oh, i'm back with some more photos.
i liked the look of this pachinko place with the chopper. this particular one was in osaka.
here's the onsen (hot spring) town of kinosaki. it was really relaxing to plunge into the baths, especially the jacuzzi type baths.
very tired and on the way to the venue in tokyo...
finally for now another shot of the port of kobe.
okay, that's enough for today:)
at last. i'm writing again. i kind of retreated into my own little world after coming back from japan. i can't believe those gigs were a couple of weeks ago now. it really just seems like yesterday. after the gigs i spent more time in japan, exploring and relaxing. my mind has been wandering since i returned, revisiting all the places i went to and all the friendly faces i looked at. here's my little report about my time in japan.
well, i made a terrible mistake to start with. i forgot to take the camera out of my luggage and so i couldn't photograph my meals on the emirates plane! anyone who has read my blog before knows i love to take photos of airline meals. yes, it's a strange habit, i agree with you:) all i can say is that the meals were good, the airline is pretty spacious and it pays to sit up the back and befriend the stewards/stewardesses if you want your glass refilled at regular intervals.
i was flying to osaka via dubai and i probably drank one - or four - glasses of red wine too many so i was a bit fuzzy when i reached the united arab emirates. fortunately i'm well versed with this airport and it's really easy to navigate so i bought a big bottle of evian water, rehydrated and watched as three scottish football supporters argued over who had whose passport. bemused japanese tourists looked on at the 'tartan army' dressed in kilts and tartan suits. i had a couple of days in osaka to chill out and get over my jisaboke (jetlag). i have to say that this jisaboke was the worst i think i have ever suffered. i have no idea why really; my guess is that i function better on a short flight (say to amsterdam) then a much longer one where i can try and get a kip (sleep). going via dubai meant about 8 or 9 hours, then another 8 or 9 hours. i was too hyper to sleep and the lebanese steward kept saying to me 'another drink alistair?'. in the interest of international relations i simply couldn't refuse. i feel this blog entry will skip randomly from place to place and topic to topic so please bear with me. i'm out of the practice of writing.
oh, my jetlag, that's what i was talking about. it was really bad and i was a bit dazed and confused for a couple of days. very tired too. but come gig time i was up for it and excited to be playing. the support acts - (night teller and the known) really set the mood and were great. the venue in kyoto was very cool too i thought, really nice space. the gig went really well and i played about 23 songs for around 1 hour and 15 minutes. it was lovely to meet so many people immediately after playing, have a chat, sign some records/cds etc. here's a photo of the aftershow in kyoto.
the man in charge of organising the gigs was his usual charming self and (as i've come to expect) incredibly organised. here's me and yasu after the kyoto show.
our party continued in the hotel room.... the management asked us to keep the noise down which i thought was a good but cliched post-gig thing to happen:) unfortunately it was an early start the next day and i'm really not one for early starts. we got to the station and it was time to get on the shinkansen (bullet train) which is always a cool experience.
we headed to tokyo, the shinkansen cutting through the japanese countryside as i lay back, replete with emirates eye mask contemplating the gig that lay ahead. my mind was pretty active, buzzing with the thought of returning to this amazing city.
the gig in tokyo was great fun. the venue was really packed and was just the right size for this kind of intimate acoustic show. plectrum who played with chris and i in japan last year were great. they'd learned five of my songs (three old, two new) and we rehearsed them together in the soundcheck. i kept forgetting the lyrics to my song 'old friend' which was slightly worrying. fortunately i got it together at the gig and everything went smoothly. here are the mighty plectrum after the show with a wonderful musician called takashi who played bass with chris and i last year. plectrum did a great set before i went on.
here's a photo of me with a lion mask that i found in a modern art gallery in tokyo. i wish i'd bought it!
that was quite random. but i need to keep your attention:)
here's a group photo at the aftershow in tokyo
again it was so great to meet people after the show. everyone i met was delightful and i was really touched to see so many enthuasiastic people. oh, i just remembered something. i was using a torch to see my cd player (for backing tracks) that was on the floor beside my mic and at one point i lost the torch so it was a bit shambolic with the backing tracks as a fumbled around in the dark. i don't think anyone minded, but no one took up my offer of buying the cd player for 100 yen:P
i spent some time in tokyo and went for a meal at the park hyatt (lost in translation hotel). the view was breathtaking. my ears popped in the lift on the way up. unbelieveable. words can't really do it justice. i don't think these photos do it justice either. a meal plus as much as you want to drink in two hours for £25. it's not advertised so few people seem to know about. i'm very lucky.
this was my indulgence though! now, if only i could stay in that hotel...... :)
i also went to kobe on a beautiful day. it was a really pretty place with lots of european influence in the architecture.
i visited osaka castle ..........after twisting my neck
i went to an onsen (hot spring) town called kinosaki (about 3 and a half hours from osaka) and jumped into a hot spring wearing only a smile. i ate sashimi (including raw octopus which i was particularly proud of :P ) oh, and i went to karaoke too. i had a great time, though it was very surreal seeing my song (the sore feet song) in this catalogue..
i was encouraged by my japanese friends to sing my song and well, i did! i've got video footage of this surreal moment that maybe one day i'll post up :) i remember feeling particularly sentimental at that point in time, really appreciating where i was, what i was doing and what i'd done. it was a definite moment i'll never forget.
i'm sad to be back to tell you the truth. but, i am back so i must get on. i was really encouraged by how well the new songs were received. i really can't wait to get the second album out in japan and...........well, return:)
to anyone who was at the shows i really appreciate your support. to everyone who helped i'm indebted to you. it was a trip i'll never forget. i'm sure i'll write more about this experience:)
oh, here's a few photos from the gig me and the band did at the glasgow university postgraduate club. i meant to post them earlier:)
that's me above with chris:)
me again with chris:)
al on bass guitar:)
stuart's debut on drums with us and my arm:)
well i'm leaving for japan soon. i can't wait:) i'm going a few days earlier and plan on relaxing and getting over my jetlag before the shows at the weekend. right now my flat is in chaos; there are so many things lying on the floor and yellow post-it notes scattered everywhere. i *think* i have everything organised. i really hope so. i spent most of yesterday recording the new album and then in the evening i practised 25 songs for over an hour. i've got 25 i wanna play, but i think it's too many, so maybe 23 will be enough:P tonight i'll practise some more, pack my case, pour myself a glass of red wine, put my feet up and consult my japanese guidebook. it's been a strange couple of days with so many thoughts rushing through my brain like people darting and colliding in a rush-hour subway station.
i think the album is coming along really nicely and i might be in a good position of being able to choose maybe 10 or 12 tracks from around 14 or so. i've not written any songs for a while which is a bit worrying but then i realise that this happens to me sometimes. also, i tend not to write songs when i'm playing the guitar frequently, as i've been doing over the last couple of months. if i leave the guitar on its own for maybe 2 weeks then i'm sure (and i hope!) some song will appear before my eyes screaming 'grab me, grab me now!'. the song fairy. she's not let me down so far but i never expect her to appear. that would be folly.
i have a big, thick book called 'all you need to know about the music business' that i once aquired from a friend of my brother's. i must return it actually. i'm awful for borrowing things and never returning them. but then, i've also lost some books over the years that i lent out, so it probably balances out. anyway, i was walking to my kitchen in a dream and i half slipped on this very book and bashed my nose on the door. i don't know if that's a sign or something.
to those in japan who are coming to the shows, well i'll see u soon. i'm really looking forward to the japan experience:)
