Tarako Hell

During the holiday season last month, my partner and I were in Tokyu Hands, hearing in the distance a faint sound of a children song that turned out to be a Siren Song from Hell. Why, you ask? Well, watch the video, and see if you can get the darned song and dance out of your mind for good!!! If you succeed, let me know how you do it...

Apparently, "tarako" is Japanese for cod roe. These videos are commercials, hawking tomato-based cod roe sauce. There is indeed Japanese pasta dish that is served with such sauce. I happen to like the dish, dang it! The video above was the one we saw at Tokyu Hands, sold as DVD for kids, and as you can see, it is a sing-along video complete with the lyrics down at the bottom of the screen (if you can read Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana, by all means, sing along!)

Here are the lyrics for the original Tarako music video (thanks to JapanNewbie.com):

たったら　たったら　たらたら　たらこ [x2]

tattara tattara taratara tarako [x2]

おなかが鳴ると　やって来る
なかまを連れて　やって来る

onaka ga naru to yattekuru [when your stomach growls, it (tarako) comes]
nakama wo tsurete yattekuru [it comes bringing its friends]

たらこ　かぶって　顔出して
スイッチョ　スイッチョ　出かけます

tarako kabutte kaodashite [It wears the tarako hood and sticks its face out]
suiccyo suiccyo dekakemasu [suiccyo steps out for the day]

ふと気づけば　窓の外
ふと気づくと　家の中

futo kidukeba mado no soto [suddenly you notice, it’s just outside your window]
futo kidukuto ie no naka [suddenly you notice, it’s in your house]

たらこ　たらこ　たっぷり　たらこ
たらこ　たらこ　たっぷり

tarako tarako tappuri tarako [tarako tarako plenty of tarako]
tarako tarako tappuri [tarako tarako plenty of tarako]

たらこが　やって来る
たらこ　たらこ　つぶつぶ　たらこ

tarako ga yattekuru [tarako is coming]
tarako tarako tsubutsubu tarako [tarako tarako lumpy-lumpy tarako]

たらこ　たらこ　つぶつぶ
たらこが　やって来る

tarako tarako tsubutsubu [tarako tarako lumpy-lumpy]
tarako ga yattekuru [tarako is coming!]

たらこ　たっぷり　たっぷり　たらこ
たらこ　たっぷり　たっぷり　たらこ

tarako tappuri tappuri tarako [x2] [tarako tarako plenty of tarako]

パスタゆでると　やって来る
きれいに並んで　やって来る

pasuta yuderu to yattekuru [when you boil pasta, it (tarako) comes]
kirei ni narande yattekuru [it comes all neatly lined up]

いつも　ニコニコ　素敵な笑顔
チャカボコ　チャカラカ　チャーミング

itsumo nikoniko sutekina egao [always ginning with a nice smile]
cyakaboko cyakaboka charming [cyakaboko cyakaboka charming]

ふと気づけば　肩の上
ふと気づくと　皿の中

futo kidukeba katano ue [suddenly you notice, it’s (tarako is) on your shoulder]
futo kidukubo sara no naka [suddenly you notice, it’s in your plate]

たらこ　たらこ　たっぷり　たらこ
たらこ　たらこ　たっぷり

tarako tarako tappuri tarako [tarako tarako plenty of tarako]
tarako tarako tappuri [tarako tarako plenty of tarako]

たらこが　やって来る
たらこ　たらこ　つぶつぶ　たらこ

tarako ga yattekuru [tarako is coming!]
tarako tarako tsubutsubu tarako [tarako tarako lumpy-lumpy tarako]

たらこ　たらこ　つぶつぶ
たらこが　やって来る

tarako tarako tsubutsubu [tarako tarako lumpy-lumpy]
tarako ga yattekuru [tarako is coming!]

たらこ　たっぷり　たっぷり　たらこ
たらこ　たっぷり　たっぷり　たらこ

tarako tappuri tappuri tarako [tarako tarako plenty of tarako]
tarako tappuri tappuri tarako [tarako tarako plenty of tarako]

***

Here is another video, and that sachet of tomato-based cod roe sauce was exactly what I had sometime last year, except I did not look as scary as that girl eating it.