Jake's Blog & Tour Reports
Yamaguchi - Hofu Aspirante
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Our last night in Tokyo for awhile before we head out on a long 12 day stretch. We went out exploring the streets of Tokyo just cruising around window shopping. Our next venue will be in Yamaguchi at the Hofu Aspirante. For the first time in this tour we had a plane to catch from Tokyo to Yamaguchi airport. The taxi ride to the airport took us by the Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow bridge. It was actually nice that we hit traffic, as the view was really good and the day was pretty clear.
School Appearance
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Today marks another Music Is Good Medicine school appearance. Jake will be appearing at a local elementary school to interact with the students and do a short performance. We are all pretty excited as the format for today includes Jake participating with the kids during class time. He will be learning caligraphy in one class, then teaching students a few english phrases in another class. Jake Sensei!
We had about an 90 minute drive into Saitama we had a some time to wake up and prep for the day. Jake did a short fan club message, pardon the shakeyness...it was a bit bumpy!
Traveling Back To Tokyo
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After 5 days out and about we are finally making our way back to Tokyo. We are a pretty long ways coming from Hiroshima. All in all I think it's about a 5 hour shinkansen ride. On the way out we had a few promotional stops in the Osaka and Kansei area. Jake has a few upcoming shows in this area so naturally we want to spread the word and get as many happy fans as we can!
Our first stop was at Cocolo Radio 765. We were greeted at the train station by a Sony rep and made our way into Osaka.
Hiroshima - Club Quattro
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The time has come! Tonight's sold out show will partially feature Jake with the three piece band (drums, cello, contra bass) and J-Min. So you know it's bound to be a top notch performance. Personally I love listening to Jake perform with the band, like on the Dragon album. It brings a whole different feel to Jake's already pumpin style.
We hooked up for a quick lunch at this ramen noodle house. This place was something else entirely. They serve ramen noodles, but with a very spicy twist. They have a spicy scale posted on the wall which reads 0 (not spicy at all) to 20+. The 20+ had this little face icon next to it that definitely made you realize it was only for the pros. The people that did try the 20+ had their names written on blocks and hung on a wall. Surprisingly there were a good amount of crazy people!
Hiroshima - City Of Peace
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Today we are fortunate enough to travel into Hiroshima. The majority of the day is actually an off day, which again is very rare! What better place to have an off day than in Hiroshima. So much history to be told and so much that we can learn from, we really can't wait to get there. The show in Hiroshima is already sold out, so we have a big performance ahead of us.
One way to travel to Hiroshima is by boat. We all piled in our caravan, the production crew included, and headed out to the docks. The ride is over an hour and the view is supposed to be spectacular. As luck would have it, the day was bright...blue...and clear. Perfect for going camera happy!
Ehime - Matsuyama Vivit Hall
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On February 9, 2001 there was a very tragic accident that occurred off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The accident involved a U.S. submarine (USS Greenville) and a Japanese fishing boat (Ehime Maru). Nine crew members of the Ehime Maru, including 4 high school students, were killed. Today we travel to the home of those who lost their lives in the accident, Ehime.
In remembrance of the accident Jake had written a song entitled "Ehime Maru". If you have been fortunate enough to hear this song played live then you know how emotional it is. Tonight's show will be extremely special, and very emotional. I heard that some of the families of the victims will be present in the audience, and of course, Jake will perform Ehime Maru.
Kagawa - Takamatsu Olive Hall
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We all had a pretty late night after the Crazymama show, but it was well worth it! Most nights tend to go pretty late anyways, so when you get a chance to sleep in you take it! We had a late lobby call today which gave us plenty of time to rest. Jake and I decided to go on a short morning run to get the blood flowing. We must have looked pretty funny running around the neighborhood. Well...Jake looked normal...I probably looked funny...or more like his body guard.
We had a very short and very scenic train ride into Kagawa with just enough time to stop by the local supermarket and pick up some more gigantic grapes.I spotted one of those $30.00 melons that are just begging you to taste it.
Okayama - Crazymama Kingdom
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It took awhile to realize this, but today is actually our first show of this leg! The majority of this leg will take place out in the country side. So that means a lot train travel. Japan has one of the best train systems in the world by far. Everything is planned and executed down to the second. Plus they have this bullet train that is super super fast. We had about a 3.5 hour journey by Shinkansen (bullet train) to our first live location, Okayama.
I have heard how different the Japan tour is from the U.S. tour, but now it's time to actually see it in action. This being my first time, I am sure that my eyes will be bugged out and my head will be spinning.
Shizuoka School and Nemunoki Museum
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For anyone wondering what the idea behind "Music Is Good Medicine" is, todays story should pretty much explain it all. Our plans today revolve around visiting a school located in the gorgeous county side of Shizuoka. This school is dedicated to teaching students with mental and physical disabilities, and their teachings promote music and arts very heavily. Mariko Sensei is the head instructor and pretty much runs the entire school.
Jake's participation would include a performance for the students, and to spend time greeting them. We would also get to watch the students do a few performances of their own. And wouldn't you know...Jake got to join them!
Harajuku, Brown Rice and a Kitty
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Our first full day in Tokyo and wouldn't you know...it's an off day! It's rare that you get a full off day while on tour. Most off days are spent traveling or doing promotional stops. The plan was to head into Aoyama to check out the ritzy shopping and mass crowds. It's actually a holiday weekend and many people have Monday off, so we weren't surprised when we saw how packed the streets were. First things first though....gotta have lunch.
Yukari and I spotted a French style bistro that had outdoor seating and was packed. There would have been a table waiting for us, but a feline seemed to be reserving the seats...