When I was a child, I used to sing a lot. I never thought of it as anything special—it just felt natural, and I didn’t mind singing in front of others. Without really understanding the lyrics, I would happily sing along to songs like "Urara~! This world exists for me!" from Neraiuchi (1973) by Japanese pop singer Linda Yamamoto. I also sang songs by popular artists from Japan’s Shōwa era, such as Kenji Sawada (known as "Julie"), Alice, and the Southern All Stars—musicians frequently featured on TV and radio music programs back then. This was before karaoke became widespread.
Back then, I couldn’t afford to buy their singles, so this is actually the first time I’ve properly taken in their jacket designs while gathering these images... 当時、彼らのシングルを買うことはできなかったので、ジャケットのデザインをちゃんと認識したのは、今回こうしてイメージを集めて初めてのことです。These photos are sourced from online.
I could say now that my interest in Western music began by tracing Julie (Kenji Sawada)’s roots back to Group Sounds, then discovering The Monkees, who were influenced by that scene, and finally reaching The Beatles, who were the true origin of it all. But to be honest, I don’t clearly remember the process. Back then, I was probably just whistling along to whatever was playing on the radio without even realizing it. In the late 1980s, the first CD I ever bought was from a special reissue series of The Beatles' albums. I couldn’t afford to get the whole collection, but it was still a special memory. That said, I wasn’t dedicated enough to memorize and sing English lyrics.
I think I borrowed these LPs. I wonder which one I accidentally broke… 多分、これらのLPを借りたんだと思う。割ってしまったのはどれだったんだろう…。These photos are sourced from online.
One day, a girl in my middle school class once lent me an LP by Iruka, a popular Japanese folk singer. That was how I first started listening to Japanese folk song music. (Oh! I just remembered—I accidentally broke one of the records I borrowed. I still feel so sorry about that!)
As I got into folk artists like Iruka, Kosetsu Minami, and Yosui Inoue, I found myself coming up with my own lyrics one day. I even tried setting them to music. But by then, most of my classmates had already moved on from folk songs to pop and Western music. If someone openly said they liked folk songs and played guitar, they’d often get teased—"Folk music? That’s so old-fashioned!" Maybe because I didn’t want to stand out in that way, I kept my songs to myself, and they were never heard by anyone.
In Japan, it’s common for middle school students to quit their club activities in the summer of their third year to focus on high school entrance exams. I was no exception—I left the soccer/football club, but to be honest, I had no real intention of studying. Instead, with all my free time, I started playing my older brother’s piano, which he had stopped using. Before that, I wasn’t even allowed to touch it. Looking back, I think my family had some pretty strict rules.
With nothing else to do, playing the piano became the one thing I really wanted to do. Of course, I could only manage simple songs—pieces by Iruka, Billy Joel, and Richard Clayderman, which were popular at the time and had sheet music readily available. I wasn’t good enough to sight-read; I had to slowly decipher the notes, listen carefully, and piece things together in my own way.
My father drove a Toyota Mark II. At first, it was placed between the front seats, but later, I remember it being installed under the console like this photo. 私の父はトヨタ マークIIに乗っていたのですが、最初の頃は前座席の間に置かれていて、その後、この写真のようにコンソールの下に取り付けられていた記憶があります。These photos are sourced from Wikipedia.
Before I got into Japanese pop music, the biggest musical influence in my life was classical music. When I was a little kid, my family often took road trips to the Shinshu region, and in the car, we would always listen to classical music on old 8-track cartridges.
Even now, hearing classical music brings back memories of the nightmare traffic jams on Usui Pass. Instead of feeling relaxed, I get a strange sense of stress—almost like a lingering trauma. Rather than making me sleepy, it actually keeps me wide awake.
I also have a habit of focusing too much on the details of classical music rather than just letting it play in the background, which makes it hard for me to feel at ease. These days, depending on my health, when my tinnitus gets bad, the sounds become so jumbled that I can’t tell what’s what.
I have two older brothers, and their musical influences on me were probably significant. The music genres and programs I mentioned earlier may not have been things I discovered on my own, but rather influences from them. One influence I still clearly remember was my older brother M's piano practice pieces. He repeatedly played "Golliwogg's Cakewalk" from Debussy's Children's Corner and "Clair de Lune" by Debussy.
Another memory that stands out is when my younger brother N had an assignment during summer vacation to transcribe a song into sheet music for a recorder. He chose the Star Wars theme song, and as a result, the Star Wars theme was played repeatedly from our record player throughout the summer. I remember that it helped me improve my ear for music, and it turned out to be great ear training.
I don’t remember clearly, but I think the surface was spray-painted black like this, and there were some cables… はっきり覚えていませんが、こんな感じで表面はスプレーで黒く塗られ、ケーブルがあったような気がします…。
Around the time my older brother M started studying electronics, he began building his own synthesizer. My first impression of the synthesizer was, "What is this metal box full of knobs?" The sounds it made were things like sine waves and sawtooth waves. However, over time, I’m not sure when exactly, I somehow found myself mimicking the synthesizer sounds from Clair de Lune, Pictures at an Exhibition, or The Planets, all of which were created using the synthesizer of the composer Isao Tomita, a favorite of my brother M.
Looking back like this, I realize I was surrounded by a wide range of music, from Linda Yamamoto to Isao Tomita's synthesizer work. I guess that might be the root of my music.
Well, I intended to talk about guitars, but I’ve ended up diving into these music memories and now it’s already March! Then, I'll talk about my search for a guitar next time.
P.S. Thank you to everyone for reading each issue. I’d be happy if you could give me a signal that you’ve read it by pressing the Like button. And if there’s a Share button available, feel free to use that too.
