They kept asking for the same song during the happy hours, and that surprised me in the beginning.
It happened more than 30 years ago, when I was a grad student in Japan.
Anytime someone knew that I was from Indonesia, they would request the same Indonesian song again.
The song was, Bengawan Solo or Bun-ga-wan So-ro (ブンガワンソロ) in Japanese tongue.
My memory is a bit blurred now, but I think I even met Mr. Gesang Martohartono, the composer of this song, when he visited Sapporo while I was there.
A quick google search confirmed that indeed Mr. Gesang was there in 1980, as a guest of some Japanese Indonesian Friendships Association.
It was during the ‘Yuki-Matsuri’ or the ‘Snow Festival’ in Sapporo, where the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo always sent some of the famous sculptures to carve the ice sculpture in Odori-Park in down town Sapporo.
At that time, Mr. Gesang already looked very old to me and again, that was 30 years ago.
If I go through my old photo collections, I may find some old photos from that time.
After the first few years in Japan, I learned that some Japanese soldiers had brought that song home with them after WW II and at one time it became a hit in Japan.
There are few Japanese versions in youtube. For example, the one by Akira Kobayashi that had been slightly modified, or the other versions such as the one sang by Harumi Miyako or this one by Hamako Watanabe:
As far as I know, Bengawan Solo is the only master piece of Indonesian songs that has been recorded in other languages, and even won the accolade of Japanese government.
For me, of course I prefer to sing the original version, 
but I’m happy that this work has been translated into other languages.
As for the Chinese version, I like this version which has the same lyric as the one shown below. The translation is closer to its original lyric.
I went through all these videos tonight, after I read that Mr. Gesang, passed away at the age of 93 in his hometown in Solo, Indonesia yesterday.
As a kid, I remember all his songs and still remember some of the tunes even if I have forgotten the lyrics.
Rest in Peace Grandpa Gesang. Your great works will always be remembered.
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