March 15 2008 Saturday Kokubunji, Japan @ Morgana

(1st Set) Damo Suzuki with Varunk : Love (Fretless), Nozaki Masahito (Drums)
(2nd Set) Damo Suzuki with Fujikake Masataka (Drums), Hiroshi Higo (Bass), Shinya Kojima (Guitar) and Munenori Takada (Turntable)

I met Elke at Narita airport. We had arrival time difference of just 30 minutes. I came from Mel, She came from Germany. My dentist friend Takazou and his wife Yuu picked us up from Narita airport. Fortunately they have day off. Both work hard at their own dent house. Elke has come from an another terminal also she is first time in Japan, she took a bit time. It was rainy day through Tokyo to Hino, where Keiichi and Kiku live took 4 hours drive. Traffic jam and hard rain took so long. When we arrived there we were quite hungry, drop Yuu at their place.

Normally when I arrive I go to Japanese food restaurant at airport….they have many restaurants..this I really like from Narita Airport, you have many choices not in food style and also restaurants. Anyway today we didn’t go there instead went to so called family restaurant. This is chain restaurant but, if you sort out like Mac-something you are wrong. Most of family restaurant is not fast food here. They make fresh and assortment is huge. Look at menu they have, it shows measurement of calorie.

We went tonight to place called “Tonden” this is my favorite family restaurant. They bring fresh fish from Hokkaidou, northern Island, every day and every 3 months they change menu and they have some specialty of the season. Keiich told me he know the venue when he was around 18 years old he played there. Kokubunji is part of Tokyo but, quite outside. ….Big city like Tokyo…outside is not that you can imagine. There are many shops tight to next building..it’s still busy area. Amber and Aalon showed up from Gumma, where they lives around two hours north from here. This might be last time I see them in Japan. They’re intend to move to Australia in harvest this year. So, I will see them next time, next year February in Mel.

Love-San is sound carrier friend and he arranged this show…that’s mean he will perform tonight too. Varunk is two piece band, Love-san plays fretless bass with Nozaki,the drummer. Fujikake is the drummer having trio project with my sound carrier friend Keiichi (Mandog), Higo is quiet nice guy plays bass. If you travel around the world you find always somebody similar to your friend. Higo reminds me of Mandjao, my African sound carrier friend (also play bass) lives in Cologne. They both don’t speak that much but, always smiling. Someone told me Higo made first Japanese indie label.

After performance, we go to “Uchiage” a kind of after performance party with sound carriers. “Uchiage” will happen at “Izakaya”, a kind of pub with Sake assortment and have to order small dishes of foods, which is very delicious……I like this place. “Izakaya” is just everywhere…like German has every corner pub, Izakaya, you can find every corner. I love this way to drink alcohol..and I think healthy, eat and drink combination.

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