An unexpected collab in the age of jishuku.
Like much of the rest of the world Japan is in the midst of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders in Japan are asking people to refrain from going out as much as possible in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. That, of course, has resulted in many creatives being stuck at home with extra time on their hands. One such individual is the a cappella singer, musician, and YouTuber Ryoji Takarabe, who recently created something during his time at home that has ended up going so–pardon the expression–viral that it even caught the attention of the frontman of the well-known Japanese “air” rock band Golden Bomber.
On April 6, Takarabe released a parody version of Golden Bomber’s hit song “Memeshikute.” This modified version is called “Jishuku Shite,” which can be translated in many ways, including “Refrain [from going out]” (jishuku literally means “self restraint” but lately the term is often used to imply that people should stay home as much as possible).
The song encourages people to stay home while at the same time expresses many of the frustrations that people are feeling during this tough time. Here are the lyrics of the lead up to the chorus and the chorus (English translation are included).
Shikata nai n da keredo
There’s nothing we can do about it
Iwasete yo
But just let me say this
Korona tte nani
What the heck is “corona” anyway?
Sore oishii no
Does it taste good?
Hara tatsu maji
It really pisses me off
*Bee* shitai
I want to (expletive deleted) it
Jitakutaiki ki ga meiru kedo
Staying at home really gets me down
Kimi o mamoru tame
But it’s to protect you
Jishuku shite, jishuku shite
Refrain, refrain
Taiyōkō abite
To be out in the sunlight
Jishuku shite, jishuku shite
Refrain, refrain
Minna ni aitē
I want to see everyone
Jishuku shite, jishuku shite
Refrain, refrain
Ima taeru toki daga honne iu to
Now is a time for us to endure but this is how I feel inside
Jishuku shite, jishuku shite, jishuku shite
Refrain, refrain, refrain
Tsurai yo
It’s so tough!
Check out Takarabe’s video below.
Takarabe’s self-isolation-themed take on “Memeshkute” turned out to be quite a success. Not only is it well over the two million view mark on YouTube as of the time of this writing, it also caught the attention of many on social media, including the creative force behind Goldem Bomber himself, Kiryūin Shō.
After watching Takerabe’s video, Kiryūin decided to join in on the fun by recording his own version of “Jishuku Shite” using his home studio. Kiryūin even released a video featuring his rerecorded version of the song to the Golden Bomber YouTube channel. The video of this Kiryūin version of Takarabe’s parody currently stands at more than 1.7 million views.
Check out Kiryūin’s version of “Jishuku Shite” below.
By the way, this is hardly the only thing Kiryūin has been up to in the past few weeks. Just a couple days before releasing his version of “Jishuku Shite,” Kiryūin released a rather interesting curveball of a video to the Golden Bomber YouTube channel. The video shows Kiryūin getting into a rotemburo (open air bath) and sitting there for an entire hour. He does not say even a single word. All you hear is the sound of water flowing into the bath and all you see is Kiryūin soaking in the tub for an hour.
A few weeks before he released his bathing video, Kiryūin released another uncut hour -long video. This one shows him sitting in front of a bonfire, once again saying absolutely nothing. All you hear is the sound of the fire and occassional noises in the background.
As any fan of Golden Bomber would be able to tell you, the fact that Kiryūin has released a couple of weird videos should come as no surprise. After all, Golden Bomber is an “air” band that does not actually play any instruments during their live performances. Furthermore, they are known for creating humorous songs and putting on some pretty ridiculous live performances. But what is the point of Kiryūin’s hour-long sleep-inducing videos?
Basically, they’re just supposed to be videos that help viewers relax. Think of it as ASMR-style sleep aids/sources of stress relief. The titles of these videos specifically say something along the lined of “Videos for relaxation and sound sleep.” So if you’re having a tough time falling asleep due to the craziness of the coronavirus pandemic, you may want to consider putting on one of these videos and kicking back with the one and only Kiryūin Shō.
Source: Golden Bomber Official YouTube Channel, Lmaga.jp
Featured image: 【代弁します】”自粛して” / ゴールデンボンバー「女々しくて」替え歌 (Ryoji Takarabe YouTube Channel)
