Ken Tamura -- Inemuri (いねむり)

Napping used to be an almost obligatory function for me on the weekends. As a lackadaisical teen, I would often just go into a coma for about 2 hours on the sofa while Dad was watching sports or something. The custom came with me to Japan as well but then as an adult, I realized that napping in the afternoon and then waking up around sunset was frankly leaving me groggy as I got older to the point that I frankly got tired of napping (didn't mean to be cute with my choice of words there).

Sleeping in the middle of the day is now frankly an extinct activity to me if I can help it. And I can now, since I usually have my translation assignments and even this blog to do during the afternoons. For me, after a meal especially, I'm more into the middle-aged activity of dozing off. I kinda conk out for a few minutes and then I'm back up in the armchair. Perhaps this is what led to the power nap; feeling more energized although in my case, I'm not exactly jumping around to take on the planet after a doze.

Let's segue now. I've been seeing this fellow online for some time now and he's got some mellow groove going. Ken Tamura（田村ケン）is also represented on one of my "Light Mellow" compilations via his song "Inemuri" (Dozing Off). There's no information about the singer-songwriter on J-Wiki but from what I could find through the liner notes on "Light Mellow -- Twilight" is that he is a 3rd-generation Japanese-American who started getting into the music biz while he was attending university in California. Even before his own official debut in 1981, Tamura had been contributing his creations to singers like Hiromi Ohta（太田裕美）and Goro Noguchi（野口五郎）. His favourite singers, by the way, are apparently Jackson Browne and James Taylor.

"Inemuri" is a track on his debut album "Light Ace" and considering the meaning of the title, Ken sings about really wanting to get together with his significant other and having fun times. I don't think dozing off is in the picture for this couple. And yet, Tamura's music is very much in the relaxation mode of things...not so much at the cafe but in some hammock in the backyard. Considering how hot and humid it was today (Humidex in the 40s Celsius), I could totally understand laying out somewhere but then again, I'm no longer into naps.