Best-selling physical single (Japan)

“Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” (“Swim! Taiyaki”), by Masato Shimon (Japan), has sold an estimated 4.57 million physical copies since its release on 25 December 1975. Affectionately referred to as the “fish snack tune”, “Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” became the first song to debut at No.1 on the Oricon Singles Chart (5 January 1976) and it stayed at the top for 11 weeks in a row.

Just two other Japanese singles have sold as many as 3 million physical copies: Shiro Miya’s “Onna no Michi” (“The Way of a Woman”, 1972; 3.25 million) and SMAP’s “Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana” (“The One and Only Flower in the World”, 2003; 3.12 million).

“Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” was used in the Japanese children’s TV series Hirake! Ponkikki.

Shimon was born in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan, on 4 January 1944. His career highlights include the musical contributions he made to a number of Japanese anime and tokusatsu series, predominantly in the 1970s.