Hitomi Yaida -- Hitori Jenga （一人ジェンガ）

Actually the above is a photo of tsukemen but since I've considered the scrumptious dish as a form of deconstructed ramen, it will serve for my purposes here.

Whenever I took my rare trips outside of Tokyo, one of my favourite destinations was Yokohama and within that wonderful port city, one of my favourite stops was the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. Although I enjoyed visiting and staying right by Yokohama Bay with Minato Mirai 21, Yamashita Park and Chinatown in the vicinity, the Ramen Museum was (and is) located a little further away near JR Shin-Yokohama Station, but all it takes is a short subway ride up to get there from the Bay so not inconvenient at all.

Perhaps the place might be seen as a little too touristy but I enjoyed going there not only to have my choice of ramen represented by several restaurants from all over the nation but also to savor the time trip back to Tokyo of the 1950s. The restaurants are all located down in the sub-basements of he facility surrounded by a detailed mockup of postwar inner city Tokyo so the place can also be a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

Now the reason I gave that shout-out to one of the national emporia for Japanese dishes is due to the music video for Hitomi Yaida's（矢井田瞳）"Hitori Jenga" (Playing Jenga Alone). When I was watching Yaiko perform in the video, I just went "Hey! Wait a minute...I know that place!" Yup, it was the Tokyo set in the museum. So I'm a tad worried now that something Pavlovian might happen and I will end up salivating for ramen whenever I hear this song.

In a way, though, Yaida's 10th single from September 2003 is a pretty nice match for the Ramen Museum since the song created by the singer-songwriter and arranged by her, Daishi Kataoka（片岡大志）and Akira Murata（村田昭）has that retro-rock feeling. I think it also sounds like something that Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）would tackle as well in that sense.

Also I enjoy that one line she delivers "Aitai kedo aenai no"（会いたいけど会えないの...I want to meet you but I can't）for some reason. Yaida's lyrics come off as a bit of an old postwar film noir in the big city where a woman would dearly like to be with that one fellow but cannot due to dark circumstances from her past coming back to haunt her. The title actually refers to all of those entanglements being compared to playing that dangerous game of Jenga; how far can it be played before the whole thing comes crumbling down?

The single peaked at No. 6 on Oricon and was also put down as a track on her 4th album "Air/Cook/Sky" which came out a month after the single. It managed to get as high as No. 2.

Ken Yamauchi & Masako Izumi -- Hoshizora no Futari （星空の二人）

Not quite sure where I first heard this but I suspect the song was performed on a "Uta Kon" (うたコン) in the last few months of last year. This is another duet by actors Ken Yamauchi and Masako Izumi（山内賢・和泉雅子）titled "Hoshizora no Futari" (Starry Sky Couple) from March 1967.

About 6 months earlier, Yamauchi and Izumi had a huge hit with "Futari no Ginza"（二人の銀座）, a song that had been penned by The Ventures and Rokusuke Ei（永六輔）. This follow-up was written by Hisatoki Izumi（いずみひさとき）and composed by Makoto Kawaguchi（川口真）, and has a bit more of the sweet and a little less of the urgency. With the grand horns and chorus in there, I was thinking that "Hoshizora no Futari" had also been a theme song for a movie of the same title but didn't come across any indication of that in Yamauchi's J-Wiki article.

Yamauchi and Izumi still sound like that adorable teen couple hopelessly in love and not shy to show it. The video below has a shortened updated version that sounds as if The Ventures took a crack at arranging it.

Tatsuro Yamashita -- Melodies

Happy Tuesday to you all! Hope all of you have managed to survive Blue Monday. I got my first bill from the good ol' folks at MasterCard today and it doesn't hurt too much. By the way, the above photo is of Fuji-TV down at Odaiba right by Tokyo Bay. Yeah, it has that Meccano kit look to it. My old friend who went to the Ontario College of Art isn't too much of a fan of the design but I'm OK with it. I remember seeing this construct as one of the very first structures on the man-made island when I visited Odaiba in 1995...there was really nothing but a few condos and a whole lot of sandy ground surrounding the TV station. Things have come a long way since then.

Well, it feels like I've already covered a good chunk of the tracks for Tatsuro Yamashita's（山下達郎）hit album "Melodies" but I feel that it's time to at least give some tribute to his June 1983 release. Did give his 7th album a listen late last night and was satisfied as usual. For the record, I've written articles on the following tracks from "Melodies": "Kanashimi no JODY: She Was Crying"（悲しみのJODY）, "Blue Midnight", "Kokiatsu Girl"（高気圧ガール）and "Christmas Eve".

I like those four tracks but I also love the song "Merry Go Round" (メリー・ゴー・ラウンド). I was reading the write-up for each of the tracks on J-Wiki and I came across this rather intriguing comment from Yamashita about this particular track. He commented that during those days whenever he composed a funk song and laid down the lyrics, he felt that there was this rather Ray Bradbury-type world which would be whipped up. Now I have read my fair share of science-fiction but I'm not as familiar with Bradbury's material so I'm not quite sure what he meant by that. However by looking at those lyrics, I got the impression that this couple enjoying that midnight ride on that carousel in Tokyo's Korakuen amusement park was experiencing something more otherworldly.

Perhaps then that above video showing scenes from the incredible "AKIRA" (sorry but it's been taken down) was the right one for "Merry Go Round". Oh, it's pure Tats City Pop with that thumping bass, the groovy keyboards and his layered vocals. I gather that he was really getting into the beat with those background whoops.

(cover version)

Then, there is "Night-Fly"（夜翔...not sure how to pronounce the kanji here）, a nicely nocturnal and dreamy ballad which Yamashita wove from his impressions of the sound of sirens wailing off in the distance while living in Tokyo. That may sound rather odd but I can relate to that feeling. But for me, I would also add the faint sounds of the hustle and bustle of life down on the ground and even the sight of those slowly blinking red warning lights on all of the skyscrapers in The Big Sushi.

I also found out on J-Wiki that the singer-songwriter had also created the English title with the hyphen since he didn't particularly want any letters of inquiry from the representatives of Donald Fagen because the fellow from Steely Dan had come out with his great album "The Nightfly" the previous year. That album is also on my shelf and it is one of my favourites as well.

I couldn't find any other of the tracks that hadn't yet been covered by me represented on YouTube but I did want to give some attention to Yamashita's cover of "Guess I'm Dumb". As I said, I couldn't find that song so here is the original song as performed by Glen Campbell in 1965.

One of my thoughts about Yamashita in terms of his musicality and delivery was that he should have been made at least an honourary member of The Beach Boys. So I guess there is a certain rightness about covering this tune created by Brian Wilson and Russ Titelman for Campbell (another TV presence from my time as a toddler) who also had his time with the The Beach Boys. The Wikipedia article on the song mentions it as well but "Guess I'm Dumb" also has that grand Burt Bacharach horn arrangement in there. I was also attracted to the lyric "I guess I'm dumb but I don't care"; sounds like the perfect mantra for me.😆

"Melodies" hit No. 1 on Oricon and became the 7th-ranked album of the year.

Ryotaro Sugi -- Yatate no Sugi (矢立の杉)

Hur hur, Ryotaro Sugi (杉良太郎) is singing about a sugi (cedar tree)... ... Sorry, I couldn't help it.

In my article on Harumi Miyako (都はるみ) a week ago, I mentioned that there was a single by the Taiga drama star I found on a "Nippon no Uta" binge. That single is "Yatate no Sugi". 

Coming from another Special Stage that paired Sugi with enka singer George Yamamoto (山本讓二), "Yatate no Sugi" was sung during the time when both singers showcased their new tunes for that year/around that year. Yamamoto first put out a rather bluesy Mood Kayo that was quite easy on the ears - it feels like you're in a smokey bar with a glass of the hard stuff in hand after a hard day of work, listening to "Naitara Ii sa" as you wait for the rain outside to ease before leaving. Then when it was Sugi's turn, those delicate strings and soft trumpets of "Yatate no Sugi" make it feel like you just left said bar and got transported to some nature trail in the middle of a forest where the air is crisp and you can see the clear sky between the branches of the cedar trees. In other words, it was very refreshing to hear this song after much "hardcore" and aged enka earlier in the show.

The focus of "Yatate no Sugi" is the sacred cedar of the same name in Yamanashi prefecture. This huge tree stood east of the peak of the Sasago ridge for more than a millennium and it's still going strong today along a hiking trail. I'm not entirely sure why it is worshiped, but back around the Edo era, samurai would pray to the Yatate Cedar before a war in the hopes that they will emerge victorious; an arrow, which in Japanese is "Ya" (矢), would be shot at the tree afterwards - that's how the tree got its name. I got this information from the Otsuki City tourism website which you can check out here. 

"Yatate no Sugi" was released on 21st May 2008. Writing it was Sugi himself under the pen name, Ryo Daichi (大地良), and he seems to be talking about the strength and comfort it still gives the people of Yamanashi (or minimally Kuronoda Village which is in the tree's vicinity) even after all those years. It's a nice and noble tribute to one of Yamanashi's natural wonders. There's even a plaque to commemorate this song and a speaker playing it near the tree. Yup, this is definitely the flavour of the month, besides Miyako's "Sen'nen no Koto". Come to think of it, I like both songs because they give me a similar vibe - airy and dignified - just that Sugi's has a slightly more enka feel that Miyako's.

teichiku.co.jp/teichiku/artist/sugiryo/discography/TECA-12140



World Order -- Have A Nice Day

It was definitely nice getting back to Tokyo again in late 2014. As I've said before, the city is a great place to take a walk during the year...excepting the dog days of summer. There are a lot of interesting neighbourhoods and because of the somewhat more relaxed zoning regulations, even the local areas can be packed with flavour. Walk along the sidewalk, you can come across a dry cleaners squeezed in between a tonkatsu eatery and a toy store specializing in Gundam figures.

But just to divert from the conversation a bit, the above fellow is former mixed martial artist Genki Sudo（須藤元気）. I was never a fan of MMA but his face rings a bell and I figure it's because he has also been a fairly familiar face on Japanese television as a tarento. I guess I can also call him a Renaissance man of sorts because he is also an actor, a singer, a choreographer, an author, a representative for an English conversation school and even a sommelier. My impression is that in all likelihood I've seen him participating on that Arashi（嵐）game show "VS Arashi".

What I hadn't been aware about was that Sudo had also created his own unique band called World Order in 2009. I caught one of their videos today and it was for their December 2014 song "Have A Nice Day". Their schtick was that the former MMA fighter and his crew made like sober-suited automatons doing some cool and comic routines in some of the famous areas of Tokyo. It's tourism with a twist! And any video showcasing parts of the megalopolis will always be welcome with me.

Sudo wrote and composed this nifty technopoppy tune, and although I think it needs the video to be really fun, I was kinda reminded of Denki Groove（電気グルーヴ）since those fellows also have a sense of humour with their music and videos as well.

I have read the comments from YouTube that World Order ought to have their time in the sun (or under the stars) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremonies. That wouldn't be a bad idea at all. However, Sudo resigned as the lead vocalist back in October 2015 and is now helping World Order on the production side of things. Perhaps, though, he can be persuaded to put on the suit and glasses one more time for the team.

fhana -- Aozora no Rhapsody （青空のラプソディ）

According to the mass media, today is supposed to be Blue Monday. This was so coined due to the combination of post-Holiday blues, the continuing shorter period of sunlight during the winter, and the bills coming in from all that Yuletide carousing last month. I should have my own bills coming in over the next couple of weeks, but I don't think they will be too painful.

But never let it be said that "Kayo Kyoku Plus" can't at least try to blow back some of those blues so I've brought in the first entry for the blog categorized as a 2017 song, the opening theme for the new anime "Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon"（小林さんちのメイドラゴン...Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid） by pop group fhana as their 10th single.

Along with the fact that it is the first song to be given the 2017 tag, "Aozora no Rhapsody" (Blue Sky Rhapsody) has my own little distinction of being the first article I'm providing of an anison of a show that I have the potential of seeing next Sunday (I believe my anime buddy just came back home yesterday) or at the end of January, provided that he is interested in "Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon". I've usually touted my like on KKP for an anime theme after viewing at least the first couple of episodes of the new show.

However, I first found out about the song a few days ago while perusing YouTube and catching the lively video of the actual band prancing about. It and the song are pretty fun and catchy, especially with that opening lyric of "Chu, chu, YEAH!". Plus that bouncy arrangement and towana's rapid-fire vocals helped me get out of my funk that night.

There's also something rather sweet about hearing and writing about fhana again since a few years ago I wrote about their debut single, the amazing "Que Sera Sera" (ケセラセラ) which was the ending theme for the gloriously animated "Uchoten Kazoku"（有頂天家族）. It remains one of my favourite anison. But the mellowness of "Que Sera Sera" certainly contrasts with the super happy nature of "Aozora no Rhapsody" with both songs being contributed by band leader Junichi Sato（佐藤純一）and lyricist Hideki Hayashi（林英樹）.

No Oricon rankings as of yet since the single itself won't be out until January 25th, still over a week away. (February 20 2017: It actually peaked at No. 24, the band's 2nd-highest ranking thus far.)

Also, have a gander at the just-as-infectious ending theme.

Keiko Kimura -- Good Morning

Long time, no see, Ms. Kimura. It's been quite a while.

Although it wasn't an official New Year's Resolution (I have steadfastly refused to make any of those anymore), I have decided to go back to the shelves and pull out a CD at random every day or every two days to listen to the various purchases. So, today was Keiko Kimura's（木村恵子）"Style" album from 1988. And indeed right from that cover photo to the music itself, there is that certain stylish mellow pop ripe for urban life.

I've already given the spotlight to two other tracks from "Style": "Denwa Shinai de"（電話しないで）and "Coltrane de Aishite"（コルトレーンで愛して）, so today's article is on "Good Morning" which is appropriately the first track. Written by Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）and composed by Shigeru Suzuki（鈴木茂）, "Good Morning" has that easy and breezy melody incorporating a languid version of the town clock's hourly chimes. Meanwhile, Kimura sings about a possible morning after scenario with a woman who invited over a male buddy to sleep the night. Some of the copious drinking is still giving her a bit of a buzz. According to the lyrics, she still considers the fellow a good friend since she feels that the wonderful city is truly her lover. From that line, I wonder whether Kimura's photo was meant to envisage Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

So far, I've only written about songs from "Style", so I figure sometime later, I'm going to have to try to get at least one of her other three studio albums....if they are still around online.