It's no secret that I'm fond of Japan. In my previous life as a corporate consultant, I spent a fair amount of time in the Land of the Rising Sun. My first gig there was in the small Shiga Prefecture town of Konan, and we were put up in the larger railway junction town of Kusatsu. This is in the Kansai regions of southern Honshu, and while I arrived there at the end of the monsoon season in late July and suffered badly from the muggy heat, fall, and early winter in Kansai were some of the most beautiful times I've ever experienced. In early December I spent a day hiking in the hills around Arishiyama, south of Kyoto, and the fall colors were amazing.
I fell in love with Japan on that job, and I'm still fond of the place. My wife speaks and reads Japanese, so she has an advantage over me, but I can get by. In the years since that first gig and in visits since I've developed an appreciation not only for Japanese culture but for Japanese music. One artist I enjoy is the singer and pianist Yuko Suzuhana, whose early work with her band Hanafugetsu and later with the Wagakki Band presents a neat mixture of traditional Japanese music and instruments with modern rock. Miss Suzuhana also epitomizes Robert Heinlein's Principle of Least Action in combining talent with beauty, which never hurts.
Here are six of my favorites. (Note that my attempts at some of the song names may lose something in translation.)
Tengaku: Done with the Wagakki Band, this tune starts with a wailing traditional Japanese flute (shakuhachi,) but quickly evolves into a fast, hard rock & roll beat that blends well with Miss Suzuhana's lovely vocals. This video does not come with translated subtitles, so I can't tell you what the tune is all about - but I can advise you to enjoy it.
Crimson. This song shows off how talented Miss Suzuhana's first band, Hanafugetsu, was - and again, I have no idea of the lyrics, but it's a purely lovely song, with the video in a lovely setting. Yuko's voice wanders effortlessly up and down the scale, stretching the notes out, blending them with the instruments - lovely in every way.
Starlight. Back to the Wagakki Band; this song is the theme for a Japanese television drama, "
Yoshiwara Lament. This is an old, traditional Japanese song, the lament of a young woman sold into prostitution who dreams of the day she will be free. Yuko and the Wagakki Band give this sad old song a modern, upbeat song that combines the traditional and modern elements amazingly well - and Yuko's appearance on stage in an outfit that modernizes the traditional yukata and carrying a paper parasol just sets it off beautifully. Towards the end, Yuko lets out a wail of anguish that is almost tangible.See Related: Start Your Weekend Right With 5 Great Musical Laments
I love Japan. I love the food, the culture, the pervasive consideration and politeness of the Japanese people. I'm no fan of cities (would I live out in the Alaskan woods if I were?) but I feel more comfortable in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka than in any other cities I've ever experienced - and I've seen a few, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal, Guadalajara and Shanghai.
My wife and I hope to go back again, sometime when it's an actual vacation and I won't have to worry about work. Until then, it pleases me at times to listen to voices from that garden island, and remember some great times we have spent there - and will, with luck, again.
Any traditional Japanese songs - or anything else - to suggest? As always, the comments are yours.
