Kaori Mizumori -- Koi no Owari no Nagoya ni Hitori（恋の終わりの名古屋にひとり）

 

I've been to Nagoya a few times and despite all the flak and indifference toward this major city in Japan, I think it's a perfectly nice metropolis to visit. Nagoyans and, on a larger scale, residents of Aichi Prefecture really bring the goods at wedding parties. Plus, the area is famous for all sorts of dishes that have been categorized as B-class. Ten-musu（天むす）in particular is one of my favourites. Just imagine...the combination of shrimp tempura and rice ball. Culinary match made in heaven ranking alongside peanut butter and chocolate to form Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! By the way, thank you Japanese Cooking 101!

As with a lot of other television programming, "Uta Con"（うたコン）is going on Golden Week hiatus but it still gave us one more episode. Since Wednesday is the beginning of the whole mess of national holidays in Japan with the first one being Showa Day, the NHK kayo kyoku show devoted a lot of its time to the Showa Era hits which was great.

Near the end, we got the usual new stuff from the guests. Enka singer and go-touchi song master Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）came up with her latest single last month. "Koi no Owari no Nagoya ni Hitori" (Alone in Nagoya After the Love is Gone) is one song that makes it very nakedly plain that it's the typical number about recovering after heartbreak in the city of ten-musu. Written by Takashi Taka（たかたかし）and composed by Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）, it's quite upbeat and reassuring though and the ever-smiling Mizumori is more than happy to be the happy guide through the city in the music video.

Kaori Mizumori -- Osaka Koi Shizuku（大阪恋しずく）

 

Expo 2025 is due to open this coming Sunday and so we've been getting sneak previews of the exhibition via NHK in the last several days. I hear that the advance tickets aren't particularly selling like pancakes but I'm hoping that everyone involved will be able to get folks to come by. I know that my student will be heading over there in the summer; just hope the heat and humidity don't get to him.

I know that designers for the Expos and Olympics probably have to think their brains out to come up with mascots cute but bold enough to stand out, especially in the last few decades, but I have to admit that I didn't have words to react to Osaka Expo 2025's mascot, Myaku-Myaku; well, actually I did when I first saw it: AAAAAAAAAUGH! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! But it's grown on me over the months (although I don't think I should be using those words to describe the process). Still, I can't help but feel that Myaku-Myaku looks like the anime version of Demi Moore's final form in "The Substance".

Anyways, I thought it would be a good time to have another go-touchi（ご当地）song representing Osaka and who better to represent this than by the Queen of Go-Touchi Songs herself, enka singer Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）? Her 35th and most recent single, "Osaka Koi Shizuku" (Osaka Love Drops), from last month may sound like some Kansai aphrodisiacs in the title, but it's actually a very calming and welcoming enka song for anyone who might want to drop by the metropolis after taking a gander at Expo 2025. Lots of food, of course, and plenty of chatty folks (from personal family experience).

Tsubasa Kazu（かず翼）was responsible for the lyrics while prolific composer Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）took care of the music. "Osaka Koi Shizuku" reached No. 14 on Oricon.

Kaori Mizumori -- Akashi Kaikyo（明石海峡）

 

Happy Monday! I may have mentioned this in a past article but I've been subscribed to the YouTube channel Kuga's Travel for a few years. His stock-in-trade is traveling on a myriad of trains and ferries not only within Japan but also internationally and he obviously doesn't skimp on the good stuff. Last night, I caught his latest video which shows him booking the first-class suite on the new overnight ferry, the Sunflower Murasaki, which heads from Osaka to the onsen city of Beppu in Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu within about twelve hours. Of course, being the foodie glutton that I am (or was), I was laser-focused on the observation that he only had to pay 2000 yen for an all-you-can-eat buffet onboard and the buffet looks like it has plenty of variety.

Part of the video showed the Murasaki sailing under the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge（明石海峡大橋）which used to be the longest suspension bridge on Earth (completed in 1998) until its record was taken over by the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkiye in 2022. The light then lit over my head wondering whether there had been an enka or kayo kyoku created regarding the bridge. After all, the Japanese love to make songs about their natural and man-made structures.

Well, it wasn't exactly the bridge itself but the strait. Enka singer Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）, the Queen of Go-Touchi Songs, had recorded "Akashi Kaikyo" (The Akashi Strait) in September 2009 although it wasn't released as a single. It was actually a song on her album "Kayo Kikou VIII ~ Aki no Miyajima"（歌謡紀行VIII〜安芸の宮島〜...Song Travelogue 8 ~ Miyajima of Aki）. Written by Akiko Shimoji（下地亜記子）and composed by Ryu Morikawa（森川龍）, it's fairly evident that enka singers love to cry into their straits rather than their beer (I guess the salt ruins the taste). Mizumori sings about a lady traveling to the titular strait to muse about a recent romantic breakup. Melodically, it feels like a cooperation among the chanteuse's tender vocals, the dramatic strings and the bluesy saxophone.

Kaori Mizumori -- Hyuuga Misaki（日向岬）

 

Well, we're less than 24 hours away from the 74th edition of NHK's Kohaku Utagassen（紅白歌合戦）. It looks like the schedule has been finally established since the last news from its J-Wiki article was that they just held a dress rehearsal today. But maybe there could be some more surprises in store. Anyways, the show is ready to be PVR'ed on my device.

I've been taking a look at the lineup for the Red and White teams and yep, there is still some inkling of enka left on the show which I'm grateful for. The only enka song being performed on the Kohaku that I have yet to cover is the subject of this article, Kaori Mizumori's（水森かおり）"Hyuuga Misaki" (Cape Hyuuga) which was her most recent 33rd single from January this year. Now I know that as the Queen of Go-Touchi Songs (local or regional songs), she's maybe two prefectures away from completing her run to sing enka representing every prefecture, but I'm uncertain whether Miyazaki Prefecture, where Cape Hyuuga is located, is one of those two remaining prefectures. 

"Hyuuga Misaki" was composed by veteran Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）and written by Tsubasa Kazu（かず翼）who provided her first set of lyrics to Megumi Asaoka（麻丘めぐみ）in the mid-1980s but then it seemed that there was a lengthy break between that song and her work from the 2000s. Not surprisingly, the setting of the 5 kilometre stretch of coastline is there to provide Mizumori to mourn and reminisce about a romance lost.

Mizumori's appearance on the Kohaku tomorrow night will be her 21st. In the last few years, she had been taking over Sachiko Kobayashi's（小林幸子）tradition of appearing in epic costumes taking over the stage, but it appears that for No. 74, her performance will coincide with a domino-toppling challenge, perhaps along the same lines as her fellow enka singer Hiroshi Miyama's（三山ひろし）annual attempt to break/retain his Guinness world record with kendama. This could be quite the feat.

Anyways, enjoy the view of the cape via YouTuber hanagata mituru.

Kaori Mizumori -- Matsushima Kikou（松島紀行）

 

My anime buddy is currently in East Asia right now, and he will be visiting the Matsushima（松島）area up in Miyagi Prefecture（宮城県）during his return to Japan. I'm expecting that he'll be taking hundreds of photographs of what is one of the three big Japanese landscapes. The above video is from Planetyze.

The Queen of Go-Touchi Songs（ご当地ソング...geographically-based kayo）, Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）, appeared on an "Uta Con"（うたコン）a few weeks ago where she said that she only has two more prefectures to sing about before completing her epic journey of providing enka tunes for all 47 territories of Japan. And then she went on the stage to sing about one of her earlier go-touchi songs.

"Matsushima Kikou" (Matsushima Travelogue) is her 18th single from April 2010, giving tribute to the titular region. Written by Takashi Taka（たかたかし）and composed by Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）, Mizumori gives one of her gallant and gentle renditions of the area as she relates the story of a lady running away to forget the death of a romance but try as she might, she can't keep the dark cloud away from the sky above her head. 

The song hit No. 2 on Oricon and became the 57th-ranked single of 2010, earning Mizumori her 8th invitation to NHK's Kohaku Utagassen at the end of that year. 

Go-Touchi Songs（ご当地ソング）: The Chugoku region and Shikoku

 

From commons.wikimedia.org

Once again, Saturday is among us so it's time for the latest round of go-touchi songs, a series that I began about a month ago to commemorate some of the geographically based kayo depending on the official regions within Japan. Last week, we took care of the Kinki region including Osaka. This time, we're doing a two-for-one deal just like I did for the very first entry which looked at Hokkaido and the Tohoku region up in the north. Today, it will be the small island of Shikoku which consists of Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima Prefectures and the westernmost Chugoku region on the main island of Honshu which has Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi Prefectures.

1. Akiko Futaba -- Francesca no Kane（フランチェスカの鐘）for Hiroshima (1948)

2. Saburo Kitajima -- Onomichi no Hito （尾道の女）for Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture (1966)

3. Rumiko Koyanagi -- Seto no Hanayome （瀬戸の花嫁）for the Seto Inland Sea (1972)

4. Kaori Mizumori -- Tottori Sakyuu（鳥取砂丘）for Tottori Prefecture (2003)

5. Peggy Hayama -- Nangoku Tosa wo Ato ni Shite（南国土佐を後にして）for Kochi City (1959)

6. Angela Aki -- Home for Tokushima Prefecture (2005)

As usual, let's finish this off with some scrumptious dishes from the two areas. Today, we have Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki（お好み焼き）and then sanuki udon（讃岐うどん）from Kagawa Prefecture. Next week will be the final segment as we look at Kyushu and Okinawa.

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

Wikipedia.jp

Moving along from the Chubu region, last Saturday's area for our "Go-Touchi Songs" series, we come to the region of my relatives and ancestors, Kinki. Most of my extended family hail from Metropolitan Osaka and Wakayama Prefecture and the rest of Kinki consists of Metropolitan Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga and Mie Prefectures. And indeed, the Johnny's Entertainment duo of the KinKi Kids was named as such since they were the first Johnny's group to come from the area. However, I remember on their old Saturday night variety show "Love Love Aishiteiru"（ラブラブ愛している）, the Domoto boys admitted sheepishly that they found out that Kinki's homophonic namesake in English was "kinky" which earned them some unintentional giggles overseas. 

1. Yuko Nagisa -- Kyoto Bojou （京都慕情）for Kyoto (1970)

2. Harumi Miyako -- Osaka Shigure （大阪しぐれ）for Osaka (1980)

3. Masaki Ueda -- Osaka Bay Blues for Osaka (1982)

4. Hiroshi Uchiyamada and The Cool Five -- Soshite, Kobe （そして、神戸）for Kobe (1972)

5. Kaori Mizumori -- Kumano Kodo （熊野古道）for Wakayama Prefecture (2006)

We've got some regional delicacies from Kyoto with yatsuhashi（八つ橋）and Osaka with takoyaki（タコ焼き）. Next week, let's take care of the Chugoku region.

Kaori Mizumori -- Kujukuri Hama （九十九里浜）

 

Considering that I've been well under way with my Go-Touchi Songs（ご当地ソング）series, I've been remiss that I have yet to include the Queen of Go-Touchi Songs herself, enka singer Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）, and I missed the opportunity to include her in yesterday's Kanto entry because the song of note here is set in Chiba Prefecture. But no worries, I will include her in next week's entry. Incidentally, my last article on Mizumori dealt with her contribution to Okinawa, "Churashima Meguri"（美ら島めぐり）, and when she showed up on NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン） recently, it was illustrated that out of Japan's 47 prefectures and territories, she only had three more prefectures to provide songs before she completed her mission to sing about the entire nation.

Now, just as a geographical aside, allow me to tell you about Kujukuri Hama or Kujukuri Beach via YouTuber Full Score 8K's video on the area located in Chiba Prefecture. It's a very long sandy beach (66 km or 37 miles) that has been a favourite destination for swimmers and surfers, according to Wikipedia. I'm not sure if the area has been used in many Japanese songs but one song that comes readily to mind is the Neo-Group Sounds music of "Omoide no Kujukuri Hama" （思い出の九十九里浜）by the trio Mi-Ke from 1991. 

Well, the Queen of Go-Touchi Songs has definitely covered Chiba Prefecture with her most recent single "Kujukuri Hama" which came out in February this year. Most definitely an enka tune, Mizumori gives her usual heart-on-her-sleeve delivery for a story of romance and loneliness set along the titular beach. Koyomi Asa（麻こよみ）, who has provided lyrics for many of her songs, does the same here while Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）has provided the dramatic melody. "Kujukuri Hama" managed to hit No. 8 on the Oricon chart.

Kaori Mizumori -- Churashima Meguri（美ら島めぐり）

 

Moving on from my preceding article, "Bye-Bye Okinawa"（バイバイ沖縄）, originally by Sadao China（知名定男）and then covered by the Okinawan folk music group Nēnēs（ネーネーズ）which had been formed by China, I did want to cover a song that had been performed on last week's "Uta Con"（うたコン）when it paid tribute to the prefecture in the wake of the 50th anniversary of its return to Japanese administration.

Enka singer Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）has long been known for her songs paying tribute to each and every prefecture in Japan for years, and as such, Okinawa was another place that she recognized in a recent song. "Churashima Meguri" (A Tour of the Beautiful Island) was included in her most recent album "Kayo Kikou 20 ~ Naruko Kyo"（歌謡紀行20~鳴子峡~...Song Travelogue 20: Naruko Canyon） from October 2021, and as the title says, it's a sung trip through Okinawa. Although the traditional Okinawan instrument, the sanshin, can be heard here and there throughout "Churashima Meguri", I'd say that it's pretty much the run-of-the-mill enka tune within that setting of Okinawa, beautifully delivered by Mizumori.

"Churashima Megumi" was written by Izumi Danno（旦野いづみ）and composed by Meiyu Ohtani（大谷明裕）. Considering how hot it's been today here in Toronto, I probably wouldn't mind a can of that Orion Beer right now, and I think of myself as a non-drinker.

Kaori Mizumori -- Tottori Sakyuu（鳥取砂丘）

 

As crazy as it sounds, my home province of Ontario actually has something approximating a desert and it's located in Sandbanks Provincial Park in the eastern part of the province right by Lake Ontario. Looking at its Wikipedia entry, the park boasts "... the largest bay-mouth barrier dune formation in the world". I've never had the opportunity to visit the area although as a (not-so) tiny kid, me and my family had visited the Thousand Islands area not too far away (and yep, the famous Thousand Island salad dressing apparently originated there although the nitty-gritty of it is still up for debate).

Well, several years ago, I found out through my translation work that there was also a desert of sorts in Tottori Prefecture. Known as Tottori Sakyuu (Tottori Sand Dunes), it's located within San'in Kaigan Geopark, one of the UNESCO Global Geoparks.

I was also reminded of Tottori Sakyuu recently while watching Episode 10 of the popular anime "Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!"（宇崎ちゃんは遊びたい！）when the main characters won a trip to Tottori Prefecture. They actually did visit the dunes.

Last night on "Uta Con"（うたコン）, enka singer Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）appeared on the program where she and the hosts did their "post-game analysis" as it were of her performance on the Kohaku Utagassen a few weeks ago. She sang a cover of the Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）classic "Ii Hi Tabidachi" (いい日旅立ち) which had video shown of her traveling all over the nation admiring the various scenic sites as would be the case for someone who has been called The Queen of Regional Songs.

However, as for her number on "Uta Con", she reprised one of her earlier singles, her 11th to be exact, "Tottori Sakyuu" from April 2003. With lyrics by Ryutaro Kinoshita（木下龍太郎）and music by prolific Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）, the song roars in like the proverbial dragon with a thunder of strings and timpani before they are joined by a tenderhearted guitar. It's quite the dramatic song for a sandy area but the titular setting is meant as both post-breakup destination and metaphor for the fragility of love.

Considering that this is the first of her singles to get its own article on J-Wiki, I'm gathering that "Tottori Sakyuu" was also her first big hit. It reached No. 16 on Oricon and was a long-lasting success that earned Mizumori her first of nineteen appearances on the Kohaku Utagassen beginning from the end of 2003. By New Year's Eve, it was the 77th-ranked single and a year later, it even went up to No. 75.

Kaori Mizumori -- Setonai Shodoshima（瀬戸内 小豆島）/Naruko-kyo（鳴子峡）

 

It's been a few years since I've touched upon enka singer Kaori Mizumori's（水森かおり）songs and seeing her on both last year's Kohaku Utagassen and last night's return of "Uta Kon"（うたコン）, I thought it would nice to talk about this lady who has been known as The Queen of Local Songs for her rendition of enka whose settings are specific and rather idyllic areas of Japan. Moreover, last night, I was asked by a couple of podcasters on all things Japanese if I would be interested in joining up for an interview at the end of February regarding Showa Era music. I figure that one possible question is why I also appreciate the genre of enka, and so why not start by listening to the songs of Mizumori?

Mizumori's 28th single is "Setonai Shodoshima" (Shodo Island in the Seto Inland Sea) which was originally released in February 2020 and was her Kohaku contribution last year. Her performance was notable in that it involved her singing in this literally oceanic dress (designed by former 90s aidoru Tomoe Shinohara/篠原ともえ) in size and colour on the Shibuya stage.

For some quick background, the Seto Inland Sea is a body of water located among the main islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and Shodo Island is one of the land bodies in that area. The video right at the top is a short travelogue of the island, and I was surprised to find out that Shodo Island was also the setting for the anime "Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san"（からかい上手の高木さん...Skilled Teaser Takagi-san）.

As for "Setonai Shodoshima", it's another one of those grand contemporary enka with electric guitar, dramatic strings and pounding timpani depicting a woman's melancholy recalling of a past romance while walking around in the titular area. Written by Eiji Takino（たきのえいじ）and composed by Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）, the protagonist may actually live on the island or, in the case of many an enka protagonist, she may have made the effort to travel there, far away from the area of romance. The song peaked at No. 4 on Oricon, so another feather in Mizumori's cap.

It was good to see "Uta Kon" again after about 6 weeks away because of the Holidays, but it was a bit of a pity that the show had to revert back to a totally audience-less hall with a more detached presentation of guests. Mizumori was indeed present for the first show of 2021 last night.

And well, her song is the first official 2021 release that's getting onto "Kayo Kyoku Plus". Single No. 29 for her is "Naruko-kyo" (Naruko Gorge) located in northwestern Miyagi Prefecture up in the northern part of Honshu. I recall even doing a translation of an article describing the place years ago when I used to handle some requests for tourism in Japan.

The above is a lovely karaoke version by Saori Maki. Also composed by Gen but with lyrics this time by Tsubasa Kazu（かず翼）. Now, along with the setting of a scenic area in Japan, there is also plenty of sadness in "Naruko-kyo" but with the added hint of a love affair gone due to the untimely passing of the partner although the spirit is encouraging the lady to keep up the good fight regardless. One thing that I've learned about Mizumori is that she can do plaintive beckonings very well. Interestingly enough, "Naruko-kyo" was only released officially yesterday, so no idea about how well this will do quite yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if the singer is invited once again to the Kohaku to perform this particular song.

Now, as to the original question about why I've been appreciating enka more and more especially in the last decade or so, my answer will not be complete. However, from listening to songs like the above two, I can imagine that there is a certain comfortable hominess and nostalgia about the enka sound for me, especially these geographically-based ones even though I've never visited either Shodo Island or Naruko Gorge. Perhaps, I've subtly channeled some of the rural areas that I've been to such as my grandfather's home in Wakayama, my old town of Tsukiyono on the JET Programme in Gunma or even that ryokan that I stayed at in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Still, this is a work in progress.

Yuri Shimazaki -- Omokage（面影）

 

The above is a photo of Tetsuro Tanba（丹波哲郎）, the star from the 1970s cop series "G-MEN★75" and the 007 flick "You Only Live Twice". He passed away nearly 14 years ago on September 24th 2006 so in tribute, I wanted to see if I could find something connected with his famous TV show to put up onto the blog tonight.

Of course, there is the famous opening theme from "G-MEN★75" by Shunsuke Kikuchi（菊池俊輔）that I covered back in 2015. It is indeed a song reflecting the intrepid cops and their ever-insistent march toward justice. But I kinda figured that any Japanese cop show that has such a proud opening theme will most likely have a mellower and more introspective ballad to finish each episode.

Sure enough, I found out that the show had several ending themes which ran throughout the course of its run. The first of these enders is "Omokage" (Faces) by Yuri Shimazaki（しまざき由理）who recorded this when she was perhaps around all of 18 years of age, but in actual fact, she was already a veteran in the recording booth having released around 8 singles as a child singer beginning in 1968, according to her J-Wiki profile.

Listening to this tenderhearted and melancholy ballad about a past love affair that would probably have been great accompaniment to Superintendent Kuroki (Tanba) and one of his men as they knocked back a couple of scotch-on-the-rocks, I got the distinct impression that composer Kikuchi who also handled "Omokage" brought in some of the melody from the opening theme for this first ending theme. The lyrics were handled by Junya Sato（佐藤純弥）.

(1:12)

"Omokage" became a hit after its release as a single in July 1975 as it peaked at No. 6 on Oricon, eventually selling around 1.4 million records going well into 1976. Shimazaki would provide a few more ending themes for "G-MEN★75" before the program finally ended in 1982.

The song was also a favourite to be covered by other singers as folks like Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）and Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）have. The above is Mizumori's take on "Omokage".

Chiemi Eri -- Tennessee Waltz (テネシーワルツ)

This is a song that has been heard in the two homes that my family has had since I was a toddler. It certainly helped that my parents were long into the country music thing at the time. "Tennessee Waltz", written by Redd Stewart and composed by Pee Wee King, was released in 1948 but arguably the most famous version of it came from singer Patti Page above.

Now as much as I heard "Tennessee Waltz" on TV shows such as "Hee Haw" and annual showings of "The Grand Ole Opry", I was also introduced to the Japanese cover of the romantic ballad early in my life with the most famous cover by the late Chiemi Eri（江利チエミ）when she released it in January 1952 as her debut single at the tender age of 14 (I gotta say, though, that the above picture of her sure doesn't look 14)!. Eri's version had a mix of the original lyrics by Stewart and Japanese lyrics by Takashi Otowa（音羽たかし）.

For Eri, "Tennessee Waltz" was a huge hit, selling 400,000 records and becoming the singer's trademark tune. Strangely enough, even though Eri appeared on the Kohaku Utagassen 16 consecutive times from 1953 to 1968, she never sang her debut song on the program.

The Japanese version of "Tennessee Waltz" has frankly taken on legendary status since it's been covered by numerous singers ranging from Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）to Atsushi from EXILE.

The impetus for me to write about the song tonight was that I heard a wonderful version of it by enka singer Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）. Mizumori is known as the Queen of the Regional Songs, and this is about as far-flung a region as she has ever sung about.

Kaori Mizumori -- Kumano Kodo （熊野古道）

Kumano Kodo
by Ippei and Janine Naoi
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ippei-janine/7001518416

As one of my translation assignments, I actually worked on a site that has been recognized as part of the collective UNESCO World Heritage site in Japan known as the "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range."  Known as the Kumano Kodo (Old Kumano Trails), these are ancient pilgrimage trails which lead to the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano. The trails are all over the Kii Peninsula which occupy a good chunk of Wakayama Peninsula, the home of my ancestors.

So of course, something this grand just had to be given its due tribute via an enka song. And no genre covers the geography of Japan like enka! Plus, as Noelle mentioned in the first article for this particular singer, who better to sing the enka tribute to Kumano Kodo than the Queen of Geography Enka herself, Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）?

My parents seem to appreciate her so much for singing "Kumano Kodo" that I had thought that Mizumori had actually been born and raised a Wakayaman. Actually, she was born and raised in Kita Ward, Tokyo. However the sentiment is still there with my folks, and Mizumori's vocals have a similarity to another enka singer that they like, Sachiko Kobayashi（小林幸子）.

And I gotta say that the melody by Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）stands out a bit from the usual enka song. The immediate intro starts things off as if it were a celebratory song but then quickly takes on a slightly more solemn but no less majestic song. Nothing less for a UNESCO site! Plus, there is that electric guitar that I would have heard usually in one of those manly-man enka by George Yamamoto（山本譲二）or Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）. Still, overall, "Kumano Kodo" has that feminine touch to it, with Ryutaro Kinoshita（木下龍太郎）providing the lyrics.

"Kumano Kodo" is Mizumori's 14th single from April 2006. It went up to No. 5 on Oricon and proved to be enough of a hit for the singer that she received another invitation to the Kohaku Utagassen that year. In fact, Mizumori has been on every Kohaku since 2003. When it comes to our family at least, this particular song will be her trademark ballad.

Tsuzuko Sugawara -- Tsuki ga Tottemo Aoi Kara （月がとっても青いから）

My anime buddy and I had our regular phone chat last night during which I told him that during last week's episode of "Uta Kon"（うたコン）, seiyuu/singer Nana Mizuki（水樹奈々）had appeared in a summer yukata to perform this old kayo that I heard for the first time titled "Tsuki ga Tottemo Aoi Kara" (Since the Moon is So Blue). I knew that she was trained to sing enka but after all the years of hearing her in anime and viewing those performances of her on the Kohaku Utagassen in rock princess mode, it was still refreshing to see Mizuki do an old-style song. And she got quite the appreciative applause from the audience. She's been popping up on the NHK broadcasts a fair bit so I'm wondering if she is thinking of making the transition to enka and general kayo kyoku...maybe not, her fans probably still want her in those platform boots and black lacy dresses rockin' out on the stage.

But going to the original singer for the jaunty "Tsuki ga Tottemo Aoi Kara", this was Tsuzuko Sugawara（菅原都々子）. The song was first released in 1955 and was treated as a musical catalyst for change where the singer was concerned. Born in 1927 in Aomori Prefecture, Sugawara made her debut in 1937 when she only about 10 years old and gained the reputation as the Queen of Elegies for singing rather melancholy ballads. Her father, Akira Mutsu（陸奥明）, was a singer for the Asakusa Opera who later became a composer. Mutsu decided to send his daughter into a new direction and composed "Tsuki ga Tottemo Aoi Kara" as this happy-go-lucky couple in love taking the long way round to get home while admiring the moon. Minoru Shimizu（清水みのる）provided the happy words.

Mutsu's instincts were spot-on. The song became a huge hit for Sugawara as it sold over a million records. One commenter, Danny Zetel, for Noelle Tham's article on "Seishun Cycling"（青春サイクリング）asked if there were other songs which were just as jolly from the old days. Well, if Danny is reading this, I can definitely recommend this one.

According to the J-Wiki article on the singer, Sugawara has been known for her truly distinct vibrato. I think Nana Mizuki did a fine job with that vibrato during her cover of "Tsuki ga Tottemo Aoi Kara" which would explain all of the accolades.

One other piece of trivia about Sugawara is that she appeared on the first NHK Kohaku Utagassen in 1951 when it was broadcast on radio. In fact, she was the very first singer to perform that night of January 3rd making her the inaugural performer in the nearly 67-year history of the special.

Other singers have also covered the song as well such as Masako Mori（森昌子）, Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）and Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）.

Kaori Mizumori -- Yamatoji no Koi (大和路の恋)

I thought it was about time I write an entry on Kaori Mizumori (水森かおり). She's one of those "Kayo Concert" regulars that I'd see about once a month, appearing on the Kayo stage in (more often than not) elaborate strapless gowns with a jovial expression. But I don't really mind as Mizumori's smooth and clear vocal delivery is enjoyable to listen to, plus it's hard not to like that bright smile of hers - sort of like Haruo Minami (三波春夫), I dare say. And you know how I always say that enka largely features the prefectures and their landmarks? Well, here's the queen of this category of enka. Browsing through her discography is like having a crash-course in the Geography of Japan.

Gifu, Hokkaido, Shimane and Tottori are some examples of the prefectures Mizumori had sung about. As for her 24th single, "Yamatoji no Koi" the place of interest is Nara, or more specifically Yamatoji. I did some research on this area in Nara - Mom helped in translation as the J-Wiki had too many Chinese characters for me to understand - and it turns out that Yamatoji is supposed to be a path to Yamato, which was where the emperor's seat way back then and is now current-day Nara. In Toshiya Niitani's (仁井谷俊也) lyrics, there are shout-outs a couple of landmarks in the city of Sakurai, like Mt. Miwa, all while talking about a woman reminiscing (?) a past love. Composing "Yamatoji no Koi" was Tetsuya Gen (弦哲也), who put together an airy and grandeur melody that sounds more joyful than the lyrics.

"Yamatoji no Koi" was released on 1st April 2015 and it commemorates her 20th year in show business. It did well on the charts, peaking at 10th place and settling at 101st place by the end of 2015, and it won an award for excellence at the 57th Japan Record Awards as well as a nomination at the 48th Japan Lyricist Awards - Niitani is really on a roll here, having many of the songs he penned nominated. Mizumori sung this song on the 66th Kohaku last year while riding on an animatronic phoenix with the view of Nara in the background. Her performances seem like they are getting more impressive over the years; not to Sachiko Kobayashi's (小林幸子) level yet, but she's getting there.

I've visited Nara a couple of times on package tours... Well, more like the deer park and the temple that resides in the deer park. It was fun being able to touch the free-roaming deer that walk up to you hoping for hand-outs, but boy the hoards of high school students that came as we were leaving were scarier than a herd of deer coming after you for food.

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