Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki

[marble falls]

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[oasis]

1. I remember!

[Liberal In Texas]

2. And remember Kyu Sakamoto died in the crash of JAL 123 a Boeing 747.

It must have been awful for the passengers as the plane staggered around nearly out of control.

Japan Air Lines Flight 123 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan. On the evening of Monday, August 12, 1985, the Boeing 747 flying the route suffered a severe structural failure and explosive decompression 12 minutes after takeoff. After flying under minimal control for 32 minutes, the plane crashed in the area of Mount Takamagahara, 100 kilometres (62 mi; 54 nmi) from Tokyo.

The aircraft, featuring a high-density seating configuration, was carrying 524 people. The crash killed all 15 crew members and 505 of the 509 passengers on board, leaving only four survivors. An estimated 20 to 50 passengers survived the initial crash, but died from their injuries while awaiting rescue. The crash is the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history[1] and remains the deadliest aviation incident in Japan - Wiki

What a shame to lose this talented performer.

[marble falls]

3. I remember the crash, but did not know he was on it. Reagan years had a lot going on.

[Liberal In Texas]

4. I should have included more info

On 12 August 1985, Sakamoto was aboard Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (departing from Tokyo), heading to Osaka for an event. The plane suffered a severe structural failure and decompression before crashing into two ridges of Mount Takamagahara in Ueno, Gunma, a disaster that remains the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history with 520 people killed, including Sakamoto. He was interred at Chōkoku-ji Temple in the central Minato-ku area in Tokyo. -Wiki

[Liberal In Texas]

5. Your post brings back memories.

In high school I had a best friend who was a second gen Japanese/American and we sometimes would play chess at his house after school while listening to music. One of the tunes that came up frequently was Sukiyaki.
Ahh, a simpler time.

Also, this brought me to running across the story on the internet and an article from last year about his widow:

Kyu Sakamoto’s Widow Yukiko Kashiwagi Talks About 40 Years Since JAL Plane Crash
Actress Yukiko Kashiwagi, who lost her husband, well-known singer Kyu Sakamoto, in a Japan Airlines passenger plane crash on Aug. 12, 1985, told The Yomiuri Shimbun that she has been focusing on enjoying every moment like there’s no tomorrow ever since the accident.
Kashiwagi, 77, said she suffered a great sense of loss.
“My mind became empty. I could not do a thing,” she said. Kashiwagi and Sakamoto had married in December 1971 and were blessed with two daughters. But their happy days together were cut short by Sakamoto’s death. He was 43.

As 40 years have passed since the accident, Kashiwagi said she feels the passage of time as the number of people who do not know about the accident has increased. https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20250812-274987/

(The photo was taken in July of last year. She was 77. I'm not yet 77 and she looks a whole lot better than I do. To me she looks like maybe early 50s.)

[marble falls]

6. They both seem to radiate happiness.

[nuxvomica]

7. Thanks for posting the translated version

It's more poetic than the complete rewrite for the English lyrics.

[marble falls]

8. It's a beautiful song, a straight translation just gave it no justice.

[betsuni]

9. A beautiful song, this version from during the pandemic that I liked: