Was doing a quick browse of YouTube after getting my last article up and I encountered this name Haruhi Aiso（相曽晴日）who I had never heard of before. So I gave her "Coffee House nite" (At The Coffee House) a try.
Sure enough, my instincts were spot-on for me. It's a lovely tune and so Aiso comes under that category of the 90% of the iceberg that is underwater when it comes to wonderful Japanese popular music. During the early 1980s, I think when it came to female singers, the aidoru were pretty much front and centre so to hear someone who was not named Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）from that same time, coming out with a pure pop song is refreshing.
"Coffee House nite" (and that last word isn't the colloquial for "night") was Aiso's 2nd single from March 1983. The singer-songwriter hails from Shizuoka Prefecture and first took her steps into the music biz professionally by winning a prize at the 19th Yamaha Popular Song Contest in 1980. The year after, she also won a prize for the song of this article with lyrics by Toshio Otake（大竹敏雄）, although its release as an official single wouldn't come for another couple of years. The song was also included in her debut album "Twilight no Kaze"（トワイライトの風...Twilight Winds）from November 1982.
I've got two different versions of the song. The one above sounds a bit more folksy so I'm wondering if this had been the one used in the 1981 Yamaha contest with the video below showing the final official single for 1983. Alternately, the one above might be the official single with the other video being a new arrangement around the late 80s or early 90s. If I had to make a choice, I would go with the one below. I like it since it has that pleasant innocent sound with a hint of Boz Scaggs in there. Besides, I've always enjoyed the coffee houses of Japan. A cuppa might cost a small fortune but the taste of the coffee and the atmosphere can't be beat.
Incidentally, my photo at the very top is of the Mister Donuts just underneath Tokyo Sky Tree. No, I wouldn't qualify it as a coffee house but it was quite relaxing in there.
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