Welcome to episode 21 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I cover Ryoko Moriyama’s 1975 album, “Christmas Hymnbook II.” This is the third of four episodes dedicated to Ryoko Moriyama, and the second of her two hymnbook albums. This album features more traditional hymns in her classical style, and has a couple wonderful songs that were new to me. It’s easily as good as her first hymnbook album and is a great way to take your mind off the summer heat.

Christmas Hymnbook II – 1975

Thanks for listening, and I hope you’re enjoying Ryoko Moriyama’s music as much as I do. I look forward to covering her last Christmas album later this month. Be sure to listen in. And don’t forget that my regularly-scheduled Christmas in July episode should be available on the 25th. I have some really great songs planned for that, and you don’t want to miss 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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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 19 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I cover Ryoko Moriyama’s 1969 album, “Ryoko’s Christmas.” Ryoko Moriyama is one of the most beloved and influential singers in Japan. Known as the Joan Baez of Japan and the Queen of College Folk, she has a career that has spanned six decades. She is still active today and will soon be re-embarking on a retrospective concert tour that was delayed due to COVID.

Ryoko’s Christmas – 1968

I’d been wanting to get her Christmas album for quite a while. When my sister donated to my Ko-fi page for Christmas, I decided to finally get it. I knew she’d released a few Christmas LP’s, as well as an earlier EP (I mistakenly stated it was from 1967 in the episode—it’s actually from 1968). I got what I thought was a later re-release of her 1969 album, only to find out it was a Christmas greatest hits album. Considering how often her original album has been released, though, the confusion was understandable.

Ryoko’s Christmas – 1969

It took me a while to figure it out, but I was finally able to determine which album each of the songs had come from, and just how much of her music I was missing. The 1976 album includes 21 songs, taken from three different albums. Those albums include a total of 40 songs, so I was missing nearly half her Christmas songs. And that’s not including her 4-song EP, or her 10-track LP from 1981. Her albums are generally affordable, though, so I decided to get all five. I considered getting them on CD, but from what I could tell, the songs from her EP have never been rereleased, while the three earlier albums have only been released in their entirety in a pair of extremely costly boxed sets.

Christmas Album – 1976

The pictures above are the ones I purchased. The pictures below are a variety of covers from the rereleases of the 1969 album. I believe this is all of them, not counting the CD releases. I’ll post pictures of her other albums with their respective episodes.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed Ryoko Moriyama’s music as much as I have. I look forward to covering her other albums in the coming weeks. Be sure to listen in. And don’t forget that my regularly-scheduled Christmas in July episode should be available on the 25th. I have some really great songs planned for that, and you don’t want to miss 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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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 the fifth episode of season two of Holly Jolly X’masu! This month, I look at a pair of early 70s boy bands, Juke Box and Finger 5. I grew up listening to our old 45 of the Jacksons singing “Rockin’ Robin,” watching the Osmonds on TV, and seeing people like Leif Garret, Shaun Cassidy and the Bay City Rollers in Teen Beat, Tiger Beat and the other magazines sharing the newsstands with my comic books each month, so I’ve really been looking forward to discussing them.

I’ve been plagued with PC issues over the last several weeks, so I’m far behind where I’d like to be. I was hoping to get a bonus episode out this month, although I may have to push it off until early next month. I also haven’t been able to get scans of the interior of the Juke Box record, so I’ll have to post those on Instagram once I get the chance.

One of the things that fascinated me about these two bands was how they came along at the dawn of the modern Idol culture in Japan. Their careers weren’t quite as regimented as today’s Idols, but they really helped to shape what came after them, for better or worse.

I also enjoyed reading about Finger 5. While their dad took his inspiration from the Partridge Family, I personally saw more of the Jacksons in their experience, as the dad formed and managed the band at first. They were also an actual family and not just musicians hired to play the part. Even when the older brothers decided to go on hiatus, they remained a family act, bringing in cousins to take their place. And just like sitcoms of the era taught me, once you bring in a cute, younger cousin, things are never quite the same.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed these two records as much as I did. Next month, I’ll be discussing Ryoko Moriyama’s 1969 album, “Ryoko’s Christmas.” It’s a great album by a wonderful singer who is quite possibly the most prolific Japanese singer, at least when it comes to Christmas music. Be sure to listen in.

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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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 the third episode of season two of Holly Jolly X’masu! This month, for Women’s History Month, I’ll be discussing Peggy Hayama’s 1964 album, Peggy’s Christmas – Winter Wonderland.

When I first started researching her, I didn’t know much about Peggy Hayama. The more I read about her, though, the more I was impressed. She not only had a wonderful career, but she led an exemplary life. She overcame adversity on several occasions, and despite some extended absences from performing, whether due to health issues or starting her family, her popularity never seemed to suffer as a result. Her greatest comeback was the one she achieved later in her life. After devoting nearly a decade to caring for her ailing husband, she managed to not only become president of the Japanese Singers Association and embark on her role as an advocate for home caregivers, but she returned to the Oricon music charts with one final hit after an absence of nearly 40 years. She was an exceptional performer and a genuine role model.

I wanted to include videos of some of her most notable hits, including her first single from 1952, “Domino.”

Domino (video from 1985)

Her biggest hit, “Having Left Tosa,” was released in 1959. I’ve seen multiple translations of the title, but “Having Left Tosa” is the English translation from Japan Today, which is likely a bit more accurate than Google.

Having Left Tosa (1959)

Her next-biggest hit and her song that will likely have the longest-lasting cultural impact is her translation of “Do-Re-Mi” from “The Sound of Music.”

Do-re-mi

My mom is a big Doris Day fan, so I had to include “Que Sera Sera.”

Que Sera Sera (video from 1996)

Another huge hit for Peggy was “School Days.”

School Days (video from 1965)

Lastly, the song that got her back on the charts, “Dawn Melody.”

Dawn Melody (2010)

Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed learning about and listening to Peggy Hayama as much as I did. Next month, for my one-year anniversary, I’ll be discussing Jimmy Takeuchi’s White X’mas – Drum Drum Drum. I’ve had several people ask me about the funky, drum-heavy “Jingle Bells” that plays in my intro each episode. This is the album it came from. It’s a great album with a wonderful blend of Jazz, Rock and Soul. You don’t want to miss it.

Any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. 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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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 the first episode of season two of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I kick off 2021 talking about Ginji Ito’s 1983 album, Winter Wonder Land – I Thank You. This winter-themed album contains a trio of Christmas songs. It’s a fun, lighthearted start to the new year.

One thing I discovered as I started collecting Japanese Christmas music was that some of the best songs didn’t come from actual Christmas albums. While some Western artists will occasionally include a Christmas song on a regular album, or a mention Christmas in a song that really has nothing to do with it, having a Christmas song appear on a non-Christmas album appears to be much more common in Japan. The best example of this is Tatsuro Yamashita’s “Christmas Eve.” Arguably the most popular Japanese Christmas song, it came from his album Melodies, which was a straight City Pop album. I think a big part of that has to do with how most Japanese view Christmas as a romantic, secular holiday. While “O Holy Night” isn’t likely to appear on a non-Christmas album, finding a Christmas love song on an album is fairly common.

Winter-themed albums are also fairly common in Japan. With entire albums dedicated to the winter season, it’s even more likely to find a few songs mentioning Christmas or Santa Claus. A couple of the more notable ones are Yumi Matsutoya’s Surf & Snow – Volume One, and Seiko Matsuda’s Snow Garden, both of which produced hugely popular Christmas songs. While I generally stick to more traditional Christmas albums, I’ll eventually devote episodes to a few of these winter or non-Christmas albums, particularly the ones that produced the biggest Christmas hits.

While researching this episode, I couldn’t find much about how Ginji Ito’s albums fared on the charts. I know that several of the songs from Winter Wonder Land remain popular with his fans, but they’re not songs that I ever see included on lists of the most popular Christmas songs in Japan. This album is also almost entirely absent from video sites, such as YouTube and Daily Motion. A friend in Japan was able to find a video for just one of the songs on a Japanese site I’d never heard of. It’s a fun album and I genuinely enjoy each of the songs, so it’s a shame it’s not more accessible. That said, I always like featuring albums that generally can’t be heard elsewhere, and this really fits the bill.

As always, thanks for listening, and I hope this episode helps you start the new year on the right foot. Join me in February for a special episode for Black History Month. There aren’t many Japanese Christmas albums that fit the theme, but noted American saxophonist Sam “The Man” Taylor’s 1968 album, In Christmas, release only in Japan, makes the cut, even if on a technicality. It’s a wonderful album and one you don’t want to miss.

Any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. 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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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 11 of Holly Jolly X’masu! For my first Christmas episode, I’m discussing one of the most amazing albums ever created, Jun Fukamachi’s Now Sound Christmas. It truly is remarkable. It showcases Fukamachi’s wide-ranging musical talent and is a listening experience unlike any other.

As I mention in the episode, Now Sound Christmas was extremely hard to come by. Like a few other albums I’ve gotten, it took a blend of persistence and luck. One thing my Christmas music collecting friends will talk about is the thrill of crate diving—in other words, digging through the dusty old crates of Christmas albums at their local record shops or thrift stores, those boxes that only get dragged out of storage two or three months each year, or when they find a sympathetic clerk. They talk about how excited they get when, while flipping past the same old copies of Ed Ames, Roger Whitaker and Andre Kostelanetz they’ve seen a thousand times, they finally stumble across some rare import or obscure Jimmy Smith album. For me, all my “crate diving” is done online. That doesn’t make it any less exciting, though, when I find a listing for an album I didn’t think I’d ever have a chance to purchase or bid on. I don’t always win, but finding them at least gives me hope that I’ll get them eventually.

Now Sound Christmas is one of those I didn’t think I’d ever own. The fact that even the obscure, shady sites had no hint of it was one of those factors that convinced me I’d have to start buying some of these albums. I was so anxious while waiting for it to arrive that I lost sleep. Considering how bad my insomnia has been since the pandemic started, that made for a really rough couple of days. As I’ve mentioned, when it arrived, one of the things that fascinated me was staring at the liner notes, wondering what background or other interesting information they might contain. I finally translated them while preparing for this episode and found that they’re basically a promo for the album. The first few paragraphs tell record store owners how cool the album is and they really need to carry it this Christmas season, mainly because synthesizers are the hip, new thing. There’s then a bit of history for each of the traditional songs. Nothing groundbreaking, but it was cool to finally know what they said.

This quickly became one of my all-time favorite Christmas albums and is the centerpiece of my Japanese music collection. The only thing that really comes close is Chiemi Eri’s “Chiemi Sings Christmas Carols,” and possibly my autographed copy of pro wrestler Thunder Sugiyama’s Christmas album, both of which I’ll get to eventually. For me, Now Sound Christmas ranks right up there with A Christmas Together, by John Denver and the Muppets. For those who don’t know me, that’s really saying something. This is an album that, in years to come, will be one of those I turn to first every Christmas season. I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

As always, thanks for listening. Next month, I’ll be kicking off my second season with Ginji Ito’s Winter Wonder Land. It’s a fun, lighthearted album. With any luck, it will help usher in a brighter 2021. Be sure to check it out. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions or recommendations, feel free to send them my way. Also, be sure to check out some of the other Christmas podcasts mentioned in this month’s episodes. They’re a great way to keep Christmas going year-round.

Any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line at hollyjollyxmasu@gmail.com 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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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, and Merry Christmas!

Welcome to Episode 9 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I talk about an overlooked classic from 1972, “Merry Christmas From Sellstars,” by Takao Hirata and Sellstars. This is an album I discovered quite by accident. Its unassuming cover, which looks like a big square of loose-leaf paper, is one I passed by several times before curiosity finally got the best of me. I’m glad I gave it a chance because it’s a wonderful album.

Takao Hirata and Sellstars were a two-hit wonder from early 70s Japan. They managed to put together a fantastic album whose overall quality more than makes up for its brief, 31-minute runtime. The main attractions are the two medleys, but the remainder of the album is nearly as enjoyable, delivering an early 70s, Sergio Medes-esque Yuletide sampler that stays just funky enough to avoid falling into an Easy Listening lull. It’s a great blend of styles and I’ve listened to it countless times since I got it.

After toiling in obscurity for a few years, Takao Hirata burst onto the scene in 1971 with a huge hit, “The Devil is Hard,” then had a whirlwind of a year in 1972, releasing four full LPs and an even bigger hit, “The Bee Musashi Is Dead.” Their star quickly faded after that, but they remained popular enough with their fans to stage a fairly successful comeback in the 90s, and they enjoyed several years of success on the concert trail.

As I mention in this episode, “Merry Christmas From Sellstars” really exemplifies why I collect these albums and do this podcast. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed most about collecting Christmas music is when someone online uncovers a forgotten, long lost song or album. Occasionally, something really great will come to light, like Joseph Washington Jr.’s “Merry Christmas from Joseph,” an extremely obscure, 1980’s R&B album that got a proper re-release a few years ago. With the Japanese Christmas music, almost everything I’ve purchased would be considered obscure or unknown in the US. What pleases me the most, though, are the albums that are little known and hard to find even in Japan.

While “Merry Christmas From Sellstars” is far from the most obscure album I’ve found, it’s one that I’m certain hasn’t been heard much, if at all, in the US. It’s never been rereleased and can’t be streamed. It’s not listed on Discogs and you’re probably not going to see it on eBay. Tracking down and buying the nearly 50-year-old vinyl is truly the only way to hear it. For me, playing an album like this the first time is a real delight, especially when the music turns out to be as good as this is. An even bigger thrill, though, is putting together a podcast episode about it and sharing it with others. I might not have the biggest listenership in the world, and I don’t have any illusions about making money from this, but I truly enjoy getting to present these artists to those of you who are listening.

As I mentioned in the episode, here’s the link to the video of Chieko Baisho’s “Reminiscence,” followed by Takao Hirata and Sellstars’ hits, “The Devil is Hard,” and “The Bee Musashi Is Dead”:

Chieko Baisho, “Reminiscence”

Takao Hirata and Sellstars, “The Devil is Hard”

Takao Hirata and Sellstars, “The Bee Musashi Is Dead”

As always, thanks for listening. Next month, I’ll be featuring the 1986 compilation, “Winter Lounge.” There were some fantastic Christmas compilations put out in Japan in the 80’s, and this is one of the best. It features a diverse array of artists and includes one of my favorite Japanese Christmas songs. You don’t want to miss it. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions or recommendations, feel free to send them my way. Also, be sure to check out some of the other Christmas podcasts mentioned in this month’s episodes. They’re a great way to keep Christmas going year-round.

Any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. 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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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 7 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I cover the 2014 compilation, “Flying Dog Christmas,” from Flying Dog records. I figured this would be a good choice for August, expecting to be in the dog days of summer, but ended up recording it during a stretch of fall-like weather.

I didn’t realize it at the time I chose it that all the songs were taken from Anime. I’ve never really gotten into Anime so I’m not familiar with any of the shows or characters. Forgive me if I messed up some of the pronunciations.

I also have to apologize for how I sound, at least in the first part of the episode. I was coming out of a horrible stretch of insomnia when I recorded it and I didn’t realize how much I sounded like a zombie until I was editing it.

As we enter the Ber Months, I’ll be covering some absolutely exceptional albums. I’ve been learning the ropes over the last few months and feel a lot more comfortable with this than I did back in April. I’ve also added some really remarkable albums to my collection and I’m eager to start sharing them with you. As much as I enjoy the music I’ve already discussed, I’m extremely excited about the albums I have in store. A couple of them are albums I’ve mentioned already, or that are somewhat familiar to real diehard Christmas music collectors, others are albums that are obscure even in Japan. I’ll be discussing everything from Jazz and Funk, to early 70s Now Sound Pop and one of my favorite 80s compilations. A bit further down the road, I’ll be covering a couple of early 70s boy bands and one of the top Japanese female vocalists of the 20th century.

As always, thanks for listening. Next month, I’ll be featuring the album, “Christmas Tenor Mood” by the Nakamura Hachidai Quintet and Hidehiko Matsumoto. This is one of the best Japanese albums I own. It’s an exceptional Christmas Jazz album, and something you don’t want to miss. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions or recommendations, feel free to send them my way.

Any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If you’d like to recommend an 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. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing 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!