Sorry! No really, we are truly, humbly, ground kissingly sorry for our incredibly tardy response in giving you some good loving from Japan...
I think I know how those indie bands feel - they put out one killer debut and then the pressure to continue that level of inspired expression leads to the bottle, to in-fighting, to a short break-up, band therapy and then, finally a triumphant return to the audiences that stood by them through their shocking second album.
Nah, to be honest life has just been jam packed - we are in that Japanese cultural stream and we are merging with it - the little things - remember that face washer I got for opening a bank account? Well I realised it is because they dont provide you with hand dryers and hand towels here and you can't POSSIBLY leave the bathroom with wet hands...So there it is in my bag, a little touch of the Nana in me.
It's in the embarrassment that washes over me when my phone rings on the train. I am still to gaijin to not answer it, but I feel a rosy tinge creeping over my skin as I muffle my mouth with my hand and try to make myself smaller than before.
It's in the way I don't say umm anymore..It's eto here, or ano if you are older and I honestly eto say it, eto all the time! And they have this crazy way of expressing disbelief, amazement, suprise and any combination of those emotions here. It is a little difficult to explain without an audio sample, but it's like you go EHHHHH and that EHHHH is exhaled on a rising tone that gets louder as it gets higher...I think it is a quintessential element of Japan...and I do it really far more than I should - it has become an integral expression.
It's the way I sniff and sniff and sniff if I am in public until I can hide away and have a good blow without anyone seeing me. Also in many Japanese public toilets, there is a button you can press which sets off an audio sample of a flushing toilet, which hides the sounds coming from inside your cubicle...I must confess I have started to use it all the time.
It's in the way I have lost all sense of Western cool...I think nothing of having Japanese friends to dinner and joining them in a sing song - belting out xmas carols while holding hands and smiling at each other - and then singing 'the titanic song' in unison. That is the joy of song and karaoke here for the common joe - it's a nostalgic thing and a romantic thing - they love songs that are 'very beautiful, very sad'.
Of course the longer we stay certain aspects of the culture really become challenging. The way people get out of the pool when we get in, as if we are dirty or something. Often people won't want to sit next to a gaijin on the train, especially kids - they will move to the other end of the train. When I do my yoga at the gym they all stare at me as if I really must be a screw loose. Whenever these hard stares freak me out I just try to remember that the Japanese live by this old saying 'The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.'
Some of my Korean friends have a really hard time here. One guy I know, well he was born here and his parents were both born here, but because his grandparents were Korean, he has to have an alien registration card...What the?!
Another thing here that I find very strange is their attitude to public eating. Evrywhere you go there are convenience stores and stalls selling takeaway goodies. But you never see someone eating in the street or on a train or anything...Where do they go with these ready to go goods? So many times I have been dashing from one job to the next, knowing if I don't get some chow in I am going to be at the mercy of all that horrible cheap boujealois at the hostess bar. I surreptiously try to nibble at the rice ball I bought, only to have a whole row of people on the train stare in unadulterated digust - the horror, the horror!
It's nice to feel at home here - to kind of smile at the small earthquakes ('Oh it wasn't a big one'..that's lucky isn't it?) and to have lots of friends to visit and play with. Our building is full of friends - its great to head next door or downstairs whenever you want some company, need a spare towel, want to swap videos, cry on someone's shoulder or open that nice bottle of aussie red you found for 800 yen.
Musically things are moving steadily, but ever ever so slowly. That is one aspect of Japan we both feel infuriated by - The fact venues think you should pay them to play at their venue, sell tickets to all your friends and buy all your drinks at 600 yen (8 bucks). It's appalling. The thing is people here see music as a hobby, even great players, so unless you can get into a massive club or something it is so hard to get paid.
The other week Ryan went to this venue we have played at a couple of times for a meeting - It was at night (venues think nothing of calling you at 2am) and there was some schmo DJ playing. Teh meeting was pre-arranged, but when he got there the guy tried to charge him entry! When Ry was like 'Get out of town' (in his humble way) the dude looked tres confused - I mean why wouldn't this gaijin want to pay to have a meeting about playing here?
Saying all that, we have had some good breaks of late. We have found a tasty Japanese drummer who we are going to record with - his bass player is umm...ok, but all in all we are sounding good to record. We have a contact at the biggest chain of bars here in Osaka and they have asked us to do a rockabilly night in Jan. Should be a good payer, we are going to get swing dancers and the whole bit - they don't really know the diff between rockabilly and swing, as long as the boys quif their hair and wear checked shirts! ha h aha...We have a few xmas gigs as a duo, including one at the bar underneath our apartment - so good for stumbling home!
I held a trivia night here a month ago - it was a hell of a lot of work, but I packed the place out with gaijins and a few Japanese and made a bit of cash. The only bummer was that the trivia crowd are a bunch of total gubers - really sarcastic, loud and ungroovy - so not what I am used to as a performer! I think I will keep doing them every few months, if just for the experience of gathering useless facts..It's a kind of meditation.
I will write soon with details of my new job (at a university - choice, back on the gravy train!) and some pics of our recent trip. Post-xmas sees us going to WWOOF for a week (willing workers on organic farms - free food and accomodation and a chance to play in the snow!) and then in Feb 2005 we shall fly past Australia for a 2 week visit! YEEE HAA! We have gigs booked at the Kitten Club for Friday Feb 26th (Mama Fresh) and Sat Feb 27th (Shamdoogie). Catch you all there.
Here is a poem I wrote for my grandfather.
Farewell from the Cold Mountain
I rang the bell for you
four times...for the man
the father, the grandfather
and on-
You are my ancestor now
In your name I lit
the candle - then incense
from the holy flame
the path to heaven shines
I threw cold water on the soil-
an image, you harvesting
the land, coaxing seed
into grain
Mist over cedar I recall
your blue eyes -
watching the last sunset fall
over the far paddock
Kxxx
Meet your hosts: Kimba and Ryryry
