''Ihojin'' (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: 異邦人) (English: "Stranger" or "Foreigner") is a songIhojin
Music Liverary. ( Sony Music Labels Legacy Plus). written and composed by

Saki Kubota Sayuri Kume (Japanese: 久米小百合 (Kume Sayuri)),

, and first performed by her. The song was first released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

on 1 October 1979. That recording sold more than 1.4 million copies and reached number 1 in the Japanese singles chart."Japan" in "Hits of the World".

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

. 22 December 1979
p 71

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

. 2 February 1980
p 37
The song was used in the "Silk Road" television commercial for

Sanyo is a former Japanese electronics manufacturer founded in 1947 by Toshio Iue, the brother-in-law of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial, now known as Panasonic. Iue left Matsushita Electric to start his own bu ...

.思う「1980～82年のヒット曲」ランキングTOP21 ! 第1位は「異邦人」"
ITmedia. The version released on 12/7/2006 was

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pro ...

in May 2019. A

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Vermillion Records Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a modern ...

catalogue number BMCV-5004 of the song by

Tak Matsumoto is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist and main composer of the Rock music, rock duo B'z, the List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music act in their native Japan by certif ...

, featuring

Zard (stylized as ZARD) were a Japanese pop rock group, originally with five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as its only constant member. Izumi Sakai was also the band's core member. Zard's work was sold under the record label B-Gram Reco ...

, reached number 3 in the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

in 2003.Tak Matsumoto featuring Zard: 異邦人
Oricon entertainment site. Oricon. TV Tokyo included the song in a collection of one hundred songs that are so well known that anyone could recognise them in three seconds. In 2022, it was among the most popular 1970s Japanese songs on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

. The song is in the new music genre.

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song refer to children playing in an open space adjacent to the railway tracks, as seen by a passenger from the window of a railway train travelling on the Chuo Line. The lyrics of "Ihojin" include the motif of time travel that previously appeared in the

Shinji Harada Shinji Harada (Harada Shinji、原田真二) is a famous pop music artist in Japan, born in Hiroshima, on December 5, 1958. After three years of practicing guitar, at the age of fifteen he was ready to play guitar with the band ''Yamaha''. Hara ...

song " Taimu Toraberu" (Japanese: タイム・トラベル) (1978).

Saki Kubota

The single released by Saki Kubota was a

hit song A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

.久保田早紀から久米小百合へ大ヒット曲「異邦人」と歩んだ38年といま
The Page. (

Yahoo! Japan is a Japanese web portal. It was the most-visited website in Japan, nearing monopolistic status. According to ''The Japan Times'', as of 2012, Yahoo! Japan had a footprint on the internet market in Japan. In terms of use as a search engine, ...

). 12 December 2017. Weekly charts: The single reached number 1 in

The Best Ten , was a Japanese music chart television program broadcast on TBS Television (Japan), TBS Television from 1978 to 1989. The weekly shows were broadcast live on Thursdays. During its broadcast history, the air time and day changed only once. Each e ...

chart, the

,シングル売上TOP2作品
in "久保田早紀".

Oricon News , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...

. the Music Labo singles chart, and the Cash Box of Japan 45s chart. The single spent three consecutive weeks at the top of The Best Ten chart. The single spent 12 consecutive weeks in The Best Ten. The single spent seven consecutive weeks at the top of the Oricon chart, and spent 25 weeks in the Oricon chart. The single was the first debut song to reach number 1 on The Best Ten chart. Monthly charts: The single was number 1 in the Oricon monthly singles chart for December 1979 and January 1980. Annual charts: The single was number 2 in the Oricon annual singles chart for 1980."5月11日は「異邦人」久保田早紀の誕生日"
News Online.

Nippon Broadcasting System , or JOLF, is a Japanese radio station based in Yurakucho, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo, headquartered near the Tokyo Imperial Palace. It is also the main company of the Nippon Broadcasting Group. Nippon Broadcasting System is a subsidiary of Fu ...

. 5 May 2018. Decade charts: The single was number 10 in the Oricon 1970s singles chart, with sales of 1,445,000. The recording of the song released as a single in 1979 is included in the album '' Yumegatari''. The album ''

Saudade ''Saudade'' (; plural ''saudades'') is a word in Portuguese and Galician denoting an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for a beloved yet absent someone or something. It derives from the Latin word for solitude. ...

'', released in 1980, included a new

acoustic version Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the adv ...

of the song recorded in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

in Portugal. The 1979 single was released on a

7-inch In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

45rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The gr ...

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...

on the

CBS/Sony , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is operat ...

label. The subtitle of the song "Ihojin" is "Shiruku Rōdo No Tēma" (Japanese: シルクロードのテーマ) which means "Silk Road Theme". The duration of "Ihojin" is 3 minutes and 41 seconds. The song "Yumehiko" (Japanese: 夢飛行)CBS/Sony catalogue number 06SH636. Front and back cover of the sleeve. (English: "Dream Flight") is on the

B side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

of the single. The duration of "Yumehiko" is 4 minutes and 11 seconds. The song "Ihojin" was

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...

Mitsuo Hagita , born June 16, 1946, in Shizuoka, Japan, is a Japanese arranger, composer and musical producer. Biography After graduating from the Keio University, he set his goal to be arranger and composer. In 1973, he made debut as an arranger with the song ...

and produced by

Masatoshi Sakai Masatoshi Sakai (Japanese: 酒井政利; 1935 lament bass In music, the lament bass is a ground bass, built from a descending perfect fourth from tonic to dominant, with each step harmonized.Brover-Lubovsky, Bella (2008). ''Tonal Space in the Music of Antonio Vivaldi'', p.151-52. . The diatonic vers ...

as a bridge passage. Makaino said the arrangement is full of

exoticism Exoticism (from ''exotic'') is the style or traits considered characteristic of a distant foreign country. In art and design it is a trend where creators become fascinated with ideas and styles from distant regions and draw inspiration from them. ...

("ikoku jōcho", Japanese: 異国情緒, the mood of a foreign country). An animated

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was created by Harune Sato and Kohei Saito from the

Tokyo University of the Arts or is a school of art and music in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, crafts, inter ...

in 2021. The video includes three dimensional art. The song is included in the soundtrack of Mirai no Omoide: Last Christmas (1992). There are karaoke versions of both the ''Yumegatari'' version, and the (Portuguese recording) ''Saudade'' version, of "Ihojin" on the album '' Golden Best Saki Kubota''. "Ihojin" reached number 10 in the Joysound karaoke rankings for

Shōwa era The was a historical period of History of Japan, Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the T ...

songs in the first half of 2024.「中森明菜」や「中島みゆき」の人気曲に世代間で大きな差が！平成生まれのカラオケ愛好家らと、人気の昭和曲ランキングを考察
"Daily Shincho" from

Shinchosha is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award. Books * Haruki Murakami: '' Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (1985), '' Ute ...

. 1 December 2024. The song has appeared in the Joysound karaoke annual rankings by age group, and in an

NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Televisio ...

karaoke survey ranking by age group. In 2024, it reached number 14 in the Joysound karaoke ranking for Shōwa era songs sung by Japanese people in their 10s and 20s, and number 12 for people born in the

Heisei era The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when his ...

. According to ITmedia, in 2024, "Ihojin" was the most popular song from 1980 to 1982 amongst Japanese people in their 50s and 60s, in their 60s, in their 50s, and in their 40s and 50s. It was the fourth most popular for people in their 30s and 40s, and also ranked highly for women. According to the Sankei Shimbun, it was the eighth most popular song amongst folk, rock and pop (fōku, rokku and poppusu) songs from the Shōwa era. It was the sixth most popular among women, and the tenth most popular among men. According to TV Asahi, it was the most popular song amongst breakthrough songs of the Shōwa era. According to a 2019 survey, it is the 22nd best song. In 2025, it was top of the Asahi Shimbun's "be ranking" of 1980s songs. Akina Nakamori, speaking of the song " Sand Beige (Sabaku e)" (1985), said she asked to be given a song with the kind of exotic mood (ikoku jōcho) possessed by "Ihojin". The song "Ihojin" was praised by

Yoko Minamino , also known as Nanno (ナンノ), is a Japanese actress and singer. She is best known for playing Saki Asamiya in the second season of the live action ''Sukeban Deka'' television series. Though currently independent, Minamino was previously unde ...

Cover versions

Tak Matsumoto, featuring Zard

This single spent 16 weeks in the Oricon chart. The song on the B side is a cover version of Yuming's " Ame No Machi Wo" (Japanese: 雨の街を) by Tak Matsumoto, featuring Akiko Matsuda. The song "Ihojin" was included in the Tak Matsumoto album The Hit Parade.

Other

There are cover versions by

Hiroko Kasahara is a Japanese voice actress, J-pop singer and stage actress. She sang the ending theme song of the PlayStation 2 role-playing video game '' Shadow Hearts'', titled ''Ending Theme ~ Shadow Hearts'', and the ending theme of the PC and PlayStat ...

(1990),

Yukana Nogami , who goes by her mononymous stage name , is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Sigma Seven. Her major roles include Yuri Tanima in ''Wedding Peach'', Meiling Li in ''Cardcaptor Sakura'', Tessa in ''Full Metal Panic!'', Honoka ...

(1997),

Akina Nakamori is a Japanese Singing, singer and Actor, actress. She is one of the most popular and List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music artists in Japan. Akina achieved national recognition after winning the 1981 season of the tal ...

(2002),

Tatsuya Ishii , also known as Tatuya Ishii (born September 22, 1959) is a Japanese singer-songwriter, artist, and industrial designer from Ibaraki Prefecture. Biography In 1985, he debuted as vocalist in the band . In 1992, their single won the Japanese ...

(2003),

Yuki Koyanagi is a Japanese pop singer. She released her first single, "Anata no kisu o kazoemashô – You Were Mine" on September 15, 1999. This song was a huge hit in Japan and made the 17-year-old a sensation overnight. Her second album, ''Expansion'', s ...

(2003),

Hideaki Tokunaga is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter and actor. Although Tokunaga failed to pass the test of '' Star Tanjō!'' in 1982, he debuted as a recording singer in 1986. After he released hit songs such as " Yume o Shinjite" (the first ending theme of ...

(2005), the

12 Girls Band 12 Girls Band (, sometimes abbreviated to 女樂 or 女乐) are an all-female Chinese musical group that initially consisted of twelve members before the addition of a thirteenth. Twelve Girls Band use traditional Chinese instruments to play both ...

(2005),

Acid Black Cherry Acid Black Cherry (abbreviated as ABC) is the solo project of the former lead vocalist of Janne Da Arc, Yasu. The group was formed after Janne Da Arc announced their indefinite hiatus. Information Acid Black Cherry is the solo project of Yasun ...

(2007),

Yōko Oginome , married name , is a former pop idol, actress and voice actress, who gained popularity in the mid-1980s. Her fans often call her Oginome-chan. Her husband is Ryuso Tsujino. Career Oginome spent most of her elementary and junior high years ...

and Junichi Inagaki (2010),

Ayako Fuji (real name , née , born May 10, 1961) is a Japanese enka singer. She is signed onto Sony Music Japan. Born in Kakunodate, Akita, Fuji graduated from Akita Prefectural Kakunodate South High School.Jun Shibata , nicknamed "Shibajun", is a Japanese pop female singer-songwriter. She was born in Setagaya, Tokyo. In 2016, she was diagnosed with partial hearing loss. Musical characteristics Many of her songs are of slow and medium tempo and/or ballads ex ...

(2012), Ego-Wrappin' (2013),

Misaki Iwasa is a Japanese idol. She is a former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48 and enka singer. Her nickname is Wasamin. Her talent agency is Nagara Productions. She was also a member of the sub-unit Watarirouka Hashiritai 7. Career 2008 * Decemb ...

(2014),

Kazuya Yoshii is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band The Yellow Monkey. When they went on hiatus in 2001, before officially disbanding three years later, Yoshii started a solo ca ...

(2015),

Penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of beta-lactam antibiotic, β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' Mold (fungus), moulds, principally ''Penicillium chrysogenum, P. chrysogenum'' and ''Penicillium rubens, P. ru ...

(2015),

Tomoyo Harada is a Japanese actress, singer, and lyricist, and was a popular idol in the 1980s. Career In 1982, Harada participated in a movie audition with the reason of wanting to meet Hiroyuki Sanada, and received a special award. In July of the same ...

(2016),

Keisuke Kuwata is a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and Lead vocalist, frontman for the Southern All Stars, as well of his own solo band, the Kuwata band. He has also done a significant amount of scoring music for films. He went to Aoyama Ga ...

(2019),

Hiroji Miyamoto , born June 12, 1966, in Japan, is a Japanese rock singer-songwriter, lead vocalist of the rock-band Elephant Kashimashi, actor and former folk-choir singer. In 2018, he launched his solo career under talent agency Amuse and recording label Uni ...

(2020),

Mone Kamishiraishi , is a Japanese actress and singer. She is the older sister of actress Moka Kamishiraishi. Early life and career Born in Kagoshima, Her family lived in Mexico for three years due to her father's work. She can speak English and a little bit of ...

(2020),

Sora Amamiya is a Japanese voice actress, singer and songwriter. She is affiliated with the talent agency Music Ray'n. After passing an audition held by Music Ray'n, she made her voice acting debut in 2012. She had a leading role for the anime series ''One ...

(2021), May J. (2022), Juju (2023), and

Yūko Miyamura , also known by her nickname , is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and sound director. She played Kazuha Toyama in '' Detective Conan'', Casca in '' Berserk'' and Asuka Langley Soryu in '' Neon Genesis Evangelion''. Personal life Mi ...

(2023). A cover version by Aina the End is part of the soundtrack of

Kyrie ', a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of ('' Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, , "Lord, have mercy" derives from a Biblical phrase. Greek , ...

(2023). A cover version is performed in 2024 film adaptation of Karaoke Iko! A cover version was performed on '' Mr. Trot Japan'' (2025). A cover version in

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

was released under the title "Hang Zhong Bu Yao Wen" (Cantonese: 行踪不要問 or 行蹤不要問 or 行踪不要问) by

Paula Tsui Paula Tsui Siu Fung (born 1 January 1949) is a Hong Kong singer, with a career spanning over 50 years. She was affiliated with the TVB television station until the mid-1990s and has performed for Asia Television on several occasions since 1995. ...

in 1980. A cover version in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

was released under the title "Yìxiāngrén" (Mandarin: 異郷人) by Ai Jing in 1998.Included in the album "Made in China", Sony Records, catalogue number SRCS-8841

References

久保田早紀の名曲「異邦人」あの日運命を背負って生まれた歌
Re:minder. 10 December 2020. *Taichi Kameyama. 固定客は一人もいない. 日本工業新聞社 (Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha). 1983. ISBN 4-8191-0592-2. pp 201 to 206
National Diet Library

中森明菜、KATSUMI、久保田早紀、庄野真代...「妄想海外旅行」で懐かしの歌謡曲を振り返る
女性セブンプラス (Josei Seven Plus) from

Josei Seven is a weekly women's magazine published by Shogakukan, released every Thursday. The main content is articles related to the imperial family and celebrities, but there are also pages for news articles and reader submissions. From the second half ...