Ihojin (Japanese: 異邦人) (English: "Stranger"[1] or "Foreigner")[2] is a song[3] written and composed by Saki Kubota,[4] and first performed by her. The song was first released as a single on 1 October 1979.[5][6] That recording sold more than 1.4 million copies[7] and reached number 1 in the Japanese singles chart.[8][9] The song was used in the "Silk Road" television commercial for Sanyo.[10][11][12]
TV Tokyo included the song in a collection of one hundred songs that are so well known that anyone could recognise them in three seconds.[15] In 2022, it was among the most popular 1970s Japanese songs on Spotify.[16]
The lyrics of the song refer to children playing in an open space adjacent to the railway tracks, as seen by a passenger from the window of a railway train travelling on the Chuo Line.[18][19][20][21] The lyrics of "Ihojin" include the motif of time travel that previously appeared in the Shinji Harada song "Taimu Toraberu" (Japanese: タイム・トラベル) (1978).[22]
Saki Kubota
The single released by Saki Kubota was a hit song.[23]
Weekly charts: The single reached number 1 in The Best Ten chart,[24] the Oricon Singles Chart,[6] the Music Labo singles chart,[8] and the Cash Box of Japan 45s chart.[9] The single spent three consecutive weeks at the top of The Best Ten chart.[25][26] The single spent 12 consecutive weeks in The Best Ten.[23] The single spent seven consecutive weeks at the top of the Oricon chart,[27] and spent 25 weeks in the Oricon chart.[6] The single was the first debut song to reach number 1 on The Best Ten chart.[28]
Monthly charts: The single was number 1 in the Oricon monthly singles chart for December 1979[29] and January 1980.[30]
Annual charts: The single was number 2 in the Oricon annual singles chart for 1980.[31]
The recording of the song released as a single in 1979 is included in the album Yumegatari. The album Saudade, released in 1980, included a new acoustic version of the song recorded in Lisbon in Portugal.[32][33][34]
The 1979 single was released on a 7-inch45rpmvinyl record on the CBS/Sony label. The subtitle of the song "Ihojin" is "Shiruku Rōdo No Tēma" (Japanese: シルクロードのテーマ) which means "Silk Road Theme". The duration of "Ihojin" is 3 minutes and 41 seconds. The song "Yumehiko" (Japanese: 夢飛行) is on the B side of the single. The duration of "Yumehiko" is 4 minutes and 11 seconds.[35] The song "Ihojin" was arranged by Mitsuo Hagita[36][37][38][39] and produced by Masatoshi Sakai.[40]
There are karaoke versions of both the Yumegatari version, and the (Portuguese recording) Saudade version, of "Ihojin" on the album Golden Best Saki Kubota.[45] "Ihojin" reached number 10 in the Joysound karaoke rankings for Shōwa era songs in the first half of 2024.[46] The song has appeared in the Joysound karaoke annual rankings by age group,[47][48][49] and in an NTV karaoke survey ranking by age group.[50]
According to ITmedia, in 2024, "Ihojin" was the most popular song from 1980 to 1982 amongst Japanese people in their 50s and 60s,[11] in their 60s,[51] in their 50s,[52] and in their 40s and 50s.[53] It was the fourth most popular for people in their 30s and 40s,[54] and also ranked highly for women.[55] According to the Sankei Shimbun, it was the eighth most popular song amongst folk, rock and pop (fōku, rokku and poppusu) songs from the Shōwa era.[56] It was the sixth most popular among women, and the tenth most popular among men.[57] According to TV Asahi, it was the most popular song amongst breakthrough songs of the Shōwa era.[58] According to a 2019 survey, it is the 22nd best song.[59]
This single spent 16 weeks in the Oricon chart.[60]
The song on the B side is a cover version of Yuming's "Ame No Machi Wo" (Japanese: 雨の街を) by Tak Matsumoto, featuring Akiko Matsuda.[14] The song "Ihojin" was included in the Tak Matsumoto album The Hit Parade.
A cover version in Cantonese was released under the title "Hang Zhong Bu Yao Wen" (Cantonese: 行踪不要問 or 行蹤不要問 or 行踪不要问) by Paula Tsui in 1980.[91] A cover version in Mandarin was released under the title "Yìxiāngrén" (Mandarin: 異郷人) by Ai Jing in 1998.[92]
^Ihojin '90 (Japanese: 異邦人 '90), Warner-Pioneer Corporation, catalogue number WPDL-4147. "Ihoujin (Assemble Version)" (Japanese: 異邦人 (アッセンブル・ヴァ－ジョン)) was released under the psuedonym "Maron Namikaze", and is included in the album "Assemble Concert", Warner-Pioneer Corporation, catalogue number WPCL-145. Both versions are included in "Which one do you like?", Warner-Pioneer Corporation, catalogue number LRS-2073.