She’s Back!

I’m very happy to announce that J-Pop singer and utasha Chitose Hajime will be releasing a new single called “Katari Tsugu Koto” on November 23, 2005. The new single will also include “Tsuki o Nusumu” from a gamesoft called “GENJI” and a cover of the Beatles’ “Happiness is a Warm Gun”. In keeping with a popular format for special CD releases, there will be a package that is coupled with a DVD (ESCL-2748/9) which will sell for ¥1800, and one with just the CD single (ESCL-2750) for ¥1223. Before the release of the single, Chitose will be participating in a concert in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture, on October 22nd. Welcome back, Chitose! [Via bounce.com]

Uta-Hime Mama

Congratulations to Chitose and the new addition to her family, a healthy baby girl! Chitose gave birth to the 2821 gm baby girl on the 20th of January at 4:59am (Japan time). On her online diary, she mentions that there’s now another special birthday that follows her own (Chitose turned 26 on January 5th). Way to go Chitose!

Kono Machi and Ichigo Chips

Yes, it’s been quiet here as we wait patiently for Chitose’s return and of course, our prayers go out to her for a complete recovery. Chitose’s birthday is coming up soon (January 5) and what better early present than having her song “Kono Machi” in the film “Ichigo no Kakera (Ichigo Chips)”. “Ichigo” is based on a manga (see image above) by Tsutomu Takahashi who also penned the popular manga Sky High (which was turned into a film starring gravure idol Yumiko Shaku).

“Kono Machi” also happened to be used for the NHK drama serial “Manten” (much of the series was shot on location in Kagoshima Prefecture) and is one of my favorite songs of hers. “Ichigo Chips”, directed by Shun Nakahara (who also happens to be from Kagoshima Prefecture), will make its theatrical run in Japanese theaters come February 2005.

Now Playing: Fuyu no Hainumikaze

Yay! I received my copy of Chitose’s latest live double CD album, “Fuyu no Hainumikaze”, in the mail a couple of days ago. I’m listening to it now (the 1st disc) and it’s awesome! The arrangements seem to be close to the originals (I’ll have to give it another listen to make sure) and the mixture of songs from her indies days to her major label ones add a nice tempo to the album. I have the initial pressing of the album which came with a special (a CD insert and not a separate) booklet which adds a couple more centimeters to the jewel case. Also included is an interview with Chitose as well as special photos taken at the concert and elsewhere. I haven’t ordered the DVD yet since there wasn’t an initial pressing made for it, but I’ll order it soon enough. ;)

Live Concert CD & DVD

Sony will be releasing Chitose’s first live DVD as well as a CD recording on August 4th. Both live recordings are from her “Fuyu Hainumikaze” tour with the DVD being of her homecoming concert in Amami. The songs will range from her indies recordings (like “Kotonoha”) up to her hit singles with Sony. The DVD is priced at ¥3,990 and the CD at ¥3675. The CD of 23 tracks will be released in a limited edition with a 40 page booklet. The DVD will also be released in a limited edition, but the only feature is a “super gel case” (woohoo).

I’ve seen a TV special on Chitose that featured live clips and she didn’t disappoint. I’m really looking forward to the DVD more than the CD but I’ll probably end up buying both. :) The CD and DVD are available for pre-order at these recommended online stores: CD Japan, Tower Japan, and Yes Asia..

Chitose song to be on Shinibana OST

It’s been pretty quiet here at the CH Fanblog and I apologize for the lack of updates to the site. No new material from Chitose to report yet, but a remix of her song, Seirei (from her 2001 Augusta Records album “Kotonoha”), will be featured on the soundtrack for the Japanese film “Shinibana”. The remixed song is called “Seirei∼nomado version∼” and will be released in Japan (so far as only part of the “Shinibana” soundtrack) on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 for ¥1,748.

Report on Chitose’s latest album “Nomad Soul”

Let me first apologize for taking so long to post this entry after mentioning it about 2 weeks ago! After listening to the album almost everyday (I mixed the album on an MD with her 3 most recent singles), I’ve come to like it very much. At first, I couldn’t help but compare it to her first album, “Hainumi Kaze”, and thought that it was much weaker and shorter than her major label debut. Now, after giving it a good listen, I think it’s just as good or even better than it.

Similarities between the two:

• Both contain 10 tracks.
• Both are under 60m with “Hainumi Kaze” clocking in at 45m30s, and “Nomad Soul” coming in about a minute less at 44m29s.
• Both feature the same principle songwriters: Kou Mamiya, Gen Ueda, HUSSY_R, and Masayoshi Yamazaki.

Differences between the two:

• “Nomad Soul” was released in two formats: limited edition triple gatefold digipac with a DVD bonus disc and a regular edition in a jewel case, while “Hainumi Kaze” was released in a single format. In addition to that, “Nomad Soul” is the first release from Sony Records to use its Hybrid technology which bridges the hi-fidelity sound of SACDs and makes it playable on a regular CD player as well.
• In “Hainumi Kaze”, Eric Mouquet of Deep Forest was a featured songwriter, while “Nomad Soul” features J-pop legend Yumi Matsutoya.
• There were two singles (“Wadatsumi no Ki” and “Kimi o Omou”) released before “Hainumi Kaze” was released, while “Nomad Soul” had three — “Kono Machi”, “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru”, and “Itsuka Kaze ni Naru Hi”.
• Chitose helped pen two songs (“Sango Jûgoya” and “Kimi o Omou”) for “Hainumi Kaze”, and while she didn’t uncap her pen for any songs on “Nomad Soul”, she did play shamisen on the intro to “Itsuka Kaze ni Naru Hi”.

Every song on both albums can stand on their own, and that definitely makes up for the rather small total track time (about 45m for each album). My favorite tracks from “Nomad Soul” (so far) are: “Onshoku Nanairo” (which sounds like something you’d hear from a J-rock band), “Getsurei 17.4” (a mid-tempo song filled with lots of groove), and “Yuri Korekushon” (a nice folksy tune). Of course, I love the three singles too and “Kono Machi” is turning into my favorite song of hers.

Detailed album information to follow…

Arrived in the mail today

I thought it would take several days to reach me, but two days is all it took for the CDs to arrive from Japan to my doorstep here in Hawaii! I’m so happy! I’ll have a full report on the limited edition album “Nomad Soul” and the single “Itsuka Kaze ni Naru Hi” when time (hopefully) opens up this weekend. Kudos to CD Japan for their great service, competitive pricing, and fast shipping.

Video clip for “Itsuka Kaze ni Naru Hi”

It’s only a 40 second streamer but still worth watching. The location for the clip is Okinawa and I can’t wait to see the whole thing!

Go here first, then hit the link for “discography” and you’ll see the download links for the sound/video clip in Windows or RealPlayer formats.

Jacket For “Nomad Soul”

The CD jacket for Chitose’s new album “Nomad Soul” is up!


The album is set to be released on Wednesday, September 3rd.

CD jacket for Chitose’s upcoming single

The single, a Label Gate (boo!) one, will be released on Wednesday, August 13th for ¥971 — can’t wait to hear it!

Chitose’s 2nd Album “Nomad Soul”

As I’m still entranced with Chitose’s current single “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru” (as well as the two other songs on the single), I was surprised to hear that she’s already releasing a new single in August. Now just a day after making my announcement about that single, I find that she’ll be releasing her second album “Nomad Soul” in September!

“Nomad Soul” (no cover image yet) will be released on Wednesday, September 3rd, in a special limited edition triple gatefold digipac (ESCL 10001∼2) and sell for ¥ 3,200. Besides the special digipac, the limited edition version will also have a DVD with the music videos for “Kono Machi” and “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru” — the DVD marks her first release on that format. And if that wasn’t all, Sony Music is making “Nomad Soul” their first SACD Hybrid Disc release. The disc will be playable on those hi-fidelity SACD players as well as regular CD players. There’s also a regular version that will sale for ¥ 2,913 (ESCL 10003).

You can pre-order both discs online or at your favorite brick-and-mortar. Below is a list of online stores that have Chitose’s “Nomad Soul” available for pre-order:

• Amazon.co.jp
• CDJapan.co.jp
• TowerRecords.co.jp

(via www.hajimechitose.com 7.5.03)

Chitose’s New Single “Itsuka Kaze ni naru Hi”

Chitose’s single, “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru”, was just released on June 11th, but she already has a new single in the works. “Itsuka Kaze ni naru Hi” (ESCL-2411) will be released on August 13th. It will be a CM song for KDDI’s “Movie” au cellular phone and is produced by Sadayoshi Okamoto (words+music) and Takefumi Haketa (arrangement). “Itsuka Kaze ni naru Hi” will be coupled with “Sanpo no Susume” (words by HUSSY_R and music+arrange by Kou Mamiya) and is Chitose’s 5th single. I’ll post about this single again as soon as an image becomes available.

(via www.hajimechitose.com 7.2.03)

Chito-ya, the top Chitose fan site in Japan

Chito-ya is the top fan site for Chitose in Japan. The site has been around since February 6, 2002, and has had over 80,000 visitors so far! It’s also a beautiful site and it seems to be updated quite often by Ryuca Natsuki.

The official site of Hajime Chitose?

While debating on whether to register a domain for Chitose, I stumbled upon a site — an official site — under the url: www.hajimechitose.com.


The site is produced by Chitose’s record label, Epic Records Japan Inc., but there’s no mention of it on any of her other official sites. That makes four official sites for her with three from her record label! The more the merrier right?

Still waiting for my copy of “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru”

I won’t be receiving my copy of Chitose’s new single “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru” till another week or two so I won’t be reporting about it till then. I’m a bit disappointed that it’s copy-protected since most of my collection is ripped as mp3 files so I can quickly access them with my old 5 gig iPod. In the meantime, I’ll try to have more lyrics up and complete her discography with two more albums. A reader requested English translations of her songs which is something I have planned in the future.

Chitose’s first nationwide tour

Chitose will be going on her first nationwide tour called “Mitsubishi Motors Presents: Hajime Chitose Concert Tour 2003 ∼ Hajimemashite”. The tour will go on the road from September 2nd to the 25th. She’ll be performing in Kagoshima on Friday, September 5, 2003. I’m sure it’ll be an awesome homecoming for her.

Site News 060603

I’ve been busy with the other sites so I must apologize for not updating this one as often as I’d like to. I’ll make it but by posting some song lyrics and discographies by the end of next week.

Chitose Hajime Fan Group

I received an email from Koek Wei Chew who told me about his Chitose fan group. Looks like he’s just starting out so I decided to join in too.

If you have a fan group you want announced on my Chitose Fanblog feel free to email me.

Album cover for Chitose’s 4th single

The album cover for Chitose’s 4th single called “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru” has been completed. The single is set to be released in Japan on June 11.

4th single: “Sen no Yoru to Sen no hiru”

Chitose’s 4th single entitled “Sen no Yoru to Sen no Hiru” (ESCL-2410, Epic Records) is set to be released on Wednesday, June 11. The song is being used as a CM (commercial) song for Marocha 120 and is produced (he also penned the words and music) by Gen Ueda who is responsible for her hit song (and major label debut) “Wadatsumi no Ki” from 2-6-2002.


The single will contain 3 tracks, one from regular contributor Eric Mouquet from the group Deep Forest called “Hakuya”, and a yet untitled track. Her previous single, “Kono Machi”, was released on November 7 of last year and was used as a theme song for the popular NHK morning serial drama “Manten”.

[note: this entry was first posted on the Pop.i-O Yuntaku on 4-11-2003.]

Chitose’s song in a beverage CM

Chitose will be singing the CM song (produced by Gen Ueda) for Coca-Cola Japan’s new beverage, Marocha 120, which goes on sale on February 14. The CM stars actress Haruka Igawa and will begin airing nationwide (on Japanese TV stations) on February 19th. Here’s a link to the CM news conference.