Karaoke Challenge: 異邦人 (Ihojin, foreigner) by Saki Kubota (now Sayuri Kume)

My third karaoke challenge is 異邦人 (ihjin, foreigner) by Saki Kubota (now Sayuri Kume). I do karaoke challenges ever so often to practice Japanese pronunciation and explore the lyrics of songs that catch my attention. My first two were 踊り子 by Vaundy and Happiness by Arashi.

The title of this song, 異邦人 (ihjin, foreigner), might bring to mind the experience of a traveler or immigrant to a foreign country; in fact, I first learned about it from a Japanese woman living abroad who said the song helped her get through challenging times there. And while the use of the hammered dulcimer at the beginning of the song is indeed "exotic" in contrast to Kubota's soulful voice, which sounds like it could belt out an 演歌 (enka, traditional Japanese ballad), the lyrics evoke feelings of loneliness and longing that can be experienced in any situation, not just while traveling or living in a foreign country. 

The title itself (異邦人) isn't entirely captured by the English translation "foreigner." Another option is "stranger." 異邦人, after all, is often the Japanese translation of the title of Albert Camus' L'Étranger. It refers to an outsider, or someone in a "strange" place, and not only an immigrant or traveler (in contrast to the word 外国人).

In fact, singer/songwriter Kubota is said to have written the lyrics while observing children playing around Kunitachi Station in Tokyo. In a certain sense, then, she might have been describing the feeling of being an "outsider," or "passerby," in her own country.

The original title of the song was 白い朝 (shiroi asa, white morning), and it was Kubota's producer, Masatoshi Sakai, who gave it the title 異邦人 and added the subtitle -シルクロードのテーマ- (Silk Road Theme). He and other producers also arranged for it to be used in a Silk Road-themed advertisement for Sanyo TV. The dulcimer was also brought in to match the Silk Road theme. 

The advertisement, apparently shot in Afghanistan, can be seen here:

The phrase 白い朝 appears in these evocative lyrics in the second half of the song:

私を置きざりに (Leaving me behind) 過ぎてゆく白い朝  (the passing white morning)

Some of the most striking descriptions of loneliness and disconnection appear in the following lyrics:

あなたにこの指が届くと信じていた (I believed this finger would reach you / believed I could touch you)

And later, again singing to this あなた (anata, you) she says:

あなたにとって (To you) 私ただの通りすがり (I'm just a passerby / I'm just passing by)

That the あなた (you) in the song is unidentified makes the song all the more potent. It's as though the voice in the song hasn't been seen or understood by a person (perhaps a lover) or the people around her. That Kubota and the song were later embraced by the public when it soared to the top of the Oricon singles chart in 1979/1980 makes this description all the more interesting. I wonder: how much do "success" and "appreciation" equate to being understood and seen?

Here I am trying to sing it! I know my pronunciation is far from perfect and my voice nowhere near as beautiful as Kubota's. Please don't hesitate to leave me pronunciation tips in the comments.