is a single by Japanese boy band

Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 1999 ...

. It was released on 22 March 2005 through

J Storm is a Japanese music and film company owned by Johnny & Associates. It was established on November 12, 2001, initially as a label for the Johnny's group, Arashi, after which it was named. Aside from producing and releasing CDs and DVDs, the co ...

as the first single from their fifth studio album ''

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

'' (2005). The song was written by Takeshi Aida,

Sho Sakurai (born January 25, 1982) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, news anchor, host and former radio host. He is a member of the boy band Arashi. Sakurai began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent a ...

, and Shin Tanimoto. "Sakura Sake" was released in two editions: Regular Edition and Limited Edition. The single peaked at number one on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...

, selling 115,000 copies in its first week. The single was certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...

in March 2005 for shipments of 100,000 units.

Composition

"Sakura Sake" was written by Takeshi Aida,

, and Shin Tanimoto, and arranged by Tomoki Ishizuka. Aida and Tanimoto previously co-wrote Arashi's ninth single "

Pikanchi "Pikanchi" (stylized as PIKA☆NCHI) is the ninth single of the Japanese boy band Arashi. The single was released in two editions: a regular edition with the song and its instrumental and a limited edition with ", the insert song used throughout t ...

" (2002). "Sakura Sake" is a positive

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and

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

song with supportive lyrics. The lyrics contain imagery of cherry blossoms and Spring. The coupling song "Te Tsunagō" is a ballad and was written by Eiichirō Taruki and Akira.

Release and promotion

"Sakura Sake" was released on 22 March 2005 in two editions: Regular Edition which included the karaoke versions of all tracks; and the limited edition which contained a DVD with the music video of the single. "Sakura Sake" was used as an image song for the university admission cram school Johnan Academic Preparatory Institute , which featured Arashi member

as the spokesperson and promoter. Arashi performed the song for the first time on television on ''Ongaku Senshi Music Fighter'' on 25 March 2005. The following day, they performed on ''

Count Down TV (also known as CDTV) is a Japanese late-night music television program, broadcast on TBS since 1993. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information. ...

'' On 1 April 2005, Arashi performed the song on ''

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's'' 3-Hour Spring Special.

Reception

"Sakura Sake" received generally positive reviews from music critics.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Alexey Eremenko, who wrote Arashi's biography on the website, selected the track as some of their best work. A mixed review came from a writer at ''CD Journal'', who enjoyed the chorus in "Sakura Sake" but disliked "Te Tsunagō", which they thought was "nothing but a foolish love song". A writer at ''JMD'', however, found the song "heartwarming". "Sakura Sake" has been voted into Oricon's Top 10 Sakura Songs Ranking every year since 2006. On 3 May 2013, "Sakura Sake" topped ''Music Station's'' Best 25 Spring Support Songs poll. Commercially, the single was a success. It debuted at number-one on the

, selling 115,000 copies in its first week of release. The release spent 15 weeks on the Top 200. It was the group's third consecutive, and tenth overall number-one single in Japan. By the end of 2005, it had sold over 172,000 units in Japan, making it the 55th highest-selling single of that year. In March 2005, the single was certified Gold by the

for shipments of 100,000 units. In 2012, the song entered the ''

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chart, peaking at number 54 on the date ending 23 January 2012.

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Product information
{{Arashi Arashi songs 2005 singles Oricon Weekly number-one singles 2005 songs J Storm singles Songs written by Sho Sakurai