Inagaki Jun-ichi: Kurisumasu Kyaroru no koro ni ha (クリスマスキャロルの頃には: 稲垣潤一)

Here's another Christmas song from my 90s CD. This is not the best recording, nor is it the best song, nor does the guy sing that well, nor is he that exciting on stage... Why am I posting this?

Nakayama Miho & WANDS: Sekaiju no dare yori kitto (中山美穂＆ＷＡＮＤＳ: 世界中の誰よりきっと)

Here's another song from my 90s CD. I don't know anything about WANDS, but the female singer (Nakayama Miho) was also an actor and model. This is fun song and the video is a bit Christmas-y. If possible, enjoy!

Zoo: Choo Choo Train

Only (absolutely only) for the sake of inclusiveness am I posting this video. This is another song from my 90s CD. Only under extreme duress would I admit to singing along with this song while driving.

Dog and garden

One of my students sent me some nice photos of her dog and garden. I will pass them along to you:



(You can click on each image to see a larger version.)

Thelma Aoyama: Soba ni iru ne (青山テルマ： そばにいるね)

This song also plays whenever I'm grocery shopping. I'm very curious about the singer. She went to an American international school (high school?) so I'm assuming she speaks English fluently. There are a number of live versions which are nice as well, and you can see SoulJa, her rapping male partner for this song.

Utada Hikaru: Heart Station (宇多田ヒカル)

I think this is her newest single. Recently, it's all I hear in movie shops, grocery stores, wherever. I didn't really like it much at first, but it's grown on me. I had no idea she was saying "Heart Station".

Utada Hikaru: Flavor of Life (宇多田ヒカル)

I'll give you a break from all the 90s stuff. Here's my current favourite J-Pop song (although the song is not so new). Yuu bought the CD when she was in Yonago and it's full of good stuff. This video has both Japanese and English subtitles so you can sing along. There are a few wee mistakes in the romaji subtitles.

What do you think?

[UPDATE: The English-subtitled version was removed, so this is now a differently-subtitled one.]

Noriyuki Makihara: Donna toki mo (どんなときも 槇原敬之)

Here's another song I really like from my 90s CD. This guy also had quite a high voice, and still does 15 years after. A new version of this song might appear once this video is over.

I think this guy may have gotten into trouble with the law. If any Japanese people can provide some information in the comments, that'd be swell.

Tokunaga Hideaki: Koware kake no Radio (徳永英明 壊れかけのラジオ)

Now, here's a great song, sure to please my mother. The song is nice, the singer looks nice, the video has a nice production quality... It's slow, not too loud, nice instruments, nice melody, probably nice lyrics (I'm not sure though), nice attire, etc.



I quite like this song, although I still can't get over the fact that the singer is male. When I first listened to my 90s CD, I thought for sure a woman was singing.

Kome Kome CLUB: Kimi ga iru dake de (米米ＣＬＵＢ 君がいるだけで)

I enjoy listening to my 90s CD in the car because I don't have to watch the videos. Here's a good example why. (Have you see anything scarier than the first 13 seconds?)

Lindberg: Ima sugu kiss me (今すぐ Kiss me)

Here's another one from the Japanese 90s music CD. This is fun, poppy, song, and this is the first time I've seen the singer. Cute, and a bit boyish, but makes me think Cyndi Lauper a bit.

Enjoy! たのしんで！

Kan: Ai ha katsu (愛は勝つ)

Here's another song from the same CD on which I first heard "Can you celebrate?" This is a fun, upbeat song, reminiscent of a bygone era. I can't really say which era, as I'm a tad too young. Take a listen:



This is quite fun to sing at karaoke. Look at that emotion!

Can you celebrate? (Amuro Namie)

I heard a song in the supermarket today which was a remix of an old Supremes song, sung by Amuro Namie. The song, called New Look I think, was interesting and catchy, and when I got home I searched YouTube and found a short video of it.

I much prefer her older style and voice though. We played her song "Can you celebrate?" at our wedding two years ago. Here is a touching and teary live performance of the song: