Chiharu Matsuyama/Ayako Fuji -- Gin no Ame（銀の雨）

 

Early this morning, I went off to the nearby clinic to get some blood work done. The weather was and is unusually warm for this time of year with the temperature currently at 25 degrees Celsius; we should be talking about Wind Chill Index right now but for today, we're back to the Humidex which feels like 32 degrees! Glad that we haven't uninstalled the air conditioner quite yet and the fan in my room is back on full speed. We even had some thunderstorms earlier as I left the clinic; saw some trifurcated lightning bolts crack along the sky.

It was raining but it wasn't too hard though the drops were steady for about a half-hour or so. We're back into sunny weather again. Speaking of rain, here is a Chiharu Matsuyama（松山千春）song titled "Gin no Ame" (Silver Rain). A B-side to the folk singer's sophomore single "Kazaguruma"（かざぐるま...Pinwheels） from June 1977, this has absolutely nothing to do with Noriko Miyamoto's（宮本典子） "Silver Rain", her City Pop song from 1981. Just so you know.

To wit, Matsuyama's "Gin no Ame" is a melancholy folk ballad about a man who finally realizes that the lady of his dreams simply doesn't reciprocate his feelings and so he has pulled himself away. Of course, the meteorological setting for all this is a lot of silver rain. I'm gonna have to ask about what silver rain means in significance regarding sad situations. Maybe the precipitation (and feeling of sadness) is so heavy that it's taken on that shiny gray colour? 

In any case, along with the guitar, I enjoy those sweeping strings that swoop in during the chorus. Matsuyama took care of words and music while Tadashige Matsui（松井忠重）arranged everything. "Gin no Ame" also ended up on Matsuyama's debut album that was released in the same month as "Kazaguruma", "Kimi no Tame ni Tsukutta Uta"（君のために作った歌...The Songs I Made For You）. It broke into the Oricon album chart at No. 8 and became the No. 29 album for 1978 and even went up ten ranks to No. 19 for 1979.

Enka singer Ayako Fuji（藤あや子）provided a much different cover version of "Gin no Ame" when she released her June 2017 album "GENTLEMAN ~ Watashi no Naka no Otoko-tachi"（私の中の男たち...The Men Around Me）. Her version speaks of smoky jazz in a nightclub environment.

Shion Tsuji -- Take Me Home

 

The fascinating thing about looking at singer-songwriter Shion Tsuji's（辻詩音）album cover of her May 2010 debut album "Catch!" is how much the lady from Yokohama resembles 1990s pop sensation hitomi. But Tsuji herself was born in 1990, so we're talking about a generation's difference between the two. However, I have to admit that Tsuji's full name has almost every romaji letter to spell out hitomi. Things that make one go Hmmmm, eh?

Anyways, let's sidle away from conspiracy theories here and settle on the fact that I've enjoyed listening to Tsuji's track from "Catch!", "Take Me Home". Originally a coupling song on her 2008 debut single "Candy Kicks", I'm assuming the above is the album version of "Take Me Home". It's a soothing indies-sounding pop/rock with the jangly guitar and the laidback tempo. Tsuji could have busked this on some street in Shibuya and would have drawn an admiring crowd. As for "Catch!", it made it No. 31 on Oricon.

The Manhattan Transfer/Depeche Mode -- (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66

 

It's time for a special holiday edition of Reminiscings of Youth and it's a bit of a doozy this time. I was hoping that I would get a scene of a particular character on an old program that I used to watch as a kid, "Emergency!", which involved the life of a Los Angeles fire station and a hospital. The character that I wanted to show was Dr. Joe Early, played by the late Bobby Troup, but instead of the usual scenes, I've had to settle for bloopers.

What I wouldn't realize for some years after "Emergency!" had finished its five-year run in 1977 is that Troup and co-star and wife Julie London had been jazz and standard singers from way back when. What actually felled me was that Troup was the guy behind this famous standard.

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" was a song that I got acquainted with over the radio and various music-variety shows on the telly for years and years, but I had no idea that Troup was the guy who created this standard that has been covered by so many other singers and bands. One of the most famous versions was the 1946 version by Nat King Cole.

However, the gold standard for me will always be the cover by The Manhattan Transfer which got its time in the sun in 1982 as a single. Just that arrangement and the usual scintillating harmonies by the guys will always do it for me. It didn't get too high on the Billboard rankings, scoring in at No. 78, but it won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group. And it will always be one of my favourites among favourites by the group. 

I knew that I would be talking about "Route 66" sooner or later on Reminiscings of Youth so the byline would have both The Manhattan Transfer and Depeche Mode. Still, I get quite a kick (ha, ha) on seeing those two groups side by side. Depeche Mode is another one of my beloved bands from the 1980s as you know, and I was surprised back then to find out that even these guys were willing to take on "Route 66" as a rollicking part of their "Behind the Wheel" single when it was released on December 28th 1987. With The Manhattan Transfer's version, I think of sophistication and class within a top-floor hotel party room, but regarding Depeche Mode's grinding and rocking take, I imagine this fronting the soundtrack of a David Lynch or Quentin Tarentino movie. I think I may have even been dancing to this at one of the JCSA parties back then.

So, what was at the top of the December 28th 1987 Oricon chart when Depeche Mode's "Route 66" was released? I have Nos. 1 and 2.

1. Hikaru Genji -- Glass no Juu-dai （ガラスの十代）

2. Yukari Morikawa -- SHOW ME

Thank You Songs for Thanksgiving

 

In keeping with the Canadian Thanksgiving theme for today, and after having done last week's ROY on Styx's "Mr. Roboto" which has plenty of this special expression, I decided to write up this Author's Pick with the theme of songs that contain words of thanks in the title and/or the lyrics. On this holiday, I'm certainly thankful for my health and the health of my family and friends. As well, I'm thankful that I've had this blog along with my fellow contributors and commenters for the past decade plus. Without further ado, then:

(1971) Jun Inoue -- Osewa ni Narimashita（お世話になりました）

(1975) Momoe Yamaguchi -- Arigato, Anata （ありがとう、あなた）

(1989) Kaori Kuno -- Thank You for You

(1995) Dreams Come True -- Thank You.（サンキュ.）

(1997) Yosui Inoue & Tamio Okuda -- Arigato （ありがとう）

Zunou Keisatsu -- Ochiba no Sasayaki（落葉のささやき）

 

Well, it's Canadian Thanksgiving so I hope everyone in the Great White North is enjoying the holiday Monday with loved ones over the usual turkey and pumpkin pie. Won't be having that here since I'm practically the only one who likes turkey in my family. Meanwhile, I hope that folks in Japan enjoyed their Sports Day through the appropriate activities, and for those who participated in the school Sports Day events, maybe they had their fun at the drinking parties afterwards.

A few days ago on Urban Contemporary Fridays on KKP, I posted an article regarding PANTA's "Laser Shock"（レーザー・ショック）from 1982 which was this New Wave rock tune. I also mentioned that PANTA had been one-half of a folk-rock duo (plus others) called Zunou Keisatsu（頭脳警察...Brain Police） in the early 1970s. He and partner Toshiaki TOSHI Ishizuka（石塚俊明）apparently gained some notoriety during their stage performances (I'll probably have to see whether I can see some of that via YouTube).

Furthermore, their band name had first struck me as something rather psychedelic but this particular song, "Ochiba no Sasayaki" (Whispers of Fallen Leaves), from their 6th album released in November 1974, "Akutare Kouzou"（悪たれ小僧...Mischievous Brat） is anything but. Sounding like their band description with perhaps more emphasis on the folk part, it's a very calming tune that comes across as something very seasonal and singalong during October...maybe something to be performed around the campfire on a cool night with s'mores being the dessert of choice. According to JASRAC, the songwriter was Pantax's World which I assume is just another name for Zunou Keisatsu.

The Seven Wonders -- Ai no Apron（愛のエプロン）

 

I tried to find out some information regarding this band called The Seven Wonders（ザ７ワンダース）. During my search, I made a wrong turn into the J-Wiki article for The Wonders（ザ・ワンダース）which was actually a vocal group-turned-1960s Group Sounds band which included the late great Kiyohiko Ozaki（尾崎紀世彦）. The Seven Wonders was a different entity entirely and apparently belonged in the 1970s although the long hair and the fashion on their cover in the thumbnail above were obvious sartorial signs.

The YouTube uploader that has introduced me to The Seven Wonders, SHOWA KAYO THE ☆ NOW, put up this song by them only within the last five weeks and even this uploader couldn't find all that much information. I also tried but the Yahoo Japan search engine kept giving me red herrings. Just to reiterate what Showa Kayo had written underneath the video:

"The Seven Wonders" is a group shrouded in mystery, with almost no detailed information available about them. While two singles and one album have been confirmed to date, there is also a theory that a third single exists. The cover photo for this track—presumably their debut—depicts a seven-member lineup that includes one woman, yet subsequent photos show only the remaining six members after her departure. "Ai no Apron" features lyrics and music in a somewhat understated folk-rock kayō style typical of the mid-1970s. In contrast, their follow-up release, "Nikui Aitsu" (SN-1464), took a sharp turn toward a relatively hard-edged pop-rock sound.

Just to give my own take on "Ai no Apron" (Apron of Love), the single was produced and released in 1975. Fumiko Okada（岡田冨美子）was the lyricist here while Kunihiko Kase（加瀬邦彦）and Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）were the composer and arranger respectively. The song soberly tells the story of a man taking stock of a romantic relationship which is now in the past as he remembers his old flame working in the kitchen and waiting for him at home while wearing that lovely apron. There is a fairly jaunty if melancholy and serious vibe in the arrangement as if Hagita had meant to erase any risks of wistfulness getting into the listeners' minds; the now-single-again man is currently in the lamenting phase, post-relationship. The strings and a Santana-friendly guitar lend a certain gravitas to the situation. One commenter mentioned that the song is reminiscent of what Steely Dan had been doing at the time, although I think there is more Al Stewart in there thanks to that lovely piano and maybe even the lead vocalist's delivery.

Megumi Asaoka -- Mebae（芽生え）

Wikimedia Commons

Hope you are enjoying your weekend whether they be long (as in Canada and Japan) or regular. Heck of a time to be introducing a song titled "Mebae" (Young Buds) when we in the Northern Hemisphere are now fully into autumn, but at least folks south of the Equator are going through spring.

"Mebae" was the debut single of aidoru and actress Megumi Asaoka（麻丘めぐみ）, released in June 1972. Considering that Asaoka has been mostly known for her hit the following year, "Watashi no Kare wa Hidarikiki"（わたしの彼は左きき）, I thought it would be nice to hear how she started out in her music career. Plus, most of her KKP entries involve either Reminiscings of Youth or Author's Picks, so I should at least punch in a few more of her songs with her name on the byline.

Anyways, "Mebae", a love song of gratitude about a young lady who was lucky enough to have met her Mr. Right, was written by Kazuya Senke（千家和也）and composed by Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）as this very sweet aidoru tune of the 1970s amidst a background of glorious strings and a helpful harmonica. The cover for the single was apparently shot inside Tokyo's famous Inokashira Park and I have a feeling that the music video as seen above was also filmed there, too.

The J-Wiki article for "Mebae" also gave some information on the production of the single which encountered some growing pains...not surprising for a budding young aidoru star. The director for the recording of the single was frustrated that Asaoka's voice didn't sound cute at all. Asaoka, who had a bit of a complex regarding her naturally lower speaking voice, was so upset at the criticism that she went home crying, thinking that her singing career would end up stillborn. Well, here comes composer Tsutsumi to the rescue. At a later session, he advised her that when she hit the higher notes, her voice took on a more tearful quality so she should take advantage and go full forward into the higher registers. She took his advice and everyone was satisfied. As a result, "Mebae" would not only reach No. 3 on the Oricon weeklies and end up as the No. 17 single of the year but it would also earn Asaoka a Brand New Artist prize at the Japan Record Awards.

Tomoko Saito -- Watashi wa, Ima...（私は、今...）

 

It was a little over five years ago that I started the Tomoko Saito（斎藤とも子）file on KKP thanks to an inquiry by commenter Misha. That led to me covering the actress and (briefly) singer's 1979 debut single "Kaze no You ni"（風のように）which was a breezy urban-esque tune along the lines of AOR.

Saito only released three singles and a couple of albums throughout 1979 and 1980. And that third and final single to date is "Watashi wa, Ima..." (Now, I am...) which came out in October 1980. Written by Kaoru Asagi（麻木かおる）and composed/arranged by Kensuke Kyou（京建輔）, this last single has a far more kayo kyoku feeling, almost bordering on enka. The interesting thing about this particular tune is the tempo. The verses go at a pretty languid pace but then the chorus suddenly steps on the gas and "Watashi wa, Ima..." goes from 0 to 100 with some rapidly slicing strings as if the song opted to become a tokusatsu theme instead. The one constant though is Saito's vocals which basically maintain their pace and breathiness.

Hiroki Miyano -- Let's Make Merry

 

For both Japan and Canada, long holiday weekends are occurring right now with the former celebrating Sports Day on Monday and the latter doing Thanksgiving Day on the same day. Perhaps folks from both nations are making migrations outside of the big cities to hometowns to spend time with family and friends, although I can see PTAs and schools in Japan setting up Sports Day activities as well.

Maybe some months before and some months later, people will be hitting the tropics for their holiday vacation travel as shown through Vyacheslav Argenberg's photo of a beach of the Andaman Islands at the very top. It also makes for a nice visual vista for the song of note here, "Let's Make Merry" by guitarist Hiroki Miyano（宮野弘紀）. It's the launching song for his debut album "Manhattan Skyline" from 1981 which was actually produced in the Big Apple. But instead of New York City, Miyano takes us to warmer climes with lots of palm trees, sandy beaches and huge cocktails with this very amiable tropical tune.

Miyano was born in Shibuya, Tokyo but raised in Sapporo, Hokkaido. He began strumming the guitar in his teens when he first listened to the works of John McLaughlin and Djano Reinhardt after which he decided that he would become a professional guitarist. Collaborating with jazz bassist Eiji Nakayama（中山英二）, Miyano played gigs at jazz cafes throughout Hokkaido and the Tohoku region. His first time on record came when he appeared on Nakayama's 1979 LP "My Present Song"（マイプレゼントソング）through an Iwate Prefecture local independent record label Johnny's Disk. Soon after, Miyano and Nakayama headed to Tokyo.

Kei Marimura -- Final Flight

 

We come to the end of another KKP Urban Contemporary Friday. Hope you've had a good time and to finish off, let's see if I can come up with something nice and nocturnal and soothing.

Looks like we've been scouring through Kei Marimura's（真梨邑ケイ）1985 "Tiempo de Amor" album over the past few years, so why not coax out another track? This one pops up just before my favourite song on the original LP, "Etranger Break"（エトランゼ・ブレイク）. There are also "Shiseikatsu"（私生活）and "Watashi dake no Le Mans"（私だけのル・マン）.

"Final Flight" sounds like it's a final track for the album but it may actually begin Side B instead. No matter. It's still a dreamy nighttime tonic for all that fatigues the listener with its laidback tempo, that Fender Rhodes, the lone trumpet, and Marimura's cooing vocals. We can give thanks to lyricist Masako Arikawa（有川正沙子）and composer Makoto Matsushita（松下誠）. "Final Flight" could be referring to that final flight out of Haneda for the night, but I like to envisage a taxi ride away from the airport into Tokyo toward that lonely hotel room. Good night to you all!💤

Penthouse -- Doukeshi（道化師）

 

Although I never watched an episode of "Takeshi's Castle", the infamous TBS game show where folks had to go through a lot of arduous, painful and hilarious obstacle courses for fame and glory, I've seen enough variety shows in Japan where similar things would happen although the contestants consisted of the huge numbers of tarento that were part and parcel of Japanese entertainment on TV. One American tarento, Thane Camus, once noted in an interview that if one wasn't willing to make an entire fool out of oneself on camera, then Japanese television wasn't the place for that person. Yup, I can believe that.

This song, the latest rambunctious single by the City Soul band Penthouse from last month, "Doukeshi" (Play the Fool) struck me as being the perfect music description for the whole thing of risking body and soul on a Japanese game show. And what a cool song to accompany a tarento on his/her journey through a crazy career. Band bassist Takuma Ohara（大原拓真）and vocalist Shintaro Namioka（浪岡真太郎）took care of the lyrics while the latter composed "Doukeshi", a tour de force of swing jazz and funk that trumpets the entertainers that take all the pies and bottles thrown at them and yet refuse to crumple and skitter away. They keep coming back for more. 

PANTA -- Laser Shock（レーザー・ショック）

 

To be honest, I'd never heard of this rock singer and songwriter by the stage name of PANTA before. Hailing from Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, his early career in the late 1960s included a stint in the Group Sounds band Peanut Butter（ピーナツバター）and then in the 1970s, he helped found the folk-rock band Zunou Keisatsu（頭脳警察...Brain Police）, a group that became notorious for their antics on stage, including mastering one's own domain (that's a "Seinfeld" reference, by the way). In the latter half of the decade, after a time of going solo, PANTA became one half of a duo known as PANTA & HAL. 

Once PANTA & HAL broke up in 1981, PANTA resumed his solo career and released an album in 1982 titled "Kuchibiru ni Spark"（唇にスパーク...Spark on Your Lips）. One track there is "Laser Shock" which was written and composed by the singer under his real name, Haruo Nakamura（中村治雄）. Considering what I've read of his past, "Laser Shock" sounds remarkably comfortable and subdued as a conventional New Wave rock tune. As well, PANTA's vocals emerge rather precisely and languidly. "Laser Shock" was also released the same year as a 7" EP.

Aside from the EP, PANTA supposedly only put out albums rather than singles up to 2007. In July 2023, the singer passed away from respiratory failure at the age of 73.

Ami Ozaki -- Hatsukoi no Toori Ame（初恋の通り雨）

 

I'd just like to reassure folks that the above is a shot of an Ami Ozaki（尾崎亜美）CD single from the 1990s. However, for today, I'd like to return to her 1970s roots since I hadn't been to that part of her early discography in a couple of years.

Call me an old New Music wonk but the piano that begins Ozaki's 4th single "Hatsukoi no Toori Ame" (A Passing Shower of First Love) had me at "Hello!". After that, the singer-songwriter from Kyoto goes full steam ahead into an optimistic contemporized version of a 1950s/1960s girl pop song about a couple sharing that umbrella during some meteorological spritzing. Of course, the tradition of sharing that umbrella in Japan is one serious sign when it comes to the subject of romance. No wonder it's so softly upbeat thanks to Masataka Matsutoya's（松任谷正隆）arrangement of Ozaki's words and music. 

It's a bit of a shame though that after "Hatsukoi no Toori Ame" had been released in July 1977, it got no higher than No. 100 on Oricon. The song shares track space on Ozaki's（尾崎亜美）2nd original album, "Mind Drops" with "Taiyo no Hitorigoto"（太陽のひとりごと）.

Original Love -- Deep French Kiss

 

It was a few months ago that I posted "J-Canuck's Four Favourite Songs by Original Love" after seeing singer and songwriter Takao Tajima（田島貴男）perform live on "Asaichi"（あさイチ）one Friday morning. His amazing performance was such that I just had to put up something by the band.

Well, one of the songs that Tajima performed that day was "Deep French Kiss" which I realized was Original Love's debut single from June 1991. I hadn't heard it before and found it really cool. Of course, the "Asaichi" performance was a veteran Tajima with that characteristic growl in his voice and so I wanted to hear it way back when more than three decades ago.

Indeed, Tajima's voice sounded downright angelic and soulful in the original 1991 recording, although the lyrics hinted at some raunchy stuff happening starting with the titular act (hope the couple brushed beforehand). The music is jazzy and funky and it feels as if I were having the pleasure of hearing it at a small live house where the entire venue is suffused with good vibes. There's the hearty sax and organ along with some punchy percussion all over. Good times were about to be had by Original Love.

Yoko Shibata -- Furareta Ato de（ふられたあとで）

 

The last time singer-songwriter Yoko Shibata（柴田容子）was on the byline of an article was over four years in 2022 when I wrote about her "Heartbreak House"（ハート ブレイクハウス）. And that's a pity especially on hearing this new tune by her.

Well, the "new" tune is actually an old one but it's one that I'm hearing for the first time. "Heartbreak House" was on her one-and-only February 1978 album "Tomarigi" (とまり木...Perch) but so was "Furareta Ato de" (After Getting Dumped) which was the first track of the album. I have an affinity for a clarinet-led bluesy jazz number and this one indeed fills all the checkboxes. Shibata wrote and composed "Furareta Ato de" which takes the wistful view of experiencing one of the more emotionally twisting trials of life and gives the shrug of "Hey, what can I do?". It's a nice song to shuffle off to the nearest watering hole to drink away the rest of the evening. 

Styx -- Mr. Roboto

 

I remember seeing the music video for Styx's "Mr. Roboto" as a teen on Canada's premier music program "The New Music" and there was some narration about a rock opera ("Kilroy was Here") that was being produced at the time featuring the band and other actors. Never heard any more from it, but the chief song "Mr. Roboto" has been the main aspect that has survived all these years, and apparently the lyric by vocalist Dennis DeYoung, "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" is now part of the English vernacular. When one would use it in polite conversation is beyond me, however.

Still, the technopop/technorock "Mr. Roboto" caught my ears and at the time, I was keenly attuned to anything that had synthesizers connected to it, and of course, there was my whole fascination with Japan, so you can imagine how hyped I was at hearing Japanese being sung in an American rock song. At the time though, I could only understand that lyric of "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" and it wouldn't be until some time later, I finally figured out what the other Japanese was (domo arigato, four years of university Japanese language training). 

"Mr. Roboto" hit No. 1 in Canada and No. 3 in the United States.

So, what was hitting the top of the charts at around the time "Mr. Roboto" was released on February 11th 1983? Well, we've got the Top 3 of the February 14th 1983 Oricon singles chart.

1. Seiko Matsuda -- Himitsu no Hanazono （秘密の花園）

2. Masahiko Kondo -- Midnight Station（ミッドナイト・ステーション）

3. Eisaku Ohkawa -- Sazanka no Yado （さざんかの宿）

Kazuhiro Nishimatsu -- Byakuya e no Shoutai（白夜への招待）

 

With October 31st coming up in the next few weeks, I'm pretty sure that I'll be covering Danny Elfman's "Beetlejuice" theme for the annual Halloween ROY article. It's quite the distinct song that set up the composing career by the former vocalist for Oingo Boingo. For a while, he seemed to be the go-to guy for magical European Gothic suspense horror scores for movies like "Batman" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

Earlier today, I received word from a KKP commenter that I hadn't heard in some years, Matt K. We shared thoughts and feelings on one of the 1980s most unique Japanese pop albums, "Bouekifu Monogatari"（貿易風物語...Trade Wind Story） by singer-songwriter Kazuhiro Nishimatsu（西松一博）. The original 1985 LP provided music that felt like stuff that could be heard in that notorious bar in Mos Eisley where Han Solo had shot first. There was something of that techno-jazz cabaret vibe that could have come from the early 20th century...and maybe even the early 22nd century.

I provided articles for "Bouekifu Monogatari" in 2018 and 2020, and yet I think there are still a few tracks that I hadn't covered. Matt K. reminded me of one of those tracks. I did mention Elfman off the top and so here is "Byakuya e no Shoutai" (Invitation to a White Night) which sounds like something that could have floated around in the master composer's mind, even though of course, this is Nishimatsu's composition with Ren Takayanagi（高柳恋）as the lyricist. To be honest, listening to "Byakuya e no Shoutai", images of The Joker from Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" maniacally running around and cackling in his lair while playing a huge pipe organ have come to mind (although it's hard for me to imagine Jack Nicholson spending time on a keyboard). The frenzied minor-key chord progressions simply suggest villainous ideas are afoot here, something that Nishimatsu's vocal punctuations help enhance. I wonder whether the singer had sported a mask and a quill pen when coming up with this one.

A Tribute to Hen 'Ai (Particular Hobbies)

 

Yesterday, I was watching NHK's daily morning information show "Asaichi"（あさイチ）and the theme was hen'ai. I'd never heard of the term before but was wondering if it were transcribed thusly: 「変愛」. Of course, seeing that kanji in my mind, I went "Oh, geez...I didn't think these guys would go into fetishism this early in the day...and on NHK, no less!" . But then, I saw the proper kanji: 「偏愛」. According to jisho.org, the definition is favoritism or partiality, but for the purposes of "Asaichi", it actually referred to particularly unusual hobbies. So, the reporters visited a housewife who has been collecting bags from stores and restaurants for decades, another lady who often spent two hours a day enjoying removing aphids from her plants, and another woman who thrilled at admiring/passing through iron bridges. 

Perhaps then, the whole thing about non-Japanese people collecting Japanese City Pop albums can be considered hen'ai as well. I used to collect newspaper articles on Japan and astronomy when I was a kid until all that browning newsprint became too much of a fire hazard. 

Anyways, it is Hump Day and so to relieve the usual stress that comes in the middle of the week, I thought that I could provide some examples of those rarefied pastimes via music.

(1984) Akiko Yano -- Ramen Tabetai （ラーメン食べたい）

I love my ramen but I'm not quite on the same level as some of these other folks who make going out for ramen a daily ritual. I've even seen magazines devoted to the dish in the convenience stores.

(1984) Taeko Ohnuki -- Metropolitan Museum （メトロポリタン美術館）

This wasn't covered in "Asaichi", but I can imagine people who would just adore visiting the various museums in a particular city. Tokyo has no shortage of those historical and artistic institutions. 

(1993) Chisato Moritaka -- Watarasebashi (渡良瀬橋)

As I mentioned above, there is that middle-aged lady featured in "Asaichi" who loves iron bridges, even right down to the rust patterns.

(2007) Uruma Delvi -- Oshiri Kajiri Mushi（おしりかじり虫）

Of course, there is also the lady who has an affinity for going aphid-hunting. It was even reported in "Asaichi" that she's got a good battle comrade in the form of a praying mantis.

(2023) Ryuusei -- Oute!（王手!）

Board game enthusiasts such as players of shogi can be included. And perhaps it can include those who love to simply collect the tile sets.

Asqua -- Blue Lullaby（ブルーララバイ）

 

Up until recently, I had never heard of this singer-songwriter Asqua（明日香）who hailed from Aichi Prefecture but then I listened to her wonderful song which was released as her third single from December 1983, "Blue Lullaby". Thanks to her gentle piano and string-led melody and Yoko Oshita's（大下洋子）lyrics, her "Blue Lullaby" sounded as if it had been created and recorded from at least half a decade prior to its early 1980s release date. In addition, Asqua had a comforting voice that reminded me of the golden tones of Midori Karashima（辛島美登里）who would soon be making her own debut within the next few years.

Born Minako Suga or Kan（菅美奈子）, Asqua took her first steps into a career in music through the annual Yamaha Popular Song Contest in 1981 and then released her debut single in late 1982. She released a total of eleven singles, three albums and six mini-albums. Sadly, her life would come to an end in October 2013 at the age of 49 due to cancer. A couple of live albums were posthumously released in 2014. 

Yoko Akino with KINTA -- Ima wa Dakishimete（今は抱きしめて）

 

Yoko Akino（秋野暢子）has been an actress, tarento and singer, but I've usually only seen her at the middle occupation because of her appearances on variety shows and commercials such as the one above. Looks like she's touting the wonders of consommé cubes while a doo-wop song is being played in the background.

Now, to be frank, Akino's discography only seems to consist of six songs which were released between 1977 and 1989. This one here is just her second foray behind the recording mike and it's the first song she'd released since that first song in 1977. Her 1985 "Ima wa Dakishimete" (Hold Me Now) has her partnered up with KINTA, the leader and drummer of the band Twist（ツイスト）which has been associated with rocker Masanori Sera（世良公則）. 

How that partnership was generated, I don't know but I guess in keeping with that doo-wop tune for that Akino commercial, "Ima wa Dakishimete" also has an old-timey rock n' roll/pop feeling from the 50s or 60s. Neither of their vocals are in the awe-inspiring range but kudos to them for putting together this pleasant number; the lyrics were by Akino while KINTA took care of the melody. To finish off, "Ima wa Dakishimete" was the B-side to their single "Yoroshikattara Yon'nasai yo"（よろしかったらお寄んなさいよ...Feel Free to Drop By If You'd Like）.

Yuri Sato -- Lonely Girl（ロンリー・ガール）

 

I only discovered this particular song within the last day or so, but it's interesting when I encounter a phenomenon where two totally different songs of the same title get released within a couple of months of each other.

The song in question is "Lonely Girl". I remember the title track from Junko Yagami's（八神純子）February 1983 album with the same name which was this mid-tempo introspective City Pop tune. Now I've come across this "Lonely Girl" which was released as the sophomore single of Yuri Sato（佐東由梨）only a couple of months later in April 1983. Listening to this one, I'd also wondered if this could also fall under the City Pop umbrella but aside from an urbane intro and a sharp horn section, Sato's "Lonely Girl" is more of an especially funky strut aidoru tune. The song also had some of the big songwriting powerhouses behind it: lyricist Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）, composer Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）and arranger Masaaki Omura（大村雅朗）.

However, the song didn't make any sort of dent...it actually reached No. 186 on Oricon (I wasn't aware that Oricon would broadcast songs scoring that low), and unfortunately for Sato, her singing career was limited to just four singles from November 1982 to December 1983. Believe it or not, according to her J-Wiki article, one reason for the fact that she never really caught fire within the music zeitgeist may have been partly due to her hair. She had just won the Miss Seventeen contest (sponsored by the teen magazine "Seventeen") which led to her path into music and opted to have her hair cut really short into something rather boyish, but with the fandom going gaga at the time over fellow aidoru Seiko Matsuda's（松田聖子）famous Seiko-chan cut, Sato didn't really garner much interest. By the time she grew it out again (to resemble more of a Seiko-chan cut), it was the time of her fourth and final single and the writing was probably on the wall. She would retire from the geinokai after March 1984.

Rumiko Koyanagi -- Limelight（来夢来人）

 

Two of my more memorable Rumiko Koyanagi（小柳ルミ子）songs are her early 1970s song "Watashi no Joukamachi" (わたしの城下町）and then her 1983 brassy hit "Ohisashiburi ne" (お久しぶりね）. Both of them are very different in arrangement with "Watashi no Joukamachi" being a poignant ballad and "Ohisashiburi ne" being about a lady who's come back to town all cosmopolitan and man-hungry.

I'm also falling for the charms of this single by Koyanagi, "Limelight", which was released as her 30th single from January 1980. Imbued with some traditionalism in the introduction and then a lot of typical Japanese imagery such as fluttering cherry blossom petals, "Limelight" still strikes me as this hybrid of kayo kyoku, disco groove and rock guitar. 

It had initially been titled "Samidare Onnazaka"（五月雨女坂...Gentle Path to a Shrine in an Early Spring Rain） and was going to be given lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）but for some reason, plans changed and it ended up with Fumiko Okada（岡田富美子）as the word weaver. Okada's words seem to analogize a romantic relationship to the everchanging seasons throughout the year. Can't imagine what winter is going to be like. Meanwhile, Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）and Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）took care of melody and arrangement respectively and my compliments go to them for this disco kayo, especially with the impending crescendo before the chorus comes crashing in. Finally, Koyanagi's vocals seem to take this serene roost above all of the melodic mixture. The song reached No. 22 on Oricon.

Mayumi Asaka -- Niji Iro no Yume（虹色の夢）

 

Since I began the Mayumi Asaka（朝加真由美）file back in 2023, I've learned that the Hokkaido-born entertainer had been a singer of City Pop and then jazz in the 1980s. She was also and remains an actress and according to her J-Wiki article, her first dramatic role was in a 1973 episode of "Ultraman Taro"（ウルトラマンタロウ）as heroine Saori Shiratori（白鳥さおり）when she was a teen.

Well, I guess we've come full circle then, because I am providing her very first single which was released in August 1973. Her name back then was rendered all in hiragana（あさかまゆみ）and stayed so for the first couple of years in her career before reverting to the whole kanji route. But getting back to that debut song, it was "Niji Iro no Yume" (Rainbow Dreams) and as the title sounds, the down-home country-style melody by composer Koichi Morita（森田公一）and arranger Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）is a very upbeat tune fit for an aidoru of that time although she hasn't been categorized as such on J-Wiki. However, I still get these Mari Amachi（天地真理）vibes after listening to the song a few times. Yu Aku（阿久悠）was responsible for the lyrics.

Nobue Kawana - のぶえの海 (Nobue's Sea)

Oh brother, grab your tissues.

Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Nobue Kawana(河名伸江). Born on June 21, 1954, Nobue developed a passion for music early in life. She began studying violin in kindergarten, attended

Todoroki Elementary School, and later went to Higashi-Fukasawa Junior High School. She was a competitive swimmer, too. In 1970, she entered Jissen Girls’ High School, but soon became ill and spent the following years going back and forth between the hospital and her room.

Even then, she kept making music. Nobue spent long stretches recording songs onto cassette tapes and playing with her friends. She wrote about the sea, love, illness, and whatever else was on her mind. She died on June 21, 1974, her twentieth birthday.

While she was taken from us too soon, thanks to some faithful friends, Keiko Saitou & Ryohei Suzuki, they helped gather the songs she had recorded into のぶえの海 (Nobue no Umi, or Nobue’s Sea), a privately made album released in 1975, made as a parting gift for the people who knew her. Branco Label gave the record a wider audience with a CD reissue in 2013, followed by a vinyl reissue in 2023.

Listening to Nobue’s Sea feels like watching someone’s childhood home videos. Ryohei’s narration appears between some of the songs, sharing memories of Nobue and her love of the ocean. The recordings have an amateur quality, but there’s an innocence to them that makes them endearing and deeply melancholy. Often, it’s just Nobue singing with a guitar and a friend beside her. It melts your heart really.

The opening song, “Hajimete no Asa,” sets the tone for the whole album. There’s a purity in her voice that draws you in immediately. But the song that always brings me to tears is “Anata wa Umi” (“You Are the Sea”). It’s one of the most sorrowful piano songs I’ve ever heard. I remember hearing it before I knew Nobue’s story, and somehow I already felt like I was mourning someone.

You can't really review this record... I mean, technically you can, but assigning a verdict to something this personal feels dirty. The recordings aren’t polished studio productions, yet Nobue’s gift for songwriting still shines through. The tape hiss gives the album an almost ghostly atmosphere, as though her songs have traveled to us from another room and another time. I don’t mean that insensitively. It’s part of what makes the music feel so intimate.

Listening it also reminds me that tomorrow is not promised. I've heard plenty of stories about artists dying before they get to see their work fully realized. For me this one is the most tragic, as it's someone so young. I'll admit it puts a fear in my hear that I might die before completing my own creative endeavors. Yet, at the same time, I feel encouraged to not live in fear and to simply create to the best of my ability while I'm still here, in spite of my own struggles. 

There isn’t much reliable information about Nobue herself. But thanks to the liner notes and some helpful Discogs comments, we can get a glimpse of her character by the people who knew her best.

I can’t do Nobue’s Sea justice with words. But maybe her friend can.

Keiko Saitou, recounts:

“I met her first when I was 16. I would go over to her house all the time to sing and record music onto cassette tapes. She had perfect pitch and could play any instrument she touched- violin, guitar, and composition as well. I would harmonize with her, and play piano, as well as help with lyrics.

My parents greatly disapproved of our friendship, they would scold me for not applying my every second to my studies. But I still spent much of my time practicing my abilities in songwriting and going over to her house to play.

She was fashionable and influential to her friends in a positive sense. Despite a sickness that had wrecked her health since early teenhood.

On her 19th birthday, in 1974, she passed away.

I independently attempted to have a physical LP of her music released, and in 1975, it was done. With the help of a male mutual friend who told her life story in segments sandwiched between the tracks. These copies were given to our friend group as almost a parting gift for us all.

I still think about how every day, after school, I would visit her in her room as she was always sick in bed because of the untreatable cancer. We sang of love, sickness, and a longing for the sea.”

Katsumi Horii Project -- Non-Stop Paradise

By Silver Dovelet from Wikimedia Commons

Earlier today, we went over to the local Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre to meet up with a family friend and exchange some foodstuffs. I don't go there regularly but it's nice that any time I've been there it's been fully active. Apparently, today was the Issei-kai.

Today has been a fine fall day so heading over to the JCCC and back wasn't a bad commute at all. Of course with the song that I'm about to introduce, the mood might be more for a visit down to the lakeside bar for a drink.

"Non=Stop Paradise" by the Katsumi Horii Project（堀井勝美PROJECT）is the first track on the band's debut album "Hot Is Cool" from March 1987. Some years ago, I covered the second and title track which was a bit more down-to-town Dazz Band funk and stuff. "Non Stop Paradise" is a soaring hang glider of a piece led by what I assume is the late Hidefumi Toki's（土岐英史）soprano saxophone. Meanwhile, folks can just enjoy that sail on the yacht with their martinis. Not to be outdone by the sax though, that bass that seemingly sounds like the one from "Law & Order" is just plowing the road with aplomb. Even instruments from cop-and-robbers shows need vacations, too. And when we come to the end of the nearly four-and-a-half minutes, it really does feel like a non-stop paradise.

Kawai Fujii -- Omotai Ai de Gomen（重たい愛でごめん）

 

The above photo is there courtesy of Rob Sinclair via Wikimedia Commons. It's a shot of Akasaka, Tokyo after midnight. I have to say that I've never been in the neighbourhood past the witching hour although I've spent a few evenings in some of the restaurants and bars in the ritzy area.

There won't be any "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）this week but I did hear of this one when singer Kawai Fujii（藤井香愛）showed up on a recent episode of the program. "Omotai Ai de Gomen" (Sorry for My Overwhelming Love) is her 7th and latest single from May of this year, and I get those Akasaka vibes when I listen to this one. In the past, I've regarded her music as being Mood Kayo but for "Omotai Ai de Gomen", there is plenty of groove to spread around so that I would place it in the hybrid genre of New Adult Music. This is some nice Japanese sophisticated pop for a Friday night in the megalopolis, delivered in a very silky way by Fujii.

Fujii's single ranked No. 19 on Oricon. Lyrics were provided by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）while the music and arrangement were handled by Kohei Miyuki（幸耕平）and Masayuki Sakamoto（坂本昌之）respectively.

POLYSICS -- XCT

Just a few days ago, I was talking about the TV version of "Logan's Run" which had its short run in the 1970s. Well, one of the pop icons of the 1980s was Max Headroom who was everywhere in the visual zeitgeist and his "night" in the sun was his own sci-fi/thriller TV show which lasted about as long as "Logan's Run". Unlike the former show, though, "Max Headroom" didn't bother to hide its dystopian videoscape.

I got similar "Max Headroom" vibes on seeing the music video for POLYSIC's first single as a major act (they signed with Ki/oon Music), "XCT". Released in April 2000, Hiroyuki Hayashi（ハヤシヒロユキ）and the band blasted off the launch pad sounding like as they always have: chaotic techno rock. No early installment weirdness here. The MV was filmed in Los Angeles and seeing that evil general in the beginning reminded me of some of those early DEVO videos.

Koichi Miura -- Ochiba Shigure（落葉しぐれ）

Wikimedia Commons

I may have mentioned this before, but autumn is my favourite season. The summer heat and humidity have given way to a refreshing coolness while retaining the mostly sunny days. Of course, in both Canada and Japan, it's also a fine time for good food and drink, although I'm not quite sold on pumpkin spice latte.

And so in keeping with that fall theme as we enter October, I bring you Koichi Miura's（三浦洸一）"Ochiba Shigure" (Fallen Leaves in the Autumn Rain). The fact that fellow contributor Noelle Tham has not only talked about this 1953 hit once but twice talks to its popularity and amity. My association with the song comes from a recent episode of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）where I saw it performed.

Written by Shizuo Yoshikawa（吉川静夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）, it's a grand yet comforting enka (although it wasn't called an enka back then) in melody although Yoshikawa's lyrics talk about a roaming vagabond guitarist sporting little aside from the great weight of regrets in his life as he goes from place to place even in the midst of cold precipitation. Well, at least I can enjoy it from the confines of a warm cafe or bar, although I'd be willing to call in the poor lad to sit down and share a cup.

Miura appeared on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen a total of eight times between 1955 and 1963 during which he sang "Ochiba Shigure" in his first appearance on the New Year's Eve special. The singer was actually born Toshiyasu Kuwata（桑田利康）and he took his stage name from his hometown of Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. He left this mortal coil on January 11th 2025 at the age of 97.

Saori Minami -- Ku-gatsu no Episode（九月のエピソード）

 

Well, yeah, I missed out on putting this one up in the proper month by a few days. But we can't win them all here.

"Ku-gatsu no Episode" (September Episode) is the B-side to 1970s aidoru Saori Minami's（南沙織）May 1978 26th single "Ai Naki Sedai"（愛なき世代）. Compared to the breezy kayo of the A-side, "Ku-gatsu no Episode" takes things into the exotic kayo realm via Brazil and perhaps a European nation or two considering the bossa nova and one particular instrument that I cannot quite identify. It does sound classy and Mancini-esque (the strings are shimmering) which is why I've selected this one to finish off Urban Contemporary Friday. And hey, there is the Fender Rhodes which starts things off. Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）provided words and music/arrangement respectively.

Tokimeki Records feat. Mai Zaitsu -- Namida no Carat: Rumor Girl（涙のカラット）

 

Earlier in the summer, I posted an article regarding the latest in Tokimeki Records' brand of Neo-City Pop featuring Mai Zaitsu（財津マイ）titled "Tsuki wa Mirror Ball"（月はミラーボール）. Since then, I've received information from an anonymous commenter that Zaitsu is actually the music video-animated persona of KiBi, a vocalist and songwriter for the pop duo sucola, so I'll have to take a look at that group sometime, too. Obviously, she isn't a relative of Kazuo Zaitsu（財津和夫）of Tulip as I'd wondered aloud in the article.

In any case, tonight I'm covering the latest collaboration between Tokimeki and Zaitsu from about a month ago, "Namida no Carat: Rumor Girl" (A Carat of Tears) which starts off with some toe-dancing piano and then some fast-paced brassy soul and Latin jazz go for a dance as Zaitsu sings about the hollowness of a certain love affair. The pair also worked on the songwriting here as well. Too bad about the lass' situation but it's a fun song to listen to.

Sara Hamamoto -- Futari（ふたり）

 

I've seen the veteran Kansai comedic duo Downtown（ダウンタウン）for years and years as they hosted a lot of variety shows including "HEY!HEY!HEY! Music Champ". However, I never heard of this one called "Hatsumei Shogun Downtown"（発明将軍ダウンタウン...Invention Shogun Downtown） which was on NTV between 1993 and 1996 (the show lasted one more year without Downtown with different hosts). Apparently, Downtown invited a lot of amateur inventors to the studio to show off their wares and see if they could get some prize money. Of course, Hamada and Matsumoto were there to snark off as usual. I could see that this was a show from over thirty years ago since Hitoshi Matsumoto (on the left side in the above video) still had a full head of hair and no bristly moustache and beard.

Knowing Downtown and their brand of chaotic energy, I had assumed that the ending theme for "Hatsumei Shogun Downtown" would be a rockin' number. Instead though, it's a cuddly mid-tempo pop song by Sara Hamamoto（浜本沙良）titled "Futari" (Two People). Usually I've covered her material as City Pop tunes of the 1990s but I think "Futari" is fine as a pop tune although it's urbane enough that I could include it here on Friday. Released as her 4th single in November 1995, it managed to reach No. 48 on Oricon which was Hamamoto's first recorded rank-in there. Keiko Moon（けいこmoon）was the lyricist while Masaki Iwamoto（岩本正樹） took care of the melody and arrangement.