn't really) my beverage of choice. However, being assigned to Gunma Prefecture (the land of strong drinkers, man or woman) and having to go through the usual rounds of enkai (drinking parties), I had no choice but to down the suds fairly regularly.

Not surprisingly, "Kibun Sokai" was the campaign song for Asahi Beer. The ad above showed a very summery scene although the single came out in the winter. And I think beer has its uses during that time as well as the accompaniment to many a hot pot gathering.

Moritaka provided the lyrics while musician Kenichi Kurosawa（黒沢健一）provided the rollicking music that had that Beatlesque twang to it. Just imagine the Fab Four shilling for Guinness. "Kibun Sokai" hit as high as No. 3 on Oricon and became the 54th-ranked tune for the year. It also got onto her 9th studio album, "Step By Step" which came out in July 1994.

The lass wasn't done with her drinking songs. There was another Xmas-y tune that I've already written about.