Welcome to episode 53 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be discussing Naomi Sagara’s 1975 album, “White Christmas.”

I’ve mentioned before how collecting Japanese Christmas albums can sometimes be a real crap shoot. So many of them, especially older ones, have no presence online, so I often have no idea how they’ll sound once I finally get them. This was another of those cases where I pleasantly surprised with the results. While some of the songs are dated, I truly enjoy the entire album and it’s one that I’ve returned to multiple times since getting it.

As I said in this episode, I was really taken by Naomi Sagara’s voice. There’s a pleasing quality to it I really enjoy. I looked up several of her songs on YouTube and was also impressed by her stage presence in her live performances. Despite the difficulties she faced, her reputation as a performer appears to have rebounded and her songs maintain a following to this day.

The World Is For Two People

Why Not, As Long As You’re Happy

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Naomi Sagara and listening to “White Christmas.” Join me next month for Christmas in July. I’ll be starting things off with something a little different. Instead of a Christmas album, I’ll be covering Yumi Matsutoya’s City Pop classic, “Surf & Snow – Volume One.” It’s a fantastic album with a mix of summer and winter-themed songs, including one of the biggest and most popular Japanese Christmas songs, “Koibito ga Santa Claus.” Then join me on the 25th for my third annual Christmas In July episode. I have some really fun songs lined up for it. If I can find a little extra free time, I might even throw out an extra episode or two.

As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.

Remember, I’ve added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you’d like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. I’ve also opened a Redbubble store. I only have a couple designs up, but keep an eye on it as I’ll be trying to add more. Half of any proceeds or donations received will be donated to support the people of Ukraine, while the rest will be used to purchase new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks!