{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 53 \u2013 Naomi Sagara\u2019s \u201cWhite Christmas\u201d","description":"Welcome to episode 53 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this episode, I\u2019ll be discussing Naomi Sagara\u2019s 1975 album, \u201cWhite Christmas.\u201d  I\u2019ve mentioned before how collecting Japanese Christmas albums can sometimes be a real crap shoot. So many of them, especially older ones, have no presence online, so I often have no idea how they\u2019ll sound once I finally get them. This was another of those cases where I pleasantly surprised with the results. While some of the songs are dated, I truly enjoy the entire album and it\u2019s one that I\u2019ve returned to multiple times since getting it. As I said in this episode, I was really taken by Naomi Sagara\u2019s voice. There\u2019s a pleasing quality to it I really enjoy. I looked up several of her songs on YouTube and was also impressed by her stage presence in her live performances. Despite the difficulties she faced, her reputation as a performer appears to have rebounded and her songs maintain a following to this day. The World Is For Two People Why Not, As Long As You\u2019re Happy I hope you\u2019ve enjoyed learning about Naomi Sagara and listening to \u201cWhite Christmas.\u201d Join me next month for Christmas in July. I\u2019ll be starting things off with something a little different. Instead of a Christmas album, I\u2019ll be covering Yumi Matsutoya\u2019s City Pop classic, \u201cSurf &amp;amp; Snow \u2013 Volume One.\u201d It\u2019s a fantastic album with a mix of summer and winter-themed songs, including one of the biggest and most popular Japanese Christmas songs, \u201cKoibito ga Santa Claus.\u201d Then join me on the 25th for my third annual Christmas In July episode. I have some really fun songs lined up for it. If I can find a little extra free time, I might even throw out an extra episode or two. As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you\u2019d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know. Remember, I've added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you'd like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. I\u2019ve also opened a Redbubble store. I only have a couple designs up, but keep an eye on it as I\u2019ll be trying to add more. Half of any proceeds or donations received will be donated to support the people of Ukraine, while the rest will be used to purchase new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks! ","author_name":"Holly Jolly X'masu","author_url":"http:\/\/hollyjollyxmasu.libsyn.com\/website","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/23539199\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/130640780"}