てんぷら★さんらいず
谷山浩子 Lyrics

The lyrics to 谷山浩子's song てんぷら★さんらいず paints a picture of the nightlife and food culture in Tokyo. The first verse sets the scene at 5 am in Shinjuku station's long platform, where people have scattered and the morning sun shines red. The singer mentions the freshness of the place, complementing it with the sizzling sounds of something being fried (kararito kararito), urging the listener to try some heavenly tempura called "Tenpura-san-raizu." However, once eaten, one won't want to go home.

The second verse takes us to the evening, at 6 pm, where the singer is standing in the middle of Shibuya's busy intersection. The setting sun (yureru yuuhi) is still tempting locals and visitors about where to go to enjoy something fresh and young (madawakai). In contrast to the morning scene, a tempura set (Tenpura-san-setto) is being advertised, which the singer wants to eat again but cannot return home yet.

The chorus for the song chants the name of the tempura, and the verses elaborate on when and where it's most tempting to eat. The bridge starts with shouting out two types of Japanese food, Sakura shell and Shirakuma, asking the listener to dance along with the singer. The song ends telling the listener to visit the singer's establishment, and asking for their patronage.