EIICHI OHTAKI (大滝詠一) — A LONG VACATION 1981 Japan · Niagara / CBS-Sony 27AH 1234 · The Cornerstone of City Pop
The album — and the cover — that came to mean "city pop."
Released March 1981, A Long Vacation is Eiichi Ohtaki's masterpiece: a sun-drenched fusion of Wall-of-Sound production, doo-wop, and Pacific melody that sold over a million copies and won Album of the Year at the 23rd Japan Record Awards. "Kimi wa Tennenshoku," "Velvet Motel," "Saraba Siberian Railroad" — songs woven into the fabric of Japanese pop. Lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto; a studio cast including Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, Tatsuo Hayashi and Masataka Matsutoya.
The Hiroshi Nagai cover — the empty poolside at dusk — is the single image most associated with the entire city-pop aesthetic. This is where it began.
Edition & Pressing · Label: Niagara Records 27AH 1234 (Japan, 1981) · Yellow Niagara label, "Fussa Tokyo" etched · Illustration: Hiroshi Nagai · Pattern: Teruhiko Yumura · Lyric insert included · palm-line inner sleeve (earlier-style pressing) · Runout: 27AH-1234 A/B
Condition (Goldmine standard, graded separately) · Sleeve: VG — presentable, but foxing / brown spotting across the white areas of front and rear (photographed up close, honestly disclosed); insert shows light spotting too · Media: VG+ — plays through cleanly, only faint surface noise between tracks · Included: LP, lyric insert, palm-line inner · Not included: obi (this copy is without obi) · Cleaned on our ultrasonic system before listing
What you see and read is what ships. Flaws are photographed up close.
Cleaning & Care
Every record in this shop is individually cleaned on our ultrasonic cleaning system before it is listed — a deep bath process that lifts dust and residue from the groove itself, beyond what a conventional brush reaches. Each disc is then handled with lint-free wipes.
Sleeve and media are graded separately (Goldmine standard), with honest disclosure of any flaws. What you see and read is what ships.
Shipping
All items ship from Tokyo, Japan via EMS with full tracking and insurance. Estimated delivery is 5–8 business days to Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and 11–14 business days to the United States after dispatch. Every item is carefully packed to protect all volumes in transit.
About Shipping
I only ever charge the actual, official postage — never a markup. Shipping is based on Japan Post's official EMS rate table. Please see the rate for your region here:
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/send/oversea/charge/list-ems/all.html
If you are located in a region with special zone rates (for example, Cyprus or other outlying areas), the listed shipping may differ slightly. In that case, please message me before purchasing and I will correct it to the exact official rate.
Quantity
Secure checkout with
The album — and the cover — that came to mean "city pop."
Released March 1981, A Long Vacation is Eiichi Ohtaki's masterpiece: a sun-drenched fusion of Wall-of-Sound production, doo-wop, and Pacific melody that sold over a million copies and won Album of the Year at the 23rd Japan Record Awards. "Kimi wa Tennenshoku," "Velvet Motel," "Saraba Siberian Railroad" — songs woven into the fabric of Japanese pop. Lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto; a studio cast including Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, Tatsuo Hayashi and Masataka Matsutoya.
The Hiroshi Nagai cover — the empty poolside at dusk — is the single image most associated with the entire city-pop aesthetic. This is where it began.
Edition & Pressing · Label: Niagara Records 27AH 1234 (Japan, 1981) · Yellow Niagara label, "Fussa Tokyo" etched · Illustration: Hiroshi Nagai · Pattern: Teruhiko Yumura · Lyric insert included · palm-line inner sleeve (earlier-style pressing) · Runout: 27AH-1234 A/B
Condition (Goldmine standard, graded separately) · Sleeve: VG — presentable, but foxing / brown spotting across the white areas of front and rear (photographed up close, honestly disclosed); insert shows light spotting too · Media: VG+ — plays through cleanly, only faint surface noise between tracks · Included: LP, lyric insert, palm-line inner · Not included: obi (this copy is without obi) · Cleaned on our ultrasonic system before listing
What you see and read is what ships. Flaws are photographed up close.
Cleaning & Care
Every record in this shop is individually cleaned on our ultrasonic cleaning system before it is listed — a deep bath process that lifts dust and residue from the groove itself, beyond what a conventional brush reaches. Each disc is then handled with lint-free wipes.
Sleeve and media are graded separately (Goldmine standard), with honest disclosure of any flaws. What you see and read is what ships.
Shipping
All items ship from Tokyo, Japan via EMS with full tracking and insurance. Estimated delivery is 5–8 business days to Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and 11–14 business days to the United States after dispatch. Every item is carefully packed to protect all volumes in transit.
About Shipping
I only ever charge the actual, official postage — never a markup. Shipping is based on Japan Post's official EMS rate table. Please see the rate for your region here:
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/send/oversea/charge/list-ems/all.html
If you are located in a region with special zone rates (for example, Cyprus or other outlying areas), the listed shipping may differ slightly. In that case, please message me before purchasing and I will correct it to the exact official rate.
Write a short description about the heading, or content describing your heading or answer to your question.