Caravansary

Caravan, journey in the sky
As the sun comes out from the day
Caravan, we know who we are
We discover where we went
Oooh, caravan, there we find the love
Love shimmering and soon our love is gone
-- "Caravansary", vocal version by Kitaro ft. Pages

I love so-called "new age" music, though this name is a misnomer. One of the brilliant artists whose music is often included under this heading hails from Japan, the same place where Pokémon hails from. That artist is Kitaro, and he's got good music too that brings Pokémon to my mind. One of them is "Caravansary"; this piece is better known and more popular among fans as an instrumental piece, but a vocal version exists with lyrics that feature the artist Pages. The two versions bring to mind Pokémon in different ways.

Now, "caravansary" refers to a rest house that is located on the trade routes of central Asia (e.g. Silk Road) where traveling people can stop, take a break, and even communicate. Doesn't that sound familiar? Aren't Pokémon Centers in the anime frequently depicted in this way? The title of the piece alone already brings up Pokémon connections. The instrumental version of the piece is a little quiet, so it conjures up exact images of those, as Trainers come by to get their Pokémon healed and to peruse the facilities while they rest.

For the vocal version, the piece is a little more bouncy but still subdued. That one brings to mind not only Pokémon Centers, but also Ash and company using them and then continuing on their journey. There's a certain romanticism in the lyrics that make me think of them specifically, in particular the middle two lines of the chorus, which is the part that I quoted above. They really know who they are and discover places as they stop by.

This piece is wonderful in that it brings up different images of Pokémon for its different versions. Yet the core image is the same, that of Pokémon Centers, which could indeed be considered a modern yet fantasy version of the object for which this piece is titled. In that way it's not only pleasant, but also warming, and most importantly, elegantly appropriate.