Chiyo Okumura/The Ventures -- Kitaguni no Aoi Sora（北国の青い空）

In terms of foodstuffs in Japan, one of the many items that I miss dearly is the Rokkatei Marusei Raisin Butter Cookie from Hokkaido which I could readily purchase in Tokyo. Packaged in the familiar white, red and dull gold, these are confections that risk the consumer with addiction. I can merely glance at them and I will gain a few ounces immediately and they're oh-so-tasty. I don't think I've had any of them since the 2014 trip and when I checked their website out, they don't do deliveries outside of Japan (considering the ingredients, I'm not surprised, but still...😢).

Perhaps if I had been less focused on the various delicacies in Hokkaido (specifically Sapporo) when I went there over a decade ago, I would have looked at the big sky over Japan's northernmost island. Speaking of which, I will now do an abrupt segue into a relatively early Chiyo Okumura（奥村チヨ）single from August 1967, "Kitaguni no Aoi Sora" (Blue Skies of the Northern Country). However, the official English title is "Hokkaido Skies".

Okumura's quavering voice is instantly recognizable as she sings about a romance in Hokkaido which has probably ended for good in a kind of "We'll always have Sapporo" way. When I first heard "Kitaguni no Aoi Sora", I wondered whether I could treat this as an enka tune because of the overall sound and the theme of the ephemeral nature of love, but seeing that, according to J-Wiki, Okumura has been categorized as a kayo kyoku singer, I've set the song down as a pop tune.

I may have said this before but I think if there is such an institution as a Japanese Hall of Fame for kayo kyoku, The Ventures should be given a place in its corridors for the hits that they've provided a number of Japanese singers in the 60s and 70s, including Okumura. The legendary guitar band was responsible for the creation of the song under the title "Hokkaido Skies" while Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）wrote the lyrics. According to Joseph Murrells' "The Book of Golden Discs" (1978) via Okumura's entry on Wikipedia, this particular single, which was apparently a cover of The Ventures' original, sold over a million copies.