Kouji Nogami & Hiroto Tsukasa: “Formula for a Hit” as perceived in “Tenjinbashi,” the highly popular campaign in Osaka’s Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade

Toshio Ishikawa, entertainment reporter, reports on the entertainment industry: “What’s Behind the Scenes: ……

The era has come to a point where songs and enka (traditional Japanese ballads) are not selling at all.

Even the best singers who once became famous for their hit songs are now struggling to sell even 5,000 copies. Production companies for singers are also having a hard time.

There are many reasons for this, but the biggest is downloading through distribution. This is not easy for elderly people who like to sing songs.

And record stores, which used to be one per station, closed down. The disappearance of singing programs from broadcast stations, and so on. Although some songs have been produced by organizational votes and sold over 1 million copies, many were bought by fans in large numbers, and there have been incidents of them being discarded.

The record companies that have not been able to take effective measures to deal with such a situation may also have a problem.

In the midst of this situation, there is an enka (traditional Japanese ballad) song that is slowly becoming a hit. It is “Tenjinbashi” sung by Koji Nogami and Hiroto Tsukasa.

It was released in 2006, and just as it was about to catch fire, it was hit by a typhoon called the COVID-19 crisis. The campaign was also not possible.

It was re-recorded and re-launched in 2009. Corona was changed from Class 2 to Class 5, and the campaign finally became possible.

The song is set in Osaka, Ishikawa, and Fukuoka. Nogami-san, who had his eye on this, set a goal to continue the “Tenjinbashi Campaign” on a steady basis.

The first of these campaigns is the Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade in Osaka. It is the longest shopping street in Japan.

It is a 2.6-kilometer arcaded shopping arcade from north to south, from 1-chome to 6-chome, with approximately 600 stores. It would take an able-bodied adult 40 minutes to walk there.

On May 26, the first campaign was held in a rented store in the “Ten 5” shopping arcade.

The song is fun to sing without being self-conscious. I want people, whether they are seniors or juniors, to sing duets with me and get excited. It’s not a difficult song, so people can sing it comfortably.

Nogami promotes the song as a song that is only available now that karaoke has made a comeback.

I don’t know how many places in Japan are called Tenjinbashi, but I’m sure there are more than several hundred. If you contact our office, we would like to hold a drawing for you to go there. We’re putting our heart and soul into this song.

Nogami and Tsukasa are enthusiastic about the event. This is the first hit for the duo, who have been together for 75 years (40 years for Nogami and 35 years for Tsukasa).

I’ve never been so happy. I’ve been doing a little campaign every time a new song comes out, but this is the first time I’ve ever felt such a strong response. This is all thanks to our fans. It would be great if we could repay all the support we have received with a big hit.

Their eyes light up with joy. It is true that Mr. Nogami has had some small hits, such as “Mochigo Ressha” and “Kuroi Salvia,” but he has not had many songs that have had such a good feeling, and Mr. Tsukasa has sung “Chikugo River: Youthful Years,” but this seems to be the first time he has had such a feeling.

I’m sorry to put it this way, but I enjoy singing more than singing as a job,” said Tsukasa.

I’m sorry to put it this way, but I enjoy singing more than singing as a job,” said Tsukasa.

It has been said that when a song or enka becomes a hit in Osaka, it spreads throughout the country. The old songs include “Tsuki no Hozenji Yokocho” (by Kanuo Fujishima), “Ousho” (by Hideo Murata), and “Osaka Rhapsody” (by Senri and Banri Umihara). There was also “Futari no Osaka” by Harumi Miyako. ……

We enjoyed the campaign. Everyone was very warm and said to me, ‘You should do the campaign in front of more people, not on a weekday. I met a lot of wonderful customers.

Nogami was overjoyed.

The show is sure to be a hit in Osaka, the home of “Tenjinbashi”. We can only hope that the product will catch the “selling formula” and spread across the country.