Ayumi Shigemori & Kentaro Hayami -- Niji no Mukou ni （にじのむこうに）

I was watching "Nodo Jiman"（のど自慢）this afternoon. The performance area this time was Hachioji, one of the core cities in the megalopolis of Tokyo.

One of the songs performed today was quite cheerful and made a pleasant impression on the ears. It had the appropriate title of "Niji no Mukou ni" (Over The Rainbow) and was surprised to find out that it was actually one of the many numbers created for the NHK children's show "Okaasan to Issho"（おかあさんといっしょ...With Mother） on the network's educational channel. In fact, it was used as their Song of the Month for April 1996.

Hearing the original was quite nice (along with the happy video) since I did hear a familiar Group Sounds twang with the guitar in there. The singers were Ayumi Shigemori & Kentaro Hayami（茂森あゆみ・速水けんたろう）who sang 60 of the show's songs including "Niji no Mukou ni" between 1993 and 1998. Shigemori is a name I have heard before...primarily for those children's songs. "Okaasan to Issho" is part of the noon lineup on TV Japan almost every day.

The lyricist and composer for the song was Osamu Sakata（坂田修）who had also been the main singer for the program's songs between the show's start of 1986 to 1992. The above video has him and his daughter, actress/singer Megumi Sakata（坂田めぐみ）, performing "Niji no Mukou ni" at a 2015 family concert.