The Works of Jun Hashimoto (1939-2026)（橋本淳）

From Yahoo Japan

 

Not to say that I'm an X-Man or anyone like that, but earlier today as I was entering my usual digestion-induced nap, I got a little spark in my head about whether there would be an obituary regarding someone in the music industry, and annually, there have been a few. As it turns out, less than an hour ago, I was watching the morning news on NHK and the report came out that veteran lyricist Jun Hashimoto had passed away on May 21st at the age of 86 due to cirrhosis.

Since I began this blog back in 2012, as someone who hadn't been too up on lyricists, arrangers and composers at the time, Hashimoto's name was one that I came across fairly often especially in the early years of KKP. And according to both J-Wiki and NHK, he had written approximately 2000 songs of which a little over 70 have been covered here. He worked with a number of composers during his career which lasted close to 60 years but it was his collaborations with the late Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）that produced a lot of those kayo kyoku hits.

Born on July 8th 1939, Hashimoto was born Junsuke Yoda（与田凖介 ）, the son of famed poet and children's book author Junichi Yoda（与田凖一）, in Tokyo. He started learning about lyric writing on his own while studying at Aoyama Gakuin University, and he eventually came under the wing of composer Koichi Sugiyama（すぎやまこういち）in 1961. Some years later in 1966, his first stint at lyrics which ended up as a record was "Kiiroi Lemon"（黄色いレモン...Yellow Lemon） by another Sugiyama protege, singer Koichi Fuji（藤浩一）who would later become Masato Shimon（子門真人）. It was also Tsutsumi's first stint at composing a record as well under Sugiyama's wing. Thus, the source of all those Hashimoto/Tsutsumi hits can be tracked back here.

Of course, a couple of years later, Hashimoto and Tsutsumi would pen their first evergreen kayo hit, "Blue Light Yokohama"（ブルーライト・ヨコハマ）by Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）. 

The lights of the city are really beautiful, aren't they?                                                                                  Yokohama, Blue Light Yokohama                                                                                                                The two of us are so happy

As always, those words of love                                                                                                                    Yokohama, Blue Light Yokohama                                                                                                                Give those words to me

A year previously though, Hashimoto with Jackey Yoshikawa and his Blue Comets member and composer Tadao Inoue（井上忠夫）came up with "Blue Chateau"（ブルー・シャトウ）, arguably the Group Sounds band's most famous hit from 1967. In fact, NHK reported that Hashimoto was instrumental to the GS boom of those late 1960s.

Surrounded by the woods and the springs                                                                                                  There quietly sleeps the Blue Chateau                                                                                                      You are waiting for me                                                                                                              The dark and lonely Blue Chateau

Another Group Sounds hit that Hashimoto wrote was "Amairo no Kami no Otome"（亜麻色の髪の少女）by The Village Singers  (ヴィレッジ・シンガーズ) in 1968 with his mentor and composer Sugiyama behind the melody. 

The wind gently folds the long flaxen hair                                                                                              The girl holds the white bouquet to her chest                                                                                               As she comes down the hill as if with wings                                                                                     To her kind boyfriend she goes                                                         Her singing voice cheerful because she's in love

Even with the end of the Group Sounds period in the early 1970s, Hashimoto would continue to pen the hits including the popular duet song "Canada Kara no Tegami" (カナダからの手紙）in 1978 with Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃） , who also composed it, and Yoko Hatanaka（畑中葉子）. Yeah, to think I pummeled the heck out of that one at karaoke, and it was a Hashimoto classic!

Love letter from Canada                                                                                                                              If by chance, we were together                                                                                                                      How much fun we would have on this trip                                                                                                  Love letter from Canada

Hashimoto and Hirao would work together again soon after and this time, it would be for the theme song of one of the most famous anime series ever created, "Ginga Tetsudo 999"（銀河鉄道999）as sung mightily by Isao Sasaki（ささきいさお）.

The train comes out of the darkness into the sea of light                                                                     It's the endless universe where dreams scatter                                                                                          Let's cross the bridge of stars                                                                                               People will always search for happiness                                                                               As if they were voyagers

My last entry here involves Hashimoto's dalliance with City Pop, and I'm not sure how far down the rabbit hole he went but he and Tsutsumi worked together here as well to make Hiromi Iwasaki's（岩崎宏美) "Street Dancer" in 1980. 

As I keep my sunglasses on                                                                                                                          I gaze at the flow of time                                                                                                                            Weekend                                                                                                                   The neon at noon, the glittering streets                                                                                Stuffing my face with a hamburger                                                                                                          Seeking the sprit of youth                                                                                                                          Together

Of course, this article isn't anywhere near as comprehensive as I would like it to be. However, I did want to pay homage to the man in some fashion and hopefully some of you can take a look at the other articles of songs that Hashimoto wrote over his decades in the music business. My condolences to his family, friends, fans and many fellow songwriters in the industry.

Ayumi Ishida & Tin Pan Alley Family -- Bye Bye Jet（バイバイJet ）

Wikimedia Commons
by Inunami

Welcome to Urban Contemporary Friday on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" as usual. I wanted to continue my tribute to actress and singer Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）who sadly passed away almost a couple of months ago on March 11th. 

Leafing through the original "Japanese City Pop" guide by Yutaka Kimura, I was surprised to find out that kayo kyoku singer Ishida had also dove into the new pond of the groovy uber-genre City Pop in the late 1970s via her collaboration with the band Tin Pan Alley in their one-and-only album together "Our Connection"（アワー・コネクション）from April 1977. I posted on the first track "Watashi Jishin"（私自身）back in 2018 and noted her light and feathery vocals flying over the burbling and funky notes of city life.

Well, I'm here today to talk about the final track "Bye Bye Jet" also created by lyricist Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）and composer Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）with Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）providing an interesting arrangement of a laidback reggae rhythm in the beginning before the melody gives way to something with a romantic twist. Meanwhile, Ishida sings about being at Haneda Airport in the early evening to see if she can spot her old flame with his new bride as they head off on the next jet. She doesn't seem to be too perturbed and in a way, she is gallantly if perhaps surreptitiously seeing the newlyweds off with her blessing. Love the background chorus, by the way.

Considering the release year of 1977, I thought it was rather poignant that "Bye Bye Jet" is set at Tokyo's Haneda. Maybe it was one of the last songs to feature the downtown airport because by that point, Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture had probably already been open and gaining in prestige while Haneda shrank over the decades.  Happily though, Haneda was back in the ascendant over the last ten years as a boffo international airport.

Ayumi Ishida & Tin Pan Alley Family -- Hitori Tabi（ひとり旅）

 

A few days ago, I mentioned the passing of veteran actress and singer Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）. She was definitely one representative of the kayo kyoku era, but I was later surprised by the fact that even she had her dalliance with the emerging wave of City Pop in the late 1970s. Through leafing through my first issue of Yutaka Kimura's "Japanese City Pop", I discovered that she was involved in a collaborative project with the band Tin Pan Alley which resulted in the April 1977 album "Our Connection"（アワー・コネクション）.

It was back in 2018 on KKP when I wrote on the first track of that album which was also her first single under the name Ayumi Ishida & Tin Pan Alley Family, "Watashi Jishin"（私自身）. For some reason, "Watashi Jishin" doesn't show up anywhere on Ishida's discography in her J-Wiki profile but from the thumbnail above, the B-side is also the second track on "Our Connection", "Hitori Tabi" (Traveling Solo).

As with "Watashi Jishin", "Hitori Tabi" was made by lyricist Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）and composer Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）, and just from the title itself, I could make out that this was a post-breakup tune as the protagonist heads out alone to the more rural areas by train in late winter or early spring to forget about a now-dead romance. The uncanny thing about "Hitori Tabi" is how the intro at least sounds a lot like the one for Steely Dan's "Black Cow" although their legendary album "Aja" didn't actually get released until September 1977. Things that make me go Hmmmm. But in any case, despite Hashimoto's lyrics, Ishida's delivery sounds footloose and fancy-free, and Hosono's melody is filled with slow funky licks and still-romantic strings shimmering in the wind. It would seem that the lady on the train isn't lamenting a broken silk rope but is celebrating fallen shackles.

Ayumi Ishida -- Nee, Kiite yo Mama（ネエ、聞いてよママ）

 

Since "Kayo Kyoku Plus" began in early 2012, we've had to say goodbye to a lot of singers and other people who've had a major influence on the Japanese music industry, and sad to say, 2025 is now no different. 

Over the past several years, it's been the usual question that has popped up in my family about whatever had happened to actress-singer Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）. There have been plenty of singers appearing on television to cover her classic "Blue Light Yokohama" （ブルーライト・ヨコハマ）but the woman herself had not shown up as of late....at least, not on the programs that we've been watching. 

This morning, we received a sad and definitive answer on NHK's "News Watch 9" when the anchor reported that Ishida had passed away on March 11th at the age of 76 due to hypothyroidism. Although as an actress with a long filmography, Ishida probably played a huge range of characters, I've always seen her on TV as a very vivacious and classy lady but also as someone who gradually grew frailer over the years. 

Born on March 26th 1948 as Yoshiko Ishida（石田良子）in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, she was also raised in Metropolitan Osaka. She entered show business in her mid-teens in the mid-1960s but what I hadn't known was that as a young girl, she was also a figure skater.

1964 was the year that she made her debut on all fronts as an entertainer, and that included her first single from April, "Nee, Kitte yo Mama" (Hey, Mom, Got Something to Tell You). Written by Takakazu Okada（岡田教和）and composed/arranged by Taku Izumi（いずみたく）, on the kayo side of things, I could say that this was a loud and brassy tune with a dondonpa or cha-cha sentiment while on the Western side of things, it comes across as a happy-go-lucky 1960s girl pop tune a la Connie Francis. Ishida was only 16 when she recorded "Nee, Kitte yo Mama" as this proclamation to turn the blood of all mothers cold as she's been greeted with all sorts of offers from the male population and she's not exactly turning them away all that strongly.  The attitude is absolutely teen rebel but even with her first one, I can still hear that plaintive nasal tone in Ishida's vocals that has been a hallmark in hits including "Blue Light Yokohama" and "Anata nara Dou Suru" (あなたならどうする).

My condolences to Ishida's family, friends and many fans. We've lost another kayo kyoku legend.

Ayumi Ishida -- Mild Night

 

To the kayo-listening audience at large actress-singer Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）has been immortalized thanks to her "Blue Light Yokohama"（ブルーライト・ヨコハマ） from 1968 which will reach its 55th anniversary since release in a few days on Christmas Day. But from the late 1970s going into the early 1980s, she also sipped from the wine glass of City Pop with some initial encouragement from Tin Pan Alley via "Roppongi Lullaby"（六本木ララバイ）.

In June 1979, Ishida released her 53rd single titled "Mild Night". A story of an urban love affair, "Mild Night" might be ironically titled since it sounds more like a wild night via a rumba. Also to my ears, it's not just a City Pop tune but also something in the amorphous New Adult Music realm of mixed genres. Usually New Adult Music would be a blend of pop and enka but over here, the song has that Latin, City Pop and maybe even something from either a tokusatsu or a cop show theme tune, so some dynamic kayo kyoku. I wonder if the horns were supplied by the band Spectrum.

The lyrics were provided by Takashi Nakahata（仲畑貴志）while the melody was created by Ryudo Uzaki（宇崎竜童）. "Mild Night" only got as high as No. 86 on Oricon and it was never put onto an original album by Ishida, so indeed it could be one of the rarest of the rare.

Go-Touchi Songs（ご当地ソング）: The Kanto region

 

As if anyone needed reminding, it is indeed October 1st, 2022. Time for fall leaves, harvesting and good food such as matsutake mushrooms and grilled sanma in Japan. Turkey and pumpkin pie would be the delicacies here in Canada and the United States, but I digress. 

Last Saturday, I began a series known as "Go-Touchi Songs", those tunes that reflect a certain region or prefecture or city in Japan. They are held near and dear by many people in the country and last weekend, I started with Hokkaido and the Tohoku region which tends towards the northern part of the main island of Honshu. But as promised, I am now going into the area where I spent almost two decades of my life: the Kanto region which includes Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Gunma, Chiba and Kanagawa Prefectures along with Metropolitan Tokyo. As was displayed in last week's list, the songs aren't all about enka and Mood Kayo. Also to reiterate, this is a very tiny list merely to provide a small taste of these geographically based songs (especially where Tokyo and Yokohama are concerned); you can take a look at the far more extensive list at J-Wiki. Plus, I'll be covering the Chubu region next week.

1. Yukio Hashi -- Itakogasa (潮来笠) for Itako City in Ibaraki (1960)

2. Duke Aces -- Ii Yu da na （いい湯だな）for Gunma (1966)

3. Manzo Saita -- Naze ka Saitama（なぜか埼玉）for Saitama (1980)

4. Chisato Moritaka -- Watarasebashi (渡良瀬橋) for Ashikaga City, Tochigi (1993)

5. Takashi Hosokawa -- Yagiri no Watashi (矢切の渡し) for Matsudo City, Chiba (1983)

6. Shizuko Kasagi -- Tokyo Boogie-Woogie （東京ブギウギ）for Tokyo (1947)

7. Ayumi Ishida -- Blue Light Yokohama（ブルーライト・ヨコハマ）for Yokohama, Kanagawa (1968)

As was the case with Hokkaido and the Tohoku last week, I'd like to finish with a couple of delicacies from the Kanto: yaki manju（焼き饅頭）in Gunma and monjayaki（もんじゃ焼き）in Tokyo respectively.

Tetsuya Watari & Ayumi Ishida -- Wakare Michi（わかれ道）

 

Last night, I was watching a 1986 episode of "The Best 10" from the collection that former contributor and good friend JTM had sent me a few years back. Well, lo and behold, in that episode's special segment, thespians and singers Tetsuya Watari and Ayumi Ishida（渡哲也・いしだあゆみ）came through that silvery revolving door. Even back then, it had become somewhat occasional that older celebrities would appear to sing on "The Best 10".

As it turned out, the two of them were on "The Best 10" to perform a November 1986 duet single called "Wakare Michi" (Parting of the Ways), a bittersweet Mood Kayo on the sad realization that a romantic relationship was coming to an end, despite the cover of Watari and Ishida walking down the path arm in arm. Written by Kaoru Mizuki（水木かおる）and composed by Masato Sugimoto（杉本真人）, the melody kinda strikes me as what was popular in the arrangement of kayo, whether it be Mood or enka, in the 1980s with that addition of a French accordion and built-in ennui (I'm a sucker for good accordion). From what I heard in the interview with them on "The Best 10", it was the first duet for Ishida at least, but she said that Watari made it very easy to follow along in the recording of "Wakare Michi".

(Sorry but the video has been taken down.)

Well, how about that? The video is straight from that episode of "The Best 10". It's ironic considering the lyrical content since both Ishida and Watari look great together as a couple, and their performance most likely made the song a popular one at karaoke. Watari would continue churning out the singles but for Ishida, "Wakare Michi" would be her 57th and penultimate single for many years until 2015 when she put out her final one to date.

Ayumi Ishida -- Nogizaka Melancholy（乃木坂メランコリー）

 

Nowadays, when folks hear Nogizaka, they usually think of the aidoru group Nogizaka 46（乃木坂46）as I do. However, it's also an area in Tokyo that is known as a high-class residential neighbourhood with Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda Line. I recollect walking through the area as I was making my way from just-as-tony Akasaka to the entertainment district of Roppongi. According to the Wikipedia entry for the subway station, the commercial complex of Tokyo Midtown, as you see above, isn't too far away and I've had my various lunches and dinners there. 

Music Store excerpt only

But it's not time for an aidoru tune here. Instead, I've got this languid and classy tune by actress/singer Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）from her 1981 album "Ayumi Ishida". Some months ago, I also profiled another track from the release called "Otokotachi"（おとこたち）which is a convivial and sultry City Pop tune of the time, hinting at some downtown nighttime enjoyment. But with "Nogizaka Melancholy", although it's also a pretty sultry City Pop song (and I've also thrown in the label of Mood Kayo this time around), there is a feeling of higher sophistication and, as the title suggests, some sadness or bitterness with hints given from that uncertain keyboard crash off the top and a clang of an electric guitar. I love the overall classy arrangement but especially there is that wonderful descending passage in the intro from about 11 seconds and the slips of Latin and jazz near the end. It's somewhat Mancini-esque.

As with "Otokotachi", "Nogizaka Melancholy" was written by Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）but this time, the music was provided by singer-songwriter Yoichi Takizawa（滝沢洋一）. Perhaps the hostess in "Otokotachi" has finished her shift at the Roppongi club and schlumps her way to her favourite late-night hole-in-the-wall in Nogizaka where she drowns her sorrows in drink alone while "Nogizaka Melancholy" acts as the soundtrack. Life in the megalopolis, indeed.

J-Canuck's Favourite Kyohei Tsutsumi Songs (A Tribute)

 

This morning, I was watching the usual NHK evening news broadcast when there was a brief one-minute statement announcing the passing of prolific kayo and J-Pop composer Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）. He had passed away on October 7th from pneumonia at the age of 80 but to hear that one of the musical greats was gone still had my jaw dropping.

The news was still quite fresh in the media which explained the brevity of the announcement but I think for someone like Tsutsumi, there will be big tributes to the composer in the weeks and perhaps months to come on shows such as "Uta Kon"（うたコン）and maybe there will be a show dedicated to him on at least one of the major networks. Certainly, he was well represented on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" over the years via articles on individual songs and even articles showing how big he was such as a Creator article and an Author's Pick. Not surprisingly, Tsutsumi probably has the most number of KKP articles as a songwriter which partially reflects his status as the No. 1 popular music composer in Japan and also how much I enjoyed his work over the years. My most recent article involving him was about a week ago for Asami Kobayashi（小林麻美）.

As such, I've decided to pay tribute to the Tokyo native by showing off some of my favourites composed by him. It was fairly difficult to pare down; I had thought that I could give five but could do no "better" than ten. The majority are naturally the big hits but there are also a few that are perhaps not well known but are quite dear to me.

1. Ayumi Ishida -- Blue Light Yokohama (1968)

"Blue Light Yokohama" by the vivacious Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）, I think, was one of Tsutsumi's earliest hits and remains one of his evergreen classics. I also think it has one of the best intros to any kayo, and the song was created in tandem with Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）, his first regular songwriting partner. It may be an oldie but whenever I enter Yokohama itself, this song inevitably enters my brain at some point.

2. Hiromi Ohta -- Momen no Handkerchief (1975)

The song may not have the happiest lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）, another frequent songwriting partner, but there's no doubting the bouncy melody by Tsutsumi. Since I hadn't been a lyrics person at the time, when I first heard "Momen no Handkerchief" sung by Hiromi Ohta（太田裕美）, I just thought it was one of the most carefree songs that I had ever heard in Japan.

3. Junko Ohashi -- Tasogare My Love (1978)

Another wonderful creation by Tsutsumi and Matsumoto, Junko Ohashi's（大橋純子）"Tasogare My Love" also showed that the former could also come up with some of that urban kayo along with the breezy love ballads. For Ohashi fans, there are plenty of splendid examples in her discography but "Silhouette Romance" and this one are probably the two songs that Ohashi is widely known for.

4. Judy Ongg -- Miserarete (1979)

In Tsutsumi's vast collection of songs, Judy Ongg's "Miserarete" is his biggest-selling single and one of the prime examples of the exotic kayo boom that was taking place in the late 1970s. Of course, a lot of folks will point out the visual spectacle of Ongg and that dress of hers, but that dramatic and free-flowing melody has provided the wind beneath her wings (as corny as that may read).

5. MANNA -- Tokio Tsushin (1980)

Compared to the previous songs, MANNA's "Tokio Tsushin" is probably one of the lesser-known creations by Tsutsumi but it has been one of my favourites by the composer. It's got that disco beat, to be sure, and I think he was on that disco kick for a bit, but it also has some of that exotic kayo feeling as well. Perhaps he was aiming for France in this case. As I mentioned to one person, "Tokio Tsushin" is appealingly quirky.

6. Kyoko Endo -- Kokuhaku Telephone (1981)

"Kokuhaku Telephone" is another appealingly quirky and lesser-known song composed by Tsutsumi with new singer Endo（遠藤響子）providing the lyrics. "Kayo Kyoku Plus" helped me get to know more about the songwriters for all of the kayo, and with Tsutsumi, I first got to realize how many of the big hits he was responsible for, but then with further digging, I also discovered that he had a lot of hidden gems in his jewel case as well. For "Kokuhaku Telephone", the setting might be a stationary one by the phone but Tsutsumi makes it all sounds like a whirlwind tour around the city.

7. Hiroshi Itsuki -- Aishitsuzukeru Bolero (1982)

As I stated in the original article for "Aishitsuzukeru Bolero", this won't be one of the bigger songs for enka/kayo master Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）, but it's still one of my favourites by the singer and that is because of Tsutsumi's melody. The composer splendidly weaves in Latin, Mood Kayo and even some hint of City Pop to create that classy tune to accompany a drink in an expensive Akasaka bar. After first listening to this one on "Sounds of Japan", I realized that Itsuki wasn't just strictly an enka singer.

8. Jun'ichi Inagaki -- Natsu no Claxon (1983)

For me, "Natsu no Claxon" is one of Inagaki's trademark tunes as he wistfully sings about the end of the hot season, and Tsutsumi here spins up a bluesy City Pop/AOR melody handled by the piano, strings and background chorus to provide instant relaxation and some reminiscing of the pop ballads of yesteryear on the radio. Summer might be going away for another year but it's going out gracefully.

9. TOKIO -- Ambitious Japan (2003)

I think by this point, Tsutsumi may not have been as prevalent in the pop culture sphere but he still provided a banger with "Ambitious Japan" by the Johnny's Entertainment band TOKIO. I'm not sure if the composer had meant to do so, but he may have given the staff of Japan Railways and for that matter, anyone who wants to see Japan get higher, stronger and faster, the song to rev up to. The entire arrangement is designed to power a maglev train up to 603 kph and then whip it across the country. I'd probably say that this is my favourite Johnny's song.

10. Kiyohiko Ozaki -- Mata Au Hi Made (1971)

I've saved this one up for the very last entry since I think as a final farewell song for Kyohei Tsutsumi, "Mata Au Hi Made" is the one to use since it does mean "Until We Meet Again". Ironically, when I wrote up the article back in June 2012, it was on the occasion of singer Kiyohiko Ozaki's（尾崎紀世彦）death. One of Tsutsumi's greatest creations may have been initially meant for an air conditioner commercial, but I think since then, it has become not only Ozaki's most famous song but also a fine kayo of bittersweet bye-byes and then hoped-for reunions. Speaking of hope, I do hope that this will be the show-ending showstopper for any televised tribute to Tsutsumi. Perhaps this could be an idea for the upcoming Kohaku Utagassen, as different as it will be this year.

As I mentioned off the top of the article, it was difficult to pare down my choices and I've left a few that I would have put up if I had wanted to push it to twenty. However, these are my own favourites but if any of you have your favourites that I didn't mention, please feel free to say so below.

Although I couldn't track down how many songs he composed in total during his 55+ years in music, according to his J-Wiki article, Tsutsumi has 2709 songs registered in JASRAC which I'm pretty sure is only part of that total. He may not have covered the entire breadth of music in Japan (just couldn't see him doing punk rock or hardcore enka) but he took care of a huge chunk of it. One question that I've seen pop up in Japanese sometimes for a Tsutsumi tune (and one that I've blurted out myself) in the comments section of a YouTube video consists of three words, a question mark and an exclamation mark: "He composed that?!". Yup, he certainly did. 

He may not have been as prolific in recent years as he once was, but he kept on working right to the end. In fact, his final song was one he did for seiyuu/singer Azusa Tadokoro（田所あずさ）in mid-2019 at the age of 78.

Ayumi Ishida -- Otokotachi（おとこたち）

 

The closest that I ever got to becoming a regular in a refined establishment in Tokyo was the tea room just around the corner from one of my schools. I got my usual tea and tuna sandwiches (yes, I know the matching was a bit weird but it worked for me) there and met up with a few students after class. I never got the opportunity to become a jouren（常連）at a traditional neighbourhood bar with an immaculately dressed proprietress serving me tokkuri of sake. For one thing, I was never a big drinker and for another, I would never become a big spender on libations for the social aspect. 

(Unfortunately the video has been taken down
but you can take a look at an image of the scene.)

At 4:24 in the above video, you can see enka singer Aki Yashiro（八代亜紀）acting the role of the proprietress in such a bar serving the late actor Bunta Sugawara（菅原文太）through a retrospective special of "Enka no Hanamichi"（演歌の花道）, the longtime kayo program. From the comments for the video and the reaction in the video itself, it sounds like Sugawara's appearances on anything other than a movie, a TV drama or the occasional commercial were quite the rare thing. I could never imagine being in Sugawara's place so watching these scenes play out on TV was the nearest experience.

Excerpt on D Music

Another celebrity that I could see (and probably did see on television) as an owner of that local Japanese pub is singer/actress Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）. She always struck me as elegant and cordial with that layer of steel under her which would be perfect for the job description. And that was just from seeing that picture above which was the cover for her 1981 album "Ayumi Ishida".

I found a track from that very album called "Otokotachi" (Men). Nope, the song isn't enka or Mood Kayo at all, although folks could have made that assumption from seeing the cover. Instead, it's a relaxed and sultry City Pop number that has Ishida singing flirtatiously about men coming to see her; she could be that nomiya owner, a club hostess or a lady with a nice apartment. The rhythm hints at that feeling-good phase of drinking a few slugs of something...Sapporo, Hakkaisan or Old Parr...feel free to name your poison.

There was no information about the source of "Otokotachi" at YouTube, so I checked her singles list on her J-Wiki article but there was nothing there so I surmised that it was an album track. From the City Pop feeling of the song, I then wondered if it were a track from Ishida's collaboration with Tin Pan Alley "Our Connection"（アワー・コネクション）back in 1977, but finding the website with the description of that album showed nothing of "Otokotachi". The only other choice was to go forward in time and the only other album that she made following "Our Connection" was that 1981 self-titled release; in fact, it is her final studio album thus far according to J-Wiki. Sure enough, the track was there according to this page from Tower Records.

Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）was responsible for the words while Ken Sato（佐藤健）took care of the music. You may want to have "Otokotachi" for your next City Pop-related pub crawl. Just make sure you have the yen.

Ayumi Ishida -- Kyo kara Anata to（今日からあなたと）

The last time I wrote about singer-actress Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）was around a year ago when the article was on one of her more City Pop-oriented songs in 1977, "Roppongi Lullaby"（六本木ララバイ）, in cooperation with Tin Pan Alley and her two tried-and-true songwriters, Jun Hashimoto and Kyohei Tsutsumi（橋本淳・筒美京平）.

Well, that relationship among Ishida, Hashimoto and Tsutsumi can go all the way back to the late 1960s with that breakthrough hit, "Blue Light Yokohama"（ブルーライトヨコハマ）. Several months after that release, the three of them worked together again on "Kyo kara Anata to" (From Today With You), which is a story of a woman happily in a relationship with the guy of her dreams.

Some similar sounds to "Blue Light Yokohama" here as well with those thumping drums, silky strings and of course Ishida's plaintive vocals. I think the only thing missing is the horns. "Kyo kara Anata to" didn't hit the top spot like "Blue Light Yokohama" did but it didn't too shabbily either as it went into the Top 10 to peak at No. 7.

I can easily see why she was quite the popular young lass about town.

Ayumi Ishida & Tin Pan Alley Family -- Roppongi Lullaby（六本木ララバイ）

Well, welcome to February! Amazing how fast January went but that's simply the case for us older folks.

I found out about this one from Van Paugam's City Pop radio several days ago, and it turns out to be another track from the album "Our Connection"（アワー・コネクション）, the collaboration between Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）and Tin Pan Alley（ティン・パン・アレー）released in April 1977. Almost a year ago, I wrote my last article on Ishida because of the first track from this distinctive LP, "Watashi Jishin"（私自身）, a cool and funky City Pop number of its time.

Now, I've fallen for Track 3 which is "Roppongi Lullaby". For those kayo fans in the know, no, it's not the classic one first sung by Yasuko Naito（内藤やす子）in the early 1980s. It's a totally different animal created by Jun Hashimoto and Kyohei Tsutsumi（橋本淳・筒美京平）, and has this Latin and old-style kayo combined together in a then-contemporary manner. In fact, Ishida's velvety vocals remind me of her time behind the mike for her most famous song "Blue Light Yokohama"（ブルーライト・ヨコハマ）back in 1968. Not surprisingly, it was both Hashimoto and Tsutsumi who were behind that 60s hit as well.

Ayumi Ishida & Tin Pan Alley Family -- Watashi Jishin（私自身）

www.amazon.jp

The book "Japanese City Pop" has provided a lot of revelations. One surprise was seeing Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）in those pages. The singer/actress who immortalized "Blue Light Yokohama"（ブルーライト・ヨコハマ）, a most beloved kayo from the late 1960s, is someone that I would never have imagined tackling anything like City Pop. And yet here we are.

I have to say that is one lovely and dramatic picture of her on the cover of her April 1977 album, "Our Connection"（アワー・コネクション）. However, she was not alone in this endeavour. The band Tin Pan Alley（ティン・パン・アレー）collaborated with her, and I realize that this is my second Tin Pan Alley article for tonight but on hearing the first track, I just had to write about it. The official collaboration is called Ayumi Ishida & Tin Pan Alley Family, by the way.

"Watashi Jishin" (Myself) is definitely an eye-opener for me. I've really only known Ishida for "Blue Light Yokohama" so to hear her soft voice adorning this funky 70s City Pop number is quite something. Actually, it is her soft and whispery delivery that makes things even cooler against Haruomi Hosono's（細野晴臣）music as she sings Jun Hashimoto's（橋本淳）lyrics about being a single woman in Tokyo nonchalantly enjoying the metropolitan lifestyle while still keeping emotions close to her chest and under her hat.

At the same time, although I know that this is an original song for the album, I couldn't help but imagine "Watashi Jishin" being a cover of one of those 1960s Mood Kayo tunes the way Ishida sings it. It sometimes sounds like Ishida herself singing it in the "original" way while overlaid with that modern 1970s urban melody. Furthermore, Ishida's delivery makes me think that Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）can even cover it now. She's also got that whispery voice and I know that she can do urban well.

Ayumi Ishida -- Minato-Sakamichi-Ijinkan （港・坂道・異人館）

With the entire country of Canada celebrating its 150th birthday, it's interesting to note that the city of Kobe in Japan is also having its own sesquicentennial this year. I've been to Kobe three times in my lifetime; the first time being during the 1981 summer graduation trip with the Japanese Language School, and twice during and at the end of my JET tour of duty a decade later. That 1981 stopover in Kobe was timely since it was during one of the big panda bear booms on Port Island.

However, it was during the JET Renewers' Conference in Kobe in 1990 that I realized how modern that area of Kobe was with the skyscrapers and the wide streets. In fact, I so enjoyed the city that a year later when it was time for me to head back to Toronto, I decided to make another stopover in Kobe during my own farewell trip. One place that I would love to visit in the city again is Kitano-cho which has the Ijinkan（異人館）Western-style residences. Basically, this used to be the quarter for the foreigners to reside when they arrived in the city back in the late 19th century, and I have a feeling that I didn't give enough attention to the district at first glance.

Well, I figure if I can track down a Canada-themed kayo, then it should be no problem finding a Kobe-themed one. And sure enough, I did find one that singer-actress Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）released as her 50th single in November 1977. "Minato-Sakamichi-Ijinkan" (Port-Hill Road-Western Residences).

The melody by Katsuo Ono（大野克夫）has that sound of a song that would have been written perhaps earlier in the decade so perhaps even when the single was released, it already sounded rather natsukashii. Makoto Kitajo's（喜多條忠）lyrics talk of a lady in one of the converted restaurants in Kitano-cho looking out to the bay while remembering a past love. I guess that's why the director for the above episode of "Yoru no Hit Studio"（夜のヒットスタジオ）wanted to give that windy effect into her hair. Not sure if Ms. Ishida caught a cold while wearing that slip of a dress, though.

J-Wiki hasn't stated whether "Minato-Sakamichi-Ijinkan" ranked onto Oricon but although it probably doesn't hold a match to her classic hit of "Blue Light Yokohama"（ブルーライト・ヨコハマ）from almost a decade prior, it's still a nice little kayo. I'm fairly confident that if "Uta Kon"（うたコン）ever goes with a Kobe theme, Ishida might return to perform this one.

Ayumi Ishida/Jun Mayuzumi/Naomi Chiaki/Miku Hatsune/Yoko Minamino -- Anata nara Dou Suru (あなたならどうする)

"Uta Kon" (うたコン) had its theme of broken hearts a few nights ago, and one song came up as performed by former 80s aidoru-turned-actress Yoko 'Nanno' Minamino（南野陽子）titled "Anata nara Dou Suru" (What Would You Do?) as written by longtime lyricist Rei Nakanishi（なかにし礼）and composed by Kyohei Tsutumi（筒美京平）. In fact, Nakanishi was sitting with the rest of the hosts and guests since his songs were getting their due on the show...no pressure there. But as soon as I heard the plaintive title refrain, I knew that I had heard it before!

And it turned out to be during my Gunma days back in the late 80s and early 90s when the song was used as a commercial jingle for the coffee whitener Brite. Considering that song title and what I know about the chemical composition of things like Coffee Mate now, I would be more than happy to stick with real cream, thank you very much.

If I had known then what I knew now, I would have figured it out almost immediately that "Anata nara Dou Suru" was more than just an especially well-constructed jingle. It was actually Ayumi Ishida's (いしだあゆみ) 2nd-most successful hit released as her 30th single from March 1970, and it was quite the revelation to me since I knew Ishida as the singer behind the legendary "Blue Light Yokohama" (ブルーライト・ヨコハマ) from a couple of years previously.

Over the last few days, my two active collaborators, Noelle and Marcos, have been talking with me about the angsty charms of the late Keiko Fuji（藤圭子）. And at first thought, I had gone with the opinion that "Anata nara Dou Suru" would have been the ideal cover for her and was surprised initially that according to J-Wiki at least, she never gave her version of this song. As you might guess, Nakanishi's lyrics were not about whether to choose coffee whitener over cream but about how to handle suddenly being dumped by the guy you love. I mean, wouldn't this be Fuji territory?

However after a bit more consideration, perhaps the original "Anata nara Dou Suru" as sung by Ishida was not quite dark enough. There is that tone in Ishida's voice which hints that the crisis is still ongoing with the (faint) hope that something can be salvaged from the relationship. With Fuji, there was always that feeling of "way too late" resignation and it was time to creep on, rather than move on.

Getting back to Ishida, what makes this ballad work is not just the downtrodden lyrics but again that heartfelt refrain of the singer as a woman who has just stumbled through the rain in shock to consult with an old friend at a bar for some liquid healing.

Although Fuji may not have covered it, a lot of other singers dove into the "Anata nara Dou Suru" pool which explains the loaded article title on top. It's quite something about the release of kayo kyoku back in the old days. It would seem that if there were even a faint whiff of hit potential with a certain song, then a good number of singers would record their own takes at the same time. Just imagine, not just Michael Jackson releasing "Beat It" but Hall & Oates, Quincy Jones, James Ingram etc. jumping on the bandwagon in the same year.

(Sorry but the video has been taken down.)

And that is what happened with this particular song. There may have been as many as 6 acts alone who had covered "Anata nara Dou Suru" between 1970 and 1971 along with Ishida herself. All of them were album tracks, though, with one of those singers being Jun Mayuzumi（黛ジュン）. Her clear take on the ballad has a bit more of a bossa nova feeling and is available on her 1970 album "Jiyu no Megami -- Mayuzumi Jun Big Hit wo Utau"（自由の女神 黛ジュン・ビッグ・ヒットを歌う...Goddess of Freedom -- Jun Mayuzumi Sings The Big Hits）.

Then there are the distinct vocal stylings of Naomi Chiaki (ちあきなおみ) who also recorded her version in the same year for her album "Ai wa Kizutsukiyasuku -- Chiaki Naomi Hit Pops wo Utau"（愛は傷つきやすく ちあきなおみ ヒット・ポップスをうたう...Love Hurts -- Naomi Chiaki Sings Hit Pops）. Ishida's plea for help is in there but it's bolstered by some of that ennui and smokiness that Chiaki is famous for.

And here is Nanno providing her take on the song as one of several actresses performing covers of Nakanishi kayo for a 2016 tribute album titled "Nakanishi Rei to 13-nin no Joyu-tachi"（なかにし礼と13人の女優たち...Rei Nakanishi and 13 Actresses）. This is a follow-up album from the previous year which featured 12 thespians.

Of course, we gotta put in the fine synth-vocal stylings of Miku Hatsune（初音ミク）. As for the success of the original "Anata nara Dou Suru", it peaked at No. 2 on Oricon and later became the 21st-ranked single for 1970. Ishida would also appear on the NHK Kohaku Utagassen for the 2nd straight time to sing this one after her inaugural performance on the New Year's Eve special with, of course, "Blue Light Yokohama". In total, she appeared on the show 10 times with her last appearance in 1993.

Ayumi Ishida -- Taiyo wa Naiteiru （太陽は泣いている）

I was watching last night's "Uta Kon" (うたコン) which was going with the theme of summer love kayo. Midway during the broadcast, a couple of the younger singers appeared on stage garbed in dresses that looked like they were going to head for some major go-go dancing. So, that was the cue that I was going to listen to some good ol' 60s kayo, and sure enough, it was a song called "Taiyo ga Naiteiru" (The Sun Is Crying) by Ayumi Ishida (いしだあゆみ).

There is not a whole lot of representation by Ishida on these pages, and that's because I've only known her for that one big kayo standard "Blue Light Yokohama" (ブルーライト・ヨコハマ) which came out in December 1968. "Taiyo ga Naiteiru" was actually released about 6 months earlier as Ishida's 24th single, and more importantly, her first single after moving to Nippon Columbia from Victor since she had yet to get any hits since her debut in 1964. And the change in scenery apparently did the trick. The song became Ishida's first big hit by going as high as No. 18 on Oricon with folks such as Judy Ongg (ジュディ・オング) and Keisuke Kuwata（桑田佳祐）of Southern All Stars covering it.

(Unfortunately the video has been taken down.)

Ah, here is the clip from last night's show. Well, on second thought, maybe Konomi Mori（杜このみ）and Sachiko Shiina（椎名佐千子）don't exactly look like go-go dancers. Perhaps it was just the music. And speaking of that, considering Ishida's huge mellow Mood Kayo-esque hit in "Blue Light Yokohama", "Taiyo ga Naiteiru" has got more of a bouncy Group Sounds sensibility to it. Kyohei Tsutsumi's（筒美京平）music comes off as if you can do some of those quirky 60s dance moves to it as Ishida sings the lyrics by Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）about returning to a beach where a woman suddenly remembers a brief tryst there some time back.

The sun may have been crying in Ishida's first hit but ol' Sol will definitely be raging at us here in Toronto for the next few days, at least. Gotta a major heat wave on the horizon.

The Peanuts/Ayumi Ishida -- Osaka no Hito （大阪の女）

On an episode of "Kayo Concert"（歌謡コンサート）a few weeks ago, the theme for the night was Osaka. Of course, there were songs such as the raucous "Naniwa Bushi da yo Jinsei wa"（浪花節だよ人生は）, but there was also this slow enka titled "Osaka no Hito" (Woman of Osaka). I had never heard of it but I enjoyed the song and was sufficiently interested in it to do a bit of research.

Well, much to my surprise, it turned out to be a single by The Peanuts（ザ・ピーナッツ）. I had always known Emi and Yumi Ito （伊藤エミ・ユミ）for their snappy kayo kyoku and for their rendition of the Mothra song but never thought that they would delve into enka. According to the J-Wiki article on "Osaka no Hito", the author stated that it wasn't strictly an enka song, and yep, on a second and third listening, I think it is perhaps a bit more akin to just straight-ahead kayo pop....perhaps more on the level of the theme song of the "Tora-san" movie series. But considering their more famous hits, this September 1970 single is about as close to enka as it got for the sisters.

Now, for those like me who had never heard of this song before but have some knowledge of kanji under their belts, yep, that is indeed the kanji for "onna" (女...woman) in the title but the official pronunciation of it is "hito"(人...person)....just in case, it looked like ol' J-Canuck made a mistake up there. Around the early 70s, The Peanuts had released a "....no Hito" series of songs which incorporated a number of places such as Tokyo, San Francisco and even Rio. For "Osaka no Hito", the composer Taiji Nakamura（中村泰士）, who would also later create a couple of huge hits for Takashi Hosokawa（細川たかし）: "Kokoro Nokori" （心のこり）and my personal favourite of "Kita Sakaba"（北酒場）, really wanted to incorporate a feeling of Osaka into the melody. However, Jun Hashimoto's （橋本淳）lyrics didn't do as much name-dropping of the famous Osakan landmarks which was the opposite of what a number of these geographically-based kayo kyoku did. Not sure how the natives in Osaka took that at the time of release, although I think by that time, The Peanuts were not quite as prominent as they once had been in the previous decade.

In 1978, another classic kayo kyoku veteran, Ayumi Ishida （いしだあゆみ）covered "Osaka no Hito" as her 52nd single. Her version has a bit more of a country swing feel to it although the delivery was still very relaxing just like in the original.

J-Canuck's Nighttime Playlist

Now, looking at the above photograph of the gorgeous Minato Mirai area of Yokohama at night, you might be asking how I took it? Well, there were two factors: one was the sparkle function on my digital camera and the other was a sudden hiccup (I'd just had the buffet in Chinatown). In any case, let this shot get you in the mood for my picks of favourite night-themed kayo kyoku/J-Pop.

Years ago, I was perusing one of the songbooks within an issue of Myojo magazine and came across several pages to which the publishers devoted to nighttime music. It was an interesting concept, and since my favourite genre of City Pop often covers the after-6 p.m. scene, I decided that I should give it a go as well. Of course, like my choices for favourite songs of the 1980s, the songs here are also subjectively selected and not comprehensive in the least. However, these are the ones that immediately came to mind when I started thinking about such a list. Most likely, months from now I'll probably come up with a second list or nikala, JTM or Marcos V may want to put their own lists up for a nighttime selection.

In any case, here goes:

1. Ayumi Ishida - Blue Light Yokohama (1968): I couldn't think of a better song to start off this nighttime selection than Ishida's masterpiece. The horns and strings not only take me back to the old days but also back to my memories of walking through the streets of Yokohama itself during my one evening of vacation over there. I just get that desire to head up to the rooftop bar of the Hotel Intercontinental and have a drink.

(cover version)

2. Mariko Takahashi - My City Lights (1982): This was never an official single and I'm not even sure where it rates amongst Takahashi fans, but "My City Lights" will always be a favourite with me. This one strikes me as something to be heard near or past the midnight hour in Tokyo. People are tippling and/or tipsy but the fatigue is also starting to set in after an evening of carousing. And in a moment of clarity, they look out the window and discover how wonderful the nightscape is. Tsuyoshi Kon's guitar is a standout.

(cover version)

3. Yumi Matsutoya - Night Walker (1983): I actually never covered this one in the blog, but recently listening to it in her 2007 BEST album, "Seasons Colors", I had to include "Night Walker". Originally from her 1983 album, "Reincarnation", it has that melancholy melody accompanying a young lady slowly walking the otherwise nigiyaka streets of the big city while she nurses a heartbreak.

4. Anzen Chitai - Wine Red no Kokoro (1983): With all of the moodiness and the heavy karaoke treatment it got in my personal circle back in my university era, this Hokkaido band just had to be represented on this list. Frankly, any of their hits (or even the other songs that I remember hearing from them) is most welcome here, but why not go with their breakthrough entry? Listening to "Wine Red no Kokoro" on the Walkman or in the car will provide the theme song for your journey through the popular quarters of Tokyo past sunset.

5. Minako Yoshida - Shooting Star of Love (1977): One of the unsung gems in Japanese popular music, I was very fortunate to have discovered this one. It has a great hook and groove, and provides all of those studio musicians to riff away. Great for a cool, clear night when you're comet-watching. This is the one that got me started on my current project of collecting her past albums, and I haven't regretted it yet.

6. Mariya Takeuchi - Plastic Love (1984): This is one of the standout tracks from Takeuchi's first album after her relatively long time away from the recording studio, "Variety". She was now going for a more mature pop sound, and out of all of the tracks on this album, "Plastic Love" went for a Steely Dan-type cool fusion sound. All of the songs on the album are great, but this one song is the final trigger when I decide to put the disc into the player.

7. Miki Imai - Chijo ni Oriru Made no Yoru (1989): Remember that Myojo songbook I was talking about at the top? Well, this was the one song that I remember from that list of nighttime music. Some of the other entries here may take me to the disco quarters of Roppongi or Shinjuku, but Imai's gently swaying ballad keeps me strictly and happily at home in the armchair with that mug of cocoa in the late hours. This is more Sunday night than Friday night.

8. Masayuki Suzuki - Wakare no Machi (1989): Thank you Camellia Diamonds for having the wherewithal to provide this cool, urban and urbane song by Martin as one of your commercial tie-up songs. This is another theme song for walking down the streets of Akasaka or Omotesando with some melodic swagger. It has Suzuki's soulful delivery, great contributions by trumpet and sax, and, oh yeah, Kazumasa Oda backing everything up.

9. Kazumasa Oda - Oh! Yeah! (1991): I wish the official video had been somewhere on the Net since there were some nice overhead night shots of the metropolis. But, hey, the song by itself is cool and very comfortable for nighttime listening. On his "Oh Yeah" BEST album of 1991, this was the final track following his mega-hit of "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni", and it makes for a fine cool-down to the excitement of the "Tokyo Love Story" theme tune. Backup by Masayuki Suzuki and Sing Like Talking's Chikuzen Sato, great singers for this article's topic, provide the icing on the top.

10. Sing Like Talking - Mitsumeru Ai de (1995): So we finish off with a song that sounds like the evening is just beginning. With Satoru Shionoya's jazzy keyboards signalling the setting of the sun and then jumping into another fun night on the town, Chikuzen Sato and company are happy enough driving around the big city without needing to stop off anywhere. Getting there is half the fun. So, hop on the Kan-Etsu and drive.

As I said before, this is far from a comprehensive list and while I was writing this article, there were a fair number of "Oh, I forgot about THIS one" moments. But as I also noted, there will always be a next time.