The Hard Rock in Roppongi as I remember it.
Almost 22 years ago I was lucky enough to spent 3 weeks playing music in Tokyo, Japan. It was in the Roppongi district which is were all the clubs were. I was amazed at this whole new world since the only other time I had traveled a great distance from Utah was to California. In Europe they use the same letters and English is a big part of the language. In Asia, they don't use letters and English is limited to what most have learned in school ("Jack has a chair") . This was a BIG thing to get used too.
The Japanese I met there were kind and optimistic. The music scene there was great. At the time I knew nothing about vintage guitars or amps but I remember going to music stores and one in particular. The guy who owned it showed me all these great guitars he had in his shop. I took pics of them not really thinking about it. Years later after living in Dallas and seeing that same guy at the Dallas Guitar Show I stumbled upon those pics. I was amazed to see late 50's Gibsons and Fenders in rows hanging on the walls of this little guitar shop. I was so young and stupid then.
The other musicians in Tokyo that I met were great people. They wanted to play and jam but they must have been disappointed with me because I really didn't know what I was doing. One band that stuck out was a Beatles tribute band in a club set up to look like the Cavern Club. They had the look, the gear .......everything. I would see them during the day and they STILL dressed up as the Beatles while ordering sushi. That's dedication.
Anyway, just some thoughts brought upon by the events there. I hope and pray they make it through but it will be a long journey.
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