Japanese newspapers are reporting that 42,000 people turned out yesterday for rocker Imawano Kiyoshiro's funeral (Japanese language here and here; English language here).  That's the same number as turned out for  Misora Hibari's memorial services back in 1989.   Yesterday's crowd included many fellow musicians and performers:  Kuwata Keisuke, Takenaka Naoto, and Otake Shinobu, among others. 



   Tamaranzaka, a spot in the western suburbs of Tokyo that provided the title for a 1981 RC Succession song, has also turned into a pilgrimage site, with thousands of fans visiting and leaving flowers and other memorials (Japanese here).  There's a nice video of Kiyoshiro performing the tune solo here.



   As for me, I'm just not going to buy any lottery tickets today.