The Miracle of City Pop “Endless Summer,” the Masterpiece Neither Tatsuro Yamashita nor Hideki Saijo Noticed: Yoichi Takizawa and Magical City – [Vol.3] Final Chapter

The music genre of city pop has caused a worldwide boom over the past few years and has now established itself as a standard. In the music industry, it has become accepted wisdom that the band “Sugar Babe,” featuring Tatsuro Yamashita and Taeko Onuki, was the “pioneer of city pop.” However, there existed a phantom band that was active almost simultaneously with Sugar Babe but whose existence was unknown until recently. Their name was “Yoichi Takizawa and Magical City.” Through interviews with related parties spanning over three years, it has become clear that they were the most important band that laid the foundation for today’s global city pop boom.

This series has featured the “trajectory of city pop” by these five members, which had never been told in the history of Japanese pop music, along with a large amount of discovered unreleased sound sources over multiple installments. This third installment marks the final chapter. We have traced the “miraculous trajectory” that their “path” brought to the world after more than 40 years.

[Additional Note] On January 8, 2025, Hiroshi Shinkawa, former member of Magical City, passed away suddenly at the age of 69. We express our deepest condolences here. This article maintains the original notation from the time of publication.

Original source (2024/03/5): 
https://www.mag2.com/p/news/589273

Series Archive

• Vol.1 Miraculously Discovered Mass of Demo Tapes
• Vol.2 Masterpieces Recorded on Demo Tapes
• Vol.3 The “Truth” That Neither Tatsuro nor Hideki Noticed (This Article)

The “Unknown Masterpiece” Recorded Only on Albums

In January 2024, after Tatsuro Yamashita’s live tour ended, a message was sent to the office of bassist Koki Ito, who was busy with activities for his own band “Koki Tetragon.”

We have additional questions for Mr. Koki Ito. Would it be possible for Mr. Koki Ito to confirm the sound source attached to this message? This song was not released as a single and was only included on an album released in 1984. It was composed by Yoichi Takizawa and arranged by Hiroshi Shinkawa. We are investigating whether the drums and bass on this track were performed by Jun Aoyama and Koki Ito. If it is indeed the “golden rhythm section” of Aoyama and Ito, with Yoichi Takizawa’s composition, Shinkawa’s arrangement, and the Aoyama-Ito rhythm section, this would confirm it as essentially a “Magical City reunion” track. Incidentally, this album contained no musician credits whatsoever.

Just a few hours later, a reply arrived. Opening it nervously, it read:

“I confirmed with Koki Ito. The drums and bass on this track are definitely the Jun Aoyama and Koki Ito combination.”

…I read the same reply over and over again.

Production Begins on City Pop’s “Miraculous Album” ‘LEONIDS NO KANATA NI (Beyond Leonids)’

Singer-songwriter and composer Yoichi Takizawa (who passed away in 2006 at age 56), whose only work ‘LEONIDS NO KANATA NI’ (1978/Toshiba EMI) was first released on CD in 2015 and is now highly praised as a “city pop masterpiece” and “miraculous album.”

The four musicians who started their careers as members of Takizawa’s backing band “Magical City” were so impressive that it’s surprising they haven’t been discussed in the history of Japanese pop music:

Magical City

• Drums: Jun Aoyama
• Bass: Koki Ito
• Keyboard: Hiroshi Shinkawa
• Guitar: Motoaki Makino

At the end of 1976, Hiroshi Shinkawa left Magical City and moved to “Garbo-Jin,” the backing band for the vocal group “Hi-Fi Set” (derived from Akai Tori). The new keyboardist was Hidehiko Koike, an early member of Casiopea who later became a successful director at Victor, handling Beat Takeshi and Hiromi Iwasaki. From 1977, the Magical members began working as studio musicians.

In autumn of that year, production of Takizawa’s solo album ‘LEONIDS NO KANATA NI’ was decided. It would be co-produced by Toshikazu Awano, a second-year employee at Alfa Music, and Takizawa, marking Awano’s first album as director. “Leonids” refers to the Leonid meteor shower that appears around November each year.

At the time, Alfa had a “master tape supply contract” with Toshiba EMI, responsible for producing 4-5 albums annually. The contracting production company was “Alfa & Associates,” established in 1972. Takizawa’s ‘LEONIDS NO KANATA NI’ was selected as one of those five albums.

Awano recalls: “In 1977, there was no one else at Associates who could produce a full album. Takizawa had two types of demos – sound sources that Robby Wada brought from RCA, and recordings I made at Otowa Studio. We decided this would work and proceeded to develop it.”

The demo tapes by the former Magical members and Takizawa (see Vol.2 of this series) became the “deciding factor” for ‘Leonids’ production.

Hiroshi Sato Hired as Arranger: The “Golden Rhythm Section” Awakens with the Phantom Track “Hiyoke”

The arranger chosen for this album was the late Hiroshi Sato, a promising keyboardist who had participated in Tatsuro Yamashita’s album ‘SPACY’ (1977) and the studio musician group “Tin Pan Alley” led by Haruomi Hosono. Sato was known for declining YMO participation when approached by Hosono, citing his American aspirations. Sato’s hiring was reportedly at the direction of Alfa president Kunihiko Murai.

Sato had previously worked with Takizawa on the album ‘BIRTH’ (1977/Victor) by the band “Broad Side” featuring Hisao Kurosawa, where he arranged Takizawa’s composition “Hoshi no Terrace.” A Takizawa self-cover version of this song was planned for inclusion in ‘Leonids.’

After Sato’s hiring was confirmed, several demos were recorded at Alfa’s “Studio A” and “Otowa Studio,” including the masterpiece “Saishū Bus” (Last Bus) that Awano fell in love with. Awano frequently visited Sato’s home near Daikanyama Station on the Toyoko Line for album planning discussions.

Among the tracks not included on the album was “Hiyoke” (Shade), a blues number featuring Aoyama and Makino that Ito particularly loved. This track showcased Sato’s exceptional arranging skills in both the intro and instrumental sections. The sound source was discovered on open reel tape at Takizawa’s home.

Ito recalls: “I remember well that there was a song called ‘Hiyoke’ that didn’t make it onto the album, and that was my favorite track. It was really cool – I think we just recorded a demo.”

That Ito remembered a single demo track recorded 45 years ago so clearly speaks to what an impressive masterpiece and performance it was. Regarding Takizawa’s talent as a songwriter, Ito commented, referencing “Hiyoke” and “Saishū Bus”:

“Despite all the various work I’ve done over the years, the fact that this remains so strongly in my memory shows what an amazing person he really was. He was a composer who could write songs that still sound good even in today’s era.”

Awano later regretted not including “Hiyoke” on Takizawa’s album:

“In my notes, I wrote ‘This might have been my mistake not to include this song – it’s such a beautiful piece.’ Even listening now, I think it’s a great song. I still feel sorry to Takizawa for not including ‘Hiyoke.'”

Jun Aoyama’s drumming, which had been criticized as “weak” by former member Shinkawa, had grown remarkably through a “rhythm training camp” with Ito at Shiga Kogen. The sound of that legendary “golden rhythm section” – the one-handed hi-hat work, kicks, and impressive slaps later showcased on Tatsuro Yamashita’s albums ‘RIDE ON TIME’ and ‘FOR YOU’ – was already perfected here.

Assembly of Luxurious Participating Musicians

‘LEONIDS NO KANATA NI’ featured many luxurious musicians beyond the Magical members Takizawa brought. Most were chosen by Sato. Awano, originally comfortable with guitar himself, was particularly committed to guitarist selection following advice from Alfa senior Junichi Goto to “go all out if you’re going to do it.” Sato also collaborated on this selection, with detailed discussions about which guitarist would play on which songs.

The impressive lineup included:
Electric Guitar: Shigeru Suzuki, Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Tsunehide Matsuki, Masaki Matsubara, Motoaki Makino, Yuji Toriyama
Acoustic Guitar: Chūei Yoshikawa
12-String Guitar: Kiyoshi Sugimoto
Drums: Jun Aoyama, Tatsuo Hayashi, Shuichi “Ponta” Murakami
Bass: Koki Ito, Kenji Takamizu
Classical Piano: Naoya Matsuoka
Keyboards & All Arrangements: Hiroshi Sato
Alto Saxophone: Jake H. Conception, Takeru Muraoka
Tenor Saxophone: Kiyoshi Saito
Trumpet: Koji Hatori, Susumu Kazuhara, Kenji Yoshida
Trombone: Eiji Arai, Sumio Okada
Percussion: Motoya Hamaguchi, Larry Sunaga, Pecker (Masato Hashida)
Strings: Tamano Ensemble

Recording with this unprecedented lineup continued until spring 1978, conducted at four studios: Alfa’s “Studio A,” “Onkyō House,” “Sound City,” and “Media Studio.” The album is now available on Spotify and other streaming services, including “Last Story” featuring 20-year-old Jun Aoyama performing with 23-year-old Koki Ito.

Toshikazu Kanazawa’s Foresight in Illuminating ‘Leonids’

The compilation was released in January 2015 under the name ‘Light Mellow Wave,’ primarily featuring songs owned by Alfa Records in a city pop compilation.

This album was planned by music writer Toshikazu Kanazawa, who brought attention to Takizawa’s ‘Leonids’ through his “Light Mellow” series of guidebooks and reissue CDs, realizing the first CD release of ‘Leonids.’

The inclusion of “Marina Highway” in this compilation led to the July 2015 CD release of ‘Leonids,’ sold exclusively online through Japan’s Tower Records and Sony Music Shop. Kanazawa reflects on the struggle to achieve CD release:

“I first introduced ‘Leonids’ in my disc guide ‘Light Mellow Wamono 669’ (2004), billing it as ‘Unknown Masterpiece by Craftsmen No. 3.’ While numbers 1 and 2 were CD-released relatively quickly, ‘Leonids’ took over 10 years. Despite high industry praise, it was that unknown. I was thrilled when the CD release was finally decided.”

Thus, Takizawa’s only work ‘Leonids’ has become highly regarded among Japanese music fans as a “hidden masterpiece” and “miraculous album,” with original LP records now trading for tens of thousands of yen. However, the original record sold poorly upon release, and few industry insiders knew of its existence.

If Kanazawa hadn’t “discovered” this album, the history of Takizawa and Magical might still remain “unknown” today. The significance of Kanazawa, the original pioneer of the city pop boom, excavating this album – a major clue for understanding the dawn of Japanese city pop – is immeasurably large.

As Japanese “Modest Resistance”

Several years after Kanazawa realized the CD release, overseas music enthusiasts would “discover” their sound through their ears.

YouTube features videos of American men discussing the appeal of Takizawa’s ‘Leonids.’ Even albums unknown to most Japanese are being recognized by discerning overseas music fans.

Music writer Ryohei Matsunaga, who frequently writes about city pop, expressed concern about how overseas fans continue discovering Japanese music unknown even to Japanese people. He spoke about the importance of introducing hidden masterpieces like Takizawa’s ‘LEONIDS NO KANATA NI’ to the world as “modest resistance” by content creators on BSFuji’s “HIT SONG MAKERS ~Glorious J-POP Legend~” CITY POP Special.

Matsunaga: “Just recently on Twitter (now X), lists of ‘Japanese records that overseas people wanted in 2021’ appeared, and I was really surprised at how well they listened. From major releases to self-produced ones.

It’s like we can’t compete. If it’s a battle of 100 million versus 7 billion, we might already be entering a situation where we can’t keep up.

But within that… for example, Yoichi Takizawa, who was a composer at Alfa in the 1970s. ‘LEONIDS NO KANATA NI’ is a really good album. Alfa has finally started worldwide distribution so people can listen to it.

I want people to listen to things like that – it might be very important to continue small resistance as content creators, that kind of modest resistance.”

The Musical Network Connected by Yoichi Takizawa

Tracing the history of Takizawa and Magical revealed that Takizawa was beloved by many junior musicians and served as a connector of musical networks. Shinkawa reflects:

“At this age, as everyone begins archiving various things from that time, I realize anew that Takizawa lived through that era in the same way I did. And that Takizawa was the person who brought Kunihiko Murai, Yuming, and others into my orbit.”

Takizawa continued creating outstanding songs with presence as a songwriter, and his works remained in his musical colleagues’ ears even after more than 40 years. The masterpiece album ‘Leonids,’ packed with the appeal of the Takizawa sound, was completed through the interweaving of time spent with Magical members and shared experiences of hardship and joy.

After completing his solo album with Magical City members, Takizawa expanded his field of activity as a “composer,” providing songs to many singers, talents, and idols including Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano), Bread & Butter, Circus, Kaoru Sudo, Kyoko Koizumi, Iyo Matsumoto, Hiromi Iwasaki, Hideki Saijo, Hidemi Ishikawa, Kumiko Yamashita, Yasuko Tomita, Mitsuko Komuro, Yukari Ito, Yumi Seino, and Ayumi Ishida.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi Shinkawa entered the professional arranger’s path after handling all song arrangements for Hi-Fi Set’s album ‘Coming Up’ (1978) through his connection with “Garbo-Jin.”

He went on to arrange almost all songs for the highly acclaimed city pop masterpiece album ‘Thanks Giving’ (1988/Vap) by RA MU (featuring Momoko Kikuchi as lead vocalist), almost all songs by 1986 Omega Tribe including “Kimi wa 1000%,” Tomoyo Harada’s “Toki wo Kakeru Shōjo,” Minako Honda’s “1986-nen no Marilyn,” Asami Kobayashi’s “Amaoto wa Chopin no Shirabe,” Yoko Oginome’s “Roppongi Junjōha,” and Meiko Nakahara’s “Kimi-tachi Kiwi Papaya Mango da ne.”

The Four Members of New Magical and Hiroshi Sato

The four members of new Magical (Jun Aoyama, Koki Ito, Motoaki Makino, Hidehiko Koike) continued working with Hiroshi Sato, whom they met during ‘Leonids’ recording. Ito describes the progression:

“After finishing the ‘Leonids’ recording, in June 1978, we all went to Sato’s home with a Thirty-One ice cream cake to celebrate his 31st birthday. That’s when Sato said he wanted a long relationship with us, and Magical City was taken in entirely by Hiroshi Sato, adding guitarist Yuji Toriyama and percussionist Pecker (Masato Hashida) to form ‘Hiroshi Sato and High Times.'”

Magical was absorbed entirely by Sato, continuing in the transformed shape of “Hiroshi Sato and High Times.” While the Magical name disappeared and they were effectively disbanded, rather than decreasing, the members increased by two (Pecker and Yuji Toriyama), connecting new networks. High Times eventually dissolved naturally without releasing an album, but Sato’s solo album ‘Orient’ (1979/Kitty) features the names of Ito, Aoyama, Koike, Toriyama, and Pecker.

Even when individual activities diverged, the invisible bonds of Magical certainly continued. And it didn’t take much time for these connections to bear fruit in the form of “city pop.”

From 1977 to 1979, after each leaving memorable performances on famous artists’ solo albums, Magical’s “rhythm section” of Ito and Aoyama would finally encounter their destiny. In summer 1979, Alfa-affiliated Minako Yoshida and ‘Leonids’ recording member Shuichi “Ponta” Murakami introduced Jun Aoyama and Koki Ito to a certain person.

That person was Tatsuro Yamashita.

The Miraculous Encounter of Tatsuro Yamashita and the “Golden Rhythm Section”

Ito: “At Pale France, a now-defunct coffee shop in Harajuku, we met through introductions from Minako Yoshida and Shuichi ‘Ponta’ Murakami. Tatsuro asked us ‘What kind of music do you usually listen to?’ I said ‘I listen to Frank Zappa, Larry Graham, and Saburō Kitajima’ and surprised him (laughs).

Tatsuro was right in the middle of recording his ‘MOONGLOW’ (1979/Air) album, and he invited us to ‘Come to the studio?’ We said ‘Yes, yes!’ and went with Aoyama to observe.

That day, Aoyama had a cold and was congested, and he, I, and Minako Yoshida added just the ‘Nyai nyai!’ vocals to a song called ‘SUNSHINE -Ai no Kiniro-‘.”

The first time they let Tatsuro hear their drum and bass sound was at Shuichi Murakami’s live performance “Ponta Session” at Roppongi Pit Inn in 1979. Ito recalls the session with Tatsuro:

“The guitar was Tsunehide Matsuki, keyboard was Ryuichi Sakamoto, saxophone was Hideshi Toki, vocals were Minako Yoshida and Tatsuro Yamashita, I was on bass, and drums were twin drums with Ponta and Aoyama. Tatsuro felt a good response from our performance at this Ponta Session.”

Later, when recording the next year’s album ‘RIDE ON TIME’ (1980/Air), they decided to try playing together once, and a session was held at Pale Green Studio in Akasaka with Aoyama, Ito, guitarist Kazuo Shiina, and keyboardist Hiroyuki Namba.

Ito: “At that time, he was amazed, saying ‘You can do this, you can do that. Who are you guys exactly?’ From then on, Aoyama and I began participating in Tatsuro’s recordings. Starting with ‘RIDE ON TIME’, I’ve been participating in Tatsuro Yamashita Band recordings and live performances, as well as Mariya Takeuchi’s backing, for 44 years continuing to today.”

Needless to say, Tatsuro’s highly acclaimed worldwide albums ‘FOR YOU’ (1982/Air), the immortal classic “Christmas Eve” from ‘Melodies’ (1983/MOON), and Mariya Takeuchi’s ‘VARIETY’ (1984/MOON) containing “Plastic Love” – the catalyst for the city pop boom – all featured the participation of the Ito-Aoyama “golden rhythm section.”

Tatsuro appeared via audio interview on “Kanjam Kanzen Nenshow(EIGHT-JAM)” (TV Asahi) on June 19, 2022, discussing his signature album ‘FOR YOU’s song creation method:

“In my case, there are days just for rhythm patterns. For ‘FOR YOU’, I created everything starting with just rhythm patterns, then thought of melodies later. […] There are ‘melody creation days.’ I flow somewhat completed multitrack in the studio while going ‘La-la-la-la’ and add lyrics to that.”

Furthermore, in a July 8, 2022 interview by Taichi Tsuji for music production and audio media “Sound & Recording,” Tatsuro testified about his “groove creation method” during ‘FOR YOU’:

“I’m the type who conceives songs from rhythm patterns. For example, in the 1980s, I’d program patterns with the ROLAND TR-808 and create from there. With Aoyama (Jun/ds) and Koki Ito (b), I’d tape down synthesizer string keys to keep certain tones continuously playing while we performed and created (laughs). Songs like ‘LOVE TALKIN’ (Honey It’s You)’ (1982) were made that way. Rather than starting like a singer-songwriter with guitar accompaniment, because I like polyrhythms, even when recording ballads, I have to meticulously work out things like ‘where the kick comes in.'”

Synthesizing this information reveals that Aoyama, Ito, and Tatsuro entered the studio together, first creating just rhythm patterns, then completing songs by adding melodies and lyrics to match – this is how that representative city pop album ‘FOR YOU’ was created.

The fateful meeting at Shinkawa’s house, Magical City with Takizawa, the connection with Alfa through “Saishū Bus,” participation in ‘Leonids’, High Times with Hiroshi Sato, and finally the encounter with Tatsuro – all connected in a straight line to create this miracle.

Why did the “golden rhythm section” of Aoyama and Ito appear before Tatsuro as a pair? Because they met as members of the band “Magical City” through various “connections” and began working together as professionals.

Tatsuro’s wife, Mariya Takeuchi, who performed with Aoyama on Masamichi Sugi’s ‘Mari & Red Stripes’, spoke about her signature song “Eki” (Station) in a September 3, 2019 interview by Kazunori Kandate for “Shūkan Asahi”:

“This song has surprisingly solid rhythmic construction. The wonderful combination of drummer Jun (Jun Aoyama) and bassist Koki (Koki Ito), combined with Tatsuro’s guitar cutting and the flowing strings of maestro Katsuhisa Hattori – this ensemble and exquisite arrangement made it a standard song.”

If Takizawa hadn’t met Robby Wada, if Shinkawa hadn’t met Aoyama, if Ito hadn’t encountered Yasuyuki Hasegawa at the ski resort, if Takizawa hadn’t been introduced to Shinkawa, Aoyama, and Makino by Shunichi Arimoto, if Murakami Munta hadn’t left and Ito hadn’t joined, if Takizawa hadn’t brought his demo to Wada, if Wada hadn’t brought Takizawa’s demo to Alfa, if Toshikazu Awano hadn’t heard Takizawa’s “Saishū Bus,” if Aoyama and Ito hadn’t participated in ‘Leonids’… If even one element had been missing, the history of Japanese pop music might have changed dramatically.

While the voices of Sugar Babe’s Tatsuro and Taeko Onuki echoed in small live houses around 1975-76, and Eiichi Ohtaki was recording their songs, another “wind” was blowing – unnoticed by anyone, yet certainly present.

This “wind” later coincidentally became one, eventually becoming a large “wave” that swept not only through Japan but now blows worldwide. It took more than 40 years for that day to come.

Magical and Takizawa Revealed on Radio by Aoyama and Ito

Actually, in May 2013, Ito and Aoyama first publicly revealed their relationship with Takizawa and Magical, as well as their professional debut period, on Radio Nippon’s “Koki Ito to Jun Aoyama no Radikantropus 2.0,” structured and hosted by Broadcast writer Kimikazu Uetake.

Kimikazu Uetake: “What was your first professional job?”

Koki Ito: “Akiko Kosaka and others”

Jun Aoyama: “Right. While doing backing for Akiko Kosaka, Masamitsu Tayama, and Hi-Fi Set, we also did Masamichi Sugi recordings and live performances, and that’s how I met Koki”

Uetake: “And then”

Aoyama: “There was a singer-songwriter named Yoichi Takizawa who has passed away, and a backing band called Magical City was formed for him, and from there we began full-scale professional activity”

Uetake: “Eh, the entrance was Akiko Kosaka?”

Ito: “No, that Yoichi Takizawa’s band”

Aoyama: “Well, around there. We also did Hiroshi Tachi”

Uetake: “Magical City was one kind of…”

Aoyama: “It was a band. A backing band”

Uetake: “Who were the keyboard player and other members then?”

Ito: “An arranger named Hiroshi Shinkawa”

Uetake: “Hiroshi Shinkawa? It’s a small world. This kind of world is really small”

Ito: “There was also a guitarist named Makino. Around that time we met Hiroshi Sato. He asked if we wanted to form a band, and the four of us did Hiroshi Sato and High Times for a while”

Uetake: “Hmm. When did you think you could make it as a professional, Aoyama?”

Aoyama: “Well, around the time I met Hiroshi Sato”

Uetake: “Around 198X?”

Ito: “Around 1979, I think”

Aoyama: “Around 1979, I think”

Ito: “A little before meeting Tatsuro”

Aoyama: “A little before that, I think”

Uetake: “Ito, around that time too?”

Ito: “Just around then, while wondering if I could make a living as a professional, I somehow got busy”

Aoyama passed away suddenly from pulmonary thromboembolism at the young age of 56 on December 3rd, just seven months after this broadcast. The content of this broadcast had been transcribed and published online by internet users. The author discovered this statement on a now-deleted site, which was how I first became aware of the relationship between Takizawa and Magical.

If Aoyama and Ito hadn’t mentioned Takizawa’s name on radio at that time, the author would never have known about the relationship between Magical and Takizawa, or even about the existence of the band Magical. The history we’ve introduced in this series would have remained only in the memories of those involved.

Yoichi Takizawa died on April 20, 2006, at the same age as Aoyama – 56 – due to chronic hepatitis. Their birthdays were also just one day apart: March 9th (Takizawa) and March 10th (Aoyama). Both passed away without knowing that their music would be reevaluated overseas.

On January 30, 2014, the year after Aoyama’s death, Jun Aoyama’s “Farewell Gathering” was held at Tokyo’s Kitazawa Town Hall. Many fans and musical colleagues came to lay flowers and share memories of the deceased.

Uetake, who attended to pay respects, photographed a “name board” placed beside the flowers. Among the names of Ito, Tatsuro, and others, one name stood out:

Magical City Hiroshi Shinkawa

On this day, Shinkawa listed his affiliation as “Magical City.” In Shinkawa’s heart, the backing band he belonged to with Aoyama from 1975 to 1976 continued to live.

The memories of Magical from their youth continue to exist in the members’ hearts even today.

However, no one could have known that another “miracle” they had created would be discovered through one song.

The Ill-Fated Second Album ‘BOY’ That Was Shelved

Around 1981, talk arose again of a “solo album” production for Yoichi Takizawa, who had begun working as a dedicated composer providing kayōkyoku songs to idols, talents, and singers. This was the phantom second album ‘BOY’ that appeared at the beginning of Vol. 1 of this series.

Production of ‘BOY’ began when Jun Takagi (deceased), director at Alfa-affiliated music publishing company “K Music Publishing” where Takizawa was contracted, introduced Takizawa to Yutaka Iori, director at “Warner Pioneer (now Warner Music Japan).” Iori is known for later working on “Muji Ryōhin’s” in-store BGM.

In autumn 1981, a recording camp lasting about 10 days was held at Kitty’s “Izu Studio” (Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture), Japan’s first resort studio, with Takizawa, participating musicians, both directors Iori and Takagi, and engineer Nobuo Ishizaki staying on-site.

The album was scheduled for release on July 25, 1982, but was postponed and ‘BOY’ was “shelved.” The author learned of the album’s existence from a small “Album Release Notice” in the lyric card of Takizawa’s last single ‘Sunday Park’ (released June 25, 1982, Warner). ‘BOY’ was supposed to appear in stores one month after this last single was released.

According to bereaved family members, the album failed internal sales meeting selection just before release, and combined with circumstances including Iori’s transfer to Ryohin Keikaku, ‘BOY’ became a phantom album.

‘BOY’ was planned to include two Takizawa self-cover songs.

One was “City Bird,” Takizawa’s version of the masterpiece he provided to Beat Takeshi. This song saw the light of day as the B-side of Takizawa’s last single ‘Sunday Park,’ and was also included as a bonus track when ‘Leonids’ was first released on CD in 2015, becoming available on streaming services in June 2021.

The other self-cover was “Kagirinaki Natsu” (Endless Summer), which he provided to Hideki Saijo. This song made it to the world by being included on Saijo’s album ‘GENTLE A MAN’ (1984). The album was first released on CD on October 30, 2013, and reissued on December 23, 2022, after about nine years.

Strictly speaking, “Kagirinaki Natsu” wasn’t a self-cover but the “phantom original version” that was provided to Hideki Saijo because Takizawa’s ‘BOY’ was shelved.

The title “Kagirinaki Natsu” came from Takizawa, a fan of novelist Yoshio Kataoka (known for ‘Slow Boogie’), requesting lyricist Sonomi Ari to write lyrics inspired by Kataoka’s novel ‘Endless Summer 1’ (1981, Kadokawa Bunko).

 

The City Pop Pioneer Who Spread It Worldwide Speaks on the Universality of “Kagirinaki Natsu”

One man was fascinated by Hideki Saijo’s “Kagirinaki Natsu.”

Van Paugam.

Active as a DJ in Chicago, Illinois, USA, he was the person who mixed Japanese city pop and introduced it to music fans worldwide via YouTube.

Active as a DJ in Chicago, Illinois, USA, he was the person who mixed Japanese city pop and introduced it to music fans worldwide via YouTube.

Van was among the first to publish city pop mixes on his personal YouTube channel in 2016. By January 2019, his channel had over 90,000 subscribers, with total views exceeding 2 million across all videos.

Western music fans were captivated by Japanese city pop they heard for the first time through his mixes, amazed that such cool music had been created in such quantities in an island nation in the Far East during the 70s and 80s.

But tragedy struck Van.

In 2019, Van’s channel received a “copyright infringement” warning from a Japanese recording industry organization. He repeatedly negotiated with the organization to legally re-upload his mixes with proper licensing credits, but his wishes weren’t granted. On February 14, 2019, his YouTube channel was permanently deleted.

Later, YouTube policy changes allowed music-related videos if license holder company names were credited within the video, and many other DJs’ city pop mix videos are now published without problems.

Van Paugam lost his account because he spread city pop too early. When the global city pop boom arrived, few remembered his name.

This parallels the existence of Yoichi Takizawa, called a city pop pioneer but whose talent wasn’t recognized during his lifetime.

The mix Van uploaded to YouTube in 2017 still remains on Mixcloud.

Listening now, DJ Van Paugam’s foresight is amazing – it featured only city pop masterpieces now experiencing worldwide reevaluation: Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love,” Miki Matsubara’s “Mayonaka no Door,” “LOVE TALKIN’ (Honey It’s You)” from Tatsuro Yamashita’s ‘FOR YOU,’ Haruomi Hosono’s “SPORTS MAN,” plus Toshiki Kadomatsu, Junko Yagami, Chiemi Manabe, Hitomi Toyama, Takako Mamiya, Junko Ohashi, Mai Yamane, and Kanako Wada.

Furthermore, in April 2017, he mixed and introduced Tomoko Aran’s “Midnight Pretenders” (sampled by Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd on his 2022 album ‘Dawn FM’) and Hiroshi Sato’s “Say Goodbye” (highly rated in the West), among other city pop songs now more popular overseas than in Japan.

He was truly the catalyst and genuine pioneer of today’s global Japanese city pop boom.

Such Van Paugam was discovered to love Takizawa’s composition and Shinkawa’s arrangement of Hideki Saijo’s “Kagirinaki Natsu” as a city pop masterpiece, even creating a special page to introduce it.

The page features English translations of “Kagirinaki Natsu” collaboratively translated by Hideki Saijo fans @Silasmybairn and @Goldenearrigs on X, and embeds a YouTube video of Saijo singing the song.

Through this page, I learned that Van was the DJ who pioneered mixing and spreading Japanese city pop worldwide.

Knowing he was such a devoted fan of Japanese city pop, especially Hideki Saijo and “Kagirinaki Natsu,” I contacted him via email.

Interview Excerpts:

———I learned you’re a big fan of Hideki Saijo’s “Kagirinaki Natsu.” How did you discover this song?

Van: “I first heard it several years ago while researching Hideki’s music. Since then, it’s become one of my favorite songs by him, and I often credit it as one of his representative works.”

———I want to spread awareness of your name as a city pop boom pioneer to more Japanese people. Please tell me about discovering city pop and how much you love this music.

Van: “As a second-generation immigrant to America born in Miami, Florida, I never felt connected to American culture. I harbored admiration for Japanese culture and spent years nurturing that love.

When I encountered city pop, I felt like I’d found my purpose in life. By spreading music many had forgotten, I could bring happiness to many people, including myself. I found a way to reconnect with something sleeping inside me.

City pop became a good tool for awakening new understanding about myself, the West, and Japan. The fact that many Japanese had forgotten this music was incredible to me – compiling these songs in mixes for the first time felt like a ‘new frontier.’ I think I was acting as my spirit commanded.

Several years after I uploaded city pop mixes, American record companies used many songs from my mixes on city pop compilations, but my work creating the catalyst for these music’s rediscovery in the West was never credited.

When my channel was deleted, I felt betrayed. I thought ‘If I had been Japanese, maybe I would have been more accepted.’ Even now, talking about this topic feels very painful, so I try not to think about it.

Now, even without my own YouTube channel, I play music at live events for people’s enjoyment. Music still brings happiness while carrying melancholy – I’ll always love music as something that gives such magic.

City pop has the power to connect people worldwide, and now unleashed into new generations’ hearts, it will never be forgotten again.“

Van sent me a video where he evaluated Hideki Saijo’s “Kagirinaki Natsu”:

“The song ‘Kagirinaki Natsu’ composed by Yoichi Takizawa can only be described as music constructed with beauty that appeals to sensibility.

There are various modes within one song, building listener expectations while intense ‘choruses’ surge forward.

Hideki Saijo’s voice perfectly fits this song, with lyrical expression synchronized with melody achieving beautiful effect.

The song’s theme is also very beautiful yet tinged with melancholy.

Simply put, I think it’s a ‘perfect song.'”

“Endless Summer” by Hideki Saijo – called a “perfect song” by DJ Van, the “true pioneer” who spread Japanese city pop worldwide faster than anyone.

But the “miracle” of this song didn’t end there.

One Sheet of Music Discovered at the Lyricist’s Home After 42 Years

Through the “Uramado Blog,” I was able to connect with lyricist Sonomi Ari, who wrote the lyrics for this song.

Ari had worked mainly in 70s-80s idol kayōkyoku and New Music genres, writing Crystal King’s hit “Daitokai” B-side gem “Jiryū,” Junko Yagami’s “I’m A Woman,” and Yū Hayami’s “Taiyō no Koibito.” She also wrote lyrics for Takizawa’s ‘BOY’ single-cut ‘Sunday Park,’ and even after more than 40 years, she considers “Kagirinaki Natsu” her representative work.

According to Ari, she was commissioned to write “Kagirinaki Natsu” lyrics by Yutaka Iori, director of Takizawa’s phantom second album ‘BOY.’

Ari: “Since Takizawa worked melody-first, those lyrics were truly brought by Takizawa’s melody. That beautiful song made me write those lyrics.”

Like many other Takizawa works, this was “melody-first.” The fantastical, beautiful male-female descriptions and summery lyrical world were brought by that melody.

Moreover, Ari deliberately didn’t read Kataoka’s ‘Endless Summer 1’ despite the “Kataoka Yoshio novel imagery” order.

Ari: “I’d always loved Kataoka Yoshio’s works including their impressive titles, but I deliberately didn’t read ‘Endless Summer 1’ for the lyricist work. I think it was good I didn’t read it – I avoided being unduly influenced.”

The image of “you” seen only in profile and “I” reflected in those eyes, left alone on an unseasonably cold, windy beach – this imagery was spun not by Kataoka’s novel but by Takizawa’s melody.

Later, Ari sent me an email with a photo, containing somewhat excited text:

“Since I’m moving soon, I’ve been rummaging through things and found sheet music for ‘Kagirinaki Natsu’ among bundles of old work drafts and memos! I’m surprised myself. I don’t know who wrote it… but I’ll send a photo.”

The photo showed sheet music with “To Toku-chan” written beside the title – likely indicating this was sheet music for the original version sung by Takizawa, addressed to Hirofumi Tokutake, the master country guitarist who arranged it.

There were also notes reading “Nice, Cannes, rejected by girl.” This was undoubtedly sheet music for “Kagirinaki Natsu” written by Takizawa, who often composed while imagining foreign scenery and worldviews before lyrics.

I contacted Takizawa’s bereaved family to confirm whether this was Takizawa’s handwriting. Their email reply came a few days later:

“This is definitely sheet music written by Takizawa.”

The sheet music for “Kagirinaki Natsu” unexpectedly discovered at lyricist Sonomi Ari’s home not only showed the song was melody-first but also revealed what imagery Takizawa envisioned while composing.

The circumstances of Takizawa’s second album ‘BOY’ being shelved and the song being provided to Hideki Saijo, testimony from the director and lyricist of that time, the encounter between global city pop boom creator DJ Van Paugam and “Kagirinaki Natsu,” and now this sheet music discovery…

What do these “multiple miracles” surrounding this song mean?

The answer was hidden in the song itself.

The “Urban Magic” Cast on Hideki Saijo’s “Kagirinaki Natsu”

In January 2024, while researching Saijo’s version of “Kagirinaki Natsu,” I suddenly realized:

“Could this impressive drum and bass be performed by Jun Aoyama and Koki Ito?”

The CD and record of the album ‘GENTLE A MAN’ containing this song had no musician credits.

As a long shot, I asked Shinkawa, who handled the arrangement, but he replied “I don’t remember at all.”

However, according to someone who worked with Shinkawa in the 80s, Shinkawa often chose participating musicians at his discretion.

For a Takizawa composition with Shinkawa arrangement, choosing former Magical City members for drums and bass wouldn’t be surprising.

I sent a message to Ito’s office with the audio file attached: “Is this Hideki Saijo ‘Kagirinaki Natsu’ performed by the Aoyama-Ito ‘golden rhythm section’?”

A reply came hours later:

“This track is definitely the Jun Aoyama and Koki Ito combination.”

From their first performance together at Shiga Highland Hotel in 1976 until Aoyama’s death in 2013 – about 37 years – Ito had listened to Jun Aoyama’s drumming. He wouldn’t mistake Aoyama’s drums, which he described as “small metal sounds, big skin sounds.”

Yoichi Takizawa: composition, Hiroshi Shinkawa: arrangement/keyboards, Jun Aoyama: drums, Koki Ito: bass. A de facto “Magical City reunion” had been realized.

Hideki Saijo’s “Kagirinaki Natsu” was a song where the talents of those who laid the foundation for the global city pop boom crystallized.

That such a song was rediscovered by a DJ who pioneered Japan’s city pop boom across the ocean in the United States was perhaps inevitable.

Furthermore, this song had been preserved on VHS for 40 years by Hideki Saijo fan X user “Ether@Radio This Year Too (@45BYzE1QQJvGdzB),” showing Saijo performing it.

This song – never a single, only on albums, certainly not a hit – was performed by Saijo on television.

Hideki Saijo’s album ‘GENTLE A MAN,’ released March 5, 1984, marked its 40th anniversary in March 5 2024.

In this commemorative year, “Yoichi Takizawa and Magical City” was proven to have become truly “World Magical” through Hideki Saijo’s “Kagirinaki Natsu” and Van.

However, we mustn’t forget that this song reached the world only because of the 1982 tragedy of Yoichi Takizawa’s phantom second album ‘BOY’ being shelved. An “original version” sung by Takizawa exists.

Music writer Toshikazu Kanazawa, who “discovered” Takizawa’s ‘Leonids’ as a city pop masterpiece, spoke at the October 7, 2023 talk event ‘Mr. City Pop: The World of Yoichi Takizawa’ (at Espace Biblio, Ochanomizu) commemorating ‘Leonids’ 45th anniversary about Takizawa’s still-unreleased album ‘BOY’:

“This isn’t limited to Takizawa, but songs reaching the world or becoming big hits isn’t just about song quality or performance excellence. Luck, timing, and various conditions must align to take shape as records.

As today’s city pop boom shows, songs that sold poorly then – like Tomoko Aran being sampled by world-class artists or Miki Matsubara’s ‘Mayonaka no Door’ reaching only 28th on Oricon but becoming a worldwide hit – the ‘reevaluation axis’ between past and present is completely different.

No matter how old, properly made things get recognized. When I interviewed EPO, we discussed how ‘there are definitely things unchanged from the 70s-80s to now – universal things.’ This applies to Takizawa’s works too. No matter how much time passes, good things are good. It’s just the difference of ‘whether they reach the world’ or ‘whether they sell.’ Whether they take shape is like a ‘puzzle.'”

Understanding today’s global city pop boom is impossible using only the evaluation axis of contemporary hit status. Japanese city pop unknown even to Japanese people will continue being discovered worldwide by the evaluation axis of whether it can withstand “time’s test” when heard now or in ten years.

Van says:

“City pop is just beginning to explode in popularity worldwide. City pop remixes died as a trend in the 2010s. There should be more to spread – its history, influence on the West, etc.”

As he says, city pop may have just now been released from enthusiasts’ collections, spreading via internet, becoming standardized, and finally reaching ordinary people’s ears.

And Van’s beloved “Kagirinaki Natsu” is now attempting to “return triumphantly” to homeland Japan after a 40-year detour to distant Chicago.

When Yoichi Takizawa’s second album ‘BOY’ eventually reaches the world, this song will reach a major milestone.

According to Yoshikazu Ozawa of Warner Music Japan’s Warner Hybrid Strategic Japanese Music Division, Warner still has ‘BOY’s multitrack master tapes.

However, the two mixed-down master tapes remain missing. Using the mix sound sources held by bereaved family members as reference, remixing from existing multitrack master tapes is possible.

With four multitrack masters, completely remixing these would require only mixdown and mastering costs (no recording costs), making CD master sound sources at reasonable expense.

On December 18, 2024, after much struggle, ‘BOY’ was finally released on CD and vinyl. Takizawa’s version of “Kagirinaki Natsu” was finally released after 42 years.

A week later, on December 25, 2024, a double A-side single record was released featuring Van’s remix of “Kagirinaki Natsu” and the miraculously discovered original 1982 mix. “Kagirinaki Natsu” became Takizawa’s new representative masterpiece.

https://mag2.base.shop/items/94322546

Hideki Saijo, Yoichi Takizawa, Magical City, and Van Paugam. Their “Endless Summer” had begun.

“When I Get Old”… Let’s Talk All Night About “Memories”

Here’s one sound source: the 1976 recording session outtakes when Yoichi Takizawa and Magical City recorded “Boku ga Toshi wo Tottara” (When I Get Old) under Robby Wada’s production.

It captures Jun Aoyama missing the opening timing, Hiroshi Shinkawa miscounting, Koki Ito bursting into laughter, Motoaki Makino exasperated by members’ mistakes, and Takizawa forgetting his headphones – revealing each member’s personality and relationships.

After repeated NGs frustrate Takizawa with Shinkawa, Aoyama plays “katsu-don!” (pork cutlet bowl) on drums, making Shinkawa, Ito, and Makino laugh. When Takizawa gets scolded for forgetting headphones, Aoyama immediately forgets his own and gets scolded by Wada.

Through such chaos, they completed the demo tape “Boku ga Toshi wo Tottara.”

This 48-year-old unreleased track contains the breathing of musicians who would later amaze the world.

These sound sources are valuable documents showing how twenty-something youth created new music through “head arrangement” methods. Magical guitarist Makino reflects:

“Unlike typical studio work of just playing written arrangements, the creative process of memorizing songs while creating our own parts was very enjoyable and creative. Listening to those sound sources after decades, though technically immature, they’re filled with spirit and represent work I’m proud of from my youth.”

After Magical’s natural dissolution, Makino continued experiencing live sessions with renowned jazz musicians and traditional Japanese instrumentalists, studying guitar at Berklee College of Music in 1986. After graduating, he moved to Chicago (where Van lives), spending 14 years as guitarist and musical director for Grammy-winning blues harp player Sugar Blue’s band. After about 18 years in America, he returned to Japan in 2004, now based in Okinawa and continuing live activities primarily in Japan.

Magical City members continue creating “new music” 48 years after formation.

Epilogue: The Newly Discovered “Greatest Mystery of City Pop”

Incidentally, the 1976 Robby Wada-produced “Tokyo Music Festival (Marina Highway original song)” by Yoichi Takizawa and Magical City introduced in Vol. 1 hid a major mystery.

It was discovered that almost identical lyrics were used in the city pop masterpiece now enjoying worldwide popularity: Minako Yoshida’s ‘Koi wa Ryūsei’ (Love is a Meteor) arranged by Tatsuro Yamashita (single and album ‘Twilight Zone’, 1977/RCA). Takizawa created this song after seeing Yoshida’s lyrics, later needing to replace lyrics for ‘Leonids’ inclusion as “Marina Highway” (lyrics by Kazuko Kobayashi). The “Marina~” melody was born from Minako Yoshida’s lyrics.

Yoshida’s “Koi wa Ryūsei” became famous in December 2017 when TV Tokyo’s popular program “YOUは何しに日本へ？(Why Did You Come to Japan?)” featured a Scottish man coming to Japan seeking this single. It’s that popular overseas and symbolizes the city pop boom.

How Yoshida’s lyrics reached Takizawa’s side remains completely unknown. Yoshida herself said in interviews: “I don’t know his name or remember being asked for lyrics.”

Incidentally, it was Robby Wada who convinced Yoshida to “release records from RCA rather than (Alfa’s contracted) Toshiba EMI.”

The greatest mystery of city pop – what is the truth?

The “city pop magic” that Magical City unknowingly cast – solving this mystery has just begun.

 

This series is dedicated to Yoichi Takizawa and Magical City members Jun Aoyama and Hiroshi Shinkawa. R.I.P.

 

 

Special Thanks (in no particular order):
Takizawa and Suzuki family members, Toshikazu Awano, Koki Ito, Hiroshi Shinkawa, Motoaki Makino, Yoshihito Murakami Munta, Kuriko Araki (Koki Ito office), Aoyama family members, Tasuku Okamura, Ryūji  Amagai, Yutaka Iori, Toshikazu Kanazawa, Ryōhei Matsunaga, Takayuki Hamada, Yoshikazu Ozawa (TOKYO CITY POP), Satomi Morita (Sony Music Publishing), ALFA MUSIC, Sonomi Ari, Van Paugam, Kimikazu Uetake, Uramado Blog, Ether@Kotoshi mo Radio, Minako Yoshida, Jun Yamagami, Seiji Kobayashi

(Honorifics omitted in main text)

Series Archive

• Vol.1 Miraculously Discovered Mass of Demo Tapes
• Vol.2 Masterpieces Recorded on Demo Tapes
• Vol.3 The “Truth” That Neither Tatsuro nor Hideki Noticed (This Article)

Related Articles：The miraculous story of the discovery of a phantom Japanese City Pop album “BOY” sealed away for 42 years, and the timeless masterpiece “Endless Summer -Kagirinaki Natsu-“

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