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]

## Lyrics

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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]

## Cover versions

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

## See also

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

## References

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1. ^ "Ms. Sayuri Kume as Goodwill Ambassador of JBS". JBS News International. Volume 3. October 2007.
2. ^ Lisa Vogt. Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan/ Otsuki: Look around and you’ll find Momotaro everywhere. The Asahi Shimbun. 5 July 2022.
3. ^ Ihojin. Sony Music Japan.
4. ^ a b Tak Matsumoto featuring Zard: 異邦人. Oricon entertainment site. Oricon.
5. ^ CBS/Sony catalogue number 06SH636
6. ^ (1984) 3 実践国語教育大系 277
7. ^ "Japan" in "Hits of the World". Billboard. 22 December 1979. p 71.
8. ^ Cash Box. 2 February 1980. p 37.
9. ^ (1995) 73 文藝春秋 (Bungei Shunjū) 400
10. ^ 思う「1980～82年のヒット曲」ランキングTOP21 ! 第1位は「異邦人」". ITmedia.
11. ^ 1979 television commercial for the Sanyo colour television model calledくっきりタテ7.
12. ^ 日本レコード協会 ダウンロード認定. RIAJ. See table "2019年 ミリオン以上 認定作品一覧" which is found under "2019年5月" .
13. ^ Vermillion Records catalogue number BMCV-5004
14. ^ ３秒聴けば誰でもわかる名曲ベスト１００". TV Tokyo. 8 January 2024. ３秒聴けば誰でもわかる名曲ベスト１００. TV Tokyo. 10 January and 18 July 2022. See the television programme.
15. ^ 今年海外でもっとも再生された日本の楽曲は？Spotifyが2022年振り返るランキング発表. Natalie. 7 December 2022.
16. ^ 久保田早紀のヒット曲『異邦人』のルーツを中央線沿線に発見した. Agora. 27 September 2016.
17. ^ 久保田早紀「異邦人」異国の歌ではなかった？名曲の切ない歌詞の意味を考察！. UtaTen.
18. ^ １４０万枚売れた大ヒット曲 舞台はシルクロードではなく東京の原っぱだった. Sponichi Annex. 5 February 2019.
19. ^ 異邦人 今は教会がステージ (2003) 朝日新聞縮刷版 (Asahi Shimbun shukusatsuban). 8 December 2003.
20. ^ Included in Zero Album: Utahime 2 (2002)
21. ^ Included in Romantic Energy (2005)
22. ^ Included in Tomonoura Bojō (2014)
23. ^ May J.新作アルバムで山下達郎、ユーミン、石川さゆり、玉置浩二ら12曲カバー. Natalie. 9 September 2022.