Japan

GREETINGS FROM TOKYO, JAPAN
By. Forrest Robinson

(Wednesday Oct. 2, 2002)

Tokyo, Japan is such an amazing place! Tuesday Oct. 1, 2002 was my first time ever there. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve met people who would go to Japan to gig for months and even years at a time. What really got me, was the fact that several friends of mine that also performed there eventually moved there – despite the language-barrier. So Japan has mystified me for years, because I figured that it must be quite an alluring place for so many musicians I’ve known to just pick up and move like that.

The drive from the airport to the hotel was fascinating to me. Just seeing the highway signs, which were all written in Japanese really gave me a sense of how big the world really is. Before I had only experienced Japan (and many other countries) vicariously through PBS. Tokyo is a really beautiful city! I love the way the public transportation is set up too. Despite this 16-hour time difference (and MAJOR jetlag), I’m determined to indulge in some serious sushi! I LOVE sushi and have been told for years by friends of mine that eating sushi in Japan is a MUST. Okay, time to get down!

(Thursday Oct. 3, 2002)
The show went very well tonight. We performed at a really wicked venue called Akasaka Blitz. One thing I especially love about Japan and noticed right away is how music is so valued. It’s awesome to turn on the radio and enjoy everything you hear. The variety of what’s on the radio seems to reflect just how much the music in the world is valued here. The several native/local bands I’ve seen on TV or heard on the radio so far are awesome! Speaking of local bands, the opening act tonight, NAMI, was a great example of a band doing their thing and “really wanting to make it happen”. I stood to the side of the stage watching and listening to their show – which was way too short – and tried putting myself within their element right then and there: on stage, performing for their home crowd. I loved watching them get love from the home crowd For me, it was yet one more reminder of how much I miss the days of hammering it out with my old bands at home in Tennessee, where we would just get together and dream and play, play and dream. I was playing in a band in Chattanooga from 1989-1994 called Running Live; and Rick, Kevin, Richard and I were just sweating it out for hours and hours in Rick’s basement or whatever practice space we had at the time, and seemingly NEVER getting tired. There was no “industry” clouding our view. We just wanted to make it happen! And when we performed, WOO- HOO! But okay, back to the situation at hand: NAMI – I believe she’s the lead vocalist - had a really sweet voice and the band had the whole Rock/Alternative w/loops approach; it was just nice to hear the way they approached it, and to witness their belief in what they do together. They were just out there doing their thing. And I dug it!

I was nervous the whole time because I wasn’t sure how Japan would receive us. As it turned out, however, it was really nice seeing India connect with the people, and vice-versa. The really touching thing for me, which is also the reality of what a blessing music is, is realizing that even though there were a great number of people in the crowd who didn’t speak English at all, they were singing the lyrics to India’s songs. I’d never been outside the U.S. until last spring so things like this still really blow me away. I was just starting to come to the conclusion that this was one of the coolest venues I’ve played in so far when just before we left, I got the disappointing news that Blitz is getting the wrecking ball in a month because a major corporation which owns the property wants to do something else with the place on which Blitz currently exists. Well, it’s disappointing to hear, but at least I had the opportunity to experience Blitz before it’s gone forever.

(Friday Oct. 4, 2002)
Today we performed at the Tokyo International Forum. What a gorgeous place! This was an event for Universal Japan. There were a number of people on the bill: India.Arie, Vanessa Carlton, Shaggy, Robert Fripp, and several other artists that I couldn’t hang around to see since we had to leave before the event was over. I also dug the video pieces that they showed for Eminem and Nelly. I did notice that I really miss seeing BANDS the way I used to all the time. I sound like grandpa now; but man do I miss the 80s. There used to be bands all over the place. Oh well. Times change - and they certainly HAVE, for the moment. But it was nice being on the bill and getting to enjoy the shows that I was able to see while I was there. It was also nice to have more sushi while I was there at the Forum. We had the same sound and backline crew (Leo Music) and lighting (Kyoritz) at this event as last night at Blitz. They were so on it! All the gear we needed was there to a T, and I witnessed some of the best on-the-spot lighting blends I’ve ever seen to this day. They really cared about how things came together. I had a great time working with them. I just wish that I could speak Japanese so that I could’ve really gotten to know them better.

We head home tomorrow. I hope that I’ll have the opportunity to come back soon and really romp around Tokyo. Despite the lack of free time and the jetlag, I really enjoyed my first visit to Tokyo. It’s hard to give an opinion of a place that I’ve only visited one time and only for a couple days, but all in all, I guess that I can see how my friends wound up picking up and moving here. I must admit that before this year, I never really cared much about leaving the U.S. – perhaps because I didn’t think that the opportunity would ever happen for me – but one thing I can say is that if anyone gets the opportunity to go overseas, GO. There is so much education out there. The world is so huge that reality lets you know that it‘s not about just you or me. I really don’t care for the hassle of customs and whatnot, but the experience and education that follows is SO worth it! GOD reveals a powerful existence to me through the souls of my brothers and sisters no matter what part of the world they’re from and regardless of linguistic-difference. Despite the minimal communication, the unspoken, and not quite so understood connection to them is an amazing thing to behold.
Forrest Robinson