My luckiest experience started before I left, and stayed with me after I went home.
A last-minute email to the manager of a band that I found on the internet, wondering if they would be
performing anywhere in Tokyo during my visit, started a landslide. They were amazed to have a fan
in the US. And the easiest way to accommodate me would be to perform on the street, on the boulevard
that runs in front of NHK, where most Japanese bands have begun their careers. We set a time and date,
and I arrived early with no small amount of anxiety. These were people I didn’t know, who were going
out of their way for me...what could be my obligation to them?
Of course, I was the only American in sight. I spied Rieko lugging her guitar case up the boulevard,
towards a spot where Shoji and Jiro were waiting. Satoshi had his cameras in place. A few of the
dedicated local fans were ready. They really did look around for me before they started to play.
With maybe 40 people in sight, they couldn’t have missed me. I drifted over. By this time, in the
freezing cold and before I learned about canned coffee, I was literally shivering.