Mi-Ke -- Blue Light Yokosuka（ブルーライト ヨコスカ）

The trio Mi-Ke was a pretty interesting group which had its heyday in the early 1990s. I was just in my final months on the JET Programme when Keiko Utoku（宇徳敬子）, Haruka Murakami（村上遙）and Mami Watanabe（渡辺真美）brought in their contemporary take on Group Sounds-sounding material and Ventures vibes. Considering the pop sounds of the time and the gradually waning wave of aidoru from the 1980s and 1990s, Mi-Ke stood out.

I've already written about a number of articles on Mi-Ke including for their big hit "Omoide no Kujukuri Hama" （思い出の九十九里浜）, but I surprised myself that I hadn't written about "Blue Light Yokosuka" since it's a title that I've heard many times.

For those who know their kayo, "Blue Light Yokosuka" is a play on the 1968 classic "Blue Light Yokohama"（ブルーライト・ヨコハマ）, and according to J-Wiki, "Yokosuka" has been treated by some as the answer song to "Yokohama", although the sounds of the two tunes are completely different. "Yokohama" is more of a Mood Kayo while "Yokosuka" fits the Group Sounds template.

Still, there is plenty of contemporary instrumentation such as the synths in "Yokosuka" joining the beach-worthy rhythms of the song. Not quite sure about the choreography surrounding the live performances but "Yokosuka" itself is nostalgic enough not just for the 1960s beat but also for its 1990s existence. This was Mi-Ke's 3rd single from June 1991 with Daiko Nagato（長戸大幸）and Tetsuro Oda（織田哲郎）behind its creation, and it managed to get as high as No. 13 on Oricon.