Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Gradated Grey

Considering the lyric analysis that will soon be shown below, I'm surprised that Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Gradated Grey" was never used for an ending scene of a particularly gritty thriller drama. A track from the band's November 1981 "Technodelic" LP, this was written by Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）and Peter Barakan with Hosono also taking care of the melody.

When it comes to my own personal adventure with the music of YMO, I've divided their discography into two halves. The first half, which is the one that I've preferred, happens to be the songs from the early years in the late 1970s with songs like "Firecracker" and "Rydeen" when the guys were enjoying filtering various music genres through the wonders of synths and emulators. Meanwhile, the second half which continued from the early 1980s seemed to be the band's flight of fancy into pure artistic techno and less of the pop. For me, it was OK but some songs never grabbed me.

"Gradated Grey" is one song that seems more into the avant-garde part although I think it's still approachable. There is that feeling of waking up in a haze of uncertainty and possibility with the periodic siren-like blasts. As for the lyric analysis, I will have to give credit to one of the commenters for the above video on YouTube, @kunwarbedi3882, for his summary as follows:

Yellow Magic Orchestra's song Gradated Grey is a melancholic yet hopeful masterpiece that explores the complexities of human emotions and the concept of change. The song starts with a description of the singer's current state of mind while driving and listening to a song that makes him feel uneasy and unsure. As the song progresses, the lyrics talk about how the singer has been through many experiences that have made him see many shades of grey. He has seen sadness, despair, and hopelessness but has also seen beauty and hope.

The landscape that the singer drives through is described as unique and unfamiliar, with shades of grey that he has never seen before. This suggests that the singer is in a transitional phase of life, experiencing new and unfamiliar emotions and situations. However, the song also hints at a sense of hope and anticipation for what is to come. The last line of the song talks about racing towards a point where grey meets white, which could symbolize a new beginning or a fresh start.

Overall, Gradated Grey can be interpreted as a reflection on the complexities of human emotions and the constant evolution of our lives. The song acknowledges the inevitability of change and the importance of embracing the unknown, even if it makes us feel uneasy.

If I'm not mistaken, I think among the three key YMO members, Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）and Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）, Hosono is the only one who hasn't gotten himself in front of a camera for a movie or TV show. Try to imagine him in the driver's seat in a movie as he has been driving for many hours, wondering what has befallen him and what is to become of him. I keep thinking that Michael Mann would have to direct this film.

Considering that this is the last day of November, a month that perhaps has that greyness compared to the gold and orange hues of October and the white and red colours of December, "Gradated Grey" seems to be the appropriate entry to end this month of KKP entries. Plus, as hinted in the song, that grey looks to be shifting into something brighter hopefully.

Scanch -- Moshimo Mainichi ga Christmas Dattara（もしも毎日がクリスマスだったら）

 

I barely remember the band Scanch（すかんち）and it was only through celebrities mentioning it on TV that I was even made aware that such a group existed. One of those celebrities was a part of Scanch itself, musician ROLLY who you can see above on the right. ROLLY was someone that I usually saw as a glam rock tarento on various variety shows but never actually saw his group perform or anything like that.

Scanch, which specializes in many types of rock (glam, alternative, hard, etc.) has dipped up and down in the Japanese music world for decades but its first go-round was between 1982 and 1996, and it turned out their final single during this period was the November 1995 "Moshimo Mainichi ga Christmas Dattara". 

For those folks of a certain age from the United Kingdom who may recognize the melody and arrangement, it's indeed a cover of glam rock band Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" from December 1973. And with both versions, I enjoy that nostalgic sound of either The Beach Boys or Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. To think, those kids in the video above are now probably getting close to retirement.

Hibiya -- Imaginary Tokyo（幻想東京）

 

At the risk of sounding a little overly florid here, but there are millions of stories in the city. Here are two of them.

That's the impression I'm getting from the video for singer-songwriter Hibiya's "Imaginary Tokyo", her 3rd single from 2024 according to this website. Done up like a contemporary film noir mystery set in my old stomping grounds, a couple of mystery lovers (one of them portrayed by Hibiya herself) have their running adventure on the sign-filled nocturnal grimy streets. Hibiya took care of practically most of the project including words, music and the video itself. "Imaginary Tokyo" has that galloping 80s-style synthpop beat that shines a lot of light into what would be a pretty dark and gloomy portrayal of the night life in Tokyo.

Hibiya has shown up here on KKP through the songs "I'm In Love Again" and "Sunday Lonely Night" as a featured performer, so I'm glad that she has star billing here with "Imaginary Tokyo". I finally got to get some more information about her as well. She hails from Kanagawa Prefecture, and took up classical piano from the age of 3 and then acoustic guitar from 15. At a music university, she majored in piano while also beginning songwriting and arrangement.. Hibiya has also been greatly influenced by the culture of the 1960s to the 1980s including music, and apparently she does love those vintage synthesizers.

Takako Okamura -- Hitoribocchi no Kokoro wo Dakishimete（ひとりぼっちの心を抱きしめて）

 

Long time, no see Takako Okamura（岡村孝子）. Nice to have you back on KKP.

Back in 2019, I posted an article on the singer-songwriter's March 1986 3rd single "Haguresou na Tenshi"（はぐれそうな天使）, one of her most famous tunes and a song that had quite the mysterious and even thrilling arrangement about a woman who was about to fall in love. Well, I have the B-side here and that is "Hitoribocchi no Kokoro wo Dakishimete" (Embrace a Lonely Heart) which could have been the thematic sequel to the A-side since it deals with a woman who has just fallen out of love but still hasn't quite gotten over it yet in a "Awww...you need a hug" sort of way. It's a straight-ahead lush piano ballad that likely has had listeners reaching for the 2-ply Kleenex.

The main lyricist was Toshie Nakaniwa or Nakaba（中庭とし江）with Okamura providing some assistance on the words while the latter took care of the melody. I had never heard of the lyricist before and that is probably because the song itself was concocted on one of Okamura's radio programs perhaps through a contest involving a listener trying her hand on songwriting. 

Mariko Takahashi -- Moshikashitara（もしかしたら）

 

Things are getting chillier up here in the Northern Hemisphere so folks are probably hitting the nearest cafe for their lattes and apple strudel. Maybe get together with a few friends for a kaffeeklatsch while surrounded by the final vestiges of the autumn colours.

For a musical representation of this, I can provide "Moshikashitara" (Maybe) by the lovely Mariko Takahashi（高橋真梨子）from her February 1980 album "Sunny Afternoon". Written by Tsuzuru Nakasato（中里綴）and composed by Yasuhiro Kido（木戸やすひろ）, it's quite the warm and folksy country ditty about accepting love for what it practically means: not always happy but something that also includes bad times and forgiveness. Nice thing to think about as we approach the Holidays. Takahashi always does the country music wonderfully.

TENDRE -- Ride

 

As I type this, I'm approaching the noon hour but this is where I will be ending my Urban Contemporary Friday session, now that I've gotten my six articles done in the last twelve hours and will be facing some busy times in the next several hours.

TENDRE is a musical marvel that I've been keeping my eyes on for a while now. I was charmed by his 2017 "crave" for its cool and funky nature. He even came up with the current theme song for the NHK morning information show "Asaichi"（あさイチ）and the only disappointment there is that it's so short. Happily, there is no such thing with the coupling song to his very first digital single "SOFTLY/RIDE" from May 2018. 

Groovalicious is another made-up adjective that I love to apply to TENDRE's stuff and that includes "Ride". I'm happy to finally see the guy in the music video while he is strutting his stuff on those overnight streets (just hope he didn't get mugged). It feels like a ride through the 1970s and 2010s at the same time with all of that smokiness and coolness. I also love the video's use of Monty Python-esque animation. In April 2023, TENDRE provided a slightly more oomphed-up version of "Ride" in his digital EP "Beginning".

Masahito Arai -- Kimi wa Ima...（君は今...）

 

I figure that up north of here, Unionville is getting ready for another round of Xmas activity. I've mentioned this to Scott who's in charge of the podcast "Holly Jolly X'masu" (and I realize that his last entry was all the way back in January, but he's been very busy this year) that Unionville is basically the Normal Rockwell scene for the Toronto area, so it's not surprising that a lot of folks want to make that drive to the area in December if not already.

My apologies for raving about this again but I've always enjoyed the cover of singer-songwriter Masahito Arai's（新井正人）"MASAHITO ARAI" album from 1987 because of its depiction of a streetscape that reminds me a lot of the main street in Unionville. Ironically, my most recent article involving Arai was back in early 2022 for a track from that very album. But this time, I'm now introducing the first track from "MASAHITO ARAI", "Kimi wa Ima..." (Now, You Are...) with the lyrics by Ayuko Ishikawa（石川あゆ子） telling the story of a guy who's still swooning over his ex-girlfriend with heartrending questions like "Who's loving you now?".

The music by Arai is pretty darn snazzy though with an arrangement that sounds more urban and urbane than that cover's streetscape. I'm always gonna be a sucker for nocturnal horns...and a good sax solo. Reminiscing over lost loves isn't usually this cool.

Casiopea -- Chandelier

 

As mentioned last night, I've got things to do later on today and with another threat of major snow on the way, I figured that I will get the usual Urban Contemporary Friday stint done a little earlier than scheduled. I already got three of them out of the way last night.

With the inclusion of the works of many a Japanese fusion band over the year, I realized that the last time I'd posted something by Casiopea（カシオペア）was back in late January...almost a year later. Time to rectify!

Not sure why Casiopea titled this song "Chandelier" aside from the observation that one of the keyboards used here may represent the crystalline pieces of the hanging light/work of art. But in any case, it's a fun instrumental City Pop piece by Casiopea leader Issei Noro（野呂一生）which gallops at a fine pace as I get images of tripping the light fantastic down a major Tokyo street. "Chandelier" was the final track on the band's December 1982 8th album "4×4 FOUR BY FOUR" which was a fairly short LP at only six tracks.

Anna Takeuchi -- Tokyo Nite

 

Before I forget completely, I would like to wish a belated Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the United States. At this point, most of you have already devoured a good chunk of turkey with all of the trimmings. Perhaps those of you reading this may be doing so through bleary eyes from sleeping some of that digestion off. Keep the stomach open for dessert, though. You can't miss that!

I guess with this article, we've done a round trip between Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro. Well, we're back in Tokyo again via singer-songwriter Anna Takeuchi's（竹内アンナ）"Tokyo Nite" from her January 2019 album "at TWO". It's been around three years since I posted an article about her on the blog so let's welcome her back.

In terms of her discography, this is the earliest I've gone back and "Tokyo Nite" is a fascinating track because it seems to be trying to be a Long Island Iced Tea of genres with the intoxicatingly sweet taste, to boot. It's got the groovy Neo-City Pop, some hip-hop rap, bossa nova and maybe even a touch of ska in the beat. The song comes across as the type of musical background a Tokyo modern of the 21st century would like to have while driving through the megalopolis on a Friday night.

Yumi Seino -- Rio no Mahoutsukai（リオの魔法使い）

Wikimedia Commons

 

KKP readers may be noticing that I've started the usual Friday Urban Contemporary articles a tad early on a Thursday night. Well, one reason is that I'm going to be rather busy tomorrow with other projects so I'm getting a lead on at least a few of them tonight.

Such as this one. Singer Yumi Seino（清野由美）released three albums with the first one being "U・TA・GE" in March 1981. And I guess I'm continuing some of that city City Pop from my last article being a Tokyo-based one; this time, we're heading down to Rio de Janeiro with the track "Rio no Mahoutsukai" (The Wizard of Rio). Written by Ayumi Date（伊達歩）and composed by Latin jazz musician Naoya Matsuoka（松岡直也）, there is a rumbling samba rhythm in there but the City Pop arrangement is also not standing back either. Plus, Seino's singing with the background chorus reminds me of some of the music from vocal groups such as Circus（サーカス）and Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット).

Michiru Kojima -- Tokyo Pessimist（Tokyoペシミスト）

 

I've known a few pathological pessimists during my life and I've tended not to listen to them too long or much. In fact, phasing them out of my sphere has been my policy. During my years in the Tokyo area, I don't think I'd ever gone pessimistic (mind you, I'm not an optimist either). Certainly, I did have my blue periods but generally it was a nice life in one of the biggest cities on the planet.

Well, those ominous winds at the beginning of the song give an indication of what "Tokyo Pessimist" must be all about. A track from Michiru Kojima's（児島未散）March 1992 "floraison" album, despite the title, it's still a pretty cool-sounding and soulful 1990s City Pop tune although the protagonist within the song may be going through a bad spot. The melody is by Takashi Yamazaki（山崎孝）while the lyrics are by Miki Fuudo（風堂美起）, the pseudonym of former 80s aidoru Mie Takahashi（高橋美枝）. Another Kojima and Fuudo collaboration can be found here.

Mitsuko Nakamura -- Uta da yo! Jinsei（歌だよ!人生）

 

I figure that the scenes like the one above will become even more frequent as we near the end of the year in Japan, and all of those bonenkai start up once more. All of those business workers have got to gush all of that stress from their systems at the year-end parties and subsequent karaoke sessions.

Well, I guess that the karaoke song menus now have one more boisterous tune to get the salarymen and women to scream their lungs out while dousing themselves in beer and other libations. This is "Uta da yo! Jinsei" (Life is Music!), the March 2025 72nd single for enka singer Mitsuko Nakamura（中村美津子）. Written by Reiji Mizuki（水木れいじ）and composed by Chiaki Oka（岡千秋）, this is one charming barnburner of a song celebrating all that is life and music, a philosophy that I can wholeheartedly embrace although the chances of me getting drunk with a necktie wrapped around my forehead while singing out my own lungs are now very remote. Mind you, I can imagine a number of folks throughout the generations sharing the same level of brio that Nakamura does to sing their hearts out. Reserve those karaoke boxes when you can!

Mieko Aoki (MIEKO) -- Mou Ichido Merry Xmas（もう一度merry X'mas）

 

We've got another singer here who doesn't have a whole lot of information forthcoming online. Mieko Aoki（青木美恵子）, who also went by her first name in full caps, MIEKO, has got some data on one site in which it's shown that she was born in Tokyo. Making her debut in 1982 through live band performances, she released her first solo album in 1990 (she released a total of five albums). Aoki has provided other singers with lyrics and melodies over the years, and even helped out as backing chorus for singers such as Kazuo Zaitsu（財津和夫）and Masaki Ueda（上田正樹）.

In 1992, Aoki released a CD single titled "Mou Ichido Merry Xmas" (Merry Xmas Once More) which was written and composed by her. As was often the case with a lot of J-Pop songs back in those early 1990s at least, "Mou Ichido Merry Xmas" has some buzzing electric guitar to go with the soft pop sounds and Aoki's mellow voice. One person online has compared her vocals with those of ZARD, but I also think that there is also some similarity with Midori Karashima's（辛島美登里）singing. 

Paul McCartney and Wings -- Live and Let Die

 

I mentioned this a little when I posted the ROY article regarding the iconic James Bond theme by Monty Norman & John Barry but my first several years of 007 exposure was through the frequent Sunday night reruns on ABC. It was on the telly where I witnessed Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore punch bad guys out and romance the ladies always opening with that assassin's-view shot of the master spy before he swerved around and shot back. In fact, the first time I actually saw a Bond movie on the big screen was in 1985 when Moore had his final go-around as Bond in "A View to a Kill". By that point, Moore had looked a little long in the tooth.

But today for this 007 Reminiscings of Youth article, I'm going to focus on the theme song of Moore's first foray into Bondlore, the 1973 "Live and Let Die". I'll be honest and admit that the opening credits scared the heck out of me when I saw that woman's head turn into a skull on fire...forget about the nudity. One other point about catching Bond movies on TV is that it was often the case that it had used to take about three to five years before a cinematic release finally made its way to television so I probably didn't see "Live and Let Die" until the late 1970s and by that point, I had already made Jane Seymour's acquaintance through "Battlestar Galactica" the original. Had no idea that she was also the femme fatale in Moore's first Bond movie.

The main reason that I'm covering "Live and Let Die" this week as a ROY is that the guy behind the theme song of the same title, Sir Paul McCartney, had just finished a weekend of thrilling concerts just down the highway from me in the city of Hamilton. For a man his age, he has Time Lord energy coursing through his veins and arteries and it appears that "Live and Let Die" is an essential part of the playlist.

It was Moore's first time as Bond but it was also the first time that a rock song was used as a theme for a 007 flick when compared to the swaggering jazz that had been the music for all of those Bond movies in the 1960s. I didn't quite "get" "Live and Let Die" when I first heard it with that crazy mix of rock and orchestra (which would eventually become the template for future Bond themes by pop and rock acts). At the time, I preferred Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" but I'm good with it now and I think it represents the oncoming storm that is 007 when he's ticked off at somebody. And I have to admit that to see and listen to it live has to be one of the major highlights of a McCartney concert, if not the highlight.

"Live and Let Die" reached No. 2 on both the American and Canadian charts. It was nominated at the Oscars for Best Original Song and won a Grammy for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). The song was released on June 1st 1973 as a single from Paul McCartney & Wings, a few weeks before the movie's American release. What was up at the top of the Oricon charts a few days later on June 4th?

1. Miyoko Asada -- Akai Fuusen（赤い風船）

2. Kenji Sawada -- Kiken na Futari （危険なふたり）

3. Saori Minami -- Kizutsuku Sedai（傷つく世代）

Miyoko Asada -- Akai Fuusen（赤い風船）

 

It was just a couple of months ago that the NHK morning serial drama "Anpan"（あんぱん）wrapped up its 6-month run. I don't usually watch these dramas but "Anpan" was quite good and as is often the case for many of them, it spanned decades. Although she doesn't show up in the above trailer, veteran actress and TV personality Miyoko Asada（浅田美代子）appeared as the kindly elderly grandmother.

But a little over half a century previously, Asada had started out as an adorable 1970s aidoru, and she made her debut in April 1973 with the single "Akai Fuusen" (Red Balloon). To be honest, I had assumed that I already posted an Asada song so I was surprised that there was no such entry. Therefore, I am redeeming myself here with what is probably her most famous tune. Written by Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）and composed/arranged by Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）, it's as sweet as sweet can be with the lyrics depicting some wistful romantic dreaming. I can imagine some boy bringing back a red balloon to his crush; not surprisingly, the lass also has feelings for the lad.

Looks like the listening public fell under the charms of "Akai Fuusen" and Asada herself since it reached No. 1 and stayed there for the better part of a month. It also ended up as the 10th-ranked single of 1973, selling around 800,000 records. In fact, according to the J-Wiki article for the song, the song had debuted at No. 2 on the 5-year-old Oricon charts, and reached No. 1 the following week which was the highest initial ranking for a debut song until December 1980, when Masahiko Kondo's（近藤真彦）"Sneaker Blues" (スニーカーぶるーす）debuted at the top spot. "Sneaker Blues" also happened to have been composed by the legendary Tsutsumi.

The somewhat big surprise for me was that despite Asada getting Best New Artist honours at the Japan Record Awards (televised on TBS) on New Year's Eve for "Akai Fuusen" and the other accolades as cited above, she never got the invitation to NHK's Kohaku Utagassen which followed pretty much immediately after the awards ceremony back in the day. Along with the fact that Asada had sung "Akai Fuusen" on the TBS show that she'd been starring in, "Jikan desu yo"（時間ですよ...It's Time）, I'm wondering if there had been some unwritten rule about "Thou shalt not invite a rival network's song onto thine show".

Jun Shibata -- Ryokataomoi（両片想い）

 

We're back on Hump Day today with all of the fatigue that a Wednesday would convey. Plus, over here, there's a good chance that we'll be buffeted with high winds possibly leading to power outages and then some flurries tomorrow. Not exactly an ideal forecast although as I look out my window, things are looking pretty sunny but the weather folks warned us that that would be a mere prelude to the maelstrom.

So, let us start off this round of KKP with something a little mellow and healing. I bring to you singer-songwriter Jun Shibata's（柴田淳）"Ryokataomoi" from her September 2017 11th album "Watashi wa Shiawase"（私は幸せ...I am Happy）. I've heard of the term "ryo" and "kataomoi" but never brought together like this and I guess it could mean "Unrequited Love At Both Ends". I gather that the two people involved have feelings for each other but neither person is aware of the other's emotions and they are too bashful to take that risk.

The ironic bittersweetness aside, "Ryokataomoi" is a sweet ballad with a gently rolling piano and tender strings leading the way. There's almost something nostalgic about the arrangement, and I don't just mean that it's almost a decade old. The overall feeling could even go as far back at the 1970s. Anyways, the album peaked at No. 7 on Oricon.

Contego -- Taxi no Light ga Nijinda Machikado（タクシーのライトが滲んだ街角）

 

One of those new acts that I have next to no knowledge or information about, I don't even how to render this person or band in romaji. Would it be Contego or Kontego（コンテゴ）? I'll go with the former for now. Enquiring minds want to know (if any of you know [including the performer], please inform me). In any case, Contego has had their YouTube channel since late 2024 and an album has been available on Amazon Music.

Titled "Tokai no Kaze ni Yureru Glitch Pop"（都会の風に揺れるグリッチポップ... Glitch Pop Swaying in the City Breeze）, I don't know whether this track on this September 2025 album "Taxi no Light ga Nijinda Machikado" (A Street Corner Where the Taxi Lights Blurred) is an example of glitch pop. However, it is a pleasant and nostalgic technopop song with some nice popping beats percolating like bubbles in soda pop. If you take a look at Amazon Music, you'll find that all of the tracks read like some pretty heavy duty adjectival phrases, just like this one. Again, if anyone can give us some more information on Contego, that would be greatly appreciated.

Tsugumi Morita -- Koishite Kaigan Douri（恋して海岸通り）

 

With one of the shortest aidoru careers that I've noted on KKP, I was still attracted to Tsugumi Morita（森田つぐみ）because of her sweet vocals and the cover of her final single to date, "Koishite Kaigan Douri" (Love Me, Beachside Street).

Released in December 1976, "Koishite Kaigan Douri" is the story of a breezy and intoxicating love affair in Yokohama that was written by Rei Nakanishi（なかにし礼）and composed by Ken Takeda（竹田賢）. The melody has got a nice skippy rhythm reflecting the innocence and issue-free romance that the lovebirds are enjoying in the port city. 

Morita was born Tsugumi Fujiwara（藤原嗣美）in Metropolitan Osaka in 1959 and she won a championship on a NET TV (now TV Asahi) audition show. She made her debut in spring of 1976 and released a total of three singles and one album in that one year before apparently disappearing from the recording booth for good, although she may have continued her television career for a wee bit longer. In 2014, she began running her own establishment, Cafe & Bar Alii's（カフェ＆バー アリーズ）in Nishonomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.

Daisuke Inoue feat. Cindy -- Namida yori mo Merry Xmas（涙よりもMerry Xmas）

 

Aye, it is November 25th and within the world of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", that means the Christmas season has begun and so over the next month, there will be a liberal sprinkling of J-Xmas tunes popping up here and there like Keebler elves until December 25th. It looks like I may have accumulated a fair number of them for this year.

The first one for Xmas 2025 is a duet with Daisuke Inoue（井上大輔）, the same fellow behind the Group Sounds classic "Blue Chateau"（ブルー・シャトウ）back in the 1960s when he was part of the Blue Comets, and the splendid Cindy. "Namida yori mo Merry Xmas" (Merry Xmas Over Tears) was released in November 1990. Composed by Inoue and written by Goro Matsui（松井五郎）, this is a most bittersweet ballad in a contemporary pop style of the times that's quite typical of a number of Christmas tunes from Japan in which someone is waxing nostalgically over a past romance which had been sealed with that first kiss on Christmas Eve. Can't have Christmas songs be totally cheerful, after all.

Teruyo Mitani -- Omoide no First Kiss（想い出のファースト・キッス）

 

Listening to this song for the first time, I had automatically assumed that this was something from the early 1980s because of that arrangement of 1950s rock n' roll that was the popular thing to emulate in Japanese music for young people at the time. But I was sadly mistaken.

In fact, this is "Omoide no First Kiss" （The First Kiss I Remember）, Teruyo Mitani's（三谷晃代）October 1977 final single, so I guess that lyricist and composer and singer Shogo Hamada（浜田省吾）may have been ahead of the curve by a few years. I had already posted a previous article with Mitani and that was for her debut single "Zekkou"（絶交）, a little less than a year previously. Again, with that 50s sound in there, I couldn't help but think of the popular diner Arnold's on "Happy Days" with all of those bobbysoxer kids twisting around on the dance floor.

As I mentioned in "Zekkou", the re-release of Mitani's lone album "Omoide no First Kiss" in 2016 sparked the singer to make a comeback after so many years.

The Firsts (Audio Ware) by J-Canuck

 

Welcome to the final full week of November 2025. With the autumn in full swing, it's easy to get a bit wistful about the passage of this year and time in general. And I've gotten into this mood as well. I've been doing "Kayo Kyoku Plus" now for what will be approaching 14 years so our baby has turned into a snappy teenager. 

I first started the blog out by talking about the many examples of kayo kyoku and J-Pop that I purchased and knew for years and years and what the surrounding situation was for each article. Of course, that has changed since for the past several years, I'm writing mostly about new songs by familiar and not-so-familiar singers and bands that I've encountered and sometimes when I get into a whole long series of those, I do wonder about getting things "on track" in a manner of speaking and at least presenting those songs that I've known about since my toddlerhood.

We have "The First" category in the Labels and I remember that I put up my own article almost five years ago on some of the firsts that I achieved through particular songs such as the first kayo kyoku that I ever heard. Well, along that similar track, I'm going to post about the first examples of Japanese music media that I ever bought or got as a gift since they are different from that other list. The above thumbnail shows the first entry.

1. First Tokusatsu Maxi-Single: Kamen Rider/Mirror Man/ Silver Kamen/Ultra Seven (1972)

2. First Audiotape: Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978...bought in 1981)

3. First 45" Single: Hiromi Iwasaki -- Madonna Tachi no Lullaby (聖母たちのララバイ）(1982)

4. First LP: Seiko Matsuda -- Train (1985)

5. First CD album: Akina Nakamori -- Cruise (1989)

6. First CD single: Miho Nakayama -- Virgin Eyes (1989)

Ayako Miyata -- Ku-gatsu no Umi de（九月の海で）

 

Yes, I do realize that we are coming to the end of November and September 2025 is now a distant memory. However, I did want to highlight this one.

There's very little written up regarding singer-songwriter Ayako Miyata（宮田あやこ）. Diskunion reports that Miyata may hail from Sapporo, Hokkaido and just when she had made her debut in 1980, illness forced her to retire, at least for some time. Apparently, she's now working as a local singer in Sapporo.

In that fateful year of 1980, she released an album titled "Lady Mockin' Bird" and a lot of musical bigwigs participated in its production such as Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）, Sentimental City Romance（センチメンタル・シティ・ロマンス）and Makoto Kubota & Sunset Gang（久保田麻琴＆Sunset Gang） according to another site. The final track on the album is "Ku-gatsu no Umi de" (On the September Sea), a very pleasant song to end "Lady Mockin' Bird" on. Written by the mellow-voiced Miyata and composed by Hiroshi Sayama（佐山博）, it begins with some gentle acoustic guitar and then comes some country rock and balladry that reminds me of some of the music that the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt brought over in the 1970s. It ends with some heartfelt electric guitar.

Kuniko Fukushima -- Magical House（マジカルハウス）

 

Welcome to the penultimate Sunday in November. Over here, we know the Holidays are just around the corner when American Thanksgiving is a few days away and the Santa Claus parade is taking place in downtown Toronto as I type this. Mind you, the stores and malls have already been playing Christmas music for a few weeks. 

Nothing Xmas-y here since I won't be starting anything of the Yuletide variety until November 25th. In fact, even for singer-songwriter Kuniko Fukushima（福島邦子）, this is something out of the ordinary. I've already put up a fair number of her songs over the years onto KKP and they've usually been of bluesy City Pop. 

This time, though, I bring you to her track "Magical House" from her October 1982 fourth album "Mugen"（夢幻...Visions）. And this time, Fukushima's creation is more New Wave peppy with a hint of Asian exoticism as if we're being treated to a whirlwind tour of Hong Kong or Taipei. Plus, Kuniko herself sings "Magical House" as if she's the sultry mistress of the residence. And that's as far as I will go with my insights.

Yuko Ishikawa -- Akikaze no Maria（秋風のマリア）

Wikimedia Commons

 

Just by pure coincidence, it's been exactly one year since I've had singer-songwriter Yuko Ishikawa（石川優子）up on the byline of an article. Last year, it was her 1981 "Saigo no Yoru ni"（終末の夜に）which was quite the bluesy City Pop piece.

This time, we have a completely different animal by Ishikawa up on the board here. "Akikaze no Maria" (Autumn Wind Maria) is a very upbeat number that, despite the title, doesn't really sound all that autumnal. It actually comes across as being very summery with all of the skipping and running along the beach that such a song would entail. Ishikawa took care of words and music with Joe Hisaishi（久石譲）taking care of the arrangement. And yes, it's THAT Joe Hisaishi. The song belongs to the singer's August 1987 14th album "Kimajime de Suki"（生真面目で好き...I Like You Overly Earnest）.

Kenichi Sakuragi -- Taiyou no Koibito（太陽の恋人）

 

The above photo regards a 1971 TV adaptation of a manga called "Taiyou no Koibito" (Sun Lovers). I've downloaded it from X or Twitter so if the owner of the photo doesn't want me using it anymore, just let me know but frankly it's the only decent evidence of the show that I could find anywhere. From what I can see of the above and the manga, it looks like the story revolves a couple of lovesick high school students.

The male protagonist of the TV Asahi show was played by actor-singer Kenichi Sakuragi（桜木健一）and he's also the one behind the recording of the theme song which has the same title of "Taiyou no Koibito". What's notable about it is that it sounds a lot like the later Hiromi Ohta（太田裕美）hit "Saraba Siberia Tetsudo" (さらばシベリア鉄道）that was penned by Eiichi Ohtaki（大滝詠一）. Ohtaki loved doing his Western gunslinger sort of melodies, and "Taiyou no Koibito" has that feeling in spades. I heard the song first before finding out about the drama, so I had assumed that the show had something to do with samurai or cops, not high school kids.

And yet, "Taiyou no Koibito" was actually composed by Takeo Watanabe（渡辺岳夫）with Masakazu Nagahama（長浜正和）behind the lyrics and a young Michio Yamagami（山上路夫）helping out as an associate lyricist. It was released as a single for Sakuragi in July 1971 when the series was starting up. Of course, I have another "Taiyou no Koibito" which sounds totally different by Kazuhito Murata（村田和人）.

Kazuhiko Kato/Akiko Yano -- New York Confidential（ニューヨーク・コンフィデンシャル）

 

For the final song for this edition of Urban Contemporary Fridays on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I decided to leaf through the pages of the original "Japanese City Pop" if I could find something that I hadn't discovered in my many browsings of YouTube.

Well, it wasn't too too difficult. At the bottom of Page 103, there was singer-songwriter Kazuhiko Kato's（加藤和彦）September 1983 album "Ano Koro, Marie Laurencin"（あの頃、マリー・ローランサン...At That Time, Marie Laurencin）. Marie Laurencin (1883-1956) was a French painter known as a member of the Parisian avant-garde back in the day. 

But according to Kato himself, his aim with this particular album was to provide some elegant music for all of the business workers in Tokyo who had forgotten about the worth of music once they got home to their tiny cubicles of apartments. Very sporting of the fellow to give some metropolitan BGM, but of course, with Kato this wouldn't be merely Muzak. Incidentally, all of the tracks on "Marie Laurencin" were composed by Kato, written by Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）and arranged by Kato and Nobuyuki Shimizu（清水信之）.

Track 3 is one fine example. "New York Confidential" is a pretty lush creation that actually sounds more like the night life of the Big Apple rather than the urban scene in Tokyo, although perhaps that was what those Japanese junior executives were searching for...New York music for the Tokyo metropolitan moderns with that City Pop, jazz and Fashion Music. It sounds like having that peaceful and romantic candlelight dinner in any of the penthouses of Manhattan, above the madding crowds and bustling trains.

There were a number of bigwig musicians helping out in the recording of the album, including Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）who was playing the piano on "New York Confidential". Apparently, Yano was so moved during the recording of the song that she wept and so was afraid that she had ruined the take. But it was kept in. In fact, many years later in 1995, she covered the song herself in a much quieter and more introspective style for her album "Piano Nightly".

Yoshiko Tanaka -- Feel My Love Inside

 

Two aidoru groups of the 1970s: Candies（キャンディーズ）and Pink Lady（ピンクレディー）had the lion's share of rankings during their heyday, but even they had to call it a day so by the end of the decade, they went their separate ways. Some of them had separate singing careers and that included the late Yoshiko Tanaka（田中好子）of Candies who used to go by the name of "Sue".

From what I've read on her article on J-Wiki, her solo discography was very brief: basically one album and one single in 1984 with one more single in 1989. That one album was "Yoshiko"（好子）with one track being "Feel My Love Inside". Seeing that on my backlog bookmarks for the longest time, I had to remind myself about who it was that sang it, but with that title, I figured that it had to be some sort of City Pop or J-AOR tune. And as it turns out, I was right on both counts. A laidback tune written and composed by singer-songwriter Keiko Maruyama（丸山圭子）, I was delightfully surprised that Tanaka could carry this tune beautifully and tenderly on her own since I only heard her as part of the whole of Candies back in the 1970s.

Penthouse -- Minute by Minute

 

Y'know...I don't think I've worn a wristwatch in quite a few decades now. Don't quite know why...I can wear something cheap like one with a famous cartoon mouse's arm as the watch hands, but never got around to it. I certainly can't have a Citizen (as above) or a Rolex on my arm...out in public, that is. I would end up not having an arm.

The song that was accompanying the commercial at the top there is "Minute by Minute" (sorry...nothing to do with the Doobie Brothers' tune). This was released in October as the 16th and the latest digital single by the band Penthouse which I have gotten to know as a snazzy unit capable of some fine Neo-City Pop and R&B in general. With "Minute by Minute", I get more of the funk and some great gospel vocal stylings by Maho Oshima（大島真帆）and Shintaro Namioka（浪岡真太郎）. The latter member took care of words and music while band bassist Takuma Ohara（大原拓真）also helped out on the lyrics.

Yoshiaki Ohuchi -- Back Seat de Koi wo Shite（バックシートで恋をして）

 

I remember the 1970s American sitcom "Happy Days" for many things, one of them being the running gag of Inspiration Point, a hallowed place somewhere in Milwaukee where cars containing a young couple can park so that the couple can...park.😉I think Richie, the Fonz and all of the other guys can relate.

That was the setting that I was reminded of when I first heard the late Yoshiaki Ohuchi's（大内義昭）"Back Seat de Koi wo Shite" (Make Love in the Back Seat) which was the first and basically the title track for his 1989 album "Back Seat". It's quite the jovial horn-fueled City Pop number that is pretty reminiscent of the music from the early part of the 1980s. Ohuchi took care of both words and music and for me, it's the second song to show that the musician also had his flair for the urban contemporary after covering his "Zero de Hajimaru Number"（ゼロではじまるナンバー）last year. Even the cover for "Back Seat" is a riff off Tetsuji Hayashi's（林哲司）classic 1977 album "Back Mirror".

Kangaroo -- Nigai Namida（にがい涙）/The Far East

Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons

 

It was almost five years ago when I first got to know this band Kangaroo（カンガルー）that has been called the Japanese Shakatak. To be honest, I had to get to know Shakatak as well, and both are these rather smooth and sophisticated urban contemporary bands that got their start in the 1980s. My trigger for Kangaroo was the title track from their final album to date "A Night in New York" (1986).

Another track from that album is "Nigai Namida" (Bitter Tears) which was written and composed by vocalist Midori Fukuhara（福原みどり）. It starts with a galloping bass beat and the keyboards that the band was first known for back in their instruments-only days. It's a cool song to be sure, although sometimes when I hear the keyboard playing solo, I feel that the riff belongs in a video game.

Speaking of those early days when there were no vocalists for Kangaroo, I have here the track "The Far East" on the band's very first album "Steppin'" from 1983. With that title, I had been expecting something rather exotic kayo, but instead it's a fairly contemplative fusion piece with those keyboards on full display and some screaming guitar solos. It's also not totally vocal-free as the background singers come in. If I'm not mistaken, it could be the sister trio of EVE.

Cherish -- Bijutsukan（美術館）

 

First off, my compliments to YouTuber Glasbo for his video of the Art Gallery of Ontario. I have to admit that I haven't visited one of Toronto's big highlights in nearly fifty years. My Grade 6 class visited the AGO in 1976 on a field trip, and I remember that the tour included a class activity which involved us splitting into pairs with one partner going into a huge black fabric sack and molding each other into some sort of Henry Moore-esque sculpture. I don't think that would wash nowadays.

Anyways, that preamble ramble was for the song of this article, "Bijutsukan" (Art Gallery) by the folk duo Cherish（チェリッシュ）. A track from their 1973 album "Cherish no Chiisana Koi no Monogatari"（チェリッシュの小さな恋の物語...Cherish's Little Love Story）, it's a wistful song beautifully sung by the pair as they describe a woman making her way to the titular art gallery to assuage some of those melancholy feelings after a romantic breakup. Well, at least it's cheaper than running away on a train to the Tsugaru Strait. 

Written by Daizo Saito（さいとう大三）and composed by Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, it's a lovely song for the broken hearts with the boss drumming of 70s kayo, shimmering strings and an electric guitar. I also love the cover for the Cherish album with Yoshitaka and Etsuko Matsuzaki（松崎好孝・松崎悦子） sitting in what looks like one corner of an old art gallery. Nice 70s threads, too.

Yuriko Ohmori -- Mahou（魔法）/Night Train

 

Back in 2022 and 2023, I wrote up a couple of articles on the singer Yuriko Ohmori's（大森有里子）1981 single "Rai Rai Mirai"（来・来・未来）along with its B-side "Fuyu no Hito"（冬の人）. I could quickly realize that Ohmori was trying for something different with her two songs that skirted with Fashion Music and exotic kayo territory.

Well, the former NHK announcer only released two singles with the second and final one being "Mahou" (Magic) in 1982. For it and its B-side "Night Train", Ohmori was responsible for composition, while Masako Arikawa（有川正沙子）took care of the lyrics and Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）arranged everything. By the way, just from what I've heard in the lyrics, it sounds like "Night Train" starts off the YouTube video with "Mahou" starting up at 3:18.

"Night Train" is a bit of old-fashioned sophisticated Latin-tinged pop mixing in some New Wave. Think of a tropical nightclub on an island that was partially designed by Syd Mead...anyways, that's what I envisage here. As for "Mahou", there is some tango in the urgent arrangement with some of those sound effects thrown in.

One more PS...I mentioned about the website idol.ne.jp in the article for "Fuyu no Hito". I'd been using that as a reference for some of the more obscure aidoru and other female singers over the years. However, it seems as if it's been taken down for some reason.

INXS -- What You Need

 

There's only one bad thing that you can say about listening to INXS' "What You Need" and watching the video. You can only see and hear it for the first time only once. The band's August 1985 single is that amazing, and I'm giving myself the Gibbs slap up the back of my head that I actually didn't put it up for five years after posting their later hit "Need You Tonight" as a Reminiscings of Youth article (that song is amazing, too!).

"What You Need" is the wake-up song we need. It's also a great power walk song especially when those electric guitars come blasting away like hyperspace engines. And then, there's Kirk Pengilly's soulful saxophone. You can't help but go into slow stride mode on the street in your longcoat when you hear this. There were also some great music videos coming out at the time. The one for Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" was one of them in the following year and then this one of rotoscope amazement for "What You Need" probably wowed folks onto their butts when it first got onto MTV.

"What You Need" hit No. 21 on Canada's RPM while in the United States, it peaked at No. 5. In INXS' native Australia, it reached No. 2. Really liked the extended version as well. Heard that one all the time on Saturday nights on the radio.

So, what was being released in Japan in what was most likely a stifling hot August 1985? Well, we've got two albums and a single.

Akina Nakamori -- D404ME

Hiroko Yakushimaru -- Yume Juuwa （夢十話）

Yu Hayami -- Passion

Yutaka Mizutani -- Mayonaka no Swing（真夜中のスウィング）

 

I've read that Yutaka Mizutani's（水谷豊）long-running detective series "Aibou"（相棒）just entered its 25th season last month. It might be rather difficult to distinguish between Mizutani and his famed character of Ukyo Sugishita at this point. 

But let's get back to his early career as a singer. Of course, kayo veterans will remember his "California Connection"（カリフォルニア・コネクション）from 1979. This time, though, I have his April 1981 single "Mayonaka no Swing" (Midnight Swing) which was released two years to the day that "California Connection" had come out. 

To be honest, "Mayonaka no Swing" sounds so bright and uppity that I probably would consider it more "Mahiru no Swing" (High Noon Swing), and that's thanks to Ryohei Yamanashi's（山梨鐐平）melody and Takahiko Ishikawa's（石川鷹彦）arrangement. Actually, when I saw Yamanashi's name in there, I kinda went "Ahh...naruhodo" since his works as a singer and songwriter have also shown a certain ebullient flair drawing in a number of genre influences such as jazz. From "Mayonaka no Swing", I get some of that good-time rock n' roll, jazz, disco and musical elegance. Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）provided the lyrics.

J-Canuck's Station-to-Station Songs

 

Yesterday, I met an old friend for coffee and then dinner downtown at Union Station. It had been a few years since the last time I met him so I figured that we would be catching up on a lot of stuff. Part of the reason that we went for Union Station as the meeting place was that I'd heard about the renovation of the station, especially where the food was concerned. Being a foodie, I was interested about a new flood of restaurants and cafes creating a mega food court underground. You can take a gander at the above video by Toronto Our City whose husband-and-wife team has been exploring the various eateries of our city. 

By the way, I know that there is a certain group of otaku in Tokyo who love to explore the underground malls, passageways and crevices of one of the world's biggest cities. Considering next year's World Cup which will have a few games played in Toronto and that our metropolis may have the biggest underground commercial complex on Earth (the PATH system), I cordially invite those folks to do a bit of exploration here, too).

After enjoying an hour of coffee, conversation and one of the best almond croissants that I've ever had, we were getting lost in the maze that was the Union Station underground before opting for dinner. When we got to Union Chicken, the place was packed with Toronto Maple Leafs fans for about half an hour before it got all cleared out like a drainpipe getting the Drano treatment (there was a home game just down the street). Then it was easy to get a table where I got the three-piece Chicken Tenders with Fries. I'm glad that I didn't get the five-piece version since that would have killed me. The above video is from the official Union Chicken YouTube channel.

Anyways, getting reacquainted with the main train station of Toronto and being back in my room in front of my computer again, I've decided to put up an Author's Picks based on kayo kyoku or J-Pop songs with the word "station" or "eki" in their titles. Enjoy!

(1964) Hachiro Izawa -- Ahh, Ueno Eki （あゝ上野駅）

(1971) Chiyo Okumura -- Shuuchaku Eki (終着駅）

(1980) Mariko Kurata -- Sayonara Rainy Station （さよならレイニー・ステーション）

(1986) Sonoko Kawai -- Aoi Station （青いスタスィオン）

(1986) Akina Nakamori -- Eki（駅）