Fly-day Chinatown – Yasuha | 1981 – Words in Japanese Song

フライディ・チャイナタウン [Furaidi Chainataun]
泰葉 [Yasuha]
Words : 荒木とよひさ [ARAKI Toyohisa]
Music : 海老名泰葉 [EBINA Yasuha]

“Fly-day Chinatown” is Yasuha’s debut single.
Singer-songwriter Yasuha is the daughter of a star in traditional Japanese comedy, rakugo ^wiki, and all of her siblings are also celebrities in Japan. After retiring as a singer, she married a rakugo performer but later divorced. Even after that, her various statements and actions stirred up public attention, and she became recognized as a scandal-prone celebrity. However, suddenly amidst the recent City Pop boom, she has been re-evaluated, with many people thinking, “Wait, Yasuha was a singer-songwriter? And this is such a cool song…”

It’s So Fly-Day Fly-Day CHINA TOWN
it’s so fly-day fly-day china town
真夜中の人ごみに
mayonaka no hitogomi ni
It’s So Fly-Day Fly-Day CHINA TOWN
it’s so fly-day fly-day china town
はじけるネオンサイン
hajikeru neonsain

真夜中（まよなか） [mayonaka] : midnight
人混み（ひとごみ） [hitogomi] : crowd
ネオンサイン（ねおんさいん） [neonsain] : neon sign

(translation) “It’s So Fly-day Fly-day Chinatown
Amid the midnight crowd
It’s So Fly-day Fly-day Chinatown
The neon signs sparkle”

As for what “Fly-day” means, I’m not sure either. It might suggest a day that makes you want to leap up. Additionally, in Japanese, where there’s no distinction between “L” and “R,” it may sound similar to “Friday,” so it could also carry that meaning. Back in the day, Fridays were special, referred to as Hanakin (=flourish Friday), marking the start of a fun weekend. Though with more people working on Saturdays, that term has faded from use.

Japan has three famous Chinatowns: Yokohama ^wiki, Kobe ^wiki, and Nagasaki ^wiki. Both Yokohama and Kobe are port towns near megacities (Tokyo and Osaka) and share a similar character. Nagasaki, on the other hand, was the only port open to foreign trade during Japan’s isolation in the Edo period. These cities, with their history of foreign trade, have not only Chinatowns but also old Western-style houses and historic Christian churches, giving them an exotic atmosphere.

肩にぶつかる人外ウインクを投げる
kata ni butsukaru jingai winku o nageru
知らん顔のあなたとまどいのひとコマ
shiran kao no anata tomadoi no hitokoma

肩（かた） [kata] : shoulder
ぶつかる　[butsukaru] : bump
外人（がいじん） [gaijin] : foreigner
ウインク（ういんく） [winku] : wink
投げる（なげる） [nageru] : throw
知らん顔（しらんかお） [shiran kao] : indifferent look
顔（かお） [kao] : face
あなた　[anata] : you
戸惑う（とまどう） [tomadou] : be bewildered

(translation) “You bump into a foreigner, throwing a wink
You, with an indifferent face, caught in a moment of confusion”

外（そと・がい） [soto / gai] : outside
国（くに・こく） [kuni / koku] : country
人（ひと・じん） [hito / jin] : person

“外人 / gaijin” is a shortened form of “外国人 / gaikokujin,” meaning foreigner. Although it has been used for a long time, it has recently come to be seen as a derogatory term. It carries a nuance of “outsider,” so the thinking is that it should be replaced with “a person from another country.” However, many people aren’t too bothered by it because there’s usually no intention to discriminate. What do you think?
As for “人外 / jingai,” it’s just “外人 / gaijin” with the order of the characters reversed. It’s slang that became popular in the music and TV industries, similar to how “ジャズ / jazu”(=jazz) became “ズージャ / zūja” and “寿司 / sushi”(=sushi) became “シースー / shīsū”. It’s not used seriously anymore, so don’t worry about it.

“ひとコマ / hitokoma” refers to a single frame in a movie or a single panel in a comic, so it probably means “one scene.”
Perhaps this is about hitting on a foreigner.

By the way, while “throwing a kiss” makes sense, “throwing a wink” sounds strange. But it’s okay, I guess.

踊りつかれていても朝まで遊ぶわ
odori tsukarete itemo asa made asobu wa
港の見える場所で何か飲みたいのよ
minato no mieru basho de nanika nomitai no yo

踊る（おどる） [odoru] : dance
疲れる（つかれる） [tsukareru] : be tired
朝（あさ） [asa] : morning
遊ぶ（あそぶ） [asobu] : play
港（みなと） [minato] : port
見える（みえる） [mieru] : see
場所（ばしょ） [basho] : place
何か（なにか） [nanika] : something
飲む（のむ） [nomu] : drink

(translation) “Even though I’m tired from dancing, I’ll play until morning
I want to have a drink at a place where I can see the harbor”

Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagasaki have nearby hills or mountains, which offer famous spots with beautiful night views. You can also refer to “Blue Light Yokohama.”

It’s So Fly-Day Fly-Day CHINA TOWN
it’s so fly-day fly-day china town
ジャスミンに接吻を
jasumin ni kuchizuke o
It’s So Fly-Day Fly-Day CHINA TOWN
it’s so fly-day fly-day china town
私も異国人ね
watashi mo ikokujin ne

ジャスミン（じゃすみん） [jasumin] : jasmine
接吻（せっぷん） [seppun] : kiss
私（わたし） [watashi] : I
異国人（いこくじん） [ikokujin] : foreigner (different country people)

(translation) “It’s So Fly-day Fly-day Chinatown
A kiss for the jasmine
It’s So Fly-day Fly-day Chinatown
I, too, am a foreigner”

The kanji “接吻 / seppun” is read as “口づけ / kuchizuke” (=kiss). For more details, refer to “Sweet Fake Reading.”

“異国人 / ikokujin” means the same as “外国人 / gaikokujin” but has a more emotional connotation. It’s a word used back when foreigners were rare in Japan, evoking the feeling of people from faraway lands, completely different from ourselves.
In this case, it seems the foreign man might view her as a foreigner.

お店にならぶ絹のドレスを指さす
omise ni narabu kinu no doresu o yubi sasu
渋い顔のあなたわがままがいいたい
shibui kao no anata wagamama ga iitai

店（みせ） [mise] : shop
並ぶ（ならぶ） [narabu] : line up
絹（きぬ） [kinu] : silk
ドレス（どれす） [doresu] : dress
指さす（ゆびさす） [yubi sasu] : point
渋い（しぶい） [shibui] : grim
顔（かお） [kao] : face
わがまま　[wagamama] : selfishness
言う（いう） [iu] : say

(translation) “I point to the silk dress lined up in the shop
You, with a grim face, I want to act selfish”

A silk dress sold in Chinatown probably refers to a cheongsam. I’ve never seen anyone wearing one outside of cosplay, though.

愛想笑いのおばさんきっと似合うわと
aiso warai no obasan kitto niauwato
どこか静かな場所で着がえてみたいのよ
dokoka shizukana basho de kigaete mitai no yo

愛想笑い（あいそわらい） [aiso warai] : forced smile
おばさん　[obasan] : middle-aged woman
きっと　[kitto] : surely
似合う（にあう） [niau] : suit
どこか　[dokoka] : somewhere
静かな（しずかな） [shizukana] : quiet
場所（ばしょ） [basho] : place
着替える（きがえる） [kigaeru] : change clothes

(translation) “The middle-aged woman with a forced smile says, ‘It’ll definitely suit you’
I want to try it on somewhere quiet”

This scene reminds me of the past when walking through Yokohama’s Chinatown, where shopkeepers would often say, “You’re handsome, so I’ll give you a discount,” while trying to sell food. Those days are gone due to regulations.

The key phrase here is “somewhere quiet.” Without going into too much detail, Japan has “love hotels,” where couples can “rest” for about an hour. It seems like she’s suggesting this under the pretense of trying on the dress.

It’s So Fly-Day Fly-Day CHINA TOWN
it’s so fly-day fly-day china town
絹ずれの月あかり
kinuzure no tsukiakari
It’s So Fly-Day Fly-Day CHINA TOWN
it’s so fly-day fly-day china town
私も異国人ね
watashi mo ikokujin ne

衣擦れ（きぬずれ） [kinuzure] : rustling of silk
月（つき） [tsuki] : moon
あかり　[akari] : light

(translation) “It’s So Fly-day Fly-day Chinatown
The rustling of silk in the moonlight
It’s So Fly-day Fly-day Chinatown
I, too, am a foreigner”

“衣擦れ / kinuzure” refers to the sound of kimono hems brushing against each other, an old and quite elegant term. However, in this case, the kanji used is not “衣 / kinu” (=clothing), but “絹 / kinu” (=silk), which appeared earlier.

The lyrics depict a carefree, independent woman, which might reflect Yasuha’s true personality. Could the lyrics have been written with her background and character in mind?
Famous musicians such as Toyohisa Araki, who wrote the lyrics, and Akira Inoue, who arranged the song, were involved in this track. This may be seen as the privilege of being the daughter of a celebrity family.

Although “Fly-day Chinatown” was noticed at the time of its release, it didn’t become a major hit. However, it has gained renewed attention, particularly with a cover by Korean DJ Night Tempo ^YT, contributing to its current popularity.