It's rather odd that although Tokyo hubs Shinjuku and Ginza have gotten the lion's share of Mood Kayo over the past several decades, another major entertainment centre in Japan's capital, Shibuya, doesn't seem to have had a number of songs devoted to it. But then again, Shibuya is known as the Youth Mecca of the country and as such, Mood Kayo, a genre of Japanese music that usually refers to the older crowd, might not really apply here.
Still, I'm happy to find out that "Shibuya de Go-ji" (渋谷で5時）, and I realize that Martin's song is fully into the City Pop field, is not quite alone anymore since I was able to discover "Shibuya de...Dou?" (How About In...Shibuya?) through last night's episode of "Uta Con"（うたコン）. Performed by the young kayo singer Naoki Sanada（真田ナオキ）, a disciple of enka singer Ikuzo Yoshi（吉幾三）, it's got quite the brio since Yoshi provided both words and lyrics, and it matches quite nicely with the gravelly-voiced and punchy Sanada.
Released about a week ago on the 9th as Sanada's latest single, I think Yoshi could have handled this one as well and I can imagine that the veteran singer could even cover it sometime down the line. In any case, the song is an invitation for a night out in Shibuya but whether it's to a fellow drinking buddy or a romantic date, I'm not quite sure. However, it certainly seems that the inviter has seen all sorts of things on a Friday or Saturday night there...as have I. Another observation is that after the past couple of years of COVID-19, "Shibuya de...Dou?" might be the clarion call for folks to get back to the bars again, when it is safe to do so.
You can also take a gander at the shortened version of the music video below. Also, I did hear about the earthquake in the Tohoku region earlier today and so I'm hoping that everyone and everything are OK. At the same time, I'm happy to hear that perhaps the power is coming back to the Kanto area following some wide blackouts.
Morning, Brian. Yeah, it does have that retro quality, doesn't it?
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