Music is often integral to developing group consciousness and solidarity - from Liverpool's You'll Never Walk Alone to The Internationale - music unites people with common purpose. And group consciousness is surely needed in Japan if the Sanriku is to recover - at the moment, perhaps taking a lesson from the Australian govt, the Japanese govt. is considering raising the consumption tax to pay for the reconstruction, At the same time, songs and performances are age old ways to raise money. Well before Band-aid stormed into public eye, the Salvos have been using songs as an established way to raise money for charitable works. Despite the potential, is hard to see much merit in this song.
.. Fukushima baby I love you.....I need you.... a cheesy new song that features each prefecture in Japan expressing their love of Fukushima.....
I took a trip Fukushima the year before last and concluded that despite being quite beautiful, it was a no mans land between urbanised Kanto and exotic Tohoku: s not far enough from Tokyo to be romanticised on JR posters like Akita's kiritampo and Aomori's Nebuta and yet it was too far to be fashionable like Nasu or Nikko in neighbouring Tochigi....
The part of Fukushima I have actually spent time in, as opposed to simply passing through on the train or expressway, is around Aizu and the Tadami sen - very pretty, I will try to dig up some photos. The Tadami sen and the Banetsu are both on my to do list. Also Iwaki which looks pretty from the kosoku.
This song does no justice to Fukushima, nor to music... dripping in saccharin, and schmalz, I try to give benefit of the doubt and not assume blatant self promotion & insincerity....
And a PS on this... what is is with the Tohoku prefectures having no words and just signboards ?
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| Usually Fukushima doesn't make it into Tohoku promotion....as this JR East map indicates. http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/routemaps/tohokushinkansen.html#category01 |
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