Yuji Mori and Southern Cross -- Twilight Sapporo（トゥワイライト サッポロ）

Earlier tonight, my student and I were debating the situation regarding the moving of the marathon events from Tokyo to Sapporo. I think it's a pity that one of the major events for the 2020 Olympics will have to head over north, and I know that fans and shop owners along the former marathon path are heartbroken. But ultimately considering the heat and humidity that make up a Tokyo summer (something that I know all too well) and that the athletes' health is paramount, this was probably the prudent decision although there are a lot of us who wondered why this hadn't been decided upon earlier.

In any event, my final song for tonight on the blog is "Twilight Sapporo" by the Mood Kayo group Yuji Mori and Southern Cross（森雄二とサザンクロス）. Released back in 1977, this is a song of frustration and potential heartbreak created by lyricist Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composer Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之）as a woman turns into that green-eyed monster when the target of her affections is simply focusing on another woman instead of her. Part of that sorrow comes through the mournful chorus although the Latin-sounding arrangement keeps things lively in the image of neon signs and bright lights.

Speaking of which, when I visited Sapporo many years ago, I did take an evening walk though the downtown district of Susukino which is the equivalent of Shinjuku in Tokyo. But it was just a quick walk along the outskirts. Kinda wished I could have explored some more but didn't want to risk being dragged in by a tout into one of those deceptively expensive joints. Perhaps a number of establishments were karaoke in nature with customers perhaps singing a Southern Cross tune or two. Sapporo seems to be their city considering that the group would also sing another similarly-themed number some years later.