Drama on 1961 Hit 'Sukiyaki' Premieres at Tokyo Film Festival

Sukiyaki, a new drama directed by Takahisa Zeze, opened the 2026 Tokyo International Film Festival. The movie details the origins of the 1960s song that became a global phenomenon and a marker of Japan's postwar recovery.

The narrative follows composer Hachidai Nakamura, played by Junichi Okada, and lyricist Rokusuke Ei, portrayed by Tori Matsuzaka. Their partnership began after rockabilly music replaced jazz, leaving Nakamura in debt and struggling with addiction. Ei, a radio writer with no prior experience in song lyrics, joined Nakamura to compose a score for a 1959 Toho film. The two later created the song known in Japan as 'Ue o Muite Aruko,' which translates to 'I look upwards as I walk.'

Nakamura blended traditional Japanese scales with jazz chords and American pop influences. Ei wrote melancholic lyrics inspired by the failed Anpo protests against the Tokyo-Washington security treaty. The upward gaze in the lyrics served to hold back tears of sadness.

Singer Kyu Sakamoto, played by Taiga Nakano, performed the track at Tokyo’s Sankei Hall on July 21, 1961. He received the sheet music only two hours before the show. Without rehearsal, Sakamoto altered the tempo, added a minor key ad lib, and sang a beat late. These spontaneous choices defined the recording's distinct sound.

The single sold 300,000 copies in Japan between November 1961 and January 1962. In 1962, Louis Benjamin of Pye Records heard the melody in Japan and assigned an instrumental version to Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen. That track, titled 'Sukiyaki,' entered the British top ten in February 1963.

Capitol Records released the original Japanese version in the United States on May 3, 1963. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in June. This made Sakamoto the first Japanese artist to achieve a U.S. No. 1. The song was the first from Asia to hold that position until BTS released 'Dynamite' in 2020.

The single sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Its success coincided with Japan's double-digit economic growth and the rise of global brands like Sony and Toyota. The song offered a source of national pride during a period of recovery from wartime defeat. Cover versions appeared in Chinese, Spanish, German, and French. In 1981, the R&B group A Taste of Honey topped the Billboard R&B chart with their English adaptation.

Sakamoto died on August 12, 1985, in the crash of Japan Air Lines flight 123, the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in history. The song has since been used in various cultural contexts, including a 2011 television commercial featuring 71 celebrities and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony. The film releases in Japan on Christmas Day.