Photo: 槇原敬之 Official Channel / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Makihara writes lyrics that shouldn't work. Laid flat on a page, lines like his are almost embarrassingly earnest — no irony, no armor, just a person saying the obvious kind thing out loud. Set them to his melodies and they land somewhere under your ribs instead. That is a much rarer skill than people admit. He's from Takatsuki in Osaka, his fans have called him Mackey for decades, and the strangest measure of his reach is that his most famous song isn't really his to sing: he wrote 'Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana' for SMAP, and it became something close to a national anthem for a generation of Japanese schoolchildren. Nobody plans a song like that. His life has also included serious, very public stumbles, and he has gone back to the music every time. How much weight you give that is a personal decision. What isn't in dispute is the number of ordinary bad days those songs have quietly carried people through.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Noriyuki Makihara
- Name (Japanese)
- 槇原敬之
- Born
- May 18, 1969 (age 57)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rooster
- Origin
- Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- Height
- 176 cm
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter / composer / lyricist / recording artist
2. Background
- University
- Aoyama Gakuin University
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Donna Toki Mo. | — | |
| Notable work | Kimi wa Boku no Takaramono | — | |
| Notable work | Tooku Tooku | — | |
| Notable work | Mō Koi Nante Shinai | — | |
| Notable work | Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana | — | |
| Notable work | Dōshiyō mo Nai Boku ni Tenshi ga Oritekita | — |
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.makiharanoriyuki.com/
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/buppulabel/
- Xhttps://x.com/Daviechan
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A7%87%E5%8E%9F%E6%95%AC%E4%B9%8B
Frequently asked questions
When was Noriyuki Makihara born?
Born May 18, 1969 (age 57).
Where is Noriyuki Makihara from?
Noriyuki Makihara is from Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
What does Noriyuki Makihara do?
Noriyuki Makihara works as singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, recording artist.
How tall is Noriyuki Makihara?
Noriyuki Makihara is 176 cm.
What is Noriyuki Makihara known for?
Notable works include Donna Toki Mo., Kimi wa Boku no Takaramono, Tooku Tooku.
Singer-songwriter — see all → · Composer — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-07-26
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.