Welcome to episode 91 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I talk about the 2010 compilation, “Christmas Songs,” from producer Goro Ito.

I hope you enjoyed at least a few of the tracks on “Christmas Songs.” A few of them are real stand-outs and make this album one that’s worth tracking down.

Be sure to join me back here on November 1st for Christmas Podcast Day, which is the day a bunch of us Christmas podcasters release special episodes to kick off the season and encourage our listeners to check out some of the other great podcasts out there. I’ll be talking about one of my favorite Christmas specials, “Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol.” It’s one you won’t want to miss.

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!

Welcome to episode 89 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I talk about the 1992 compilation, “Winter Tales 2,” from the MIDI label.

I hope you’ve enjoyed MIDI’s wintry compilations over the last two episodes. Despite the repetitiveness, there are some real gems included on them. I’m looking forward to revisiting a few of the artists when I cover their other Christmas songs.

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get this episode out this month, but I made it just under the wire. I’m caught up for the moment, and I’m hoping I’ll have enough time to stay ahead of schedule the rest of the year. I have some great episodes planned and I’m going to do my best to get to them all.

Join me back here next month as I cover a couple of really great albums. Up first is Jazz singer Yuki Izumine’s 2008 alubm, “Let It Snow!” Then join me for another fantastic compilation, “Christmas Songs,” from 2010. Plus, keep in mind that November 1st is Christmas Podcast Day. A bunch of us Christmas podcasters will be releasing special episodes. Stay tuned for further details.

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!

Welcome to episode 87 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I talk about the 1983 movie, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” and its soundtrack.

As I said in the episode, this one has been a long time coming. August was the first time since I started my podcast that I missed putting out an episode. I haven’t even been able to stay active on social media due to a lack of time and an excess of pain. I’m finally on the mend, though, so I hope to be back on track soon.

If you haven’t seen “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” I truly recommend it. It has some outstanding performances, a wonderful score, and tackles a wide variety of themes. Plus, getting to see David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto on screen together is a real treat.

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!

Welcome to episode 85 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be talking about the Christmas music from the Spacemen.

These really are three of my favorite records. They helped embody the excitement of collecting when I first got started. It felt like the more I searched for and researched them, the closer I’d get to finding a copy. I’d find listings at record shops where they’d gotten one in months earlier, but had sold out before I even knew the shop existed. I even exchanged emails with one collector who had finally found copies of his own, and who assured me I’d love them if I ever got them. They seemed so out of reach for so long, I was honestly shocked when I got all three over the course of three months.

I hope the Spacemen sent you over the moon. They were a great, if short-lived band whose distinctive sound helped them stand out from their contemporaries. Join me back here on the 25th for my fourth Christmas in July episode. If you haven’t listened to the others, you’re in for a real treat. “Christmas in Summer” songs are somewhat popular in Japan, and each year I’ve collected a selection of them to cover for Christmas in July. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do another one this year, but I managed to win copies of two songs that I’d nearly given up hope of owning, so I’m not only able to do one this year, but I found enough others to set some aside from next year. I haven’t finalized my selection, but I have a couple really rare songs lined up that you’re sure to enjoy.

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!

Welcome to episode 83 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be talking about Yoshiyas Ueda and Swing West’s “Electric Guitar Christmas.”

I keep saying I’m a sucker for these flexi-discs. Whether it’s a sonojournal, a promotional flexi, a musical greeting card, or a cardboard postcard, I have a hard time passing on them when they show up for sale. They’re poorly documented overall, and a lot of them are hidden gems, containing great music from unknown artists. I’ve been lucky enough to get some of the most sought-after flexis and I look forward to sharing more of them with you.

I was pretty fascinated with Swing West, especially as I learned more about them and how so many members of the band went on to do bigger and better things. While those individuals would have a huge influence on the Japanese recording industry on their own, Swing West is mostly forgotten today, which is a shame considering how great their music was, and how innovative and adventurous some of their arrangements were. While there isn’t much of their music online, I did find a video for Masayuki Yuhara’s version of “Ame no Ballad,” which I’ve posted below.

Masayuki Yuhara – “Ame no Ballad” – 1971

I hope you enjoyed learning about Swing West and their Christmas music. Join me on the 25th when I talk about the 1964 compilation, “Golden Christmas Party.” I’ve mentioned before how I’ve been lucky enough to find a few albums that my friend Santa-ro didn’t previously know about. This is one of those and the bulk of the music on it was never included anywhere else. It’s a real treat, and you’re sure to enjoy it.

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!

Welcome to episode 81 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be talking about Hiro Tsunoda’s 1991 album, “Ballad X’mas.”

This was a fun episode to work on. I love Tsunoda’s voice, and the non-Christmas songs on his album gave me something a little different to talk about. It also let me discover Zapp’s version of “Ooo Baby Baby.” As a native Daytonian, I was surprised to learn a few months ago that Zapp was pretty big in Japan. I was lucky enough to cross paths with Roger Troutman once back in my teens. We were driving past when he was walking out of Troutman Studios. I hollered, “Roger, I want to be your man!” (The song was huge at the time.) He laughed and waved. The fact that he reacted at all was a big thrill for me.

As I mentioned in the episode, I would have loved some Christmas music from a 1970s-era Hiro Tsunoda. “Ballad X’mas” is great, but I think an album from 15-20 years earlier would have turned into a Christmas funk classic. Also, as promised, here are a few videos, including Zapp’s “Ooo Baby Baby” and Randy Crawford’s “Almaz.”

Hiro Tsunoda and the Space Band – Mary Jane (1972)

Hiro Tsunoda – I Love You (B-side to “Mary Jane”)

Hiro Tsunoda and the Space Band from the 1974 One Step Festival

Randy Crawford – Almaz

Zapp – Ooo Baby Baby (1989)

I hope you enjoyed learning about and listening to Hiro Tsunoda. He has a lot of other great music, so you might find yourself going down a rabbit hole on YouTube after checking out the videos. Thanks again to Rocket Brown for introducing me to him. If you get a chance, check out Come Along Radio, where Rocket plays and talks about some of the best music City Pop has to offer.

Despite my best efforts, I wasn’t quite back on track with my release dates. This was supposed to be my May 11th episode, but instead was pushed back to the 25th. I’m shooting for a Memorial Day release for my next episode, where I talk about Keiichiro Ebihara and the Lobsters’ “Blue Christmas – Trumpet Mood Collection” from 1959. It’s a fantastic album and a smooth way to start your summer.

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!

Welcome to episode 79 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be talking about Lisa Ono’s album, “Boas Festas,” from 2000.

Over the past three years, I’ve pointed out multiple times that I don’t speak Japanese and have, therefore, apologized for some of my pronunciations. This time, I have to point out that I don’t speak Portuguese, so if my friend Ernesto is listening, I’m sorry for mangling some of the names. That said, I can’t overstate how thrilled I was to discover Lisa Ono’s music. Her Christmas CD’s have become two of my favorites and are now permanent parts of my regular Christmas music playlist.

I hope you enjoyed this first episode about Lisa Ono. It’s been hectic the past few months and I’m way behind schedule, but I’ll be getting the next one out as soon as I can. Be sure to tune back in as I wrap up my discussion about Lisa Ono’s life and career, and give a brief history about Bossa Nova music in general..

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!

Welcome to episode 77 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be talking about Mieko Hirota’s Christmas music.

One of the most fascinating things about collecting Japanese records has been discovering these phenomenal singers and musicians I’d had no knowledge of before. Mieko Hirota was an amazingly talented performer, and while she’d had some exposure in the US, I’d never heard her name until three years ago.

As much as I’ve enjoyed the Christmas aspect of my collection, I’ve gotten just as much pleasure exploring other aspects of these artists’ careers. If not my podcast, I likely wouldn’t have been exposed to a lot of the City Pop, Jazz and other great Japanese music I’ve found myself listening to over the past few years.

Mieko Hirota has been one of the real highlights. She recorded some of the best vocal Japanese Christmas music of the 1960s, and the rest of the songs I’ve heard from her were equally as good.

I hope you enjoyed Mieko Hirota as much as I have. She left an indelible mark on the Japanese music industry, and now that I have a little more experiencing collecting, I can see why her Christmas releases demand the prices they do. I’ve mentioned that I’ve fallen behind over the past month or so. I’m hoping to get back on track in April, starting with my next episode which will go live on the 1st. It’s one that needs to be heard to be believed.

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!

Welcome to episode 75 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be talking about Chris Hart’s 2022 album, “Christmas Hearts 2.”

I hope you enjoyed this second look at Chris Hart’s music. Like I said last year, I really admire the way he followed his dream and turned it into a successful career in Japan.

Be sure to join me in March as I cover a pair of fantastic female artists for Women’s History Month. Up first is Hideko Kojima’s “Christmas On Hammond – Jingle Bells” from 1970. It’s a fun, funky album that really exceeded my expectations. Then join me on the 25th as I talk about the Christmas music of Mieko Hirota. She was one of the biggest female pop stars of the 60s and influenced some of the biggest artists in the Japanese music industry.

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!