[citation needed]He was also invited to write the song "The Gift" for English band blue in their album "Guilty".
Makihara made his debut to the J-Pop scene in the early '90s after performing on a televised song competition program.
Some of his music has been translated into other languages, and "Donna Toki mo", specifically has been remixed by Bemani artists "Dream Line Out" for use on Konami's Beatmania game series.
Much of his music's lyrical content has revolved around the subject of romantic love, though themes of profound joy, reminiscence, gratitude and deeper spiritual aspects of the human condition have become predominant in recent years.
[2] In 2003 he became famous for composing " Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana"" (世界に一つだけの花, "The One and Only Flower in the World") which was recorded by Japanese boy band SMAP and sold double millions.