Michael & Michele

My wonderful friend, Michiko Tomiya, who sent me the whole album as a gift, gave us all a wonderful song to dance to.

Follow this link to the Yuzawa Snow Stompers to read a lovely story about the song.

Door of The Life by Mariya Takeuchi is off her new album, Denim. She talks about the the song and what it means to her:

"Just like denim improves in character over the months and years, I want to be the kind of person who can like myself most at the age I am at that particular point in time. By throwing light on my state of mind as I now enter my 50s, this one song symbolizes the album in the sense that it's a song I could only write now. Also, like denim, which was born overseas and has become an integral part of Japanese daily life, if my music, which itself is based on European and U.S. pop, has drawn close to the daily lives of those who listen to it, I will be happy, and that's another thought I wanted to convey,"

Mariya Takeuchi and her husband, and most trusted collaborator, top producer Tatsuro Yamashita

The Door of The Life
When spring comes again, one year will be added;
The scenes reflected before the eyes will be changed slightly.
The innocent and naughty young days have gone far away.
As I sense it now, I am already on the way beyond 50's.

I say it's fun to be 20
You say it's great to be 30
And they say it's lovely to be 40
But I feel it's nice to be 50

With the unbelievable speed, the time has fleeted away.
If I knew it, though small things, all would be kept in mind, said my heart.
The full-bloomed cherry blossoms or the color changed mountain red maples,
Such scenes can be seen how many times henceforth?

I say it's fine to be 60
You say it's alright to be 70
And they say still good to be 80
But I'll maybe live over 90

To open and close the door of the life, every single one thing is so heavy.
For the sake of the beloved ones, every single one should live on.
The blue of your denim will fade increasingly to its beauty.
In the end of this long journey, anyone has some sort of its splendor.

I say it's sad to get weak
You say it's hard to get older
And they say that life has no meaning
But I still believe it's worth living