Nao Matsuzaki -- Kawaberi no Ie（川べりの家）

 

Welcome to the weekend! Cool and sunny today in the GTA and it's just the way I like it on a meteorological level.

This morning, after the usual NHK News on TV Japan, I watched a documentary series by the national broadcaster called "Document 72 Jikan"（ドキュメント72時間...Document 72 Hours） that started up in 2006. I've seen the series a few times and what the camera crew does each week is focus on a certain establishment or service anywhere along the Japanese archipelago for a 3-day period and how it influences the local residents. It could be a marine taxi service from one of the smaller islands or a snack shop serving the residents and businesses of Ginza as shown above (and probably will be taken down once NHK finds out).

On that Ginza snack shop, it was interesting watching the comings and goings of customers in this very normal establishment within one of the most expensive areas of real estate on the planet filled with expensive stores, restaurants and bars. Even the most exclusive joints need their peanuts and dried mangoes. Recent episodes have probably taken on a new layer of poignancy since the subjects within these 72 hours also exist under the many months of COVID-19.

Another thing that I've enjoyed about "Document 72 Jikan" is the theme song which shows up at the end of each episode, Tokyo-born singer-songwriter Nao Matsuzaki's（松崎ナオ）"Kawaberi no Ie" (House by the River).  Released as a November 2006 single (which according to J-Wiki has been her last single up to now) shortly after the premiere of the NHK program, it's a very soothing and "smell-the-roses" song about inviting that significant other to start a home somewhere, and simply enjoy life as it comes. It's a fitting theme song for the show and Matsuzaki's coquettish vocals along with the relaxing arrangement sell the song very well.

Even the music video which was created many years after the song itself follows the same format as "Document 72 Jikan". To match the poignancy of "Kawaberi no Ie", the diner of focus in the video was Glover Tei（ぐらばー亭...Glover Pavillion） which was located near the south exit of Shimo-Kitazawa Station in Tokyo. After some 40 years in business, it closed its doors for good in January 2019 due to the gradual deterioration of the surrounding structure.

As for Matsuzaki, she made her debut in 1998 with a major label as she released her "Hanabira"（花びら...Petals）, but in 2002, she switched over to indies. Then in 2016, she also helped create a band called Shika no Ichizoku（鹿の一族...The Deer Clan） with bassist Tatsuya Kashima（鹿島達也）and drummer Jun Okumura（奥村純）. Including "Kawaberi no Ie", Matsuzaki has released 9 singles and 5 studio albums.