For example, like an apple falling into your hand (Tatoeba ringo ga te ni ochiru you ni) - lyrics translation

Translation note: The final two lines are actually the same in Japanese 'motto SHIMPURU ni kimi ha doushitai?' which literally translates to: more simply, what do you want to do?

This implies that the person she is talking to is so caught up in the bigger picture about what this means for the two of them (see first chourus where she tells them to stop thinking about all the other stuff they are caught up in) and simply follow their heart. They met, they are in love, why not be together? Stop over thinking! Is the message. I totally read this as the other person having a significant other already...I think I have been watching too many K-dramas! There's always something dramatic to it.

More simply (as Maaya said) it could be a song about two friends and one of them doesn't want to ruin their friendship be getting together as lovers. Or something. Sorry, I need to stop extrapolating things that are quite possible not there!

Anyway! Why did I write the last two lines like I did? I don't know, but it felt right when I wrote it down. Which is why I put the translator's note above. If you prefer your translations more literal and with less interpretation than please feel free to return the final two lines to 'more simply, what do you want to do?'. Hurray, a do it yourself translation.


For example, like an apple falling into your hand (Tatoeba ringo ga te ni ochiru you ni)
From 'Driving in the Silence'
Original lyrics by Maaya Sakamoto


For example, like spring coming after winter
Like an apple falling into your hand
Like being unsatisfied with the end of a film
Like the earth being round

It's all completely obvious
Our love has already begun
Forget about all stuff we're tangled up in
What do you think? What do you want to do?

For example, when you have a random dream
When the first snow has fallen
When you've cut your hair short
When you've just seen a blimp in the sky

Who do you want to tell first?
Who's face floats up in the back of your mind?
I want to believe in this strange rainbow coloured feeling that's burst up
I want to believe in it
What do you think? You!

I'm afraid of us changing how we are now as well but still...

Who do you want by your side?
For example, even when there's nothing exciting happening
Raising our glasses on nights when there's no anniversary
Simply side by side

It's all completely obvious
We met each other
And there's nothing more to it than that, it's everything
Think about it more simply, what do you want to do?
In the simplest form you can make it, what do you want to do?

'Homemade Christmas' - lyrics translation

Homemade Christmas
From Driving in the Silence
Original lyrics by Maaya Sakamoto

The red door marks the spot, I'm waiting for the doorbell to ring
Don't forget to put a big ribbon on the presents
Everyone choose your wines, we've been waiting for tonight
Make sure you dress up in your best
At 7 on the dot let's strike a toast

Let's spend this Christmas together
Let's gather around the fire, clap and sing

If one of our friends is alone and down
Let's invite them over
And raise our glasses again and again

Let's spend this Christmas together
And be thankful for everything we see around us

Following the sound of laughing voices, look, here he comes
Even after you've grown up he's still by your side

Let's spend this Christmas together
Let's be the happiest we've ever been
I'm sure a lot will happen next year too
But if we're together then it'll be fine, let's just be happy

'This year's most' (Kotoshi Ichiban) - lyrics translation

This song's title is literally 'number one/the most (??) this year' but...I don't know, can that be made to sound poetic in English? Any suggestions would be most welcome. In the end I've left it as 'this year's most' as it could be filled in with anything: the coldest night of the year, the best thing, the worst thing. I guess it's supposed to be open to interpretation.

Maaya commented on Vitamin-M that her friends and family who heard the song felt these lyrics were very 'adult', that this kind of situation was a very grown-up one. I guess I can see why they felt this way as the lyrics could be interpreted to mean one of them (or both of them are) is already attached to someone, or the timing isn't right due to some other circumstance.

So maybe you're walking home from the office with someone you've liked since joining the company, but that person is already married but still you can joke around and pretend to yourself on your way back to the station that this is what it would be like if you were together... OK, definitely reading too much into this!

Listen to the song, read the lyrics and interpret them how you like. Let me know what you think of this song (^^)VV it's one of my favourites from the album.



This year's most (Kotoshi Ichiban)
From Driving in the Silence
Original lyrics by Maaya Sakamoto

Let's walk a short dream in the long night
We can buy a hot can of coffee
If you don't mind, that is

The main roads are much too bright
Two people being together
Is more lonely than being alone, isn't it?

Too late, too early
Why did you have to appear before me now?
Under cover of darkness, staying clear of the light cast by the street lamps
Until we wake from this dream

The blue illuminations look like winter fireflies
On this, the coldest night yet this year
You're here, here by my side

I'm at a loss, because in truth
It seems I can't go back to who I was before I met you

Too late, too early
Why did you have to appear before me now?
As if they were dancing, those two shadows playing around
Have no names

I'll walk you back to the station
Let's walk along in this short dream

Piano sheet music release and new musical role for 2012

I’m not sure I would really call it news as I had noticed it up on CDJapan and other online retailer sites, but Maaya’s official homepage updated with the news that the piano sheet music collection for ‘Driving in the Silence’ is now available. It also contains the sheet music for both ‘Buddy’ and ‘Okaerinasai’ singles, which is a nice bonus.

 Learning to play piano is still on my to-do list. Click here for the CDJapan order page.

Regarding the Osaka fan club live, the song pulled out of the box was ‘Purachina’ which sent up a big round of applause! My friend and I had sung it earlier in the day at karaoke not really expecting to be able to hear the real thing later!

Again, the acoustic arrangements of all the songs from ‘Driving in the Silence’ were lovely. I’d like to express once again how much I admire the percussionist; the range of sounds she produced from her array of instruments was amazing. I wonder how one gets into that field? Regular drums then on to more esoteric instruments?

Secondly, it might have been picked up elsewhere but from September Maaya will be starring in the Japanese production of the musical ‘Daddy Long Legs’ and from what she said on Saturday it seems like rehearsals are starting soon. One to look forward to! It is from John Caird, of Les Miserables fame.

She will be playing Jerusha Abbot (click here for an English summary.)

For more information on both of these click here to go Maaya’s official homepage.

IDS Fanclub Tour 2012 'Winter Songs' Zepp Nagoya Report - 5/2/2012

On Sunday I had the privilege of going to one of the Nagoya IDS fanclub events at Zepp Nagoya. Like the tour in 2009, the venue was small and even sitting right at the back we were still close enough to see everything clearly and make eye-contact with Maaya, nod along to her conversation and wave when she looked our way (I dragged a friend along.)

The fanclub events are nice as not only are they intimate in the sense Maaya chats a lot with the audience and there’s more interaction than a regular concert, but the band is made up of four members: percussion, guitar, cello and piano. The acoustic arrangements of her songs are really lovely and give off a completely new vibe in some cases to the original.

As you can see from the setlist, this concert focused on the winter themed songs of Maaya’s discography (mostly ‘Driving in the Silence’ as a lot of fans didn’t get to go to the Tokyo concerts in December 2011) for the first half then from ‘Remedy’ onwards Maaya said they were just the songs she wanted to sing.

The ‘Driving in the Silence’ tracks in particular had wonderful arrangements, and the percussionist’s performance in 'Kyoku-ya’ was great; she had so many different instruments clustered around her and each sounded unique and atmospheric. I was really, really impressed.

Another track that stood out was the acoustic performance of ‘Melt the snow in me’. This isn’t a song I would have imagined being acoustic but once the guitarist started strumming the opening it was hard to go back to the original. Even ‘Mizuumi’, a song I don’t have a particular love for in it’s original form, sounded deep and gorgeous.

Audience interaction, there was a game in the middle of the setlist where we were all gradually whittled down by rock-paper-scissors and questions to one person who was invited up on stage (!!) to draw from a lottery to select the next song.　The woman pulled ‘Kiseki no Umi’ out of the box and when Maaya asked if she liked that song the woman replied in the negative and we were all duly shocked. You’re up on stage with Maaya Sakamoto, at least say you like the song you pulled out!

Still, it was a good performance of a classic, along with ‘Pocket wo kara ni shite’ it was the only other really early Maaya song.

My friend had only heard ‘Loop’ before going to the event (I was reasonably confident she would enjoy it after hearing that as I don’t think of ‘Loop’ as high-quality convert someone to Maaya fare) and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, especially the performances of ‘Kotoshi Ichiban’ and ‘Mizuumi’. Although we were sitting at the back but one row the seats were on a raised platform and it just so happened there was no one in the two rows in front of us so we had the perfect view.

So you can imagine how excited I was to be waving and be seen (and embarrassed, I did try and keep my dignity mostly.)

Here’s the setlist, apart from the song lottery, it’s the same as before. I’m going to Osaka next weekend with another friend so I’m looking forward to seeing what is pulled out of the box next time.

She also discussed plans for the 10^th anniversary of IDS next year, they are currently collecting ideas from members about what sorts of things they could do to mark the occasion. One bizarre idea was to put on a play about how IDS was started starring Maaya and the IDS staff, Maaya’s comment was: ‘Who on earth would come and see it?!’

By the way, when she was reading out the list of merchandise and stuff she let out this really loud goofy laugh and my friend was like ‘that was the best laugh ever!’ I’m glad she enjoyed herself.

1.Driving in the silence
2.Fuyu desu ka
3.Sayonara Santa
4.Melt the snow in me
5.Tatoeba ringo ga te ni ochiru you ni
6.Kotoshi Ichiban
7.Mizuumi
8.Kyokuya
9.Kiseki no Umi
10.Remedy
11.Chikai
12.Okaerinasai
13.Pocket wo kara ni shite

Pledge (Chikai) - lyrics translation

Since I made a big deal about 'Polar Night' supposedly being about the same thing as this song, I thought I'd better translate it and post it up so people could compare the themes and imagery. It's worth a look at, anyway. There were also some tricky phrases in this! I hope I pulled it off alright. JLPT level 1 means nothing, nothing I tell you!

So, as in Polar Night, the point of view in this song is of someone who has lost their lover (although in this case it felt to me like someone who was married but I think I am reading Maaya's own marital status into that and she wasn't even married when she wrote this song so that shows some bias on my part!!) and is still stuck in the place and time they shared. I felt like maybe Chikai was a thaw after the long Polar Night before it...I wonder if that's how the two relate. Anyway, enjoy!!

P.S. This song was written in the days and weeks after the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami last year.

Pledge (Chikai)
From 'Driving in the Silence'
Original Lyrics by Maaya Sakamoto

I want to become stronger
I want to become a kinder person
Just like you were
More and more

I always thought about it
I always asked myself
What would you say?
Always, always

Even if I lose something I'll keep on living, right?
Whatever sadness I experience I'll be able to overcome it, right?
When we pledged our love we also promised a goodbye

*And now winter is coming to an end, shaking off the sorrow
The season you loved is
Passing by and sweeping everything away
And I'm still here like this, like this

Today warm rain
Gently continued to fall
I thought I could hear your voice
Softly, softly

Different people with different ways of living
The two of us chose the same path
We promised to share the happiness between us

#And now I move forward, clutching my pride to my chest
In this world that you loved
To the destination that we looked to together
I'm still here like this, like this

*Repeat

#Repeat

Polar Night (Kyoku-ya) - lyrics translation

From 'Driving in the Silence', this song's title is in keeping with the concept album's theme of winter. If you look up polar night on Wikipedia the definition is when "the night lasts for more than 24 hours" in the arctic or antarctic circles. Apparently the prolonged darkness can trigger depression.

Maaya mentioned on her radio show that this song takes the opposite point of view of 'Chikai', the song that follows on from it on the CD, although they are both talking about the same thing. While this song is pretty...well, the first time I heard it the song brought to mind a desolate wasteland of snow and ice, 'Chikai' is much warmer.

Notes, notes. The second verse, 'frozen stars' is 'kotta hoshi' in the Japanese so I thought she meant the sun was a frozen star instead of the 'rising [normal] sun', then I looked up polar night and no, no sun BUT you can see the stars all day in some forms of polar night Thank you, Wikipedia. .

The final line was also a bit tricky as she literally says 'I will be far away, just a little' in the Japanese and so I changed that to 'slightly further away' as I interpreted her words to mean that, in the end, even though they are not together anymore they are still both in the same country and city (and on the same planet!) they were before...just...apart. Slightly further apart, so to speak.. And in Tokyo, I suppose you always have the possibility of running into your ex because practically everyone lives there....

Now enough of my translator babble.



Polar Night (kyoku-ya)
From Driving in the Silence
Original lyrics by Maaya Sakamoto

As soon as I wake up in the morning I remember you
And quickly close my eyes once more
How many more sleeps will it take before all the sad things
Melt away like ice into tears, I wonder?

It's starting, a new day
It's starting, here
As if it's going to swallow everything completely
It's starting, once more

A sun that won't rise, frozen stars
There's no such thing as time standing still
But I'm still here even though you're gone
Who should prayers be offered to and who are they meant to save?

Making noise, shivering
To the point where I feel like I'm going mad
I'm alive, living

I'm alive, right now

Right now

Until we meet again someday, someplace
I'll be slightly further away