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Karaoke Challenge: Happiness by Arashi

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"Happiness" by Arashi is in many ways a simple song about simple happiness, as this line expresses: 今は名もないつぼみだけど、一つだけのHappiness ( ima ha na mo nai tsubomi da kedo, hitotsu dake no Happiness , "Now it's just a bud without a name, but it's one happiness") It encourages positive thinking throughout: 上手く行くことを想像すれば ( umakuiku koto wo sōzō sureba , "If you just imagine things going well")　いつの日か　変わる時がくる ( itsu no hi ka kawaru toki ga kuru , "someday they will change") If you change your perspective, things will eventually be okay :-) To be honest, I don't usually like this kind of simple, happy song. Life, for me anyway, isn't really like this. 踊り子  ( Odoriko , Dancer) by Vaundy and other songs with lyrics you can really sink your teeth into are more my style. But there is something about this song "Happiness" that makes you feel good in a certain way; you feel like you can just ignore all the problems around you and sing about...
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Karaoke Challenge: 踊り子 (Odoriko, Dancer) by Vaundy

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I love this song. I play it over and over and get lost in the sound and the lyrics, like I’m spinning around in my head with the chorus hook: 回り出した ( mawaridashita , spun around), あの子と僕の未来が止まり ( ano ko to boku no mirai ga tomari , my future with that girl stopped) どっかで またやり直せたら ( dokka de mata yarinaosetara , if only we could give it a go again somewhere…).  These lines are followed by repetition of 回り出した( mawaridashita , spun around), あの子 ( ano ko , that girl), and どっかで ( dokka de , somewhere), paired with 被害者 ( higaisha , victims), which mimics the sound of 未来 ( mirai , future) in this intriguing section: あの子と僕が被害者面でどっかをまた練り歩けたらな ( ano ko to boku ga higaisha zura de dokka wo mata neri aruketarana , if only that girl and I, acting like victims, could wander around somewhere again).  Here’s the beautiful music video with 小松菜奈 ( Komatsu Nana , Nana Komatsu).  The lyrics create the fragments of a story—temporary love that has left a permanent imprint, a longing for somethin...
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Body Language & Tsukkomi (Straight Man) in Rikuryu Interviews

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After I posted my last blog on uchi-soto dynamics in interviews with Rikuryu (Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara), a reader suggested I explore their body language, specifically which aspects can be traced to Japanese culture. Some gestures signal closeness while also reflecting patterns from Japanese comedy and everyday interaction. A classic humorous gesture is 腕を叩く ( ude o tataku , tap an arm). Miura often gently slaps or taps Kihara’s arm to correct or lightly criticize him. See this video for an example: This interview took place after the exhibition performance where Kihara zipped up Miura’s dress. Kihara says: 今日は僕がお兄ちゃんでした ( Kyō wa boku ga oniichan deshita , Today I was the big brother), in contrast to the day before, when Miura called herself お姉ちゃん ( oneechan , big sister). In response, Miura gently slaps Kihara on the arm and says なんやねん ( nanyanen , What’s this nonsense?), a Kansai dialect phrase often used in comedy. Miura here plays the ツッコミ ( tsukkomi , straight man [person]) ...
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Uchi-Soto (in-group / out-group) Dynamics in Rikuryu Interviews (Pair Figure Skaters Riku Miura & Ryuichi Kihara)

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The final version of this piece, with additional grammatical explanation and updated information, is published here:  No one else will do: What a pair of figure skaters can teach us about familiarity in Japanese   The Japan Times Photo by: FloweringDagwood, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara perform during the gala at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships.
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