NSP -- Yuugure Toki wa Sabishisou（夕暮れ時はさびしそう）

The above photo shows the shore along Ito on the Izu Peninsula when my anime buddy and I went there back in 2014, and it seems to be the ideal thumbnail for this particular song. Incidentally, my friend is probably enjoying some fine hot waters in an onsen up in the northern part of Japan right now during his annual pilgrimage to the country.

Once again, I bring you glad tidings via the folk trio NSP. This time, the tune is their 4th single "Yuugure Toki wa Sabishisou" (Seems Lonely at Twilight) from July 1974. Because this was released in summer and close to festival season, images of young lovers in their yukata walking around the town would start percolating in folks' minds. However, the point of "Yuugure Toki wa Sabishishou" is that one poor fellow walking along the pier in the hopes that he will somehow meet up with the girl that he has been sweet on for some time. Shigeru Amano（天野滋）, vocalist and the one behind words and music, sounds wanting and forlorn as his character may slowly be despairing that his supposed one true love will never know how much he feels about her. Yeah, a lot of us have been there.

"Yuugure Toki wa Sabishisou" was NSP's biggest hit just missing out on the Top 10 of Oricon by peaking at No. 11.