Ok So my return to the Tokyo end of Japan has brought me many joyous shows. Infact I hadn’t had a bad show all tour when I think about it.
Thanks to the help of other Japanese musicians like Kei Takasugi, Shusaku, Kuronuma, Yugo, Jerry and Goga-Tech. I been able to play some wonderful places in Tokyo.
Unfortunately that joyous run did come to a bit of an end when I played a spot in a small bar in Shinjuku, The night was generally good and I was proud to bring a good number or people to the place who had seen me before, and so the bar seemed welcoming of my music and friends. However at the end of the night I was stung a little as the bar man who had been pouring me drinks that I hadn’t been asking for, then turned around and billed me. He also demanded a split of the musicians tips money (which was counted out of sight) for his services as a DJ
(He spun maybe four records) for the night. I was a little put out as he was already getting his barman wage. So to then take a chunk out of my tips (my only earnings) and to bill me for the drinks he’d offered me seemed a little harsh.
I protested as best I could but the language barrier was suddenly not seemingly clear all of a sudden and so I left having argued a slight reduction in the drinks bill, but that was my lesson for the night.
Oh well, You must learn these things some time. 😦
However the following night was the polar opposite. A great band called Alter-bingo got me involved in playing a super cool place called A-Bridge. The vibe was fantastic, the music was fantastic, the place was fantastic. After I played the owner gave me vouchers for free drinks and bought all three of my records. I felt very welcomed. 🙂
Following on from that I played shows in Ikenoue, Shibuya and Shimokitazawa. The final show of those was a very cool gig. I was supporting a wonderful singer from Okinawa called ‘Cocco’. She has been making music for many years and has just released her 7th album. Her set was frought with emotion and vitriolic passion as she smashed her percussion rig at times beyond repair whilst her guitarist ‘Susuhu’ played some of the best dirge acoustic I’ve heard in a long time. They were really welcoming to me and I felt a great bond with them. Hopefully I will be playing show or two with them upon return to Japan next year.
If I’ve got my tech bits right, there will be a picture attached somewhere.
Stuart O'Connor 
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