Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki – Sayuri Ishikawa | 1977

津軽海峡・冬景色 [Tsugaru Kaikyō Fuyugeshiki]
石川さゆり [ISHIKAWA Sayuri]
Words : 阿久悠 [AKU Yū]
Music : 三木たかし [MIKI Takashi]

Today, I’m going to feature the first “演歌 / enka” song on Words in Japanese Song.
Enka is a genre of popular music that became popular in the 1960s. It’s a form of entertainment rooted in uniquely Japanese emotions and sentiments, sometimes referred to as Japan’s soul music. However, it’s important to understand that enka is not traditional Japanese music.
Let’s list some characteristics of enka. First, the scales used in enka are very Japanese in style. The major pentatonic scale (e.g., do-re-mi-so-la), which is a Western interpretation of the Japanese folk song scale, is often used, along with the more traditional minor yonanuki scale (e.g., la-si-do-mi-fa), also interpreted in Western musical terms.
Another feature is the vocal technique called “小節 / kobushi,” a type of melisma. In this song, you can hear it around 0:52. Compared to vibrato, it’s finer and more irregular. This technique is also used in Japanese folk music.
Additionally, the lyrics frequently deal with themes such as the sea, the northern regions, alcohol, tears, rain, snow, and tragic love. While other themes are possible, modern topics are rarely featured.
While the definition of enka can be somewhat vague, what’s important is that it includes many Japanese elements. Although it’s often seen as music for the elderly, this image has endured for decades, meaning that enka continues to resonate somewhere in the hearts of Japanese people.

“Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki” is a song by Sayuri Ishikawa, released in 1977. It’s definitely one of the top three most popular enka songs. The lyrics were written by Aku Yū, who also worked with Pink Lady.

• 海峡（かいきょう） [kaikyō] : strait
• 冬（ふゆ） [fuyu] : winter
• 景色（けしき） [keshiki] : scenery

Let me explain the title. the title. This is a song about the “雪国 / yukiguni” (=Snow Country). Snow Country is also famous as the title of a novel by Yasunari Kawabata ^wiki, but it generally refers to regions with heavy snowfall. Although Japan’s latitude isn’t particularly high, it’s one of the snowiest countries in the world. The southernmost city to host the Winter Olympics was Nagano ^wiki in Japan, and according to a 2016 article by the U.S. weather service AccuWeather ^web, four Japanese cities were ranked in the top 10 for annual snowfall in cities with populations over 100,000. Aomori City in Aomori Prefecture ^wiki was ranked first, and Sapporo in Hokkaido ^wiki was ranked second.

Aomori Prefecture is at the northernmost tip of Honshu (the main island), and the strait between Aomori and Hokkaido is the “津軽海峡 / tsugaru kaikyo” (=Tsugaru Strait ^wiki). Before the Seikan Tunnel ^wiki, which was the world’s longest undersea tunnel at the time, opened in 1988, ferries were the primary means of crossing the strait.

上野発の夜行列車　おりた時から
ueno hatsu no yakō ressha orita toki kara
青森駅は雪の中
aomori eki wa yuki no naka

• 上野（うえの） [ueno] : Ueno
• 発（はつ） [hatsu] : departure
• 夜行列車（やこうれっしゃ） [yakō ressha] : night train
• おりる（おりる） [oriru] : get off
• 時（とき） [toki] : time
• から（から） [kara] : from
• 青森（あおもり） [aomori] : Aomori
• 駅（えき） [eki] : station
• 雪（ゆき） [yuki] : snow
• 中（なか） [naka] : inside

(translation) “From the moment I got off the night train departing from Ueno,
Aomori Station was covered in snow.”

Ueno Station is a station in Tokyo and serves as the gateway to northern Japan. There’s a famous poem about how you can hear the dialects of the northern hometowns at Ueno Station, which brings a sense of nostalgia. Nowadays, most people traveling to Aomori or Hokkaido would probably use the Shinkansen or fly rather than take a night train.

北へ帰る人の群れは　誰も無口で
kita e kaeru hito no mure wa dare mo mukuchi de
海鳴りだけをきいている
uminari dake o kiite iru

• 北（きた） [kita] : north
• 帰る（かえる） [kaeru] : return
• 人（ひと） [hito] : person
• 群れ（むれ） [mure] : group
• 誰も（だれも） [dare mo] : no one
• 無口（むくち） [mukuchi] : silent
• 海（うみ） [umi] : sea
• 鳴り（なり） [nari] : sound
• だけ [dake] : only
• 聞く（きく） [kiku] : hear

(translation) “The crowd of people returning north, all silent,
listening only to the roar of the sea.”

When you arrive in Aomori, you can imagine how much more rural and quiet it feels compared to Tokyo. There is a generally accepted notion that people from northern Japan, in contrast to the cheerful and passionate Osakans I mentioned in the article on “Kanashii Iro Yane,” tend to be calm and shy by nature.
Here, the word “kaeru” (return) is used, which may suggest that the people are temporarily returning to their hometowns. However, it also conveys a deep sense of loneliness, as if they might be returning after their dreams have been shattered, giving the impression of a much more sorrowful atmosphere.

私もひとり　連絡船に乗り
watashi mo hitori renrakusen ni nori

• 私（わたし） [watashi] : I
• ひとり [hitori] : alone
• 連絡船（れんらくせん） [renrakusen] : ferry
• 乗る（のる） [noru] : to board

(translation) “I too board the ferry, alone.”

Given the use of the first-person pronoun “私 / watashi” and the fact that Sayuri Ishikawa is the singer, we can assume the protagonist in this story is a woman.
By boarding the ferry, she’s traveling from Aomori to Hokkaido.

こごえそうな鴎見つめ
kogoesō na kamome mitsume
泣いていました
naite imashita
ああ津軽海峡・冬景色
aa tsugaru kaikyo fuyugeshiki

• 凍える（こごえる） [kogoeru] : freeze
• かもめ [kamome] : seagull
• 見つめる（みつめる） [mitsumeru] : gaze
• 泣く（なく） [naku] : cry

(translation) “Gazing at the freezing seagulls,
I cried.
Ah, Tsugaru Strait, winter scenery.”

The phrase “ああ / aa” is a filler. The combination of “ああ” and the song title at the end of a chorus gives a somewhat old-fashioned feel, characteristic of enka.

ごらんあれが竜飛岬　北のはずれと
goran are ga tatsupi misaki kita no hazure to
見知らぬ人が指をさす
mishiranu hito ga yubi o sasu

• ごらん [goran] : look
• あれ [are] : that
• 岬（みさき） [misaki] : cape
• はずれ [hazure] : edge
• 見知らぬ（みしらぬ） [mishiranu] : unfamiliar
• 人（ひと） [hito] : person
• 指さす（ゆびさす） [yubi sasu] : point

(translation) “Look, there is Cape Tappi, at the northern edge,
says a stranger, pointing.”

Cape Tappi is a cape on the Aomori side of the Tsugaru Strait. It’s likely a spot frequented by tourists as well.

息でくもる窓のガラス
iki de kumoru mado no garasu
ふいてみたけど
fuite mita kedo
はるかにかすみ　見えるだけ
haruka ni kasumi mieru dake

• 息（いき） [iki] : breath
• くもる [kumoru] : fog up
• 窓（まど） [mado] : window
• ガラス（がらす） [garasu] : glass
• ふく [fuku] : wipe
• はるか [haruka] : far away
• 見える（みえる） [mieru] : be visible

(translation) “I wiped the fogged-up glass window,
but only a distant haze was visible.”

The view from the ship’s window is likely of the receding cape in the distance.

さよならあなた　私は帰ります
sayonara anata watashi wa kaerimasu

• さよなら [sayonara] : goodbye
• あなた [anata] : you

(translation) “Goodbye, you. I’m going home.”

As she departs from Honshu (the main island), she also says goodbye to “you.” Here, the reason for the journey becomes a little clearer. It’s likely that she’s returning to her hometown after a failed romance in Tokyo.

風の音が胸をゆする
kaze no oto ga mune o yusuru
泣けとばかりに
nake to bakari ni
ああ津軽海峡・冬景色
aa tsugaru kaikyo fuyugeshiki

• 風（かぜ） [kaze] : wind
• 音（おと） [oto] : sound
• 胸（むね） [mune] : chest
• ゆする [yusuru] : shake

(translation) “The sound of the wind shakes my chest,
as if telling me to cry.
Ah, Tsugaru Strait, winter scenery.”

“泣け / nake” is the imperative form of “泣く / naku” (cry).

さよならあなた　私は帰ります
sayonara anata watashi wa kaerimasu
風の音が胸をゆする
kaze no oto ga mune o yusuru
泣けとばかりに
nake to bakari ni
ああ津軽海峡・冬景色
aa tsugaru kaikyo fuyugeshiki

This is a very romantic scene. Enka songs often follow a traditional formula, making it easy to imagine the story. This could be called an artistic form of conventional beauty.

Interestingly, enka also became popular in Taiwan among the generation that received Japanese education, leading to many Taiwanese-language covers and original enka songs. From there, it spread to Southeast Asia and China.

YouTube Search “Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki – Sayuri Ishikawa”

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