Saori Hayami -- Yuuei（遊泳）

Over the past several years as I got back into anime again thanks to my good friend, the names of the seiyuus also became household words to me. Although I have no real idea what the education is like for Japanese voice actors, I can imagine that they must receive the rigorous training in trying out all sorts of different timbres ranging from high-pitched moe to growly and threatening.

Seiyuu Saori Hayami（早見沙織）was one of the first that I got to know by name since my anime buddy presented a lot of shows that had her in major or recurring roles. Usually, though, if I were asked to describe her usual voice, I would have to say "creamy" based on what I've heard from her characters in series such as "Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to"（マンガ家さんとアシスタントさんと）and "Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka?"（ご注文はうさぎですか）. Having said that, I was pretty floored when I heard her rough-and-tumble, suffer-no-fools-at-all character of pink-haired Deana Del Rio on the action-comedy "Double Decker! Doug & Kirill".

Therefore, it's not all that often that I get to hear Hayami (or any seiyuu, for that matter) performing a song in a non-anime capacity, but one commenter was kind enough to introduce me to a few songs that had been composed by Yasuyuki Horigome（堀込泰行）, former member of Kirinji and brother of Kirinji vocalist Takaki Horigome（堀込高樹）. One of those songs happens to be the topic of this "Kayo Kyoku Plus" article.

"Yuuei", according to jisho.org, has a couple of meanings. There is the basic one of swimming but there is also the more intriguing one of making one's way in the world. Perhaps Hayami's song is trying to cover both definitions; she provided the lyrics which seem to develop a scene of mystery and romance in some tropical clime thanks to Horigome's bossa nova melody (and there's even some spacey keyboard in the middle which reminds me of some of the more recent Kirinji material that I've been hearing). There's also a mention of a code name in the lyrics so perhaps the heroine is trying get herself out of an espionage jam in South America somewhere.

In any case, "Yuuei" is pleasantly delivered and a nice tune to have with that tall cocktail on the beach chair. But it's also not bad listening while anchored down in a chair in front of a computer. The song is a part of Hayami's 2nd mini-album from March this year, "Sister Cities"（シスターシティーズ）, with that illustration of her getting ready for a vacation. Maybe it could be performed at Rabbit House in the 3rd season of "Gochuumon" under Hayami's guise of author Blue Mountain Aoyama; couldn't really see Dina doing it.

Sayuri Ishikawa -- Jinchouge（沈丁花）

Caught this one on a recent episode of NHK's "Songs of Japanese Spirit" a few weeks back, and it turns out that "Jinchouge" (Winter Daphne) is a Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）song. It is actually the first time that I had ever heard of this plant so my horticultural vocabulary has also benefited from the experience.🌲

Released as a New Year's Day 1978 single, "Jinchouge" strikes me as a sweeping romantic enka with some Mood Kayo elements in there as Ishikawa pines away for that lost lover. I gather that since her breakthrough hit of "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki"（津軽海峡冬景色）in 1977, she may have been seen as the go-to chanteuse for traveling ballads of heartbreak. "Jinchouge" has that feeling for me, and it's that arrangement pattern which brought me over to enka and Mood Kayo in the first place. I simply love those strings and the mournful chorus.

"Jinchouge" reached No. 19 on the Oricon weeklies and it ended up as the 93rd-ranked single for 1978. Written by Ryo Shoji（東海林良）, the composer was none other than Katsuo Ono（大野克夫）, the fellow behind the karaoke Mood Kayo classic "Izakaya"（居酒屋）and also the famous theme song for "Detective Conan".

Bread & Butter -- Cruising On（クルージング・オン）

Monday morning...and (knocking on wood hard) there's more hope in the air as the economy begins to ever so carefully unfurl its sails once more and infection rates continue to drop. I went out to the local supermarket earlier today to get the week's groceries only to be greeted by wet snow. Yup, you read that correctly. There was a brief but intense flurry of the white stuff as I walked over to the Metro. Fortunately, though, there was no lineup and I had plenty of space to get the food, including a few steaks that I'd assumed would be in short supply (actually, beef is in short supply but I still could get some tenderloin for my folks).

I thought that I ought to start off this new week on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" with something appropriate for this Monday morning by getting a track from AOR duo Bread & Butter's（ブレッド＆バッター）1980 album "Monday Morning" (staring at that cover of the Iwasawa brothers against the ocean is therapy in itself). In tandem with the title track that I've already written about, here is "Cruising On" created by the same pair behind the song "Monday Morning", Michio Yamagami（山上路夫）on lyrics and one-half of the B&B duo, Satsuya Iwasawa（岩沢幸矢）.

Compared to the really relaxing title track, "Cruising On" has a bit more Margaritaville jump in the melody, as it should, since the Bread & Butter boys are singing about leaving that stifling company to enjoy some wonderful sailing off the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. There are even a couple of shout outs to the islands in the area including Jogashima. Nothing like the wind at your back and the calm blue ocean under you as you race by in your sloop, and "Cruising On" ends with that famous genre Twinkle Riff/Perrier Pour.

Along with its insertion in "Monday Morning", "Cruising On" became the B-side to Bread & Butter's 15th single, the classic "Ano Koro no Mama"（あの頃のまま）from 1981.

Milky Mama -- Midnight Walk

Well, it's certainly an eye-grabbing name for a band! And after YouTuber Xerf Xpec uploaded its lone 1984 single, "Midnight Walk", onto the platform early last month, it's received quite a few compliments. Furthermore, they have remained active up to last year at least according to their website.

Milky Mama identifies itself as a band covering the genres of rock, AOR, pop and fusion. Originating as a club in a Tokyo women's university, vocalist/guitarist Setsuko Shibata（柴田摂子）started things up with drummer Hiroko and bassist Etsuko Yoda and a few others. With a few changes in the lineup, the current band has Shibata, Yoda, keyboardist Wakana Miyano and Makoto Hayakawa on drums, and they have been playing at the various live houses.

With four songs on the single, the title track is first up to bat. "Midnight Walk", as the title hints, is a nighttime groovy tune which seems to be partially overlaid on the rhythms of Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go For That". Yoda provides some fine City Pop bass but those synths take things up briefly into the ionosphere as well. Also have to point out that the cover of that mystery woman hovering by the entrance of that fancy boutique adorns the song very nicely.

At 5:31, "Daylight Passage" is a sunset-sounding West Coast AOR number that brings to mind a stroll on the boardwalk with the appropriate wailing guitar and bluesy saxophone helping out. "Sail On to the Night" at 10:16 manages to do some quick introductions of the sounds that shape it: a versatile horn section that does the pendulum from cool fusion to some swing jazz plus an added spacey synth. This is City Pop costumed in a zoot suit and a fob watch as it proudly strides into downtown Tokyo for a night out on the town. Finally at 14:31, "Ryuusei"（流星...Shooting Star） is some more West Coast fun with a bit more Airplay (maybe even Rick Springfield) and Electric Light Orchestra. And yet, that guitar solo in there transports me back to Japanese pop once more.

A couple of other songwriters have helped out, but it's mainly Milky Mama who has been handling the words and music. "Midnight Walk" at 1000 yen would make for a fine if rare acquisition for those City Pop/J-AOR fans, but unfortunately according to their website, it's sold out there, although, some auction sites are selling it for as much as almost 20 times that price. Too much milk for that mama! There is a self-titled full album CD on the Milky Mama site, though.

In any case, if any of the band members see this article and notice any errors, let me know.

Hikaru Utada -- Hanataba wo Kimi ni（花束を君に）

Happy Mother's Day! Even during this time, I hope all of you have had the chance to give tribute to your okaasan. My Mom got something from my brother's family, and since she's a big fan of roast chicken from this place, I made my absolutely delectable...phone call to Swiss Chalet for delivery.

With the current pandemic wreaking some havoc on TV programming all over the globe, Japanese TV as well has probably had to go to reruns or do their variety shows sans audiences. I was also wondering what would become of NHK's regular Sunday-afternoon "Nodo Jiman"（のど自慢）singing contest since I think audiences are pretty key to the success of the show along with the actual participants. Well, as it has been for the past couple of weeks, NHK has thrown out recap episodes summarizing each of the winners for the 52 weeks of 2019.

Two of those participants won due to their performance of this particular song, and I thought it an appropriate one considering today is indeed Mother's Day. Moreover, it's been a long time since I've put up anything by the one-and-only Hikaru Utada（宇多田ヒカル）. To be honest, as I've most likely mentioned before, my interest in her music basically ranged from her beginnings in the late 1990s to the early 2000s. However, on listening to her digital download single from April 2016, her "Hanataba wo Kimi ni" (A Bouquet of Flowers for You) as voiced by those two contestants on "Nodo Jiman", I was reminded of the original somehow although I have obviously been back in Canada for several years now. The original by Utada had me realizing how her voice has evolved over the past few decades into something richer and more elegant.

One reason that I remember the original is that "Hanataba wo Kimi ni" was the theme song for an NHK morning serial drama "Toto Neechan"（トト姉ちゃん）from that same year, and of course, my parents have been faithful viewers of those dramas. The song is also a track on her 6th album "Fantome" from September 2016 which was at the top spot of Oricon for 4 weeks straight. It ended up as the 3rd-ranked album of the year and it even hung on to become the 34th-ranked album in 2017.

Eiichi Ohtaki -- Sore wa Boku janai yo（それはぼくじゃないよ）

The last time I wrote an article on Eiichi Ohtaki（大滝詠一）was back on March 22nd for his December 1971 solo debut single "Koi no Kisha Poppo"（恋の汽車ポッポ）. At the time, COVID-19 was still preventing us from seeing the light at the end of the dark tunnel, but now about 6 weeks later, although I realize that this insidious virus won't truly depart until the vaccine is created, there are signs that though we're not out of the woods, perhaps the Toronto train is partially out of that tunnel at least. Our provincial premier has announced this afternoon that parks can now be opened (but not campgrounds) and if we're living close to them, we can visit those ones.

So, perhaps it's appropriate that I provide the B-side to "Koi no Kisha Poppo", "Sore wa Boku janai yo" (That's Not Me). The same fellows behind that song were also behind this one, lyricist Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）and Ohtaki as the composer. Unlike the rock beat of Side A, "Sore wa Boku janai yo" has a more languid country-folk vibe as Ohtaki sings about appreciatively observing a lover while asleep in the morning. It's kinda too bad that I never put up a Country category in Labels; I think it's so country (thank you, steel pedal guitar) that I see a lot of blue grass and hay bales out in my mind.

If I ever get back out to Japan in the next couple of years, I may want to get on an old-fashioned train, just like the one Ohtaki is riding on the cover of the single. Would be nice to really get a look outside of Tokyo while I have time.

Momoko Kikuchi -- Natsuiro Kataomoi（夏色片思い）

Well, this has already been one interesting Saturday. Unseasonably cold and when I went out to grab the newspaper this morning, there were even snowflakes wafting down. I don't think I've seen snow in May since my elementary school years. Plus, the number of daily new infections on the provincial level has dropped down to 346 which is the lowest that we've seen in a month (knock on wood). Moreover, Toronto has slowly and carefully continued to open up the economy with those garden shops and hardware stores back open for in-store business, and even the sidewalk retail outlets will be allowed to open up on Monday. Considering that some other areas such as Seoul and Washington State have suffered a second series of infection spikes once they began relaxing restrictions, I'm going to figuratively hold my breath for the next few days and hope (but not predict) that things are truly getting better.

I wrote about the adorable Hiroko Yakushimaru（薬師丸ひろ子）starring as the kind but suffer-no-fools-gladly mother of one of the main characters in the currently running NHK morning serial drama "Yell"（エール）. She's not the only teenage 80s singer in the cast, though. Former aidoru Momoko Kikuchi（菊池桃子）is playing the other mother, Masa Koyama, parent of budding genius songwriter Yuuichi.

But since this is a music blog after all, let's head back with Momoko-chan to her singing days. Specifically, there's her 8th single "Natsuiro Kataomoi" released in August 1986. I did hear it before because of that refrain "Un, deux, trois..." but it's been a long while so I didn't quite remember the rest of the tine. However, when I saw the songwriters behind "Natsuiro Kataomoi" (Summer Colour One-Sided Love), lyricist Masako Arikawa（有川正沙子）and composer Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）, I figured that I was in for something very pleasant and relaxing. I wasn't wrong.

Especially with Kikuchi's coquettish vocals, "Natsuiro Kataomoi" is light and airy like cherry blossom petals. I don't think it's quite in AOR or City Pop territory this time around but the arrangement has me thinking about Kikuchi's lovelorn high school student spending as much time in the downtown café as she does in a countryside counterpart, thanks to that keyboard work.

The song hit No. 1 on Oricon and it ended 1986 as the 33rd-ranked single. It also did double duty as the theme song for a TBS drama special "Sasurai"（放浪）and as a commercial jingle for a Hitachi VCR.