Well, going into the first full week of February 2026, we're not that far away from the next big celebration on the calendar which is Valentine's Day at the end of next week.
It's been over three years since putting up my most recent article regarding singer and future AMAZONS member Yuko Ohtaki（大滝裕子）. In the time that I've known about this lady from Yamanashi Prefecture during her relatively brief solo career in the 1980s, she's delved into a few genres such as country and City Pop.
Ohtaki's fifth and final single to date, "Isei" (The Opposite Sex), was released in March 1981, and it's a song that heartily bounces about with a feeling similar to The Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", although I don't consider "Isei" a ska tune the way The Beatles' classic has been classified. Created by some big guns in the Japanese songwriting industry: lyricist Yoshiko Miura（三浦徳子）, composer Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）and arranger Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）, it's also one of those happy tunes that basically maintains a pop line although at certain points, I did wonder whether it was trying to poke a little bit into country and City Pop.
Lyrically, it deals with a teenage girl dealing with her feelings for a guy and secretly relishing the fact that one rival for his affections has lost the chase. As I said, Valentine's Day is around the corner, and the lass is on the verge of making those homemade chocolates for the fellow.
Hey, wait a minute. Valentine's Day isn't the next upcoming event. That status belongs to 節分 (Setsubun), at least in Japan and Japanese expat circles. Valentine's day is a lot more romantic and Yuko Ohtaki 's Isei fits it a lot more than it does 'Setsubun'. Anyway, I like Yuko Ohtaki's voice a lot! I do not know how much range she has, but I do enjoy that her voice is super clear, crispy, and strong. I can hear every syllable or mora. This song is also very catchy, too.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Brian...I was thinking in Canadian. 😁
DeleteThis makes me wonder again if Canadians are particularly romantic??? The first time I have this thought was shortly after I arrived in Japan and I heard the famous line "lover letter from Canada" in Masaaki Hirao & Yoko Hatanaka's カナダからの手紙 on some music show. I can imagine that Old Quebec and maybe Montreal might have some romantic spots.
DeleteConsidering that Toronto and Montreal like to take potshots at each other, the latter will love to boast that their citizens are far more romantic than the Vulcan-like Torontonians.
Delete"Canada kara no Tegami" is quite the karaoke classic from my days, although the setting there was probably Banff, Alberta.
Well, Banff, Alberta does have the northern lights and the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Oh, there is a town called Vulcan in Alberta. But, this is the first time I have heard of the Torontonians as being like Vulcan the Roman god of fire?
DeleteMore like Vulcans from "Star Trek". Torontonians have often been accused of being sticks-in-the-mud compared to the more laidback Montrealers.
DeleteI can hear the Hiromi Iwasaki influence, but even better. Hard to believe.
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