Asuka Suita -- Vacation（バ・ケー・ショ・ン）

 

Despite the storm that steamrollered us yesterday afternoon as I mentioned on the first Saturday article, I hope that my fellow Canadians are enjoying their first unofficial summer long weekend vacation. I'm expecting that Toronto and other cities across the Great White North have slightly fewer people as many have fled to cottage country.

Please allow me then to put up another holiday-appropriate kayo up on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". I have here Asuka Suita's（吹田明日香）debut single of June 1983, "Vacation". Written and composed by the sibling songwriting tandem of Etsuko and Takao Kisugi（来生えつこ・来生たかお）with Ken Sato's（佐藤健）arrangement, the song is that sweet and innocent tune of emerging young romance with a bit of a 1950s puppy love feeling. The single didn't break into the Oricon Top 100, though, only getting as high as No. 114.

Suita was born in Kyoto but raised in Osaka and graduated from Doshisha University with a degree in English literature. It was during her university years that she appeared in the audition show "Star Tanjo!"（スター誕生！...A Star is Born!）and became Grand Champion in 1982. However, her time as a singer was brief, only releasing four singles (including a cover of Madonna's "Like A Virgin") and one album up to December 1984. Tragically, her mother was one of the 520 victims (including singer Kyu Sakamoto) who lost their lives aboard JAL Flight No. 123 when it crashed in Gunma Prefecture on August 12th 1985.

Due to the tragedy, Suita took some time off but was able to then get her degree in 1986 and later return to show business as a television personality and a broadcaster in the 1990s at NHK and NTV.