Site Tweaking

I’ll be tinkering with the site this week so please bear with any weirdness you may encounter while here. Thanks!

Happy New Year!

Time sure flies. My last post to this fanblog was back in September 2003 when Chitose released her second full-length album from Sony Music. Since then, in addition to performing around Japan (including her hometown Amami-Ohshima) she’s performed in Taiwan, her official website has undergone a renewal that uses Macromedia’s Flash Player, and she’s posted quite a bit to her online diary (linked on the right).

2004 looks to be another big year for Chitose — especially with her birthday on January 5th. As for this fanblog, I’ll do my best to continue following her growth as a musician and hopefully I’ll get around to adding a lot of extra content to the site as well. So until the next post, I wish everyone to have a very happy and safe new year!

On the way

My Chitose CDs (the limited edition “Nomad Soul” and the CD single “Itsuka Kaze ni Naru Hi”) are in the mail and I should be receiving them by next Wednesday (hopefully sooner tho’). I’ll have a complete review of the two discs as well as attempt to catch up on some old stuff before then. :)

“I’m Back!!”

I just finished reading Chitose’s latest entry in her Chitose Diary (for 2003/7/3). Her title is “I’m Back!!” (original title in Japanese is “Tadaima!!”) because her last entry was more than two months ago on May 2nd (called “It’s May.” [original Japanese title is “5-gatsu desu.”]). Chitose hints at revealing one of the songs she’s working on for the upcoming album “Nomad Soul” but jokingly keeps from discussing it any further. Her latest “My Boom” is musical instruments although she doesn’t elaborate on which instrument(s) she’s interested in. She’s so cute. :)

An interesting point

I received an email yesterday from a site visitor (who I assume is from Japan) who pointed out in the subject line of his/her email: “It (Chitose) is not okinawan music.” The contents (presented as is) of the email are as follows:

I think, Chitose hjime (sic.), she is not okinawan. Also, Amami music is big different then (sic.) okinawan music.

Okinawansongs (sic.) are not sung in falsetto.

My reply follows…

Yes, you are partly right. Chitose is not “technically” Okinawan and Amami music is “technically” different from Okinawan music. But, there are similarities in the culture, history, and music between these two islands.

As you know, Amami was part of the Ryukyu Kingdom some 400 years ago so despite the distance in space and time between the two islands, you’ll still find some similarities like language for instance.

Are you from Okinawa or Amami? I think this is a very good subject to discuss online and it would be great to have someone who is from either island give their view on this subject. Since I am here in Hawaii, it is quite simple for me to make a connection between Amami and Okinawa based on the shared history between the two. However, for someone who actually lives in the area, maybe he/she may not think this is a strong case (i.e., to make the assumption that Amami is “technically” still part of Okinawa).

I am not sure if you are aware of the collaboration between Rikki Nakano and Okinawan musicians from a few years ago. It was interesting for me to see an island I have heard so little about using the sanshin and the lyrics from their music having some similarities with the Okinawan language. This made (and still makes) me want to learn more about Amami’s music and culture.

Okinawan songs are not sung in falsetto and neither is Amami songs right? I believe Amami songs are sung in a higher register than Okinawan songs but that is not what I believe falsetto is. Falsetto is singing beyond the upper register beyond the singer’s normal range which is something we have in Hawaiian music (I’m from Hawaii) and it is very different from just singing in a higher register which is what I believe Amami music is. Perhaps the same can be said of Yaeyama music as they also use a higher register than Okinawan music.

Anyway, I apologize for the length of this email, and I must thank you for sending me your view of this matter. I will continue to support Chitose’s music because I simply like her music very much. :) For me, what is more important than this Amami/Okinawa issue is how great of an artist she is, so although it may seem strange for some to see her featured on an Okinawan pop culture site, that to me is secondary to my love of her music and talent.

Take care and I hope to hear from you again,

Richie Yamashiroya
riccin@internet-okinawa.com
http://pop.internet-okinawa.com/blog/

I think I’ve kept any mention of Okinawa (well, not counting this entry) out of this weblog so I believe his/her point is aimed at the fanblog being hosted as part of my Okinawan pop culture site. Any thoughts?

I’m about 3/4 of the way

I’m almost finished! All the templates are done, now all I need to do is add in the old posts and enter in some new ones as well.

Yes, I’m finally working on the renewal

Surprised? I finished working on a template for another fanblog and I’m going to plug it into this one too. I still have to create some graphics and change some of the links on the right hand column. I’ll try to have everything up by the end of tonight.