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.
It's another national holiday in Japan today. If it's September, that means Respect-for-the-Aged Day（敬老の日）and I found out just last weekend that the holiday had been first formed in the immediate postwar era in Hyogo Prefecture.
As such, I was thinking of putting up a list of favourite karaoke tunes among the more elderly. Admittedly though, sexagenarians don't strike me as being quite that old but at least their choices were easy to track down on the blog, and of course, I'm not too far from that group of people, age-wise. So, I'll be divvying things up between the Top 3 karaoke songs for both men and women in their 60s according to the Nagoya-based Takeshi Vocal Studio, a karaoke training school.
In the last few days, I saw reports that the inventor of karaoke (there have been a couple of theories on that), Shigeichi Negishi（根岸重一）, who had come up with something called a Sparko Box in 1967 for those who wanted to sing their favourite kayo kyoku, passed away on January 26th at the age of 100. First off, my condolences to his family, friends and fans.
Secondly, although I've already posted some of my own personal choices when it comes to karaoke such as my five go-to karaoke tunes, I still would like to provide my own tribute to the man and his invention by putting up another five songs. However, these are songs that I didn't personally try out but are those entries that my friends and other customers tackled quite often at our karaoke haunt of Kuri back in our university years.
Ah, by the way, as of this writing, we're getting close to 7 million views since we got started back in 2012. Maybe by the time I get back here tomorrow, we'll have reached it! Thanks to all of you!
Strangely enough, the inspiration for this Author's Pick came from that Sanma Akashiya（明石家さんま）special that I referred to in Masayuki Suzuki's（鈴木雅之）"Tokubetsu na Ichi Nichi ~ a special day"（特別な一日）back on Xmas Eve. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, the video for the entire show got taken down in the last couple of days (although I was able to replace it with Milet's talk with the comedian) but it did show not only Martin's chat with Sanma but also a karaoke performance of the cool singer's famous 80s"Lonely Chaplin" with R&B chanteuse AI. Apparently, AI was so nervous performing with Suzuki that her microphone was about to slip from her hands due to sweat.
But on seeing that performance, a light bulb sparked off over my head. All these years, I've been telling readers that my sources on finding about all this kayo and J-Pop have included CD shop browsing, the old "Sounds of Japan" radio broadcasts on CHIN-FM, and watching anime. But I have neglected to mention that I've also discovered songs through my old karaoke visits to Kuri in Yorkville and then those karaoke sessions in Japan, notably Gunma Prefecture. So I have decided to put down a short list of songs that I first found out about from those visits since after all, I've already talked about my favourite karaoke tunes and the ones that I utterly failed at. As well, Noelle Tham has given her karaoke experiences here, too.
By chance, if any of you commenters have any songs that you discovered through a trip to your friendly neighbourhood karaoke joint, please feel free to share. It's the Holidays, after all.🎉
Kiyomi Suzuki with Rats & Star -- Lonely Chaplin (ロンリー・チャプリン）
Hello, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? How has summer (or winter, depending on your hemisphere) been? I somewhat managed to dodge most of the worst of Japan's monstrous summer by escaping to Singapore for a couple of weeks last month, but I did get a taste of it prior. I never thought I'd say this, but I don't think I'll ever complain about the heat and humidity in my home country for a while.
Anyway, I have survived my first term in university and have just begun the second last Monday. Perhaps it's a combination of post-holiday blues and the foreboding amount of assignments, but I feel like I've fallen down the stairs. Face first. Well, in spite of the rough time readjusting, one thing was able to clear that storm on Saturday: My very first karaoke recital.
To give some background information on whatever I know, karaoke recitals that feature enka seem to be quite a major thing in Japan, particularly amongst the elderly, as you can probably tell by the genre. There are those on a larger scale that are professionally organized and host moderately to really popular enka stars and renowned songwriters. These would probably include the competitive category as well, where the acts are judged and scored, and there will be winners. Then there are those small scale ones held in little towns here and there, often organized by a local karaoke joint. Usually, these ones are just simply for the folks to have some fun, and everyone goes home a winner. The one I participated in was the latter, simply because it was my karaoke haunt that held it, and Shiro Jiisanstrongly encouraged me to take part three months prior. I had doubts about my ability, but when the senior you thought was calm yells at you excitedly to join in, you know you have to.
The recital was the 10th installment of the annual "Happi Uta no Saiten", "Happi" being the name of the karaoke joint, and was held at the nearby Nishi-Kawagoe Bunka Kaikan. The event hall wasn't as big as I had feared, though the idea of having about a third of it it filled, in other words way more than what I'm used to, was rather intimidating, especially when they were all going to be looking at me. The regulars I had gotten to know, all veterans at this, most even in charge of the event itself, reassured that it'd be fine. Sure. And they were fussing over what I should wear for my time in the spotlight, which brings me to my next point.
Seems like no matter the scale, participants would still go all out in the way of dressing, contrary to what I had believed. The women would be in loud, frilly or sequin-embellished gowns, or in kimonos, and be decked out in full makeup and possibly wigs. The men would be in flashy suits or kimonos as well. The effort put in truly astounds me. It made my "costumes", comprising of shirts and black jeans, pale in comparison. I did firmly turn down an offer for one of the aforementioned types of dresses. I may have ventured deep into the world of enka, but I have my reservations when it comes to its... fashion sense.
Finally coming down to my song choice. I was due to sing three songs, which was actually one more than the usual - I'll get to that in a bit. There were some changes here and there from the time I began my deliberating in June, but here are my final picks.
The advice I received were: choose something that would knock the audience's socks off, and something jolly. Thinking of the former, I was very close to choosing Hachiro Kasuga's (春日八郎) "Akai Lamp no Shuressha" (赤いランプの終列車), but consultation with my mom led me to Haruo Oka's (岡晴夫)"Akogare no Hawaii Koro" instead. I agreed with her rationale of it being relatively simple while still being able to stun the crowd, but what made me seal the deal was the sentimental value. Considering it was the very first ryukoka I had laid my ears upon nearly a decade ago, I felt that it deserved to be the first tune I sing at my very first karaoke recital.
To get into the Hawaiian spirit, I wore a red Hawaiian shirt over a white T-shirt and had the straw hat Mom wore during her university days upon my head. I jellied when singing, but it turned out OK - better than the rehearsal, at least. I think.
A Kiyoshi Hikawa (氷川きよし) song wasn't on my mind at all in my decision-making. Considering my age, it would be of no surprise should I choose one of his works. However, the folks advised me to change my initial Mood Kayo selection to something more exciting. To what, I did not know, until I tried out Hikawa's "Tora" one day. That was when they unanimously agreed that "Tora" should replace "Shianbashi Blues" (思案橋ブルース). I didn't mind as it felt manageable, and, in hindsight, the words were exactly why I should do it. Besides it being somewhat gender neutral, the proclamation of being the young white tiger before the aged was most fitting. Plus, standing up to adversity without complaint is something particularly resonant in me for this school term.
My outfit here was a white collarless shirt over grey and white striped T-shirt. I think it was the powerful score and the context, but the confidence it lent me (albeit temporarily) made strutting back on to the stage and staring down the growing crowd feel absolutely incredible. "Sing loud and proud. You're the tiger, after all," were my old pal's words. I tried, but I still couldn't help jellying up a bit, and for some reason, particularly during the most critical part of self-declaration. It felt awesome nonetheless.
This number by Hisao Ito (伊藤久男) and Akiko Futaba (二葉あき子) was the first actual duet I sang with a male counterpart. And what began as an impromptu duet between me and Shiro Jiisan became quite the attraction at Happi. It then caught the attention of an under-the-radar enka singer Yoko Ai (藍ようこ), who was to be the recital's guest star, when she came a visiting a month-ish prior to the event. I presume it was mostly due to her ravings that the mama-san and Shiro-san eventually decided that the duet should be included despite the both of us already meeting the two song quota. Seemed like word traveled down the Kasumigaseki-Matoba grapevine real quick, because gramps was happily telling me that one of the highly anticipated acts was, well, us. I suppose many were curious to see the grandpa-grandkid-like duo sing an ancient and obscure tune. Great for my ego, not great for my anxiety.
Because Shiro-san was to wear a yukata, I had to too. I'd never worn one before, so the mama-san, who'd so kindly picked one out for me, helped me put it on. I don't know how people wear these things! The belt was an absolute killer; one can hardly breathe or bend over. I liked the purple on black colour scheme though. Anyway, appearing alongside my Brojiisan (yep, my pun idiocy has reached new lows) allowed for a great deal of fear to be expunged. I guess that's why I was able to pull it off better than the other two in spite of worrying for it the most.
Overall, I had a great time taking part in this recital. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that I've always wanted to take part in something like this, but I didn't think it would be feasible. It started as fantasy, but then enka came into the picture and fantasy morphed into fun romps at karaoke bars, and now, well, here I am. Hmm, how things snowballed down this path fascinates me. I wonder what comes next.
P.S. While I received wonderful encouragement from the familiar regulars, Shiro Jiisan, or should I say, Mr Yamagishi, really went above and beyond. Even though he too had lots of event duties that had him constantly going around and about, he always made sure to show up by my side just before I hit the stage and watch from the sidelines till I was done.
Imagine Ichiro Toba (鳥羽一郎) singing this, and you got Mr Yamagishi.
As per tradition, Jiisan served as the Top Batter for the recital's two segments. He did Oka's "Seishun Paradise" (青春のパラダイス) to kick start the show, then followed up with Akira Fuse's (布施明) rendition of "My Way". He often wears the direst expression when singing (anything), but when he noticed me grinning at him stupidly from the second row of seats in this second segment, I could've sworn that for a split second, that scowl ever so slightly turned upside down.
In the course of the five-ish months (in counting) I've known him for, he slowly went from your typical stony showa era fellow to affectionate marshmallow. I think it's because, aside from music, I've been bothering him with random stuff like my test scores from Japanese class and bromide collection. He does reciprocate in ways such as attempting to understand smartphone technology, and trying to further expand his one trip's worth of knowledge on Singapore.
He is indeed not my actual grandfather, but he's the closest to one I've ever had and always yearned for in a very long time.
You shouldn't look at your list. Go with a song that represents how you feel here and now, that way you'll be able to sing it well and with all your heart.
Before I begin this article, I read a couple of nights ago that Mr YOUNG MAN Hideki Saijo (西城秀樹) had passed away just a few days ago. I am not a big fan of Saijo but he was one of the singers who ushered me into the world of kayo early on. As such, it was a big shock to read that he's gone so soon. J-Canuck has done a nice little tribute to him which you can check out here. I'm happy that I had the chance to see this icon of the 70's a couple of times on TV. Rest in peace, Mr Saijo.
Well, let's continue on a brighter note, shall we? (Shoo, onion ninjas! Shoo!)
For a couple of weeks between the end of April and early May, I was back in Japan for what may be my last visit to the land of the rising sun for a while - I'll be heading off to university soon so I wanted to take care of some outstanding items on my list before I get shipped off. I did accomplish the goals I set out for this trip (at the cost of my bank account) around a fragment of Tohoku, a bit of Hokuriku, and of course, Tokyo, and I had an incredible time travelling with Mom for most of the time, and hanging around, as J-Canuck calls it, The Big Sushi, on my own for a few days. As with my previous trips, I would like to share with you guys the highlights. To start, I'd like to talk about my return to Mukashi no Uta no Mise, a karaoke joint somewhere in the middle of Sugamo'sJizodori.
I recorded down my first visit to this quaint joint a couple of years ago, so you can check that out here. This sequel will be a long one as it encompasses my third and fourth visit, so sit back and get comfy. Alright, let's begin.
My acceptance gift.
I was at Mukashi no Uta no Mise last December for my second visit, but with it being a weekday, there was hardly anyone there so I took it as some sort of a practice round to try out some songs I had been meaning to sing. This time around, however, was a whole different ball game. This third visit (and first of this recent trip) was during the middle of Golden Week, more specifically Children's Day Saturday, and I was on my own. I was a little worried as to whether there'd be anyone there as I thought that the oldies would be spending that day with their grand kids (if they had any). But I was dead wrong as an hour into opening time and the "party" was already in full swing. The Mama-san was happily surprised that I showed up again, and one of the folks, this uncle I'll call Y-san, recognized me from two years back.
With a rowdy audience of 6 (at that moment) and hyped on coffee, I went in over my head and picked my opening song, Ikuzo Yoshi's (吉幾三) "Hokugen Kaikyo" (北限海峡). I'd never sung it before (karaoke style) but I love it, so what could go wrong? - Oh, things went wrong. It was a bad idea to start with an unfamiliar song and the key was wrong and I couldn't quite get it either. I could feel the disappointment from the crowd too, especially since one of them even mentioned, "Oh, this looks promising," at the start. I stabilized a little, but I thought it was a travesty. I am so sorry, Yoshi.
"Omae...", the sweetest bit, but the hardest to sing, in my opinion.
With my senses slapped back into me, I switched to my original plan, which was opening with Hideo Murata's (村田英雄) "Meoto Shunju" (夫婦春秋). I thought it was decent - after tweaking the key a bit, though a little rough on the lowest notes than I'd hoped, I felt like I was redeemed in the eyes of the regulars, most of whom had honed their skills to a fine point. "All the oji-sans would shed happy tears when they hear you sing this," was my favourite comment. I was given a seal of approval and offered sushi (the first of many, many other snacks) that the group had brought along. By that time, the most rowdy member of the club had arrived - a flamboyant purple haired oji-san in a kimono whom I shall call Y-chan. He fanned the flames of an already noisy bunch to new heights with oolong highballs - much to the chagrin of this old lady beside me, though.
I followed it up with Hachiro Kasuga's (春日八郎) "Ore wa Nora Inu" (俺は野良犬), a song which I have decided to make my Juu-hachi ban. It was definitely a blast from the past for the audience with its nostalgic sound. Personally, I felt that this was my best song for that day.
By then, the handful of folks became two handfuls, and passionate cheers of encouragement like "Mattemashita!" (I waited for this!) were constantly thrown out to everyone. It also became apparent to the oldies that I knew a lot of enka - frankly, it's more because they picked many I so happened to know - so it became almost like a game to see if I could recognize or even sing whatever they sang. It was amusing... or they thought I was amusing.
En-ya-saaaa-to mawashiteeeeee...
Next was Haruo Minami's (三波春夫) "Funakata-san yo" (船方さんよ), which was personally the hardest to sing, not because I had problems with the song itself, but because the oldies were at peak levels of excitement while screaming out their kakegoe to go along with the song and Y-chan kept singing with me (it's one of his favourites), so I had a hard time listening to myself... I need more karaoke experience (this was only my third time ever). Overall, I thought it was OK in spite of the distractions.
After dwelling in the oldies, I decided to go with something more modern. By that I mean Kiyoshi Hikawa (氷川きよし) and "Choito Kimagure Wataridori" (ちょいと気まぐれ渡り鳥), and after, "Omokage no Miyako" (面影の都). The former I felt was better than the latter, plus it was a lot more fun to sing. It made me realize, however, that the Sugamo bunch couldn't be very much bothered about the Prince of Enka, so that made the serifu portion a little dull, though I did get a "Hai, ojou-san!" from the lovely Grandma K. The video above, which first also shows "Otone Nagare Tsuki" (大利根ながれ月), a song I sang at a later date, will give you an idea of how fans react to the whimsical "Choito Kimagure Wataridori".
My 8th choice and the last for that whole afternoon session, was Michiya Mihashi's (三橋美智也) "Yuyake no Tonbi" (夕焼けとんび), thus completing the Yonin Shu set. I also thought it'd be a good idea since it didn't require as much vocal gymnastics, and it was evening (around 5 pm) by then. Again, I had to tinker with the key, but it was a satisfactory end to Saturday. This being another of Y-chan's favourites, he actually gave me some notes for improvement, of which I felt honored for having received advice from one of the day's best singers.
There were handshakes here and there, and I even managed to arrange another meeting with some of them on the following Monday - I planned to go for another round anyways, so all the better with a few more folks. 'twas then when I finally introduced myself. Suddenly, I didn't feel so lonely anymore.
Monday came soon enough and I was back in Sugamo. As expected, it was pretty quiet and there was only a crowd of 3 strangers, and later the 2 folks from Saturday who promised to show up, Grandma K and this sweet lady called K-chan, much to my joy. I took it as another opportunity to try out more songs, which indeed I did - I (unwittingly) sang a total of 13 songs! Takoyaki was brought by grandma to the karaoke to share, which was enough for all present, though both ladies insisted I had theirs, so I ended up with 3. I was glad and relieved that the red ginger taste was very mild.
The first of three.
This session was partially me retrying a few numbers from my 2016 round, beginning with Hikawa's "Hakone Hachiri no Hanjiro" (箱根八里の半次郎), which I can always rely on for a warm-up, Minami's "Yuki no Wataridori" (雪の渡り鳥), Muchi's "Osho" (王将), and Michi's "Hoshikuzu no Machi" (星屑の町). The later three attempts I would consider "meh" - was in too mellow a mood to "feel" the them.
Oh boy, do I miss them...
New tunes were attempted too, and some of my best that day, I felt, were Duke Aces' "Onna Hitori" (女ひとり), and Haruo Oka's "Akogare no Hawaii Koro" (憧れのハワイ航路). I was nervous over their keys as well, but it all worked out in the end. For once I could agree with audiences' "Umai!" and "Jouzu!", and not see it as common courtesy .
To mix things up a little, I picked some daring stuff too, like Hikawa's version of "Benten Kozo" (弁天小僧), which was a real crowd-pleaser the moment I did it in his expressive manner - a deliberate decision. And also his recent single, "Shoubu no Hanamichi" (勝負の花道).
HA!
It goes without saying that I did another Hachi number, this time being "An' Tokya Doshaburi" (あん時ゃどしゃ降り), and the MV showcased the movie he was in from 1957. They knew I love Hachi, so I think they yelled out something on the line of "There's your Hacchan!" when he appeared. Yes, grandmas, myHacchan...
0:49-0:57 though... ma heart...
Duets were quite commonplace that day, with a couple of the uncles wanting to sing something with Grandma K - she was pretty good for someone over 80. Eventually, she even invited me to sing 2 songs with her! Her choices were "Kiyoshi no Zundoko Bushi" (きよしのズンドコ節), followed by Dick Mine's "Tabi Sugata Sannin Otoko" (旅姿三人男), the latter chosen with the knowledge that I love matatabi enka. From the former, I noted that I had problems singing duets as I couldn't concentrate on my own key when my mind goes off listening to my partner's. The latter was better, though after that was when I truly felt exhausted from forcing out the low notes (my nemesis).
As the session came to a close, I wondered what song would be a meaningful end (for now, at least) to my fun-filled days at Mukashi no Uta no Mise. Frankly, I thought of saving the encouraging "Shoubu no Hanamichi" for this, but having already sung it earlier, I needed a replacement. And then a light bulb appeared - why not return to my Japanese music roots?
I chose "Hajimari wa Itsumo Ame" (はじまりはいつも雨) by Aska. The folks knew I'm all enka, but I wanted to show them what came first. Frankly, while I felt that it was a good attempt and better than a good half of my enka choices, the reception was lukewarm - except for K-chan, who was perpetually excited for anything. Grandma K and this other grandpa had no clue of the song's existance, and I have a bad feeling that the Mama-san did not approve of my choice, considering Aska's tarnished record - it's been 5 years, though...
Anyway, at the end of everything, I was pleasantly surprised albeit quite tentative to recieve some parting gifts from the folks. After all, I had only known them for two days. But they insisted, so I agreed to a pair of geta from K-chan, and a dinner treat from Grandma K. It was an awkward sushi dinner - not because I had problems communicating with the old lady, but because I had problems interacting with the sushi chef. Geez, he must have been wondering what this grandma was doing with this young foreigner who could barely speak Japanese...
I am very grateful to have met such wonderful people and experience their hospitality on this trip, and saying goodbye wasn't the easiest thing to do, to be honest. But I hope to see them again soon - now I'm aware that I have to appear on Saturdays or Sundays for most of the Sugamo bunch to be in attendance. Until then, I intend to fully learn Grandma K's favourite song, "Kantaro Tsukiyo Uta" (勘太郎月夜唄).
With that, we've come to the end of this article. It's been a long article - thank you for sticking through and I hope you enjoyed reading it!
Left: Conch; Right: Salmon
Far right: A gross pile of ginger
P.S. During one interview, Kohei Fukuda (福田こうへい) saidthat if you sing any one of the Yonin Shu's (Hachi, Michi, Muchi, Minami) songs, the oldies will go wild. I can strongly attest to that.
Got hit with a good bunch of articles to translate earlier today so I'm feeling a tad frazzled right now. Luckily, dinner helped take the edge off. Plus, I'm feeling that whimsy tonight so I've decided to go for something silly and provide a follow-up to my article on those five karaoke tunes that were always a part of my singing arsenal whether I went with teachers and students to the nearby Karaoke Kan or a tiny karaoke bar.
This follow-up actually involves those five karaoke tunes that I tried that not only not become part of the arsenal but had me vow never to try them again. For that other article, I mentioned three conditions for me to have a chance of singing a song without clearing the room, and for the sake of this article, I will mention them again:
A: A nice even melody without any shifts in key. B: Lyrics that didn't require me to leaf through a kanji dictionary many times. C: No demand for vocal gymnastics (therefore, Kazumasa Oda and Dreams Come True were out).
Now, of course, there were plenty of other tunes that I did try out and never resumed but these five's failures left residual and painful memories of shame that have popped up now and then like unwanted cold sores.
Well, obviously I broke Rule No. 3. But actually I made the rule because of what had happened with this song. I absolutely love Oda's magnum opus....personally I think "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni" had a lot of the non-fans or casual fans of Off-Course forget that he had ever been a member of that amazing band.
I sang...or tried to sing..."Love Story wa Totsuzen ni" at karaoke when I was visiting my relatives in Osaka not too long after "Tokyo Love Story" had finished its run on Fuji-TV. Ugh! That refrain especially twisted me in conniptions...I hadn't realized that that part of the song undulated and twisted in 3D. Practice might have improved things somewhat but I was rather mortified at the time and my relatives were politely encouraging which made things worse. Ironically enough, I haven't seen them again in over 25 years.
Another case of breaking Rule No. 3. Nakanishi has an amazing soaring voice. I do not. I can only guess the multiple glasses of Brown Cow did all the talking one night for me at the karaoke box. In any case, I did my rendition of this wonderful nighttime ballad which was rendered not so wonderful since my voice didn't get anywhere near as high as the original singer's vocals when needed.
Let's say this. Nakanishi = soaring jet. J-Canuck = Monarch butterfly with a case of hiccups. Once again, I received a sympathetic smile from a friend of mine which fairly screamed "Nice try, bro!". After that, I let the professionals handle this one.
Indeed, this is a joyful song. I loved the way YUKI contracted some of her lyrics as if a foreigner were trying to say them, and "Joy" in general sounded quirky and inspirational at the same time. And that was some music video.
One night, while I was teaching at the local juku in Urayasu City right next to my own city of Ichikawa, I made the suggestion to those night students of mine about having a karaoke outing at the nearby Shidax (which was the high-end karaoke box). Of course, they all leaped at the opportunity but I made one condition: the first hour would have my charges sing only English-language tunes. They were initially wary but, hey, they did a great job on that night.
The second hour was back to the regular stuff, and that was when I was interested in giving "Joy" a shot. It didn't clear the room but things were silent for a few awkward moments. Finally, the senior student basically remarked "Well, that was interesting...". Damning with faint praise indeed. YUKI with her high-pitched voice was fine with this, but the song didn't work quite as well with a baritone like me.
One of the saddest ballads ever released by the Hokkaido band, Koji Tamaki probably had his fans in tears with his powerful and heartrending delivery. I had listeners crying for a different reason. Strangely enough, I was OK with some of the other hits by Anzen Chitai, and in fact, one of my go-to tunes is another one of the band's ballads but I think with "Friend", there was just some subtlety required that I couldn't emulate.
I didn't usually sing anison at karaoke but I did make an exception for the mighty theme song from "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" since the vocals were well within my range. However, whenever I tried B.B. Queens' biggest hit, "Odoru Ponpokorin", it wasn't just a little too high but it was a little too far out of my silliness range. For a number of songs, a good amount of body movement is encouraged but I was never all that expressive a fellow. Therefore, what my friends saw was more "Suwaru Ponpokorin" than "Odoru Ponpokorin".
So if any of you folks have your own karaoke stories, good or bad, please let me know.
I'm back! Over the past few days I had been vacationing in Japan with the family - Hokkaido and Tokyo - and it was one heck of a trip, I can tell you that. Somehow, I managed to strike off every single thing on my to do list, even those that were a bit of a touch and go sort of thing as they needed either huge amounts of luck or confidence on my part. And so, I'll be deviating from my usual articles to I've share my experiences with you guys. I hope you don't mind and hope you enjoy it.
The first experience that I would like to talk about in this article is tackling a popular pastime of the locals there: Karaoke. This was the one item on the list that required my confidence and a little luck. But I wasn't going to settle for any old place like the every present Karaoke Kan, I wanted to find a little joint where the only songs sung are enka and kayokyoku, and the clientele are people over 55. Eventually I did find one while exploring Jizodori in the wonderful Sugamo, a.k.a. Old People Harajuku, called, Mukashi no Uta no Mise, that was opposite the famous red underwear shop. With it's menu promising drinks, snacks, nostalgia, old singers, and old movies, I had to go in - after convincing Mom.
The bar was exactly as I had hoped: small but cozy, dimly lit, a karaoke station in the back, signed posters of mostly unknown enka singers, less than ten regulars, who were surprisingly good singers, sitting around. I was the youngest. Whoopee! I was game to show them what I got and sort-of did so in five tunes - most fun I ever had. All the songs mentioned in this article have been profiled.
I began with "Hakone Hachiri no Hanjiro". I knew it won't really impress as it's by Kiyoshi Hikawa and for someone my age a tune by him would be the obvious choice, but with this being my first ever karaoke session, not to mention in front of an audience, I needed a song I was most comfortable with. Even so, when the time came I couldn't stop shaking and there a couple of times when I when a bit off-key due to some internal panic. I managed to pull through, and boy, that adrenaline rush afterwards! My audience seemed to have given me their seal of approval.
Next up, fueled by adrenaline, I picked the song that I was personally most proud of, "Soshite Kobe". I thought I would have no problems and the oldies seemed to be mildly taken aback by me choosing this classic. To a certain extent, it was better than my first attempt, but I wasn't very satisfied with it. In fact, I was disappointed that I couldn't bring out the angst this tune needs. I guess I wasn't feeling it that day. Would also have been a bit better if it were of a slightly higher key. The audience seemed impressed by my ability to imitate Mae-Kiyo's vibrato.
I surprised myself with song no.3. I had wanted to go with Ikuzo Yoshi's "Kadode" but changed it to one of my top enka favourites, "Hoshikuzu no Machi". I was a bit worried as to whether the oldies would accept how I handled this hit, until their rousing applause and exclamations upon finding out that the "Ojou-san" was going to attempt something by theMichiya Mihashi hit my ears, which really gave my confidence a boost. This was the choice I was most pleased and satisfied with.
You know those times when you go, "What on earth did I just do?" That was exactly what went through my head when I was about to sing my 4th song. Riding on the radiating approval I got from "Hoshikuzu no Machi", my daft mind thought it'd be a good idea to follow up with something "even better" by someone who was in the same league as Michi: "Yuki no Wataridori". As expected the folks cheered in approval at my choice, but I couldn't say the same thing for myself. Luckily, I managed to pull it of relatively okay, going off-key once and the oldies said I did good despite it being a challenging song. I clearly remember what I said afterwards, "This song is really difficult!". I did not learn my lesson, as you will see in a moment.
Haruo Minami's song was supposed to be my last song and a cheerful-sounding tune seemed like a good way to round up this amazing ordeal. Even Mom, who initially declined the offer, put out a decent "Ai San San" (before my turn). Still, the audience urged for one more, and of course, I relented.
Having seen my interest in Mihashi, the owner encouraged me to go with another one of his works. Being a bit more sane this time, I refused as I know many Michi songs are tough and require, as J-Canuck had once said, vocal gymnastics. But I wanted to select something that would garner the same amount of frenzy, which I did. Sadly, that one also needed a bit of vocal gymnastics.
As a friend of mine would say, "Go big or go home." I wasn't going home then, so I went big with the regal-sounding "Osho" by the fierce Hideo Murata. Hearing the music, I thought I should channel Murata by standing straighter with shoulders squared, chin up and wearing a no-nonsense look on my face. For that moment I felt... proud and powerful. I was doing it for them. Suddenly, for some weird reason I found that funny and broke the façade by snickering to myself. Nevertheless, it was a satisfactory finale and the oldies were pleased.
That about wraps up my Sugamo escapade. I wouldn't say that I'm particularly outstanding vocal-wise since I went off-key a few times due to not being able to hear myself or simply freaking out, but my audience were a really nice and supportive bunch, cheering me on even when I thought I didn't deliver a song as well as I had hoped. I made some friends that day. The icing on the cake was when they spurred me on with multiple "Ganbatte-s" and a "Good luck" as we were leaving, and a couple of them insisted they shook hands with me. It was an honor to do so; I felt like I was an enka singer. Commemorative photos had to be taken too.
And then one of them asked, "Will you be coming back?" That actually stung because I didn't know when I could go back, so I just replied with a vague "I don't know". But I will go back, and when I do I hope they'll be there.
In my next article, I'll talk about a live event in Ikebukuro.
For almost 20 years, karaoke was one of my leisure activities with the various groups of people I hung out with. However, back in my university days when I first got involved with the Japanese hobby, I spent several months at that Yorkville karaoke bar, Kuri, without getting anywhere near a microphone due to fear. But with growing familiarity to my surroundings and several drinks' worth of Brown Cow (known as Kahlua Milk over there) later, my friend and I finally gathered up the gumption to try out one song together. And this will segue into my list of those go-to songs I had in my arsenal whenever I took part in singing in the years to come.
Yep, my humble beginnings in picking up a microphone and singing to that empty orchestra resided with this ballad. It was just the perfect duet for a couple of fairly pickled undergraduates to try out at a time when neither guy was willing to go it alone. Lack of talent was no barrier for us...especially when alcohol was coursing through our veins.
Basically my career in amassing a karaoke repertoire was a matter of trial and error. Gradually, I developed some basic rules in picking a song which I thought I could handle:
A: A nice even melody without any shifts in key. B: Lyrics that didn't require me to leaf through a kanji dictionary many times. C: No demand for vocal gymnastics (therefore, Kazumasa Oda and Dreams Come True were out)
When I finally graduated from U of T in 1989 and got on that plane for Japan to start my teaching career in Gunma Prefecture, trips to karaoke bars became more of a professional demand. After all, the various official dinner functions always required the nijikai（二次会...second party）which often meant a visit to drinking establishments armed with karaoke equipment. I found Ikuzo Yoshi's"Yukiguni" to be fine with me since it fulfilled those 3 rules above, and in a way, it represented The Great White North.
Singing this dozens of times over the years, I was finally able to develop that deep growl that enka singers use to launch the title in the refrain...often got some applause for that.
Mysteriously, I never mentioned in the original article for this bluesy ballad that I had first heard it on "Sounds of Japan". That piano that starts things off had me right there. One time at a karaoke box, I was leafing furiously through the thick tome of the listings when that song suddenly percolated up through my memories. I hadn't thought I would find it but sure enough it was right in there, so I decided to give it a try. Strangely enough, it worked out pretty well although none of my compadres that night knew the song at all. They were quite impressed that it was Tokito who sang it since they (and most other people) knew him just as an actor.
During those Gunma days, I was giving the aforementioned "Yukiguni" quite the workout so the guys knew my go-to song. However, being the demanding folks they were, they wanted another song from me, so somehow I went with another tune that I had first heard on "Sounds of Japan", the jaunty "Kita Sakaba". This song by Hosokawa is perfect for a lot of the older karaoke-going group to get all cheered up and clapping. And for some reason, the order gets to the front desk for more beer afterwards. "Kita Sakaba" became my Commander Will Riker to the Captain Picard of my "Yukiguni".
Unlike "Yukiguni", I didn't pick Yuming's "Blizzard" because it had some sort of connection with Canada (last year's Ice Storm aside). I just liked singing it because it sounded good to me (love the dramatic intro) and the three rules were once again met. Yuming's voice may have already become quite high even back then, but I still could get through it in a lower register.
Believe me, there were many others I've tried and succeeded/failed at. But the above are the ones that were my juu-hachi-ban (my go-to tunes). Perhaps some of the other collaborators can clue us in on their karaoke likes.
Also, you can take a look at my article on karaoke in general which I wrote back in April 2012.
And finally, you can take a look at the five that I failed miserably at.
Well, I figure if I'm blogging under the title of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", it was just a matter of time that I would have to refer to another KK, that of Karaoke Kan（カラオケ館）. Karaoke Kan is one of the handful of major karaoke box chains all over Japan, along with SHIDAX, Big Echo and Uta Hiroba. When I first got into karaoke by going with my university buddies to karaoke bar Kuri in Yorkville back in the late 80s, making a request involved filling out a small slip of paper with the song title and registry number found from a telephone directory-sized book. Then when I was assigned to the wilds of Gunma Prefecture for 2 years from 1989-1991, the teachers were always taking me to the local karaoke bars out there. I was never a huge fan of singing in front of strangers, but I did my due diligence and picked up a couple of juu-hachi-ban（十八番） numbers...songs that I would always rely on to say that I did participate: Ikuzo Yoshi's Yukiguni and Takashi Hosokawa's Kita Sakaba, enka songs that have their own entries in this blog.
So, it was with some relief that late in my Gunma stay, some students and I found a karaoke motel of sorts way out in the boonies. It was just like a real motel...rooms side-by-side with cars parked in front of them where we could sing amongst friends or colleagues for 1-2 hours. It was the start of the transition into karaoke boxes.
And so during my long odyssey in Chiba/Tokyo, students, fellow teachers and I have often centered our social outings in these huge glass-and-steel buildings in places like Shinjuku, Ginza and Ikebukuro. It's almost a shame to call them karaoke boxes since they are far more elaborate than that second word.
Everybody Wang Chung tonight!
A couple of my former colleagues at that Karaoke Kan in Shinjuku one Saturday night. Along with the microphones, every respectable karaoke suite must have one or two tambourines....perhaps in tribute to Davy Jones of the Monkees. Yes, there is nothing like the ringing of tuneless bells to enhance that rendition of "Stairway to Heaven".
To the right is the lobby of Karaoke Kan down on the ground level. In keeping with the hotel-like atmosphere, it does look like check-in time. Most of the folks going there are the young'uns but the older generation also stops by to keep the kayo kyoku alive.
A typical menu in a karaoke box has lots and lots of fried food. A nutritionist wouldn't be caught dead here although a lot of karaoke veterans could be. Onion rings, karaage fried chicken, okonomiyaki...it's a veritable smorgasbord of excess. After eating this stuff, you'll be dying to sing that languid Anzen Chitai ballad.
"Picard to Engineering"
I think I mentioned in my karaoke bar days, the song list was about as thick as The Yellow Pages. Well, not anymore in Japan. Now, touchpads are the thing. Just use the plastic stylus to tap to your favourite song or even use one's stubby, greasy (from the karaage) fingers to get that obscure anime tune. One can also control the pitch of the song with the touchpad and perhaps even add vocal effects such as an echo or vocal gender-switching. Fantasize about being that Takarazuka Revue Top Star? Fantasize no more.
Probably the strangest karaoke experience I'd ever had was at The Big Echo in Yurakucho, just north of Ginza. I think a small bunch of us had celebrated a graduation party and we decided on singing a few tunes for a couple of hours. Since it was a Saturday, The Big Echo was nearly booked solid so we ended up on the 7th floor, which was totally dedicated to Hello Kitty! Ironically, the world's most famous mute cat loudly made her presence known all over the walls, floors and doors of the 7th floor. Even the mikes were pasted with her visage. If there were a place to have a psychotic break...
I think the one of the reasons that kayo kyoku still has its place in Japanese society is because of karaoke. Every time a song like "Hatsukoi"or "Cat's Eye"is sung, it is remembered. And because it is remembered, it is sung. Now that I'm back in Toronto, my access to karaoke is pretty much nil since it never really took hold in North America. But then again, my karaoke outings dissipated in my last few years in Japan since a lot of my friends around me at that time would have needed to be zapped by an overpowered cattle prod to be forced into a karaoke box. Mind you, in certain areas of Shinjuku, being zapped by an overpowered cattle prod is actually an alternative activity.
Found this video on YouTube of a group of people around my age enjoying themselves in some karaoke box. Not sure if this is Karaoke Kan or SHIDAX, but the point is that it's a typical scene of folks singing their favorite tunes off-tune while fiddling with the touchpads, eating away at their starches or negotiating with the waitress. Heck, even "My Way"is in there. Watch it the whole way through, if you dare.
The room kinda looks like a briefing room on the new Enterprise.
