Saturday, August 06, 2005

>> TINGARA

TINGARA’s new album “Kaze no Senritsuâ€? (Melody of the Wind), the group’s sixth, is set to be released on September 21, 2005. To get the word out, they’ve enlisted the ears and fingers of bloggers and have sent out advance copies of the soon-to-be-released album around the world (well, at least you know that I’m here in Hawaii). TINGARA is currently a duo (prior albums listed Gerhen Oshima [Tokyo] as a main member but he still plays sanshin for the group) of Tsugumi (Okinawa) on vocals and Hideo Ishijima (Yokohama) on keyboards (he also handles programming and sound producing which basically means that he’s the guy who sets the mood for the group’s albums).

Some of you may remember the beautiful Tsugumi from her days as the keyboardist for the ultra-popular O-Pop group Rinken Band which she was a part of from 1990 to 1993. Hideo Ishijima is a studio musician who happened to meet Tsugumi through a mutual friend, Okinawan artist/musician Bokunen Naka who also is a songwriter for some of the group’s songs (he has also penned the lyrics for songs from Rinken Band) and most, if not all, of the beautiful artwork for TINGARA’s albums were done by him.

TINGARA’s music is described as “Ryukyu Ambient Soundâ€? and features Southeast Asian influences and a very soft, soothing sound via Tsugumi’s vocals and Hideo’s sound manipulation. Gerhen Oshima’s sanshin playing on a few of the songs adds that Okinawan sound to the group’s songs and instantly gives TINGARA its unique sound. The group’s music makes it perfect to play in the background and I’m sure that people who listen to the healing music genre will fall in love with TINGARA’s sound. One of my favorite songs off of “Kaze no Senritsuâ€? is the seventh track called “Minami no Haruâ€? which can definitely make it onto the top of any adult contemporary singles chart. All of the songs on the album are originals — most penned by Tsugumi — so it’ll be great to one day see the group release an album of Okinawan traditional music with their original sound.

With the release of the group’s first album “TINGARAâ€? (1999) on an indie label, they’ve been able to release a new full album every year on the Victor Entertainment major label beginning with “Sakiyodaâ€? (2001), “Taiyou no Hanaâ€? (2002), “Miruyakanayaâ€? (2003), “Unasakaâ€? (2004), “TINGARA BESTâ€? (2005), and “Kaze no Senritsuâ€? (2005).

If you’re looking for something different, something soothing, something tege (laid back), give TINGARA a listen. The group’s music can be purchased online at one of my favorite stores YesAsia.com or from CDJapan.co.jp (my other favorite). Email me at uzagaku[at]gmail[dot]com is you’re interested in listening to a sample of the group’s music. Incidentally, the group also keeps a blog over here and don’t forget to check out the group’s official website too.

[UPDATE: I mistakenly wrote Hideo Ishijima’s name as Hideo Oshima (I know his last name is Ishijima — my fault for not catching that the first time around). Gomen nasai Ishijima-san!]

[posted with ecto]

iTuned: ��船 from the album “風�旋律� by TINGARA

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

>> Featured Website: Okinawa Sanshin Kyoushitsu

Today’s featured website is called Okinawa Sanshin Kyoushitsu (in Japanese) and is an online school for all levels of sanshin players. Prices start with a ¥3,000 entrance fee and ¥3,000 for three months thereafter. I’m impressed with the lineup of teachers which includes: Shuken Maekawa, Tooru Yonaha, and Suguru Ikeda. [via シマウタ37.6度]

iTuned: 国頭(クンジャン)サバクイ from the album “ゴールデン☆ベスト [Disc 1]” by ネーネーズ

Sunday, September 19, 2004

>> BEGIN at the 2004 Okinawan Festival in Honolulu

The best concert of the year? I think so. Not only was the 2-hour outdoor concert free (sponsored in part by Orion Beer), but the band also pulled out all the stops by bringing their tour members (a bassist and drummer) along for the ride (to Honolulu). The stage was perfectly setup for the five-member band and the sound was surprisingly good for an outdoor concert; it also helped that BEGIN is a very good live band and singer Eisho Higa is a very good speaker.



The band had the crowd on their feet for the songs “Kariyushi no Yoru” and “Ojii Jiman no Orion Biiru [Beer]” with several close-ups of a fan (implanted?) wearing a promotional t-shirt for the latter song during its time on stage. They performed all of their hit songs (i.e., from their two shimauta albums) and the song that first brought them in the J-pop radar, “Koishikute”. Not surprisingly, the encore song was “Nada Sou Sou” with the crowd chanting — instead of ‘encore …’ or ‘hana hou …’ — ‘nada sou sou, nada sou sou, nada sou sou’.

I personally think that this was one of the best Okinawan Festivals since the year with the fireworks off of Waikiki Beach. The outdoor stage was one of the best we (local performing arts groups) may ever get to use for the festival, and if not for the blaring sun, it would’ve been perfect in the daytime too.

I’m sure that the group made many new fans here in Hawaii and I’ve already received several inquiries as to where people can go to buy their albums. Places to go to in Honolulu are Bookoff or Hakubundo. On the web, I highly recommend CDJapan.co.jp or YesAsia.com.

Related Entry: A Closer Look at BEGIN

Sunday, June 15, 2003

>> Update on my review of Ala Moana Shopping Center’s Bookoff

Today I stopped by Bookoff (my review of the store can be found here) and found that they now have an Okinawan section! It’s located in the same area with the enka artists and although the number of CDs they have is quite small, it’s a very welcome sight indeed. :)

Their Okinawan collection consists largely of compilations and their prices range from US $29.99 to US $34.99. I’ll have to check back again to see how often they stock that section and perhaps even rewrite my review. Nifee to Bookoff for making that section.

Thursday, May 22, 2003

>> Review: Hakubundo

Hakubundo, Inc.
1600 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 121
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
(808) 947-5503
URI: Hakubundo, Inc.

Summary:

Hakubundo is one of the nicest looking stores for Japanese things in Hawaii. They have books, magazines, CDs, posters, toys, and a whole bunch of stuff that any Japanphile would love. Unfortunately, they don’t carry any Okinawan music (although they do special orders), and their prices are relatively high at about ¥500 or more above the regular CD album price. They’ve been around for a long time (my guess is more than 25 years) and they also take special orders through their Web site. Located in the Pan Am Building across from Ala Moana Shopping Center, parking can be validated in the store.


Hakubundo is a fine looking store. Think of a Banana Republic type of design for a local Japanese store and it’s easy to see why this store wins my award (i.e., if I ever made make one) for best design in a local Japanese store. Like my previous review of Bookoff, Hakubundo is a store that also sells a host of other Japanese things besides music-related stuff (which includes CDs, CD Singles, artists’ posters, artists’ calendars, and videos). One thing I must warn people about is that their store is too nice so as to make things rather “untouchable” (read: Do not touch [the merchandise]) which is understandable given the price for some of the items on display. You also have a feeling of not being able to browse to your heart’s content, but maybe that’s just me being overly conscious of my surroundings (especially since I was the only customer in the store at the time). The lone person on the sales floor (besides the people in the back office) was very kind, and she reminds me of one of my mom’s friends from Japan. Her English is quite good but it’s best to try out your Japanese with her if you’re the adventurous type.


As noted above in my summary of the store, they don’t carry Okinawan music but they can do special orders so be sure to make a list (preferably with the artist/group name, album title, and catalog number or sku [barcode] if possible) before you get there. Their CD album prices are relatively high at about ¥500 or more than the regular price (at an average of ¥3000 per CD album) which is comparable to Hokama’s Music (from my first review). Hakubundo’s strength is in their J-pop selection (which I must add is displayed very well) and this is the store to go to if you want the latest music before the other stores get their shipments in. I think it’s rather interesting that Hokama’s Music, Bookoff, and Hakubundo, each have their own niche in the Japanese/Okinawan music market in Hawaii. They could easily compete with each other (especially given that they’re located in close proximity to each other) but they choose to coexist with each other instead. For instance, you go to Hokama’s Music for enka and Okinawan music, Bookoff for used and overseas J-pop and enka music, and to Hakubundo’s for brand-spankin’ new straight from Japan J-pop music. I think this is great and I hope these stores (yeah, I’m getting away from just writing about Hakubundo - sorry) much success in the future.

Thursday, April 17, 2003

>> Review: Bookoff

Bookoff
(Shirokiya in the Ala Moana Shopping Center)
1450 Ala Moana Boulevard, #2250
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
(808) 952-9115
URI: Bookoff (Japanese Site)

Summary:

Bookoff specializes in new and used CDs, videos, books, magazines from Japan. They have the largest selection of J-pop on the island at prices competitive to buying them online. The items are merchandised in Japanese-style so being able to read Japanese is a plus (or a necessity?). Don’t expect the sales staff to approach you so if you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask. Price-wise, Bookoff is quite unbeatable in Hawaii, but you should be aware that they carry new, used, and overseas versions (read below for more details) of CDs. I recommend this store for the seasoned shopper of O/J music who’s not concerned with customer service, and can discern between what’s new, used, or overseas. This is the perfect place to sell your unwanted O/J CDs (btw, if you’re planning on selling any Okinawan music, email me first, I might be interested in buying them off of you).

Bookoff is a large chain of stores that specializes in used/new music, movies, and books (also called “recycle” shops in Japan). They have stores throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and even stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Hawaii. The Hawaii branch is located in Shirokiya, a store that specializes in Japanese merchandise, at the Ala Moana Shopping Center’s mall level. Their kiosk is conveniently located by the mall level’s entrance (pictured) and is flanked by other kiosks that specialize in electronics and toys. This is a very good place to go to if you’re interested in Japanese books and magazines because they have a great selection at that even greater used book/magazine price. They also sell denshi-jiten (electronic dictionaries) from Seiko for students of Japanese or English. They also carry videos if you’re a Japanese cinemaphile. There were three store staff present but none bothered to help me or any of the other customers there. In that sense, the Bookoff in America (or at least Hawaii) is no different from most of the stores in Japan where they usually won’t bother (or should I say “help”) you unless you go up to them - very Japanese-style.

To my knowledge, they have the largest selection of Japanese CDs on the island. To their advantage, they can easily move stock throughout any of their other branches, whereas locally-owned stores are stuck with their stock and will have to mark them down below cost. As stated above, the Bookoff store is Japanese-style so their CDs are arranged with the CD jewel case’s (left-hand) spine facing outwards, and the artists are filed (by last name) according to the Japanese phonetic system (in other words, no ABCs folks). The enka section is kept on a separate shelf from the pop stuff and they don’t have an Okinawa section (boo!). Carrying used stuff means being able to get stuff at a great price, so value-seekers, this is your store. They also carry new stuff and they’re able to keep the cost down by bringing in the overseas versions (usually from Taiwan) of Japanese artists’ albums (e.g., the Utada Hikaru “Deep River” album, her latest, is the Taiwan version). A little side note about overseas versions: for the most part, they’re the same as the original Japanese versions (i.e., a Taiwan version doesn’t mean that they’re singing in Taiwanese), with the main differences being lower cost (about US $10 less than the Japanese versions), a small difference in packaging, and sometimes there may be added tracks (mostly in a VCD format). Bookoff plays an important role in Hawaii because they also specialize in buying CDs. So if you’ve ripped your entire O/J music collection and you’re looking to unload them, look no further than Bookoff. I haven’t sold any of my collection yet, but if I do, I’ll post my experience in a later update to this page.

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

>> Review: Hokama’s Music Store

Hokama’s Music
1319 South King Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
(808) 597-8046
URI: n/a

Summary:

Mom & Pops atmosphere, with a great selection of enka, a decent number of Okinawan CDs, and an okay amount of J-pop. There’s free and ample parking on a gravel lot and they’re within walking distance of a few eateries (right next door is an okazuya). Their prices are rather high at an average of US $45, but their customer service is top-notch and they do special orders. I highly recommend shopping at this store.

Hokama’s Music stocks both Okinawan and Japanese music. Their specialty is enka so they know a lot about the Okinawan music boom in enka too (e.g., Okinawan-themed songs by Sakamoto Fuyumi, Sen Masao, Yamamoto Jyouji, and Yoshi Ikuzo). They’re quite knowledgeable of Okinawan music as far as artists and songs go, although their selection is quite small. They have a reasonable amount of J-pop music and they even stock 45s and LPs (if you don’t know what these are, go and ask your parents [hint: 45s and LPs preceded tapes and you can also call ‘em vinyls]). I think Hokama’s Music is the oldest store of its kind, and it’s reflected in their old school way of servicing their customers.

To say that their customer service is old school, well, I’ll just say that it involves a lot of “talk story”. You don’t simply go there to shop, you go there to shop and to shoot the breeze, chat about the latest trends in J or O music, or trade some insider gossip or information. Mrs. Inada, who was very helpful in showing me her selection of CDs, is one of the nicest people you can meet - and she knows her stuff. It was great talking story about the Okinawan music connection (or “boom” as I called it above) with enka as we talked about Sakamoto Fuyumi’s song “Urizun no Koro” (you’ll find a RealAudio stream by following the link, or email me and I’ll send you the .ram file). Yes, even Riccin can still learn a thing or two, for I learned that “Urizun no Koro” was meant to be Sakamoto Fuyumi’s swan song since she is taking time off of show-biz after being diagnosed with cancer. It’s a beautiful song that’s sung with much emotion and is very appropriate for a swan song, but I, as well as Mrs. Inada, would very much like to see her healthy again and continue to charm audiences with her beautiful voice. In no time at all, I found that I spent over an hour in Hokama’s and if I didn’t have to go on to the next store (Part 2’s featured store will be Bookoff), I would’ve been there for who knows how long?

Being in Hokama’s Music is like going back in time. From the old enka posters, to the old Kokiku magazines, to the vinyls, even the scent (smell?) of the store is nostalgic! Like walking through a time warp as you enter their store, you’ll find yourself stepping into your kid-sized zori (slippers) staring with wide-eyed fascination at all the bright colors the album covers beam your way. You can spend hours in that store just looking through all the stuff they have there or by just talking story with Mrs. Inada or the other store staff. As far as CD prices go, the average price of a CD is about US $45. In that sense, they can’t compete with the internet so they must depend on the relationships they build with their customers. There was a time when looking for J-pop music in Hawaii was like looking for a contact lens you dropped in the bathroom sink, but now, besides there being a few more stores (to be featured in Parts 2-4), you also have the convenience of online shopping. Sadly, value overrides good customer service, but I urge you to stop by this store and spend some time in there and talk story. Stores like this one are not only one-of-a-kind, they’re also a dying breed. Before it becomes a legend, or just a memory of a little J/O music store that used to occupy that space, go and visit there, soak in as much as you can, and buy something.

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