The problem is Devil runs the world. He is lier and murderer. That's why we've got the Gospel about the God's kingdom. Jehovah would put everything in order. The dead will be resurected and we'll meet our beloved ones again! :-)
I'm commenting on my wife's account. I saw Kyu Sakamoto in person at the Tachikawa Air Base in Japan in 1963 or 1964. All of us Airmen who saw his "promotional tour" were in agreement that the song would be a mega hit even though few would understand the lyrics. Whenever I hear the song I feel privileged that I got to hear it before most of the world did.
The strength of this singer to have grown up in occupied Japan & remained so optimistic. Such a credit to humanity. So sorry… I can hear my father whistling … RIP POP.
July 20,1963 my first eclipse in Chicago, on the WLS radio top 40 , the # 1 song was playing … Today I’m watching another eclipse and playing the same song … RIP my friend.❤
A few months ago, I went back home to Washington from Missouri so I could take care of my Dad, who was fighting brain cancer. One night, this song was played on the station we were on. My Dad, who was already very sick at this moment, suddenly sang along with perfect lyrics-I kid you not. He did not even know Japanese, so my Mom and I were so puzzled and touched at the same time. I cry every time I hear this song because I remember him.
My late sister in law loved this song, my now late brother, who was thought of as a bit of a tough guy and a diamond in the rough, learned all the Japanese words so he could sing her to sleep when she wasn't well. Miss them both so much
As an American sailor I had a wonderful experience while in Japan. i had been drinking and got lost while trying to find my way back to the landing for the boat to the ship which was anchored in the harbor of a small traditional Japanese town. At about 2AM I was walking down a road under a full moon through a beautiful landscape right out of a woodblock painting. It was summer and I could have walked all night :) A very old Japanese man putted up on his motorbike on this empty road and stopped and spoke to me in Japanese. I don't speak Japanese and so he motioned to get on the bike behind him and we putted off at about 10 mph. Eventually we came to a kiosk where he made a phone call. While we waited, I offered him a cigarette and he happily accepted. We stood there smoking and smiling and a police car pulled up. The two police officers, who spoke English, introduced themselves and explained that the old man had called and said that he thought I might need some help. They politely asked me to come with them and I gave the old man some cigarettes while thanking him. His smile is still with me today. At the police station the officers and I took our shoes off, relaxed and they made tea for us, I shared my cigarettes with them, and we talked and laughed for a couple of hours. I was treated very nicely and really enjoyed speaking with them. When I got tired, they showed me a couch where I slept until the shore patrol from my ship arrived the next morning to take me back. I will always remember how kindly I was treated and how nice that old man and the two police officers were
This was in 1975 and the cigarettes are part of the story....the way it was. Why does everything have to offend someone today ? Life is life and not everything always defers to your taste
my mom and i used to sing this when i was little, we didn’t know japanese but we learned how to correctly pronounce the beautiful lyrics to this song, she passed away from cancer when i was 13 and i’m now 16, i love you forever mama i miss you everyday 🤍
Im sure you've had some hard times and even times where you smile as you cry. But focus it all into whatever you're passionate about or what she would push you towards. It may not make you feel 100% better at first. But I guarantee you it will make you feel closer to her. You got this man!❣
This song is like a beautiful time capsule for so many people my age ( I’m now 70) it’s as if I’m transported back to the 60s. This song has such an effect on me, one that’s hard to describe. I feel this way with many songs from the 1960s but none of them have the effect of this song. It’s beautiful but in a way almost painfully beautiful. Thank you! And what a tragedy that he lost his life at age 43 in 1985 in what must have been the worst air crash in history!
It's taken 60 years for me to find out what the Japanese lyrics really meant. All this time I thought it was such a happy song only to realize how profoundly heartbreaking it is. So glad I discovered this.
O objetivo máximo da música é expressar sentimentos humanos, quer seja de alegria, tristeza ou saudades! Mas quem ouve é quem tem a melhor interpretação! Felicidades para vc!
Same for me. I am about your age and now, for the first time, I learn about the stories and people behind this song. It touched the lives of so many people and I remember a Taste of Honey too. It's so nice to see how Sukiyaki brought a little girl not only out of poverty but also fame. I couldn't help tearing up when she recounted how she cried when she met Kyu Sakamoto in person.
I'm a 20-y-o Japanese woman. I don't know a song that's more painful and full of hope than this one. This was my grandfather's favorite song that passed away last month. When I was a child, I often sat on my grandfather's lap and asked my grandfather to sing this song. It's a very sad and tender memory.
That is so lovely. I love this song also. I think the early 60s was a time of real hope for young people after the terrible times their parents had to go through in World War Two. Kyu Sakamoto god bless you
I am so honored to have read your story. It's only today that I even knew this song existed--other than the version I heard in the early 80s by A Taste Of Honey. Thank you for sharing your lovely memory...I cried as I read your words.
My grandpa tried for so long to learn this song on the piano, but I guess he never got to it, and his several illnesses prevented him from doing so, so I want to surprise him by playing this song for him on the piano. Wish me luck :)
I've always loved this song and used to make me cry without even knowing the meaning up until today that I saw the translation, now I know there's a reason why It made me cry...
I've known this song most of life, but never knew the meaning until today. I always thought it was a happy song because of its chirpy, lilting melody. Now I know, and it is gut-wrenchingly relatable.
i am now 70, i remember this song when I was a little kid,,,,,,,,,,,,,my mom had a jewelry box and when you opened it this tune started playing,,,,,,,,,,I am tearing up as I write this...
I adored this song when I was 14... I'm 70, I still adore it. It made me emotional even as a 14 year old when I didn't know what the words meant. It makes me emotional now... a very emotive song in any language. A talented man with a beautiful smile. Such a sad death.
EXACTLY the same for me. I felt so emotionally moved by the music and the singers voice. If I'd known what the lyrics were I think I'd have cried. Beautiful song.
@@m4cbookshawtyofficial871 I am also 14. The correct way to say that is "Your comment makes me smile" although everyone can understand what you meant by what you wrote, it is very good. :)
I'm 71 and I used to make up words for this song. It was always a sad song to me but I never knew why. Discovering the translation was a revelation. Like when I first heard Edith Piaf sing MiLord. Another great foreign song that spoke to me.
My mom married an American service man in Japan. When my father brought her to the States she was so homesick. As A kid I remember my mom singing this song. So now seeing what the song says makes me sad…especially after losing my mom on 4/28/23. She was 95. I MISS YOU MOM!❤
@@VIRGONOMICS My heart is with you & your mom. Tell her all the things that you need to tell your mom while she’s here. I did & I left nothing unsaid. My mom is whole again.
My father received a gold record for “discovering” this record. He was a disc jockey in a small Washington state radio station in the early 1960’s. Something about this record haunted him, and he kept playing it every chance he got. Long haul truckers passed through that town and heard it, and kept requesting it and passing the word. Dad got a free trip to be presented with the record and met Kyu, but sadly they could not speak each other’s language so they smiled a nodded a lot. He was so sad to hear of Kyu’s death in that horrible crash, and a Japanese documentary crew came and interviewed him a few years later. Dad is still alive and enjoys knowing people in the US still enjoy that beautiful song in a small part due to his good ear, lol!
Thank you for sharing this story. Now that the song is uploaded on youtube, people from many countries and of many ages are listening to this song and enjoying it very much. Please forward our collective "thank you" to your father, we're all very happy he played his part. Sincerely, a Bulgarian friend. :)
Even in little Belgium ( Europe) we enjoyed this song and it reached the hitparade. The always smiling Kyu with his talented whistle. This song remains eternally attractive for those who are touched by the melodie. Greetings from Flanders to your Dad and all reading and hearing Kyu Sakamoto's Sukiyaki.
Thank you so much for sharing that story and please tell your father thank you from Colorado. Your comment seriously choked me up...tried to read it to my roommate but couldn't get the last part out without my voice quivering. This always brings back memories of my uncle who had a string of juke boxes on the western slope and gave me the 45's he switched out. I went through at least 3 of this one...mom and dad always had it on the spindle for their cocktail parties. I heard this on the radio today and as always, it made me smile.
I was a toddler when this came out in Spring 1963. I remember hearing Sukiyaki on a jukebox in Anchorage, Alaska where we lived, the first song I ever remember. By the 1980s I was in college when I heard about the Japanese plane crash that killed 519 people, including Kyu Sakamoto. A decade later, working as a radio broadcaster at an Easy Listening station, I heard Sukiyaki again, the first time in decades. During my shifts on the air, I would occasionally play it and tell my own personal story related to it. Things have a way of coming full circle.
@williamchen5915 It actually topped the Billboard charts, hitting #1 for one week in the Spring of 1963. And yes, less than 20 years after World War II ended against Japan.
I am 63 years old now... years ago I was a service brat of a black family. I lived in Japan where my father was stationed in the military. When this song came out it was enchanting to me. Whenever I hear it now, I am 7 years old again with fond memories of childhood in Japan and the feeling of enchantment comes over me like seeing an old friend.
I am 65 years old and remember this song as well. I always wondered what he was singing, as it was a favorite of my cousin's. She bought the record and played it over and over again. By the way, that's an interesting name you have.........
Kyu Sakamoto unfortunately died in '85 in the worst single plane accident in history (JAL Flight 123 with 520 dead and only 4 survivors). He was 43 at the time. The aircraft had lost hydraulics and the pilots managed to keep it afloat for about 30 minutes, after which it collided against the side of a mountain northwest of Tokyo. Kyu had written out a farewell letter to his family on a cocktail napkin before the end came. The napkin was later recovered from the wreckage and given to his wife. She still lives to this day all these years later carrying that memory inside
In 1966, when I was a high school senior, my friends used to play this song on the cafeteria jukebox when I walked in. This is special nostalgia for me, as those friends are probably all in eternity. But they live on in my memory whenever this song is played.
I was 8 when this song came out in the US. It was my 1st exposure to a foreign language. I had no idea what he was saying, but I knew it was sad, & I instantly loved it. Now I'm 70, & enjoy it even more, now that I found the translation. I'm so sorry that the singer met an horrific end in that JAL crash in 1985. RIP, Kyu.
I was about 18, just loved the song, it was number one on the charts. We knew it was a love song, didn’t know what it meant in English, but it didn’t matter, the whole world loved it
I actually spent two hours today looking for this song without knowing the title or the artist. I ended up humming it into Google to find it. My grandmother used to play this when I was a little girl as well... It haunted me. It is now 2024
When I heard this today on the Tokyo Olympics closing it is bitter sweet for me. I am 70 now. It brings back all the precious memories of my late Mom. We would listen to it together on the radio and she’ll sing along with her lovely voice . It’s bitter sweet because today is the 35th anniversary of her passing. Listening to this song brings back all my memories of my dear mom as though I am re-living my life with her singing close to me. Thank you for the memories.
My father was sent to Vietnam after being drafted into the war in the 1960s. While there, he sent my mother a black-lacquered, wind-up music-box that played this song. I loved listening to this song as a child and would repeatedly wind the music-box up to listen to it over and over again. Later on in life, the song always stuck with me, so I searched and found the original version. A few years ago, I came across the song again on this video and read the lyrics for the first time. The 1961 song's title means, "I Look Up as I Walk", but it's more often known as "Sukiyaki" in the west. The singer, Kyu Sakamoto, later tragically became yet another musician to die in an aviation accident, perishing along with 519 others in the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history. Of course, my childhood self didn't know any of this when I was repeatedly listening to the song on that little wind-up music-box. A truly beautiful, heartbreaking, yet hopeful song, "Ue o Muite Arukō", sung by Kyu Sakamoto, is still one of my all-time favorites. It still pops up in my head often, after all these years, and is even more meaningful now that I know what the original Japanese lyrics mean. A true masterpiece in my humble opinion, no other song can both bring a tear to my eye, while also giving me the courage to brave forward, tough it out, all while looking up as I walk. R.I.P. Kyu Sakamoto
Thank you for your comment. I am 69 y.o. and have been memorizing this song for 2 weeks now so I can sing it to my wife on our 37th anniversary in September.
Happy birthday Sakamoto Kyu. This played regularly on the Chinese radio station my mother in law listened to. She died over a year ago, radio long gone, and I missed hearing this beautiful song. Found it here this morning and have played it many times today, not realising today is his birthday.
I FINALLY FOUND THIS SONG! It took me 21 years. I was in first grade in 1999, ready to go to school. My grandma's friend, who we would call "Grandpa Andy" would take all of us neighborhood kids in a carpool to go to school and every other week he would play this song and hum to it. Everytime this happens, we would bob our heads from side to side in the back of the van and it was such a wholesome moment. He's probably no longer with us, and we're now full fledged adults who are working and/or finishing our education. But I JUST found this song yesterday and I felt a whole bunch of emotions. I also know a tiny bit of Japanese, so it was easy to start singing along. Thank you, Grandpa Andy - for taking us to school.
I was a young italian merchant marine officer. The vessel called japanese ports. I fell in love forever with Japan. I am 85 years old still in love. Arigato.
I'm so old, I remember when this was a big hit on the radio in the U.S. I didn't understand the words back then, but it was just beautiful sounding song.
I am 83 and I feel sick most of the time. I really feel sick mentally and physically. I wake up every morning and wonder why but I believe in Jesus Christ so I know He has a reason. I looked at my email and my son sent me this link, he knows how much I love this song and how I would try to sing along with it. I read what you all wrote and I got my mind off myself. I made up my own words to this beautiful song and they do not make any sense but I have always sang it the same way. God bless you all.
@@rubycantrell4627 English lyrics, if you want to sing along 😊: I look up as I walk So that the tears won’t fall Remembering those spring days And tonight, I am all alone I look up as I walk Counting the stars with tearful eyes Remembering those summer days And tonight, I am all alone Happiness lies beyond the clouds Happiness lies above the sky I look up as I walk So that the tears won’t fall But the tears well up as I walk For tonight, I am all alone
I was 12 in 1963 when this hit big & didn't like it then when came on the radio but now I love it & brings tears to my eyes thinking of my Mom& Dad & what a nice life I had back then.
my mom loved this song, she told me how beautiful it was. 2 days ago she died. i couldnt listen to this song, i did but in return i started crying like a baby. 52 years young, gone too early. ill miss you mom
I was a boy in the South Bronx when I first heard this song in the early sixties on 77 WABC am radio . I never understood a single word. But, it never mattered. It is truly a lovely song. Now I am in my early 60's and every time I hear it, I get emotional. I reminisce about my childhood . I almost come to to the point of tears.. God bless you all..
Hi Edward, me too! I was around 9 years old when I heard this beautiful heartfelt song! I actually felt and could relate to the emotions that the writers deliberately coerced out of us. And just as you said,, tears well up in my eyes because of the memories that this song helped "capture",, because of it's effect emotionally at the time we first heard it! Cheers brother!!!!
Hello Edward. I am currently 14 years old and I adore this song. I am learning Japanese and found it last week. Thank you for sharing your story about the song.
It still hits me the same way! After it made its rounds in the US as a big hit, I was stationed in Okinawa from the fall of 1969 till the spring of 1971. In all the gift shops, almost every music box you opened up played this song. Of course, it's lyrics have nothing to do with Sukiyaki! That just happened to be a Japanese word Americans were familiar with, and the recording company used that. It is truly a beautiful song, and one of my favorites ever, even still, in 2016, and I am 71 years old. I don't speak Japanese, but I love the sound of the language, and do know a few words.
I just want to add (while I'm typing through tears) that as a young boy in the 60's traveling cross country with my family, every time we stopped to eat where they had those juke boxes at every booth, I asked my dad to play this song...and I was only 10 years old. This song makes me cry today remembering my dad.
I remember, this song from my childhood. Everybody in Atlantic City trying to sing it though no one understood a word of it, nor did anyone speak Japanese. It was June, my younger brother was about a month old, I was five.
I was stationed at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, when I heard my father died. 😪 I was encouraged to hear that, a father wants their child to become better than they were. By honoring your father's memory, you strive to become better and teach your kids that lesson, while you're still alive. (I'm still sad though) I'm sorry for your loss. But do honor your father's legacy by you being that ripple in the pond. Make that difference and pass it on. GOD bless.
This song came out before i was even born but at 10 years old in 1976 i heard it on a 45 rpm that my mom had bought. I loved to sing and learned the lyrics in only a couple days. I sang this song all the time and still do thanks to my Mom who would always ask me to sing it to her,my baby brother and stepdad anytime wr would go for a drive or road trip. My family's praise and compliments made me feel good about myself and gave me a healthy self esteem. When I think of my Mom, I think of this song and how good it made me feel. My mom passed away in 2019 and when I want to feel close to her,I sing this song. Thank you Kyu for such beautiful memories.
The song is immortal because 1) it is sung perfectly, and 2) it is a haunting melody about bravely walking through the deep sadness of love lost & gone. It is at once upbeat and yet very sad.
I'm 74 and I sing this song to myself when I feel sad. It is a beautiful classic with a bittersweetness that raises my spirits. When it was popular, I was a surfer girl at Huntington Beach, CA waiting to start university in September. It was bittersweet because even then we were saying goodbye to so many of our friends heading to Viet Nam. It is an immortal song for sure.
@@urbanmusicgal9075 thank you for that. We are the same age, 74. This song and the 1967-68 hit, "WHO WILL ANSWER"? are the two songs that most stay with me. I have it twice uploaded on my main Len Hummel channel. I was deeply grieved & outraged over Vietnam and ALL our wars after WW2. 😥😢🤕😷🤕😥
Also the singer tragically died in a plane crash in 1985, gone far too early. Not just any crash but the single biggest plane crash involving one aircraft (JAL 123). Makes the tune all the more haunting to me…
@fiona swann Did you see the UA-cam by Alec Joshua Ibay on the crash? Two JAL workers committed suicide because of the crash, and did you know the USA military offered to go to the crash site asp and were told to stand down and it took the japanese i think 9 hours to get there and many suffered and died because of the delay :(
I loved this song since I was a little girl. I remember being so sad when I heard that Kyu died from lung cancer many years ago, however....one night while watching MayDay, there he was, gettin on the flight, but it crashed into a mountain, and the Americans were not allowed to help with the rescue operation, and many people died from laying there injured for too long. Kyu's beautiful wife did the narration for that episode. I was very sorry that he died with all those innocent people, and that he was so young. Just thought I'd share that with you.
I heard this from watching From Up On Poppy Hill years ago, even though it wasnt that long in the movie. It was always so catchy, and since then I've listened to it all the time. It's sad, but also very comforting. When I have hard times, I'll listen to this and itll help me feel a whole better. I recommended it to a certain friend of mine named Juik because he had to move back to Korea for military service, and I told him what this song meant and now its his go to song when he's having a tough time too. He's now happily engaged and I hope he's doing well (:
Omg!!! I knew I've heard this song before! I also heard this song from that movie. I came here after knowing about the JAL tragic crash. Sad to know about the singer this way
Same for me. Heard the song from From Up On Poppy Hill and they animated him singing on the TV in the movie. It was great. The song caught my attention and I looked it up on UA-cam. Great song. Fun and sad tone at the same time which is kind of strange. Also learned about the tragic incident that happened to the singer as well. May him rest in peace.
Dad passed away tonite (he was 91) He loved this song and would whistle it so perfectly. Dads whistle was strong, steady and pitch perfect. This is what is on my mind tonite. Dad working around the house or yard whistling this beautiful tune. 🎶💕
I hope you have many good memories of your dad, I lost my younger brother in June last year / I got a picture of him laughing and smelling - biggest smile and I enlarged it and keep it in the lounge - I haven’t hung it ❤️🩹but when I look at his face smiling and making a kissy face I smile it hurts but I smile back every time - this helps me ?? I don’t know why but it does- I hope you are not so very sad anymore
I first heard this song in 1962 when I was 7 on my mother's His Master's Voice (HMV) portable radio. It had a popup antenna that you could rotate to get the best signal. The song made me very sad and my mother cried. Many years later, we met a Japanese man in Carnarvon and he explained what the song was saying ad both my mum and I cried again! Today, I am 67 1/2 yrs old and when I heard this again, I cried again because I lost a wonderful Japanese girlfriend in 2007. I will always remember you Noriko, when I hear this song.
I happened upon this song a few minutes ago while reading an article about one-hit wonders. As soon as I saw the name "Sukiyaki", I knew what it was. So, I immediately went to YT. To hear this song again made my spirit so happy. How can a song about heartbreak, sung in a foreign language, have the ability to make you feel so good inside? I wish he knew the effect this song would have on people years down the road.💖💖
My late Dad could speak briliant Japanese He used to sing to his daily and took time to explain the deeper meaning of numerous verses. "Happiness lies above.."
九ちゃんが世界中の人に愛されたと知ってとても嬉しく思うと同時に、彼と彼が歌った歌を誇りに思います。 He is loved by a lot of people in the world and I'm so happy to know that and so proud of him and his songs.
Before my Mother met my Father she had met and fallen in love with a soldier during WWII and he was killed in the war. Both my Mom and Dad were very patriotic WWII vets, and my Mom had even enlisted in the US Army (as a WAC) during that time. While I was growing up I always heard racial slurs from them against the Japanese (and German) people seeming to blame them for all the atrocities that occurred. When I heard this song in the early sixties on the radio as a ten-year-old boy, I loved it, and I also noticed it had a calming effect on both of my parents. I recall that my Dad was even stationed with the military in Okinawa at one point for one of his assignments, but that Mom would not go with him so that the rest of our family stayed in the states. When I visited Hawaii with both Mom and Dad in the 1980's and went to the Arizona Memorial with them, I knew that the ill feelings they both still harbored toward the Japanese had resurfaced. Years and decades passed and my Dad died, and Mom grew old without him. When we were not able to take care of Mom at home any longer, she went to a Nursing facility and had a roommate in the bed next to hers: an elderly Japanese woman named Yaeko. This woman was not able to speak at all nor move without being assisted due to her medical condition, and Alzheimer's was having a similar effect on my Mom so that they were virtually unable to communicate with each other. Oh, but they most certainly did commnicate. One day after Mom had been at the facility for nearly two years, my brother and I came into her room to find both her and Yaeko looking at each other and both starring up at the ceiling in the corner of the room and smiling. Nurses Assistants said they couldn't believe Yaeko was actually speaking in her Japanese language, since she had not spoken in years. The Assistants told me my Mom had also been talking for hours and was steadily looking up toward the same corner of the room where Yaeko was now pointing at. My brother (who videotaped part of this scene) asked Mom if she was looking at "Angels," and she just looked at Yaeko and back up in the corner again; and both of them kept smiling. We could only guess what the two of them were looking at that day, or how they were somehow able to communicate with each other, and both of them seeing the same thing. The next morning when I came to visit I found out sadly that Yaeko had died during the night, and within one month, my beautiful Mom had also passed away. It is strange how Karma, Destiny or whatever you want to call it, seems to point toward Eternity. That was nearly five years ago, and now whenever I hear this song, I always think of my Mother, and of Yaeko, RIP.
I loved this story, thanks for telling us about it. I also have loved this song since I was a kid in the 70s. But I never knew a thing about it. It was just one of those "oddball" songs that I never really knew anything about as I was growing up. It would just grace the radio for three minutes, and then be gone for weeks or months and I would forget all about it. I wonder how many other wonderful songs like this are hiding in some forgotten corner of UA-cam?
What a beautiful story. I always associate this song with the Tokyo Olympics of 1964, now with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on the horizon, perhaps it will get another lease of life. I loved this song as a small child, and still do.
My husband sings this song since his childhood and is thrilled tonight to have finally found it on UA-cam.! So thankful for the person who uploaded it!!💞🤝🎶
I was born in 1959. I am not Japanese. I vividly remember the tune to this song and it has haunted me. It’s was the most exotic song I had ever heard. I just found it today. It brings back beautiful memories.
My spouse left this world on May 12, 2019. We were married for 24 years. Though I have heard this song many times, I learned the translated lyrics recently on this video. A few days ago, I visited the park lagoon where Barb and I posed for some wedding photos. This time, I was alone. And I played this song; it describes exactly how I feel.
I'm sorry to hear about that, I'm sure she was a wonderful person :') but as Dr. Seuss would say, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
I think that in a previous life, I was a member of the Japanese empire during the Meiji era. Perhaps the lyrics gave a sense of the sorrow of the Japanese people after losing WWII, and no longer having the emperor viewed as a deity.
I have studied Japanese language for a few years. Now I can finally able to sing this song of my childhood and understand the lyrics completely. This might not be a great thing for others but I felt so happy I came this far in my study.
Same here!!😃❤️.. And hey check out i sang this beautiful song in my channel.. i tried my best to sing this beautiful song and i am Indian..❤️ Love and support!! 👇👇👇👇👇👇😃 ua-cam.com/video/C2f-UDqAFaY/v-deo.html
I’m Japanese I’m proud of him and I’m so happy that you guys like Japan! Please come to Japan after the pandemic has subsided Let's beat the pandemic together🔥 Thank you everyone for the warm messages! and more than 1000likes 👍 I hope everyone is happy and well...
Japanese people have all my respect! You can to support and survive the WWII (2nd. World War) with Atomic Bomb enclosed. You can go further like the Phoenix You can resist earthquakes and tsunamis And I'm sure you'll go further during this pandemia. All my respect from Mexico. You're an example for me
I am Japanese. When the singer's death was reported, I was too young to realize how beautiful this song is. To me back then, he was a great singer that made a big hit in old days. After experiencing ups and downs of life, I now love this song. This song touches your heart more when you have gone through a lot.
I first heard this son on a military air base where my father was stationed in California (Travis AFB). I thought it was very lovely although I did not know the translation. It stayed with me through the years and it is obviously something very unique. The American audiences loved it.
You're NOT alone here! I was maybe 10, 11 years old when I first heard this wonderful song. It has an immediate appeal to the soul,, the heart! And the splendid use of major to minor, and back,,,, well,,,, it goes right to the heart!
I grew up with this song as well. Still enjoy it after all these years. Talented artists it seems pass tragically though. Mr. Sakamoto was on Japan Airlines flight 123. It crashed on August 12, 1985. I was in my mid-twenties. Terrible incident in history.
My cousin was in Japan when that happened and I was going nuts wondering his fate as we thought he was flying that day..... he was not on that plane. Remember this song well when I was in Jr high.
Gerry, it is absolutely lovely. I was probably about 10 when it came out and I loved it then, too. BTW, my husband retired from Travis, after we lived on the base for 10 years. We're still up here.
It's very tragic that Kyu Sakamoto died on Japan Airlines Flight 123 on August 12, 1985. 520 people perished that day. RIP, Mr. Sakamoto - your song will live forever.
Kyu Sakamoto sadly died in a plane crash in 1985. For me, it gives a deeper meaning to the song when it says that he is sad but "happiness lies beyond the clouds... happiness lies up above the sky..." with God in Heaven.
@@alexfriedman2047 And complete senseless. Not only was the plane's repair down crude by Boeing;; the Americans had already found the plane, wanted to rescue the survivors, but Japan said: "...naaaa. *WE WANT DO DO IT ALONE! GET OFF!* ", _then_ started the search, which had already been done by the Americans, found them when night sank in, said:"... oh well...suppose there are no survivers... let's go sleep and come back tomorrow!' They came back. And they still found five survivors. And these told how the air was filled with screams and mourning, and how the voices disappeared one by one over night. They succumbed their injuries, and they froze to death. They had written letters to their beloved ones while the plane fell down, but coroners said nearly all had sirvived and could had been rescued, simce the plane sank mostly and not fell like a stone. _WHY?_ It haunts me forever. They all count the same, but of course, the name with a face for me is Mr. Sakamoto, and I see him all alone in the darkness, having pain, freezing and longing for help. I hope his wife and daughters and whole family could find peace though. I send them my dearest greetings, and wish, according to his religion, him a peaceful soft comfort in the afterlife 🙇 May you be blessed.
@@winterweiboh my God, this is just unthinkable. The idea of all those people needing help and their government just writing them off as they suffered and died through the night. I am sadder for knowing this, and had hoped that Mr. Sakamoto's death was quick and painless as much as possible. Of course all of their lives mattered, but he touched so many hearts, and is the only one that we "knew." Thank you for this info. I don't know that I'm glad to know it but in a way I am. The truth is harsh but necessary in this world and the world to come. As you said, I hope his family found peace and that he is in the arms of the Lord. 🌹
@@Eidann63 The impact registered on a seismometer located in the Shin-Etsu Earthquake Observatory at Tokyo University at 6:56:27 p.m JST. as a small shock, to 6:56:32 p.m JST. as a larger shock, believed to have been caused by the final crash. The shockwaves took an estimated 2.0-2.3 seconds to reach the seismometer, making the estimated time of the final crash 6:56:30 p.m JST. One of the four survivors, off-duty Japan Airlines flight purser Yumi Ochiai, recounted from her hospital bed that she recalled bright lights and the sound of helicopter rotors shortly after she awoke amid the wreckage, and while she could hear screaming and moaning from other survivors, these sounds gradually died away during the night" - Wikipedia Japanese authorities found the wreckage at night, but deemed that nobody could survive such a crash and therefore decided to dispatch rescue efforts the following day. When they arrived at the scene, only 4 survivors were found. It was later confirmed that at least 50 people had survived the crash but died due to no medical treatment, blood loss or hypothermia. It's most likely Kyu Sakamoto either died instantly on impact or he was subjected to a slow, painful death out on Mount Takamagahara. If the Americans had been allowed to help rescue survivors, we would've had at least 54+ survivors in total (providing they all survived by the time Americans found the crash site) and probably, Kyu Sakamoto here with us today. But unfortunately, that never happened. It's been 13,375 days, which amounts to 439.7 months or 36.6 years since JAL flight 123 crashed. RIP to all that died on that horrible day.
This song is the first Asian song to reach billboard number one. In 1963, there was still no Internet, and the war had ended, and anti-Japanese sentiment was still strong in US. just played a song on the radio without any publicity. In that state, it would be dozens of times more difficult than it is now to become number one in USA. It's different from kpop, where fans worked together to force it to number one. The power of the internet, Advertising expense and the cooperation of fans is tremendous.
"From Up on Poppy Hill" brought me here. I am glad that I stumbled upon this comment section which contains so many touching stories. They can brighten up anyone. It is so nice to know that there are so many people from different parts of the world, yet they are all somehow united by an old Japanese song.
I heard this song by mere coincidence on a radio station one day and it caught me right away. This tune is truly universal. It's one of those rare occasions that you do not need to know the language to feel the emotion and essence of the message. Music is a language to itself.
Thank you for posting this tender, bittersweet song! The tears just well up in my eyes every time I hear it. I was a little girl when I heard it on my dad's transistor radio! This is the best video with the lyrics in both languages. I keep playing it over and over trying to learn the works! He died tragically in a plane crash. I read somewhere that the plane was in trouble for several minutes and he wrote a very short loving farewell message to his wife.
I'm 70 years old and loved this song when it was released in 1962 and still love it now. BTW, I made Sukiyaki with Tofu and Buckwheat Soba for dinner tonight.
Kyu died in Japan's worst air disaster. The 747 he was in lost all hydraulics and crashed into a mountain.They later found a letter he wrote to his wife on a napkin telling her how much he loved her.
Actually, it is the world's worst single aircraft disaster. The pressure bulkhead had been damaged in a tail-strike (the tail hitting the ground due to a hard landing) and the repair was not to Boeing's recommendations but was done by Boeing mechanics. When the pressure bulkhead gave way, it ruptured the hydraulic lines, and the vertical stabilizer (rudder) broke off. A similar thing happened to United 232 at Sioux City, Iowa, but the crew was able to use differential power to control the aircraft and land with minimal casualties.
The passengers had time to think about what was going to happen, there was no controlling the plane. The crash was not instant, from reading they had like 30 min. or longer before impacting mountain on Flight 123
In Central Florida, in the 60's and 70's, they played this song on the radio all the time, and I NEVER got sick of hearing it. The beautiful tune just made the lyrics into a nice sound that you didn't really need to understand, like flowing water or distant thunder. Thanks to Japanese art, and culture we CAN have some nice things ! Thank you
Grandma and mom came to the states from Japan in 1957…April 2013, I sang this to grandma the day she died….mom asked why I chose that song, I said I don’t know I’ve always liked the song…she cried so hard, she told me that this song was playing on base when they got to California….2 months later I was singing again, this time to my mom. They say mom died of a massive heart attack, I say it was a massive heartbreak. It was always mom and grandma from day one, there were 3 other siblings…but it was ALWAYS mom and grandma…and like an old married couple, one can’t live without the other. It’s been almost 10 years without them, yet it still feels like yesterday, but when I play this song my heart fills with joy knowing they aren’t suffering anymore. Rest easy my Japanese beauties, rest easy❤
I hope they found peace and togetherness in the after life. As long as you live they'll be alive in your heart. May their legacy and the memory of their fight against a tough world carry on through you and the future generations of your family.
My mom was Japanese - married my dad who was in the marines. If this song hit the charts in the US in 1963, I would have been 4 years old but I can distinctly remember hearing her whistling this song! Mom passed in 2019 and this song reminds me of her!!
I hear ya! I was about 10 and all my young friends loved this song and we thought he was so handsome. We learned the lyrics and did a fair job singing along. Brings back a lot of memories.
Rest in peace MR KYA SAKAMOTO,AND THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT SONG!I WAS 5 YEARS OLD IN 1961 AND REMEMBER LISTENING TO THIS GREAT SONG,IM 60 YEARS OLD NOW IN 2017 AND THIS SONGS SOUNDS AS GREAT AS EVER!!
This was the very first 45 rpm record I bought. My grandparents had given my brother and I one of these new fangled high fidelity record players that was stereo. We ran over to Woolworth's to dig through the bargain bin records looking for anything that said "STEREO" and this was it. The only stereo record in the whole bin. We probably played the record 2,000 times and by then we both thought we spoke fluent Japanese.
I love this song. Since most Japanese young generations rarely sing now but all the people remember these words and melody. It seems like a magic. He died long long time ago, still alive in my heart.
I absolutely love this. Didn’t know it existed until I looked up “Japanese Folk Songs” last year. I saw it, but never cared to click on it. It crossed my mind last week and I looked it up again and finally listened to it. Needless to say, I’m in love, and have been listening to it all week. I absolutely love finding gems like this, especially Japanese songs, because my favorite part is scrolling through the comments. I’ve found that whenever something Japanese is involved, so many people share their warm, nostalgic stories with everyone, and everyone just feels connected in a way. I love that about Japan.
My grandfather sang this to me as a child. He was American, knew no Japanese at all except for this song. He sang it with incredible pronunciation. It was him singing this song that first sparked my interest in Japan and Japanese culture. When he played the actual doing for me, I thought as a child, "A man who can sing so beautifully must come from a beautiful country." I lived in Japan for three years. And childhood me was right. Japan, her culture, and her people, are beautiful. I feel so grateful that I got to live there.
I am Japanese and I was born in 1986, after the plane crash in which Mr. Sakamoto died. My dad loves rock'n’roll, like me (Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and others) but sometimes he hears that song. He told me that this song was inspired by anti-war sentiments, perhaps by hope, perhaps by typical Japanese resilience. I like that but I think it's a little sad ... I was very surprised and glad that so many people around the world heard and liked this song, and I was moved by the comments. Thank you very much to all! .
Marcia, I was about 9 when this song came out. It was VERY popular, played on many radio stations in the U.S. I remember Mr. Sakamoto on the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday night. It was THE big variety show for years. Mr. Sakamoto was great. It was a sad thing when the plane crashed. The world lost someone special. Mr. Sakamoto and this song would be perfect now.
Mark W Thank you for your kind words. I talked to my dad about this song, he told me that the success of this song was really amazing, the only Japanese song that achieved that fame. I listened carefully and was touched, it's a beautiful song!
I remember hearing this song as a child when my mother would have the 60s station playing on the radio. I thought it was a catchy little song. Currently, I lost my husband of 29 years a few months ago. He died of invasive fungal sinusitis at the age of 49. Today when I hear this song I think of the lyrics and this song now means so much more to me.
I heard this song when I was between the ages of 4 and 6. I was with my dear mother in Oceanside, laying down in the back seat while she drove, and this song came on. I was in love with it immediately, and it has been one of my favorite songs ever since. My mom and the singer have both passed away, but whenever I hear this song, I am transported back to the first day I heard it!
![Kyu Sakamoto ~ Sukiyaki (Official Music Video) [上を向いて歩こう 坂本九]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8Omyf8JVdww/mqdefault.jpg)
![Kyu Sakamoto ~ Sukiyaki (Official Music Video) [上を向いて歩こう 坂本九]](/img/tr.png)
Rest In Peace Kyu Sakamoto . You made the world a better place with this beautiful song.
❤
For sure!
Amen beautiful. I love it songs. How are you doing beautiful. I hope your day is going well?
That is beautiful ❤❤❤❤
The problem is Devil runs the world. He is lier and murderer. That's why we've got the Gospel about the God's kingdom.
Jehovah would put everything in order. The dead will be resurected and we'll meet our beloved ones again! :-)
I'm commenting on my wife's account. I saw Kyu Sakamoto in person at the Tachikawa Air Base in Japan in 1963 or 1964. All of us Airmen who saw his "promotional tour" were in agreement that the song would be a mega hit even though few would understand the lyrics. Whenever I hear the song I feel privileged that I got to hear it before most of the world did.
Kyu Sakamoto owes me $20.
That's a lovely statement. Good health to you/family. Take care.
@@usaneebeilles9510/
So cool!
cool story
The strength of this singer to have grown up in occupied Japan & remained so optimistic. Such a credit to humanity. So sorry…
I can hear my father whistling … RIP POP.
❤😢🎉
Given the hardships he must have suffered during the war, the subsequent occupation would have proved a vastly better experience.
July 20,1963 my first eclipse in Chicago, on the WLS radio top 40 , the # 1 song was playing … Today I’m watching another eclipse and playing the same song … RIP my friend.❤
A few months ago, I went back home to Washington from Missouri so I could take care of my Dad, who was fighting brain cancer. One night, this song was played on the station we were on. My Dad, who was already very sick at this moment, suddenly sang along with perfect lyrics-I kid you not. He did not even know Japanese, so my Mom and I were so puzzled and touched at the same time. I cry every time I hear this song because I remember him.
My late sister in law loved this song, my now late brother, who was thought of as a bit of a tough guy and a diamond in the rough, learned all the Japanese words so he could sing her to sleep when she wasn't well. Miss them both so much
@@jackycarter4909 They have gone to a better place.
@@sacerdosj very touching!!
I'm glad you and your mom have that beautiful mysterious memory of him to share. I'm so sorry for your loss .
Now I'm crying reading your comment
May he and your family find peace
As an American sailor I had a wonderful experience while in Japan. i had been drinking and got lost while trying to find my way back to the landing for the boat to the ship which was anchored in the harbor of a small traditional Japanese town. At about 2AM I was walking down a road under a full moon through a beautiful landscape right out of a woodblock painting. It was summer and I could have walked all night :) A very old Japanese man putted up on his motorbike on this empty road and stopped and spoke to me in Japanese. I don't speak Japanese and so he motioned to get on the bike behind him and we putted off at about 10 mph. Eventually we came to a kiosk where he made a phone call. While we waited, I offered him a cigarette and he happily accepted. We stood there smoking and smiling and a police car pulled up. The two police officers, who spoke English, introduced themselves and explained that the old man had called and said that he thought I might need some help. They politely asked me to come with them and I gave the old man some cigarettes while thanking him. His smile is still with me today. At the police station the officers and I took our shoes off, relaxed and they made tea for us,
I shared my cigarettes with them, and we talked and laughed for a couple of hours. I was treated very nicely and really enjoyed speaking with them. When I got tired, they showed me a couch where I slept until the shore patrol from my ship arrived the next morning to take me back. I will always remember how kindly I was treated and how nice that old man and the two police officers were
Beautiful story (despite the cigarettes).
This was in 1975 and the cigarettes are part of the story....the way it was. Why does everything have to offend someone today ? Life is life and not everything always defers to your taste
It was the norm in those days
Loved the story thank you for sharing. ; )
Thank you :)
my mom and i used to sing this when i was little, we didn’t know japanese but we learned how to correctly pronounce the beautiful lyrics to this song, she passed away from cancer when i was 13 and i’m now 16, i love you forever mama i miss you everyday 🤍
She is with you always!
Strenght and love for you
Im sure you've had some hard times and even times where you smile as you cry. But focus it all into whatever you're passionate about or what she would push you towards. It may not make you feel 100% better at first. But I guarantee you it will make you feel closer to her. You got this man!❣
Keep the tradition going.
thank you all so much for the kind words, i really do appreciate it ❤️
My mother was from Kyoto. She was born in 1930 & loved Kyu. She sang this song to us growing up. It only brings beautiful memories back to me.
💘 Liebe Grüsse aus Deutschland,ich höre es heute❤23.6.2024🎉🎉🎉
Very pleasant expose' !
I was in grade 3 in 1963 and boy, do I remember this song well!
This song is like a beautiful time capsule for so many people my age ( I’m now 70) it’s as if I’m transported back to the 60s. This song has such an effect on me, one that’s hard to describe. I feel this way with many songs from the 1960s but none of them have the effect of this song. It’s beautiful but in a way almost painfully beautiful. Thank you! And what a tragedy that he lost his life at age 43 in 1985 in what must have been the worst air crash in history!
@@bobgarbett3229 Ditto ! But I am 72 yrs. young !
It's taken 60 years for me to find out what the Japanese lyrics really meant. All this time I thought it was such a happy song only to realize how profoundly heartbreaking it is. So glad I discovered this.
O objetivo máximo da música é expressar sentimentos humanos, quer seja de alegria, tristeza ou saudades! Mas quem ouve é quem tem a melhor interpretação! Felicidades para vc!
We sing of/to each other.
Same for me. I am about your age and now, for the first time, I learn about the stories and people behind this song. It touched the lives of so many people and I remember a Taste of Honey too. It's so nice to see how Sukiyaki brought a little girl not only out of poverty but also fame. I couldn't help tearing up when she recounted how she cried when she met Kyu Sakamoto in person.
I'm a 20-y-o Japanese woman.
I don't know a song that's more painful and full of hope than this one.
This was my grandfather's favorite song that passed away last month.
When I was a child, I often sat on my grandfather's lap and asked my grandfather to sing this song.
It's a very sad and tender memory.
That is so lovely. I love this song also. I think the early 60s was a time of real hope for young people after the terrible times their parents had to go through in World War Two. Kyu Sakamoto god bless you
ふゆこ I’m sorry about your grandfather. He’s with Kyu and they’re singing the song together 🙂
I relate kind of
I pray you find peace and harmony throughout your days.
Bless you
I am so honored to have read your story. It's only today that I even knew this song existed--other than the version I heard in the early 80s by A Taste Of Honey. Thank you for sharing your lovely memory...I cried as I read your words.
My grandpa tried for so long to learn this song on the piano, but I guess he never got to it, and his several illnesses prevented him from doing so, so I want to surprise him by playing this song for him on the piano. Wish me luck :)
I wish you a good luck.
It will be amazing! I know you can do it.
Let us know what happened of it, if you can remember :D
Good luck 😋
Good luck
Good luck
If a song can touch a person’s heart and soul despite a language barrier, then it’s sure as hell a damn good song.
well said.
素晴らしい
I've always loved this song and used to make me cry without even knowing the meaning up until today that I saw the translation, now I know there's a reason why It made me cry...
Beautiful!❤❤
I've known this song most of life, but never knew the meaning until today. I always thought it was a happy song because of its chirpy, lilting melody. Now I know, and it is gut-wrenchingly relatable.
i am now 70, i remember this song when I was a little kid,,,,,,,,,,,,,my mom had a jewelry box and when you opened it this tune started playing,,,,,,,,,,I am tearing up as I write this...
I adored this song when I was 14... I'm 70, I still adore it. It made me emotional even as a 14 year old when I didn't know what the words meant. It makes me emotional now... a very emotive song in any language. A talented man with a beautiful smile. Such a sad death.
EXACTLY the same for me. I felt so emotionally moved by the music and the singers voice. If I'd known what the lyrics were I think I'd have cried. Beautiful song.
I'm 14 finding this , your comment makes me have smiles :)) sorry english is not my first
@@m4cbookshawtyofficial871 I am also 14. The correct way to say that is "Your comment makes me smile" although everyone can understand what you meant by what you wrote, it is very good. :)
I'm 71 and I used to make up words for this song. It was always a sad song to me but I never knew why. Discovering the translation was a revelation. Like when I first heard Edith Piaf sing MiLord. Another great foreign song that spoke to me.
@@mikeyh0 beautiful
My mom married an American service man in Japan. When my father brought her to the States she was so homesick. As A kid I remember my mom singing this song. So now seeing what the song says makes me sad…especially after losing my mom on 4/28/23. She was 95. I MISS YOU MOM!❤
My condolences 😢❤
Blessings to you and her - my Mom is having heart problems and I love her dearly .
It is sad but there's also something beautiful about this song being comforting and reminding her of home. I'm so sorry for your loss. 💙
@SeeBrake yes it is comforting & I know it did for her as well.
@@VIRGONOMICS My heart is with you & your mom. Tell her all the things that you need to tell your mom while she’s here. I did & I left nothing unsaid. My mom is whole again.
My father received a gold record for “discovering” this record. He was a disc jockey in a small Washington state radio station in the early 1960’s. Something about this record haunted him, and he kept playing it every chance he got. Long haul truckers passed through that town and heard it, and kept requesting it and passing the word. Dad got a free trip to be presented with the record and met Kyu, but sadly they could not speak each other’s language so they smiled a nodded a lot. He was so sad to hear of Kyu’s death in that horrible crash, and a Japanese documentary crew came and interviewed him a few years later. Dad is still alive and enjoys knowing people in the US still enjoy that beautiful song in a small part due to his good ear, lol!
Thank you for sharing this story. Now that the song is uploaded on youtube, people from many countries and of many ages are listening to this song and enjoying it very much. Please forward our collective "thank you" to your father, we're all very happy he played his part.
Sincerely, a Bulgarian friend. :)
Even in little Belgium ( Europe) we enjoyed this song and it reached the hitparade. The always smiling Kyu with his talented whistle. This song remains eternally attractive for those who are touched by the melodie. Greetings from Flanders to your Dad and all reading and hearing Kyu Sakamoto's Sukiyaki.
Thank you so much for sharing that story and please tell your father thank you from Colorado. Your comment seriously choked me up...tried to read it to my roommate but couldn't get the last part out without my voice quivering. This always brings back memories of my uncle who had a string of juke boxes on the western slope and gave me the 45's he switched out. I went through at least 3 of this one...mom and dad always had it on the spindle for their cocktail parties.
I heard this on the radio today and as always, it made me smile.
I know you are proud of him.
Was it Yakima, Wa?
I was a toddler when this came out in Spring 1963. I remember hearing Sukiyaki on a jukebox in Anchorage, Alaska where we lived, the first song I ever remember.
By the 1980s I was in college when I heard about the Japanese plane crash that killed 519 people, including Kyu Sakamoto.
A decade later, working as a radio broadcaster at an Easy Listening station, I heard Sukiyaki again, the first time in decades. During my shifts on the air, I would occasionally play it and tell my own personal story related to it. Things have a way of coming full circle.
I think this song went to No. 2. Less than 20 years after WW2 ended against Japan. Great song.
@williamchen5915 It actually topped the Billboard charts, hitting #1 for one week in the Spring of 1963. And yes, less than 20 years after World War II ended against Japan.
I am 63 years old now... years ago I was a service brat of a black family. I lived in Japan where my father was stationed in the military. When this song came out it was enchanting to me. Whenever I hear it now, I am 7 years old again with fond memories of childhood in Japan and the feeling of enchantment comes over me like seeing an old friend.
I am 65 years old and remember this song as well. I always wondered what he was singing, as it was a favorite of my cousin's. She bought the record and played it over and over again. By the way, that's an interesting name you have.........
@@donalddixon6541 :-) Yes! it is an interesting name (Wink)
What's a service brat ? If you don't mind me asking . Brat means brother in polish
@@liscatcat8756 Oh it's just a slang word meaning "a Military man's kids"
beautiful testimonial
I am 71 years old and i believe i was about 12 when this song came out. i loved it then and still do. Many memories from back then. RIP Kyu Sakamoto.
He died way too young
Sounds about right. I just turned 67 and was playing this song on a record player almost daily when I first heard it, around six years of age.
I'm 73 and remember learning [an English translation of] this song at school.
@@frankhooper7871
The melody didn't need any translation from my perspective. I tried to sing along anyway.
I'm 72 and remember when this song came out .Loved it than an still do ! Love Japan and it's people ! Cheers To all !!
Kyu Sakamoto unfortunately died in '85 in the worst single plane accident in history (JAL Flight 123 with 520 dead and only 4 survivors). He was 43 at the time. The aircraft had lost hydraulics and the pilots managed to keep it afloat for about 30 minutes, after which it collided against the side of a mountain northwest of Tokyo. Kyu had written out a farewell letter to his family on a cocktail napkin before the end came. The napkin was later recovered from the wreckage and given to his wife. She still lives to this day all these years later carrying that memory inside
How sad and awful may his soul RIP
Those pilots were amazingly skilled and tried to the very end
32 minute actually..
Nunca entendí de que se trate a pero me emocionaba mucho escecharla bella bellal
And the tail which is why they couldn’t turn back to Haneda airport
In 1966, when I was a high school senior, my friends used to play this song on the cafeteria jukebox when I walked in. This is special nostalgia for me, as those friends are probably all in eternity. But they live on in my memory whenever this song is played.
I was 8 when this song came out in the US. It was my 1st exposure to a foreign language. I had no idea what he was saying, but I knew it was sad, & I instantly loved it. Now I'm 70, & enjoy it even more, now that I found the translation. I'm so sorry that the singer met an horrific end in that JAL crash in 1985. RIP, Kyu.
安らかに眠る坂本キュウ。あなたはこの美しい歌で世界をより良い場所にしました。
yasuraka ni nemuru sakamoto cua .anata wa kono utsukushii uta de sekai wa yori yoi basho ni shi mashi ta .
I was about 18, just loved the song, it was number one on the charts. We knew it was a love song, didn’t know what it meant in English, but it didn’t matter, the whole world loved it
your comment had touch my heart🥺
Love it!! ❤
Me too I was 8 & will be 70 in May. Love this song❤️
Isn't it amazing he could evoke so much emotion without you knowing a single word? May he rest in eternal peace.
UA-camに翻訳機能がついてくれて本当にありがたい。いろんな方の素敵なエピソードを読めてただただ幸せ
Rest In Peace Kyu Sakamoto . You made the world a better place with this beautiful song.
yes
Lovely comment 👏❤
@@arthursteven5601 thank you.
Hai So Desu.... Yes he did.
My thoughts are with him! May he RIP Wonderful singer and human being! 🙂🙂
Is anyone else loving this song in 2024. I used to listen to it when I was a little girl. I loved it then and I love it now.❤
Boyfriend and I on 990 oldies that had to close down. They were on AM radio. Real good music that should have been on FM!😁📻🎵
I actually spent two hours today looking for this song without knowing the title or the artist. I ended up humming it into Google to find it. My grandmother used to play this when I was a little girl as well... It haunted me. It is now 2024
Yep. I heard this when I was maybe 10 and love it still.
I was looking for this song and just found it 2024❤
Heard it when I was a little kid in the 60's.
When I heard this today on the Tokyo Olympics closing it is bitter sweet for me. I am 70 now. It brings back all the precious memories of my late
Mom. We would listen to it together on the radio and she’ll sing along with her lovely voice . It’s bitter sweet because today is the 35th anniversary of her passing. Listening to this song brings back all my memories of my dear mom as though I am re-living my life with her singing close to me. Thank you for the memories.
This reminds me of my Mom too. She had a music box that played this tune.
She had soul and great musical taste, bless be her soul @}}>---->---------------
อยากให้ช่วยแปลเพลงสุกี้ยากิ้ให้ได้มั้ยค่ะ
My wife is from Nihon (Japan) ... she is now dying from cancer. I hear this song again and understand the pain ...
Sorry for your loss....
So sorry they said the Japanese women are tremendous wives
this guy achieved the first asian act to hit billboard hot 100 no.1 in his early twenties.. how amazing is that
It was a Number One hit worldwide.
How many countries was. It a hit
@@steveboy7302 USA, Canada, Australia, Britain, South America...to name a few.
@@nickismith4787 don’t forget mexico :D
@@isaiahcrvz Oh of course. I've just never talked to anyone from Mexico about this song but of course. Thanks Isaiah for correcting me.
My father was sent to Vietnam after being drafted into the war in the 1960s. While there, he sent my mother a black-lacquered, wind-up music-box that played this song. I loved listening to this song as a child and would repeatedly wind the music-box up to listen to it over and over again.
Later on in life, the song always stuck with me, so I searched and found the original version. A few years ago, I came across the song again on this video and read the lyrics for the first time.
The 1961 song's title means, "I Look Up as I Walk", but it's more often known as "Sukiyaki" in the west.
The singer, Kyu Sakamoto, later tragically became yet another musician to die in an aviation accident, perishing along with 519 others in the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history.
Of course, my childhood self didn't know any of this when I was repeatedly listening to the song on that little wind-up music-box.
A truly beautiful, heartbreaking, yet hopeful song, "Ue o Muite Arukō", sung by Kyu Sakamoto, is still one of my all-time favorites. It still pops up in my head often, after all these years, and is even more meaningful now that I know what the original Japanese lyrics mean.
A true masterpiece in my humble opinion, no other song can both bring a tear to my eye, while also giving me the courage to brave forward, tough it out, all while looking up as I walk.
R.I.P. Kyu Sakamoto
My girlfriend used to sing this to me. She has been my wife for 55 years as a result!
You're lucky! For some, the song is Supercalifradulisticexpealidocius
special god bless
Thank you for your comment. I am 69 y.o. and have been memorizing this song for 2 weeks now so I can sing it to my wife on our 37th anniversary in September.
May God continue to bless you and your wife Mr. Finley.
❤️
Happy birthday Sakamoto Kyu. This played regularly on the Chinese radio station my mother in law listened to. She died over a year ago, radio long gone, and I missed hearing this beautiful song. Found it here this morning and have played it many times today, not realising today is his birthday.
I FINALLY FOUND THIS SONG! It took me 21 years. I was in first grade in 1999, ready to go to school. My grandma's friend, who we would call "Grandpa Andy" would take all of us neighborhood kids in a carpool to go to school and every other week he would play this song and hum to it. Everytime this happens, we would bob our heads from side to side in the back of the van and it was such a wholesome moment.
He's probably no longer with us, and we're now full fledged adults who are working and/or finishing our education. But I JUST found this song yesterday and I felt a whole bunch of emotions. I also know a tiny bit of Japanese, so it was easy to start singing along.
Thank you, Grandpa Andy - for taking us to school.
heartwarming
☠ very nice story.
You can to watch this song a version cover comedy "Warkop DKI" - nyanyian kode from indonesian. So funny lirycs ..
Nice story
Hey bro are you from Canada???
I was a young italian merchant marine officer. The vessel called japanese ports. I fell in love forever with Japan. I am 85 years old still in love. Arigato.
when did you travel to japan? my son went 2019 place was clean, safe, and beautiful
Ur 85 damn
You got respect sir 👏
weaboo activity
@@jpg963 before weanoo was a thing
I'm so old, I remember when this was a big hit on the radio in the U.S. I didn't understand the words back then, but it was just beautiful sounding song.
I am 83 and I feel sick most of the time. I really feel sick mentally and physically. I wake up every morning and wonder why but I believe in Jesus Christ so I know He has a reason. I looked at my email and my son sent me this link, he knows how much I love this song and how I would try to sing along with it. I read what you all wrote and I got my mind off myself. I made up my own words to this beautiful song and they do not make any sense but I have always sang it the same way. God bless you all.
@@rubycantrell4627 English lyrics, if you want to sing along 😊:
I look up as I walk
So that the tears won’t fall
Remembering those spring days
And tonight, I am all alone
I look up as I walk
Counting the stars with tearful eyes
Remembering those summer days
And tonight, I am all alone
Happiness lies beyond the clouds
Happiness lies above the sky
I look up as I walk
So that the tears won’t fall
But the tears well up as I walk
For tonight, I am all alone
In France too
I was 12 in 1963 when this hit big & didn't like it then when came on the radio but now I love it & brings tears to my eyes thinking of my Mom& Dad & what a nice life I had back then.
@@rubycantrell4627 I hope you are doing ok
my mom loved this song, she told me how beautiful it was. 2 days ago she died. i couldnt listen to this song, i did but in return i started crying like a baby. 52 years young, gone too early. ill miss you mom
I’m so sorry for your loss
I was a boy in the South Bronx when I first heard this song in the early sixties on 77 WABC am radio . I never understood a single word. But, it never mattered. It is truly a lovely song. Now I am in my early 60's and every time I hear it, I get emotional. I reminisce about my childhood . I almost come to to the point of tears.. God bless you all..
Hi Edward, me too! I was around 9 years old when I heard this beautiful heartfelt song! I actually felt and could relate to the emotions that the writers deliberately coerced out of us. And just as you said,, tears well up in my eyes because of the memories that this song helped "capture",, because of it's effect emotionally at the time we first heard it! Cheers brother!!!!
Congratulations God bless, have a great time and return safe. p.s. don't forget to bring me back a suvinere . like a geisha guirl
Me too, Edward. I remember listening to Cousin Brucie announce this song, and I fell in love with. Great memories of that time...
Hello Edward. I am currently 14 years old and I adore this song. I am learning Japanese and found it last week. Thank you for sharing your story about the song.
It still hits me the same way! After it made its rounds in the US as a big hit, I was stationed in Okinawa from the fall of 1969 till the spring of 1971. In all the gift shops, almost every music box you opened up played this song. Of course, it's lyrics have nothing to do with Sukiyaki! That just happened to be a Japanese word Americans were familiar with, and the recording company used that. It is truly a beautiful song, and one of my favorites ever, even still, in 2016, and I am 71 years old. I don't speak Japanese, but I love the sound of the language, and do know a few words.
On this very day June 15, 1963 this beautiful song hit #1 on the U.S. Pop Chart. I was just 11 years old and was awestruck. RIP Rokusuke Ei.
Me too! I was 10. ❤️🎵
I was nine and still remember fondly.
I was 17 at a bbq with my parents and grand parents this beautiful song has stuck in my head since 1963
Thats pretty cool, do you know the reason this song was a hit in the US and reached number 1?
We're the same age, so it hit number one in the US as well as the UK.
I just want to add (while I'm typing through tears) that as a young boy in the 60's traveling cross country with my family, every time we stopped to eat where they had those juke boxes at every booth, I asked my dad to play this song...and I was only 10 years old. This song makes me cry today remembering my dad.
Me too. I have always loved this song.
I am 74 now.
I remember, this song from my childhood. Everybody in Atlantic City trying to sing it though no one understood a word of it, nor did anyone speak Japanese. It was June, my younger brother was about a month old, I was five.
I was stationed at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, when I heard my father died. 😪 I was encouraged to hear that, a father wants their child to become better than they were. By honoring your father's memory, you strive to become better and teach your kids that lesson, while you're still alive. (I'm still sad though) I'm sorry for your loss. But do honor your father's legacy by you being that ripple in the pond. Make that difference and pass it on. GOD bless.
This song came out before i was even born but at 10 years old in 1976 i heard it on a 45 rpm that my mom had bought. I loved to sing and learned the lyrics in only a couple days. I sang this song all the time and still do thanks to my Mom who would always ask me to sing it to her,my baby brother and stepdad anytime wr would go for a drive or road trip. My family's praise and compliments made me feel good about myself and gave me a healthy self esteem. When I think of my Mom, I think of this song and how good it made me feel. My mom passed away in 2019 and when I want to feel close to her,I sing this song. Thank you Kyu for such beautiful memories.
The song is immortal because
1) it is sung perfectly,
and
2) it is a haunting melody about bravely walking through the deep sadness of love lost & gone.
It is at once upbeat and yet very sad.
So true
I'm 74 and I sing this song to myself when I feel sad. It is a beautiful classic with a bittersweetness that raises my spirits. When it was popular, I was a surfer girl at Huntington Beach, CA waiting to start university in September. It was bittersweet because even then we were saying goodbye to so many of our friends heading to Viet Nam. It is an immortal song for sure.
@@urbanmusicgal9075 thank you for that.
We are the same age, 74. This song and the 1967-68 hit, "WHO WILL ANSWER"? are the two songs that most stay with me.
I have it twice uploaded on my main Len Hummel channel.
I was deeply grieved & outraged over Vietnam and ALL our wars after WW2. 😥😢🤕😷🤕😥
Also the singer tragically died in a plane crash in 1985, gone far too early. Not just any crash but the single biggest plane crash involving one aircraft (JAL 123). Makes the tune all the more haunting to me…
How very poignant.🥲
RIP to him and all the other victims of Japan Airlines Flight 123.
God bless yous all 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💕🌹💕🌹
@fiona swann Did you see the UA-cam by Alec Joshua Ibay on the crash? Two JAL workers committed suicide because of the crash, and did you know the USA military offered to go to the crash site asp and were told to stand down and it took the japanese i think 9 hours to get there and many suffered and died because of the delay :(
@fiona swann Are you born-again Fiona?
Bill Morgan I actually did know about that. I saw the episode on Air Crash Investigation.
He had never wanted to board JAL(Japan Airline) until then.
ANA( All Nippon Airline )was his favorite..
I just discovered this song a few days ago. Since then it lives in my head rent free. How beautiful
I absolutely love this song,I heard it on the radio along time ago and was hooked it's just great.❤
As a japanese, im proud this song reach outside japan. Mr.Kyu also my grandfather close friend. They used to hangout together.
What a life!, Kyu as your grandfather's friend
❤ from indonesia
Such a good song. My tour guide in Japan played this song for us as we drove to Takayama
I loved this song since I was a little girl. I remember being so sad when I heard that Kyu died from lung cancer many years ago, however....one night while watching MayDay, there he was, gettin on the flight, but it crashed into a mountain, and the Americans were not allowed to help with the rescue operation, and many people died from laying there injured for too long. Kyu's beautiful wife did the narration for that episode. I was very sorry that he died with all those innocent people, and that he was so young. Just thought I'd share that with you.
お前嘘つくなよw
I heard this from watching From Up On Poppy Hill years ago, even though it wasnt that long in the movie. It was always so catchy, and since then I've listened to it all the time. It's sad, but also very comforting. When I have hard times, I'll listen to this and itll help me feel a whole better. I recommended it to a certain friend of mine named Juik because he had to move back to Korea for military service, and I told him what this song meant and now its his go to song when he's having a tough time too. He's now happily engaged and I hope he's doing well (:
i also heard it in From Up on Poppy Hill and i recently noticed it was also in Charlie's angels from the 2000s, it is really catchy :)
I love From Up on Poppy Hill! I didn’t remember this song was in it, that’s awesome!
Omg!!! I knew I've heard this song before! I also heard this song from that movie. I came here after knowing about the JAL tragic crash. Sad to know about the singer this way
Same!
Same for me. Heard the song from From Up On Poppy Hill and they animated him singing on the TV in the movie. It was great. The song caught my attention and I looked it up on UA-cam. Great song. Fun and sad tone at the same time which is kind of strange. Also learned about the tragic incident that happened to the singer as well. May him rest in peace.
Dad passed away tonite (he was 91) He loved this song and would whistle it so perfectly. Dads whistle was strong, steady and pitch perfect.
This is what is on my mind tonite.
Dad working around the house or yard whistling this beautiful tune. 🎶💕
sorry for your loss. But, am happy to hear of your wonderful memories of your Father
Sorry for your loss.I lost my dad in May 2018...this song reminds me of him! May they rest in peace
I hope you have many good memories of your dad, I lost my younger brother in June last year / I got a picture of him laughing and smelling - biggest smile and I enlarged it and keep it in the lounge - I haven’t hung it ❤️🩹but when I look at his face smiling and making a kissy face I smile it hurts but I smile back every time - this helps me ?? I don’t know why but it does- I hope you are not so very sad anymore
Vila i frid.
Sorry for your loss.He is still whistling it just in a much better place
This Japanese young man has become a legend and, with this beautiful song, has stolen the hearts of people all over the world, including mine.
I first heard this song in 1962 when I was 7 on my mother's His Master's Voice (HMV) portable radio. It had a popup antenna that you could rotate to get the best signal. The song made me very sad and my mother cried. Many years later, we met a Japanese man in Carnarvon and he explained what the song was saying ad both my mum and I cried again! Today, I am 67 1/2 yrs old and when I heard this again, I cried again because I lost a wonderful Japanese girlfriend in 2007. I will always remember you Noriko, when I hear this song.
One of the most beautiful songs ever written. Thank you Kyu Sakamoto for the one of the best songs ever!
No way this should get a thumbs down. One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded.
Yep. It's hauntingly beautiful.
Who ever gave this beautiful song a thumbs down should be put in a barrel and rolled down the hill.
bohemian rhapsody numba 1
@@JulietRobin b
@@JulietRobin Don't worry, they are out numbered by 50 to 1.
I happened upon this song a few minutes ago while reading an article about one-hit wonders. As soon as I saw the name "Sukiyaki", I knew what it was. So, I immediately went to YT. To hear this song again made my spirit so happy. How can a song about heartbreak, sung in a foreign language, have the ability to make you feel so good inside? I wish he knew the effect this song would have on people years down the road.💖💖
My late Dad could speak briliant Japanese He used to sing to his daily and took time to explain the deeper meaning of numerous verses. "Happiness lies above.."
What a beautiful clear voice and he was a good whistler
九ちゃんが世界中の人に愛されたと知ってとても嬉しく思うと同時に、彼と彼が歌った歌を誇りに思います。
He is loved by a lot of people in the world and I'm so happy to know that and so proud of him and his songs.
As a kid I loved this song. I'm 70 now and still love it.
Iconic song.. .RIP Kyu Sakamoto and all other passengers lost on Japan Air flight 123. August 12, 1985
I was in the USAF. We tracked the flight and couldn't believe it. They flew into a mountain and there wasn't anything we could do about it
A horrible fate. 4 survivors.
Race driver Manfred Winkelhock died on the same day too.
That's the Most terrible crash of the 80's.
So sad, I did not know he passed and in such a horrible way. Condolences to his family, my heart goes out to them.
Before my Mother met my Father she had met and fallen in love with a soldier during WWII and he was killed in the war. Both my Mom and Dad were very patriotic WWII vets, and my Mom had even enlisted in the US Army (as a WAC) during that time. While I was growing up I always heard racial slurs from them against the Japanese (and German) people seeming to blame them for all the atrocities that occurred. When I heard this song in the early sixties on the radio as a ten-year-old boy, I loved it, and I also noticed it had a calming effect on both of my parents. I recall that my Dad was even stationed with the military in Okinawa at one point for one of his assignments, but that Mom would not go with him so that the rest of our family stayed in the states. When I visited Hawaii with both Mom and Dad in the 1980's and went to the Arizona Memorial with them, I knew that the ill feelings they both still harbored toward the Japanese had resurfaced.
Years and decades passed and my Dad died, and Mom grew old without him. When we were not able to take care of Mom at home any longer, she went to a Nursing facility and had a roommate in the bed next to hers: an elderly Japanese woman named Yaeko. This woman was not able to speak at all nor move without being assisted due to her medical condition, and Alzheimer's was having a similar effect on my Mom so that they were virtually unable to communicate with each other. Oh, but they most certainly did commnicate. One day after Mom had been at the facility for nearly two years, my brother and I came into her room to find both her and Yaeko looking at each other and both starring up at the ceiling in the corner of the room and smiling. Nurses Assistants said they couldn't believe Yaeko was actually speaking in her Japanese language, since she had not spoken in years. The Assistants told me my Mom had also been talking for hours and was steadily looking up toward the same corner of the room where Yaeko was now pointing at. My brother (who videotaped part of this scene) asked Mom if she was looking at "Angels," and she just looked at Yaeko and back up in the corner again; and both of them kept smiling.
We could only guess what the two of them were looking at that day, or how they were somehow able to communicate with each other, and both of them seeing the same thing. The next morning when I came to visit I found out sadly that Yaeko had died during the night, and within one month, my beautiful Mom had also passed away. It is strange how Karma, Destiny or whatever you want to call it, seems to point toward Eternity. That was nearly five years ago, and now whenever I hear this song, I always think of my Mother, and of Yaeko, RIP.
A lovely story, thank you.
Thanks for sharing that story! :)
I loved this story, thanks for telling us about it.
I also have loved this song since I was a kid in the 70s. But I never knew a thing about it. It was just one of those "oddball" songs that I never really knew anything about as I was growing up. It would just grace the radio for three minutes, and then be gone for weeks or months and I would forget all about it. I wonder how many other wonderful songs like this are hiding in some forgotten corner of UA-cam?
What a beautiful story. I always associate this song with the Tokyo Olympics of 1964, now with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on the horizon, perhaps it will get another lease of life. I loved this song as a small child, and still do.
Thank you for this beautiful story, you are a great storyteller.
My mother loved this song. Love u Mom.....1912-1992.....
So , how old are you now ?
Suci Ratri.....66...
when you born, how old your mother ??? 52? Wow
Can i save your watshap number?
Suci Ratri.....Mom was 40 when I was born....
My husband sings this song since his childhood and is thrilled tonight to have finally found it on UA-cam.! So thankful for the person who uploaded it!!💞🤝🎶
I was born in 1959. I am not Japanese. I vividly remember the tune to this song and it has haunted me. It’s was the most exotic song I had ever heard. I just found it today. It brings back beautiful memories.
Me too, born in 1960 and this brings me back to my earliest memories.
My spouse left this world on May 12, 2019. We were married for 24 years. Though I have heard this song many times, I learned the translated lyrics recently on this video. A few days ago, I visited the park lagoon where Barb and I posed for some wedding photos. This time, I was alone. And I played this song; it describes exactly how I feel.
I am so sorry for you. Hope you don't feel alone. Your wife is watching you in the heaven. Be strong and happy always
I am very sorry for your loss..We walk the same path..
Sorry for your loss. Life is full of them. God bless you.
Sorry for your loss. All we can do is be thankful for the blessing of having had that one wonderful person in our lives.
I'm sorry to hear about that, I'm sure she was a wonderful person :') but as Dr. Seuss would say, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
This song makes me nostalgic for a time I’ve never lived in.
Easy 8 I feel the same way man and I barely found out about this song from Malcolm in the middle 😂 but I’m already in love with this song
Saudades do que eu não vivi ainda kkkkkkk (Lol)
Ikr. I really just broke out in snoop dog. Oh wrong song
Same it's weired ;dont you think
I think that in a previous life, I was a member of the Japanese empire during the Meiji era. Perhaps the lyrics gave a sense of the sorrow of the Japanese people after losing WWII, and no longer having the emperor viewed as a deity.
Beautiful song, beautiful voice, so soothing....if one needs a song to calm oneself down, this would be it.
R.I.P. Kyu Sakamoto.
I have studied Japanese language for a few years. Now I can finally able to sing this song of my childhood and understand the lyrics completely. This might not be a great thing for others but I felt so happy I came this far in my study.
It's a great thing for me and everyone else who loves this song, so go on out there and sing your heart out
おめでとう！
i listen to this song in my entire life, for be a japanese decent its on my head and i can actually sing it
Same here!!😃❤️..
And hey check out i sang this beautiful song in my channel.. i tried my best to sing this beautiful song and i am Indian..❤️ Love and support!!
👇👇👇👇👇👇😃
ua-cam.com/video/C2f-UDqAFaY/v-deo.html
I’m Japanese
I’m proud of him and I’m so happy that you guys like Japan!
Please come to Japan after the pandemic has subsided
Let's beat the pandemic together🔥
Thank you everyone for the warm messages! and more than 1000likes 👍
I hope everyone is happy and well...
Amen♥️
🥰🇯🇲🏴🕊️🔥✝️
Nice country and nice people..
It will be done.
Bet.
Japanese people have all my respect!
You can to support and survive the WWII (2nd. World War) with Atomic Bomb enclosed.
You can go further like the Phoenix
You can resist earthquakes and tsunamis
And I'm sure you'll go further during this pandemia.
All my respect from Mexico. You're an example for me
I am Japanese. When the singer's death was reported, I was too young to realize how beautiful this song is. To me back then, he was a great singer that made a big hit in old days. After experiencing ups and downs of life, I now love this song. This song touches your heart more when you have gone through a lot.
tina you are so right this song has so much meaning to so many people all over the world.
@Mr. brown actually 520
I'm 70 and I listen to this song all the time i still love it 👍
Moi, je vais en avoir 76 et ça m'enchante toujours !
Me too.
この歌を聴きながら皆さんの書いたコメントを読むと心が穏やかになりますね。
日本人以外の人にも沢山の思い出と繋がっているこの歌は素晴らしいです。
Yes , you are totally correct ! This song has an universal appeal ❤
I first heard this son on a military air base where my father was stationed in California (Travis AFB). I thought it was very lovely although I did not know the translation. It stayed with me through the years and it is obviously something very unique. The American audiences loved it.
You're NOT alone here! I was maybe 10, 11 years old when I first heard this wonderful song. It has an immediate appeal to the soul,, the heart! And the splendid use of major to minor, and back,,,, well,,,, it goes right to the heart!
I grew up with this song as well. Still enjoy it after all these years. Talented artists it seems pass tragically though. Mr. Sakamoto was on Japan Airlines flight 123. It crashed on August 12, 1985. I was in my mid-twenties. Terrible incident in history.
My cousin was in Japan when that happened and I was going nuts wondering his fate as we thought he was flying that day..... he was not on that plane. Remember this song well when I was in Jr high.
...yep....doing KP at Keesler AFB.......fond memories...
Gerry, it is absolutely lovely. I was probably about 10 when it came out and I loved it then, too. BTW, my husband retired from Travis, after we lived on the base for 10 years. We're still up here.
It's very tragic that Kyu Sakamoto died on Japan Airlines Flight 123 on August 12, 1985. 520 people perished that day. RIP, Mr. Sakamoto - your song will live forever.
celestial1933 I remember this terrible crash.
What an amazing and heart wrenching piece of trivia. Thanks for sharing that with us.
I was reading up on the event and it feels like foreshadowing when he says "I'm all alone tonight"
Reading about the plane crash is what brought me here.
ty
Lots of us “sang” along to this wonderful song. We had no idea what it meant or if our pronunciations were close. Didn’t matter. We loved it.
Kyu Sakamoto sadly died in a plane crash in 1985. For me, it gives a deeper meaning to the song when it says that he is sad but "happiness lies beyond the clouds... happiness lies up above the sky..." with God in Heaven.
Flight 123... The deadliest single plane crash in world history. 520 people died.
@@alexfriedman2047
And complete senseless. Not only was the plane's repair down crude by Boeing;; the Americans had already found the plane, wanted to rescue the survivors, but Japan said: "...naaaa. *WE WANT DO DO IT ALONE! GET OFF!* ", _then_ started the search, which had already been done by the Americans, found them when night sank in, said:"... oh well...suppose there are no survivers... let's go sleep and come back tomorrow!'
They came back. And they still found five survivors. And these told how the air was filled with screams and mourning, and how the voices disappeared one by one over night. They succumbed their injuries, and they froze to death. They had written letters to their beloved ones while the plane fell down, but coroners said nearly all had sirvived and could had been rescued, simce the plane sank mostly and not fell like a stone.
_WHY?_
It haunts me forever. They all count the same, but of course, the name with a face for me is Mr. Sakamoto, and I see him all alone in the darkness, having pain, freezing and longing for help. I hope his wife and daughters and whole family could find peace though. I send them my dearest greetings, and wish, according to his religion, him a peaceful soft comfort in the afterlife 🙇 May you be blessed.
@@winterweiboh my God, this is just unthinkable. The idea of all those people needing help and their government just writing them off as they suffered and died through the night. I am sadder for knowing this, and had hoped that Mr. Sakamoto's death was quick and painless as much as possible. Of course all of their lives mattered, but he touched so many hearts, and is the only one that we "knew." Thank you for this info. I don't know that I'm glad to know it but in a way I am. The truth is harsh but necessary in this world and the world to come. As you said, I hope his family found peace and that he is in the arms of the Lord. 🌹
@@Eidann63 The impact registered on a seismometer located in the Shin-Etsu Earthquake Observatory at Tokyo University at 6:56:27 p.m JST. as a small shock, to 6:56:32 p.m JST. as a larger shock, believed to have been caused by the final crash. The shockwaves took an estimated 2.0-2.3 seconds to reach the seismometer, making the estimated time of the final crash 6:56:30 p.m JST.
One of the four survivors, off-duty Japan Airlines flight purser Yumi Ochiai, recounted from her hospital bed that she recalled bright lights and the sound of helicopter rotors shortly after she awoke amid the wreckage, and while she could hear screaming and moaning from other survivors, these sounds gradually died away during the night" - Wikipedia
Japanese authorities found the wreckage at night, but deemed that nobody could survive such a crash and therefore decided to dispatch rescue efforts the following day. When they arrived at the scene, only 4 survivors were found. It was later confirmed that at least 50 people had survived the crash but died due to no medical treatment, blood loss or hypothermia. It's most likely Kyu Sakamoto either died instantly on impact or he was subjected to a slow, painful death out on Mount Takamagahara.
If the Americans had been allowed to help rescue survivors, we would've had at least 54+ survivors in total (providing they all survived by the time Americans found the crash site) and probably, Kyu Sakamoto here with us today. But unfortunately, that never happened. It's been 13,375 days, which amounts to 439.7 months or 36.6 years since JAL flight 123 crashed. RIP to all that died on that horrible day.
@@winterweib .....Wow...sad
This song is the first Asian song to reach billboard number one. In 1963, there was still no Internet, and the war had ended, and anti-Japanese sentiment was still strong in US. just played a song on the radio without any publicity.
In that state, it would be dozens of times more difficult than it is now to become number one in USA. It's different from kpop, where fans worked together to force it to number one. The power of the internet, Advertising expense and the cooperation of fans is tremendous.
❤ Japan is still making great bands especially on the rock scene band maid is one of them.
こんなに切なくて、希望に満ちた曲はない気がします。
My father was killed in Vietnamese when I was 4 but he loved this song and so do I. Brings back so many memories of him. Miss you dad
Beautiful song. I'm 29 and I know it because of my dad. Now, this song makes me remind him with a nice warm feeling.
Right on in 32 and the same thing my father heared it in the navy, and passed it on to me.😁
"From Up on Poppy Hill" brought me here. I am glad that I stumbled upon this comment section which contains so many touching stories. They can brighten up anyone.
It is so nice to know that there are so many people from different parts of the world, yet they are all somehow united by an old Japanese song.
I heard this song by mere coincidence on a radio station one day and it caught me right away. This tune is truly universal. It's one of those rare occasions that you do not need to know the language to feel the emotion and essence of the message. Music is a language to itself.
My dad loved this song and I remember it well. Thank you for posting it. Brings back good memories.
In 1968-69 serving in the military in Japan... i bought my girlfriend a lacquered music box that p[layed this melody. She's now my wife of 47 yrs.
WOW! Great story!
Thank you..... so happy & blessed that i'm still living it.
Yes you are truly blessed...
ooohhh...so sweet...
Congrats...you're a lucky Man!
Thank you for posting this tender, bittersweet song! The tears just well up in my eyes every time I hear it. I was a little girl when I heard it on my dad's transistor radio! This is the best video with the lyrics in both languages. I keep playing it over and over trying to learn the works! He died tragically in a plane crash. I read somewhere that the plane was in trouble for several minutes and he wrote a very short loving farewell message to his wife.
Tragically, the plane was in trouble for about 1/2 hour before it crashed. (See the Wikipedia entry for "Japan Airlines Flight 123")
I can't begin to imagine the terror everyone of board felt.
Hi, there,
Did you know Q Sakamoto died due to the plane clash.
and i still love to hearing this song until today 😆
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukiyaki_(song)#Soundtrack_appearances
I'm 70 years old and loved this song when it was released in 1962 and still love it now. BTW, I made Sukiyaki with Tofu and Buckwheat Soba for dinner tonight.
Kyu died in Japan's worst air disaster. The 747 he was in lost all hydraulics and crashed into a mountain.They later found a letter he wrote to his wife on a napkin telling her how much he loved her.
Omg
Actually, it is the world's worst single aircraft disaster. The pressure bulkhead had been damaged in a tail-strike (the tail hitting the ground due to a hard landing) and the repair was not to Boeing's recommendations but was done by Boeing mechanics. When the pressure bulkhead gave way, it ruptured the hydraulic lines, and the vertical stabilizer (rudder) broke off. A similar thing happened to United 232 at Sioux City, Iowa, but the crew was able to use differential power to control the aircraft and land with minimal casualties.
@@MaxEPR Thanks for sharing.
The passengers had time to think about what was going to happen, there was no controlling the plane. The crash was not instant, from reading they had like 30 min. or longer before impacting mountain on Flight 123
@@MaxEPR😢
In Central Florida, in the 60's and 70's, they played this song on the radio all the time, and I NEVER got sick of hearing it. The beautiful tune just made the lyrics into a nice sound that you didn't really need to understand, like flowing water or distant thunder. Thanks to Japanese art, and culture we CAN have some nice things ! Thank you
Grandma and mom came to the states from Japan in 1957…April 2013, I sang this to grandma the day she died….mom asked why I chose that song, I said I don’t know I’ve always liked the song…she cried so hard, she told me that this song was playing on base when they got to California….2 months later I was singing again, this time to my mom. They say mom died of a massive heart attack, I say it was a massive heartbreak. It was always mom and grandma from day one, there were 3 other siblings…but it was ALWAYS mom and grandma…and like an old married couple, one can’t live without the other. It’s been almost 10 years without them, yet it still feels like yesterday, but when I play this song my heart fills with joy knowing they aren’t suffering anymore. Rest easy my Japanese beauties, rest easy❤
Requiestcat In Pace🙏🏻
Powerful story. Thanks for sharing.
I hope they found peace and togetherness in the after life. As long as you live they'll be alive in your heart. May their legacy and the memory of their fight against a tough world carry on through you and the future generations of your family.
I am in tears.
😢that got me, sorry for your losses.
October 4, 2023. I was 11 when this song came out. Now I'm 73. I remember singing along and how much people loved it. It is a wonderful memory
My mom was Japanese - married my dad who was in the marines. If this song hit the charts in the US in 1963, I would have been 4 years old but I can distinctly remember hearing her whistling this song! Mom passed in 2019 and this song reminds me of her!!
I hear ya! I was about 10 and all my young friends loved this song and we thought he was so handsome. We learned the lyrics and did a fair job singing along. Brings back a lot of memories.
Rest in peace MR KYA SAKAMOTO,AND THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT SONG!I WAS 5 YEARS OLD IN 1961 AND REMEMBER LISTENING TO THIS GREAT SONG,IM 60 YEARS OLD NOW IN 2017 AND THIS SONGS SOUNDS AS GREAT AS EVER!!
tom shaw 7
hmm so I had not been born when this song was made I though it was modern song 😁but it seems to be good song
This was the very first 45 rpm record I bought. My grandparents had given my brother and I one of these new fangled high fidelity record players that was stereo. We ran over to Woolworth's to dig through the bargain bin records looking for anything that said "STEREO" and this was it. The only stereo record in the whole bin. We probably played the record 2,000 times and by then we both thought we spoke fluent Japanese.
Lol that brought a smile to my heart! Thank you for sharing!
Love it too ❤️
I love this song. Since most Japanese young generations rarely sing now but all the people remember these words and melody. It seems like a magic. He died long long time ago, still alive in my heart.
I love this song. I listened to it over and over , when I had pneumonia. It kept the fever nightmare away.
いつの時代でも通用する永遠の名曲ですね
I absolutely love this. Didn’t know it existed until I looked up “Japanese Folk Songs” last year. I saw it, but never cared to click on it. It crossed my mind last week and I looked it up again and finally listened to it. Needless to say, I’m in love, and have been listening to it all week. I absolutely love finding gems like this, especially Japanese songs, because my favorite part is scrolling through the comments. I’ve found that whenever something Japanese is involved, so many people share their warm, nostalgic stories with everyone, and everyone just feels connected in a way. I love that about Japan.
I was a young Soldier stationed in Japan when I first heard this song, been playing it ever since,(over 50 years)
Joseph Coleman me as well. Yokohama AFB 69-74. I love it!
Joseph Coleman Thanks for your service sir
Something about this song touches my heart!
My grandfather sang this to me as a child. He was American, knew no Japanese at all except for this song. He sang it with incredible pronunciation.
It was him singing this song that first sparked my interest in Japan and Japanese culture.
When he played the actual doing for me, I thought as a child, "A man who can sing so beautifully must come from a beautiful country."
I lived in Japan for three years. And childhood me was right. Japan, her culture, and her people, are beautiful. I feel so grateful that I got to live there.
I've dreamed of Japan since I read Shogun 35 years ago. Another place I'll never see...
maybe you will someday @@mademily5270
I am Japanese and I was born in 1986, after the plane crash in which Mr. Sakamoto died. My dad loves rock'n’roll, like me (Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and others) but sometimes he hears that song. He told me that this song was inspired by anti-war sentiments, perhaps by hope, perhaps by typical Japanese resilience. I like that but I think it's a little sad ... I was very surprised and glad that so many people around the world heard and liked this song, and I was moved by the comments. Thank you very much to all!
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Marcia, I was about 9 when this song came out. It was VERY popular, played on many radio stations in the U.S. I remember Mr. Sakamoto on the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday night. It was THE big variety show for years. Mr. Sakamoto was great. It was a sad thing when the plane crashed. The world lost someone special. Mr. Sakamoto and this song would be perfect now.
Mark W Thank you for your kind words. I talked to my dad about this song, he told me that the success of this song was really amazing, the only Japanese song that achieved that fame. I listened carefully and was touched, it's a beautiful song!
That is a delightful memory and so wonderful that you shared it with all of us. Thank you.
Marcia, And this songs its very famous in indonesia and then once made a soundtrack"Warkop DKI" and the song is good to hear. R.I.P Sakamoto
I like this song in second place . I like namidaniwa the best Song i ever heard in my whole life , i love Japan
I remember hearing this song as a child when my mother would have the 60s station playing on the radio. I thought it was a catchy little song. Currently, I lost my husband of 29 years a few months ago. He died of invasive fungal sinusitis at the age of 49. Today when I hear this song I think of the lyrics and this song now means so much more to me.
I’m sorry for your loss. 🙏
I'm sorry for your loss.
R.I.P for your lovely husband, please pray always ya, 🤲💪🥺
😢
I heard this song when I was between the ages of 4 and 6. I was with my dear mother in Oceanside, laying down in the back seat while she drove, and this song came on. I was in love with it immediately, and it has been one of my favorite songs ever since. My mom and the singer have both passed away, but whenever I hear this song, I am transported back to the first day I heard it!