Ihojin

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Ihojin (Japanese: 異邦人) (English: "Stranger"^[1] or "Foreigner")^[2] is a song^[3] written and composed by Saki Kubota,^[4] and first performed by her. The song was first released as a single in 1979.^[5] That recording sold more than 1.4 million copies^[6] and reached number 1 in the Japanese singles chart.^[7][8] The song was used in the "Silk Road" television commercial for Sanyo.^[9][10][11]

The version released on 12/7/2006 was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in May 2019.^[12]

A cover version^[13] of the song by Tak Matsumoto, featuring Zard, reached number 3 in the Oricon Singles Chart in 2003.^[4] A number of other cover versions have been released.

TV Tokyo included the song in a collection of one hundred songs that are so well known that anyone could recognise them in three seconds.^[14] In 2022, it was among the most popular 1970s Japanese songs on Spotify.^[15]

The lyrics of the song refer to children playing in an open space adjacent to the railway tracks, as seen by a passenger from the window of a railway train travelling on the Chuo Line.^{[16][17][18][19]}

There are cover versions by Akina Nakamori,^[20] the 12 Girls Band,^[21] Misaki Iwasa^[22] and May J.^[23]

• List of Oricon number-one singles of 1979
• List of Oricon number-one singles of 1980