Favorite J-Pop Singles: Yoshino Kimura: “Iruka no Natsu”

As we go into season two of the lively buddy cop comedy drama “No Activity2” and are reunited with Yoshino Kimura as the brash and outspoken Police Dispatcher Satomi Misato, I thought it might be fun to harken back to 1998 and reminisce when Yoshino was moonlighting as a sweet, singing IDOL, and on Pony Canyon, no less!

Though her vocal career was brief, one of her songs really caught my ear and became one of my favorite songs of that summer: The song was “Iruka no Natsu” (Dolphin Summer), and I might have missed it altogether if not for my friend Golden, who included it in one of his many J-pop mixes! With its' jangly guitars and solid backbeat, it instantly captivated, and my first thought was, “EHH? That chick from Riso No Joshi can SING????” 

Yep, up until that point I’d only known her from acting in "The Ideal Boss" with Yuriko Ishida and Yasuko Matsuyuki (and Kyozo Nagatsuka as the titular boss), color me impressed when I found that she was a capable singer, belting out a tune that I had to grab for myself!

I had no idea where this song came from or what it was promoting, watching this youtube upload of the Iruka no Natsu MV, seems it was the CM song for some Instant Cream Spaghetti mix, huh, who knew?!

From here Yoshino would go on to star in dramas like "Over Time" and "(Not so) Perfect Love", among others, assuring her ascent into superstardom!