Sakamoto's 1961 Hit Returns to Screen as Tokyo Festival Opener

Audiences at the 2026 Tokyo International Film Festival will see a new look at a song that defined a moment in Japanese pop history. The festival opens with Sukiyaki, a drama directed by Takahisa Zeze. The film charts the origins of the track that became a worldwide phenomenon and a symbol of national recovery.

The story centers on composer Hachidai Nakamura, played by Junichi Okada. It details his partnership with lyricist Rokusuke Ei, portrayed by Tori Matsuzaka. Their collaboration produced a melody that singer Kyu Sakamoto, played by Taiga Nakano, transformed into a global hit. The narrative explores how a specific combination of musical elements created a lasting cultural impact.

In 1961, Nakamura and Ei wrote a song titled Ue o Muite Aruko. The lyrics, inspired by failed political protests, described looking upward to keep tears from falling. Nakamura blended traditional Japanese scales with jazz chords and American pop influences. Sakamoto received the sheet music just two hours before his premiere at Tokyo’s Sankei Hall on July 21, 1961.

Unrehearsed, Sakamoto altered the song’s tempo and key during his performance. These improvisations added a distinct quality to the recording. Released as a single, it topped domestic charts from November 1961 to January 1962, selling 300,000 copies in Japan. Its international journey began in 1962 when Louis Benjamin of Pye Records visited Japan and heard the melody.

Benjamin gave the track to Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, who recorded an instrumental version titled Sukiyaki. That version reached the British top ten in February 1963. Capitol Records later released the original Japanese vocal version in the United States on May 3, 1963. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in June, making Sakamoto the only Japanese artist to achieve that feat until 2020.

The single sold more than 13 million copies globally. In Japan, Toshiba reissued the record with the title rendered in katakana and a label declaring it a global hit. The song became a source of pride during a period of strong economic growth. Cover versions followed in many languages, including a 1981 R&B hit by A Taste of Honey that reached number three on the Hot 100.

Sakamoto died in 1985 in a plane crash that killed 520 people. The song has since served as a memorial and a cultural reference, appearing in a 2011 Ghibli film and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony. The new film Sukiyaki releases in Japan on Christmas Day, reuniting the three main characters on screen.