I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
The last time I wrote about the rock band Jitterin' Jinn（ジッタリン・ジン）, it was back in 2022 when I posted about one of their earlier songs "SINKY-YORK" from 1989.
Well, here is a song that is from their 10th anniversary album"TENTASTIC!" which was released in October 1999. "Yakeppachi no Doncharami" sounds as if ten years hadn't gone by at all. It's that Jitterin' Jinn sound with the guitars and the rat-a-tat drums and of course Reiko Harukawa's（春川玲子） vocals. As for the title, that last word seems to be a squished melding of the phrase "Don't You Love Me?" so I gather that the title can be defined as "I'm Yelling Don't You Love Me?". Jitterin' Jinn guitarist Jinta Hashi（破矢ジンタ）took care of words and music.
Well, I hadn't thought it would come quite this quickly but in the past week, I realized that this milestone was very much around the corner. And sure enough, it has finally arrived.
Folks, welcome to Article No. 10,000 on "Kayo Kyoku Plus"!
Thanks kindly! Feel free to try out some of the lovely treats at the buffet table...and don't drink and drive.
I had been wondering what I would write about when it came to Article No. 10,000. I knew that I couldn't really just devote it to any regular song or album. But then, I remembered that yesterday I had posted Masako-san's（マサ子さん）"Psynomey" and noted that the short-lived duo had been one of the competing bands on late-night TBS music program "Miyaki Yuuji no Ikasu Band Tengoku"(Yuuji Miyake's Cool Band Heaven) which ran from February 1989 to December 1990. However, unlike shows including "The Best 10"(ザ・ベストテン) and "Enka no Hanamichi"(演歌の花道), I barely remember catching it despite the fact that I was in Japan for several of its months on air.
Well, one reason is that the show, and henceforth, I will be referring to it by its short name "Ika-Ten"（イカ天）, was televised on early Saturday mornings between 12:30 and 3:00 am. I know that I was off on weekends, but frankly, I did want my beauty sleep (not that it ever did me any good). Although the times that I did stay up, I was doing more channel surfing than actual viewing, I recollect coming across brief snippets of "Ika-Ten" but I wasn't really all that big on rock bands at that time, so really any talk about the show itself has been based on YouTube excerpts.
I guess because of the nature of the show which was basically the Battle of the Bands involving up-and-coming amateur groups and the difficulty in placing a 2 1/2-hour program during prime time, "Ika-Ten" got the graveyard shift. However, I think that played to its advantage and coolness factor since the high school kids would most likely, without their parents' knowledge, try to catch the late-night show and all of these potentially kakkoii bands.
Yuuji Miyake（三宅裕司）was the overall host of the show and he later had an even longer run as a music show emcee when he joined the NTV Saturday night program "The Yoru mo Hippare"（The 夜もヒッパレ）. But with "Ika-Ten", he ended up quarterbacking a program that became a very bright if brief social phenomenon as it became must-see TV for the young generation at that time due to the groups duking it out and the presence of the latest Band Boom in music. Even that short nickname eventually became one of the top buzzwords for 1990. Twelve bands came onto "Ika-Ten" every episode to vie for a number of awards with the most coveted one being the Challenger Prize. Winning this particular award meant that the band would go up against the incumbent winner of the previous episode, known as the Ika-Ten King（イカ天キング）, to see if it could dethrone the band and become the next king. Five straight weekly victories as King meant promotion to Grand Ika-Ten King（グランドイカ天キング）and the promise of a recording contract under a major label and the end of the band's appearances on the show.
Of course, before all that, the band has to play in front of a panel of judges which included music celebrities including songwriters Ginji Ito（伊藤銀次）and Reiko Yukawa（湯川れい子）, some of whom could be quite harsh in their assessments. There were also a couple of lamps at each judge's table that were able to be switched on and off: Red was known as the Wipe（ワイプ）which was a bad signal leading to the footage of the band playing getting increasingly smaller. Blue was Kansou（完奏）which I think meant "play to the end".
The system led to some notoriety right from the first episode on February 11th 1989 when a band known as Hysterics (above video) got the Wipe treatment. Well, the Hysterics' leader and female vocalist didn't take that too well and decided to drop trou and everything else below the waist right in front of the camera in anger (the band was disqualified). It was only the quick thinking and reaction of the cameraman and director that prevented the show from getting an R-18 rating. Of course, being in the wee (no pun intended) hours of the morning, I really don't think the TBS switchboard lit up like a Xmas tree, and heck, when there is a bunch of edgy rock bands on stage going for blood, sparks will tend to fly. Besides, the incident brought tons of publicity to the show. Supposedly, the singer left the band and the band itself soon broke up thereafter.
"Ika-Ten" also had issues of drug use among the staff in the two years that it was on, according to a 2016 book focusing on Japanese entertainment scandals. All of the shows including "Ika-Ten" that the staffers had been connected with were shut down for a while at least. In addition to that news, there was also a change in the judges and the lessening of the Band Boom in 1990 which led to the show dropping in popularity, so the decision was made that it would finish its run at the end of the year. However, there was a one-off special version which was broadcast during in the last week of 2007.
Even though I never really caught "Ika-Ten", I personally think that it was a significant show because a number of bands that we've all gotten to know got their start there and have been part of the J-Pop scene. There are a few that I hadn't even realized were competing on "Ika-Ten".
To finish off, here is a brief sample of some of the Ika-Ten Kings and Grand Ika-Ten Kings.
Flying Kids: 3rd Ika-Ten King and 1st Grand Ika-Ten King (5 weeks: March 4th - April 8th 1989)
Jitterin' Jinn: 6th Ika-Ten King (1 week: May 20th 1989)
NORMA JEAN: 11th Ika-Ten King (4 weeks: August 5 - August 26th 1989)
Begin: 12th Ika-Ten King and 2nd Grand Ika-Ten King (5 weeks: September 2nd - September 30th 1989)
Tama: 14th Ika-Ten King and 3rd Grand Ika-Ten King (5 weeks: November 11th - December 9th 1989)
The rockabilly pop group from Nara, Jitterin' Jinn, had their October 1989 debut single in the form of "Everyday". It was also my first encounter with the group during my days on the JET Programme and vocalist Reiko Harukawa（春川玲子）and the gang were among the first to illustrate to me that Japanese pop music had definitely changed since my previous visit to Japan with all of those frilly-dressed aidoru and Yellow Magic Orchestra. They struck me as being unique and eclectic.
What I forgot to mention in the article for "Everyday", which I wrote up in the spring of 2013, is that it was an immediate winner on Oricon by coming in at No. 9, although I also stated that Jitterin' Jinn's first album, "DOKIDOKI", with the song had peaked at No. 5 on the album charts. Regardless, it was quite the auspicious start for the band.
Of course, "Everyday" had its B-side or coupling song and that was the oddly-named "SINKY-YORK". Created by Jitterin' Jinn guitarist Jinta Hashi（破矢ジンタ）, it's another catchy tune done in the inimitable band style with the rockabilly twang paired with Harukawa's adorably high-and-clear vocals. Just like "Everybody", "SINKY-YORK" is a bittersweet tune about a past romance that may have ended a tad too early. I didn't know about the music video but it's always nice seeing the main vocalist in that smart outfit topped off with the tartan cap.
The above is from a 2000 concert performance in Osaka according to Jitterin' Jinn's own YouTube channel, and Harukawa was looking a little more punk and less mod here.
Now, as for the origins of the name "SINKY-YORK", I was able to track down some commentary on a Japanese blog. The author, Yama, doesn't frame his explanation as totally definitive, but he states that "SINKY-YORK" is a romaji twist on the Japanese shin kyoku（新曲）or new song. My take on it: Hey, why not? It was definitely fresh back then and it still sounds and feels just fine now.
The last time that I wrote about the band Jitterin' Jinn（ジッタリンジン）was all the way back in 2013 with "Nichiyoubi"（にちようび）.
And yet for all of the Jitterin' Jinn songs that I did cover back then, I had completely forgotten one that I should have remembered as one of their trademark tunes. Once again comes the Gibbs slap. "Present" was the band's 2nd single from Valentine's Day 1990, and I should have remembered it since I did see the original video on MTV Japan back in Gunma, and there were those repetitive lyrics all set to a melody that sounded like the nursery rhyme "Hush Little Baby".
The song, written and composed by JJ guitarist Jinta Hashi（破矢ジンタ）, comes across as a spiteful kiss off to a suitor who wasn't all that he had claimed to be. After receiving all sorts of gifts including accessories and various forms of literature, the woman finds out that the heel already had another girlfriend on his arm. To be honest, when I first saw the video, I was starting to get a bit impatient at all of the presents that vocalist Reiko Harukawa（春川玲子）was singing out. Now it feels nostalgic with the recognizable jangly guitar pop that was a characteristic of the Jitterin' Jinn style.
"Present" was the first single by the band to get into the Top 10 by reaching No. 3 and it ended the year as the 41st-ranked single. It's also been included in Jitterin' Jinn's 2nd album"Hi-King" that placed in at No. 2 on the Oricon weeklies and became the 18th-ranked album of the year.
I chose the term fugu for the fish I ate back on November 6th since in English, there seems to be a plethora of words to describe it: blowfish, puffer, globefish, swimming ball of poisonous death. Well, I did something that night that I had never done in 17 years of residency in Japan: head on out for a full-course fugu meal.
My host was a fellow who used to live in Toronto for a time before moving back to Tokyo. He is a professional acupuncturist and masseur, and he picked me up in front of Studio ALTA across from JR Shinjuku Station at 7 that night. Apparently, some of his clients have included one major kabuki actor, an actress, and Bjork!
On the way over to the fugu restaurant, his professional curiosity got the better of him after seeing my posture while walking and he started prodding my shoulders and back with the speed of multiple phaser bolts. Then, he immediately declared to me that I would have to report to his clinic the next evening for a full round of massage. Well, if he insisted...
Anyways, we got to the restaurant specializing in fugu. My friend absolutely adores fugu. For a guy who handles needles all the time, I can honestly say that I wasn't surprised to hear that he loved eating a fish that was covered in them. We started off with a very warm cup of hirezake which is in that photo at the very top. Basically, it is sake poured into the cup with a hunk of fugu fin inside. It was quite mellow...and mellowing; the fin added a certain amount of umami to the proceedings.
The courses came out over the course of a couple of hours and included sashimi, ohitashi, karaage, grilled and nabe. To be honest, plowing through all those made me forget that the source of all those courses was one of the most poisonous creatures on the planet. But the fact was that I didn't get any sort of electric buzzing at my fingertips let alone suddenly collapse in final paroxysms of pain. Basically, I had a very safe fish dinner.
Following the dinner, my friend took me out to Hanazono Shrine nearby in Shinjuku since there was a toriichi festival being held there. The festival was being held for folks to pray for success in business but it was all about fun and revelry for the masses that showed up around the shrine. Plenty of yatai serving food as well but I was just too filled up with fugu at that point.
Nope, I realize that it's November but heading out to the crowds and celebration at the shrine, I couldn't help but remember the song "Natsu Matsuri"（夏祭り）by Jitterin' Jinn from way back.
If it weren't for the fact that Jitterin' Jinn had started life from Nara, I would've pegged the band as a Shibuya-kei unit since it has that somewhat retro Western vibe (although I can't really pinpoint a specific country), but lyrically, I think Reiko Harukawa（春川玲子） and company are very much grounded in old-fashioned Japanese culture. "Natsu Matsuri"（夏祭り）is one fine example, and then there is this song, "Nichiyoubi"(Sunday).
I like the original music video for this song with its humourous mix of old film footage and DIY symbology....it kinda reminds me of the video for PSY-S'"Teenage". Released in June 1990, "Nichiyoubi" was written and composed by Jitterin' Jinn guitarist Jinta Hashi（破矢ジンタ） and has this galloping and playful beat while Harukawa is more than willing to gallop along with it and show off her yodeling prowess.
The one line I remember from the song is "Buy me a Ramune and let's drink it together". Nothing screams a Japanese summer more than that bottle of Ramune (a phonological variant on "lemonade"), basically Japan's equivalent of Sprite notable for its container, a Codd-neck bottle, which is sealed with a glass marble that the drinker has to plop in with the assistance of a pushing device to be able to drink it. And then he has to be able to take in the pop while making sure that the marble doesn't block the flow. Not easy for newbies.
"Nichyoubi" was Jitterin' Jinn's 3rd single and their first hit to reach No. 1 on Oricon. It was also the 26th-ranked song of 1990.
Just goes to show how much time has flown by when a song and band that I saw as one of the Nouvelle Vague of Japanese popular music now looks so quaintly nostalgic. Case in point: Jitterin' Jinn'sdebut single, "Everyday".
I actually first encountered the song when its commercial came on TV showing the Betty Boop-like Reiko Harukawa(春川玲子） singing/nearly yodeling this strangely rockabilly tune. It was only a couple of months after I'd started putting up stakes in Gunma, so I quickly got a taste of what Japanese music was starting to change into. There was a lot more rawness coming from the new talent...not any of the studio-produced aidoru or pop singers, but folks who looked and sounded as if they came straight from their busking piece of ground outside the subway stations.
Written and composed by Jinta Hashi（破矢ジンタ）, the guitarist for the group, "Everyday" is Reiko's lament about a lost love in the big city as she studiously pretends to forget about it while she and the listeners know the real truth of the matter. It is also a track on Jitterin' Jinn's first album, "DOKIDOKI" which came out in November of that year and peaked at No. 5 on the Oricon weeklies.
I wasn't charmed enough by the song that I went out and got that particular single but I have gone out and bought "Natsu Matsuri" （夏祭り...Summer Festival) and one other single by the group. However, I am happy that I've got YouTube to tide me over until I grab that BEST compilation.
By the way, as for the derivation of the name, during the band's amateur days, Harukawa and the gang went by "The Snufkin", after the character on Tove Jansson's"Moomin", but since going pro with that name would mean sending hefty royalty payments to Europe, they went with something a bit more creative. "Jitterin'" came from that old dance "The Jitterbug" while "Jinn" was brought on board from the age-old story of "Aladdin". I gather that the statute of limitations no longer applied to the latter tale.
One of the signs that Japanese music was going through a major sea change was this band. Jitterin' Jinn is a group that originated in Nara in 1986 and had a brief 1-week tenure as a champion on the famed music audition program "Miyake Yuuji no Ikasu Band Tengoku"(三宅裕司のいかすバンド天国....Yuuji Miyake's Cool Band Paradise). Like Dreams Come True, Jitterin' Jinn just had this unique, very non-kayo kyoku (very much in the "Plus"part of my blog) and yet somewhat retro sound. Plus the overall look of the band just gave that Indies vibe about them. Finally, the lead singer Reiko Harukawa（春川玲子）seemed to strike me as a mix between an anime character and Audrey Hepburn in terms of looks and fashion.
"Natsu Matsuri"(Summer Festival) was their 4th single released in August 1990. It knocked me out with its staccato percussion and guitar, and the mood it evoked fit perfectly with the raucous atmosphere of a Japanese summer festival: goldfish scooping, young folk walking along in yukata, dancing and mikoshi battles. And it didn't sound anything like an enka song. In fact, it didn't sound anything like any sort of Japanese song that had come before. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Oricon weeklies and finished the year as the 80th-ranked tune. It was also a track on their 3rd album, "Punchout" released a few weeks after the single had come out.
A decade later, the Hokkaido teen rock group Whiteberry did a growlier version of "Natsu Matsuri" with guitars a-blazing and a more frenetic drum solo. Their version was the biggest hit for the group which lasted from 1994-2004, though their major debut hadn't happened until 1999. As with Jitterin' Jinn, the song peaked at No. 3 but it ended the year at a much higher position at No. 34. The band also made it onto the 2000 Kohaku Utagassen.
Whiteberry's video for the song was not only a more joyful celebration of summer in Japan with all of the customary fireworks, but reflecting the members' ages I guess, it also showed a lot of the countryside where the kids probably enjoyed running and chasing butterflies. The only thing that was missing was chirping cicadas.
Actually a Fall Festival in Shinjuku
but hey it's still festive.
