{"id":8297,"date":"2015-03-19T17:50:37","date_gmt":"2015-03-19T17:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=8009"},"modified":"2016-02-07T22:50:27","modified_gmt":"2016-02-07T22:50:27","slug":"hosting-a-live-charity-event-in-tok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/19\/hosting-a-live-charity-event-in-tok\/","title":{"rendered":"Hosting A Live Charity Event in Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li 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href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><figure id=\"attachment_8034\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8034\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8034 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Event Poster FInal Draft2 copy\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/event-poster-final-draft2-copy1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8034\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Official promotional poster sent out to websites and shared on various social media sites<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8049\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8049\" style=\"width: 307px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8049 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454.jpg?w=224\" alt=\"IMG_3454\" width=\"307\" height=\"412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454.jpg 1216w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454-224x300.jpg 224w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454-763x1024.jpg 763w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454-1200x1611.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454-900x1208.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454-720x966.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454-390x523.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454-780x1047.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_3454-510x684.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 307px) 100vw, 307px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8049\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">20,000 yen for Lenny Kravitz, 4,500 yen for The Charlatans or a mere 1000 yen donation to see The Cinders and friends. Many went Lenny&#8217;s way, but we had our share of the crowd too!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>4 years on from the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, and as my recent blog on Ishinomaki highlighted,\u00a0there is still a lot of support and development required in the town, and many other tsunami-stricken areas of Tohoku region. \u00a0While the Japanese government is investing\u00a0in other economic stimulation projects,\u00a0it has seemingly lost some focus on what should still be\u00a0a top-priority issue &#8211; the social, economic and developmental support that Tohoku requires. \u00a0As Prime Minister Abe and Co. lick their\u00a0lips at the prospect\u00a0of the 2020 Olympic Games, the machine that sucks extra taxes out of the locals, yet provides financial gain and entertainment for the corporate\/political elite and very few else,\u00a0residents and businesses in towns like Ishinomaki remain displaced,\u00a0with families\u00a0and business owners\u00a0living\/working in temporary structures that should have been long vacated.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8026\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8026\" style=\"width: 385px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8026 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"DSC_0163\" width=\"385\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0163-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8026\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Cinders, with IJT Tour Leader, Steve Parker on guitar and vocals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Charity campaigners\u00a0are still out on the streets of Tokyo, collecting money the stricken population of the region; for cats of Fukushima; ownerless pets of Tohoku\u2026 My band, The Cinders, believe that if the area is to move on and see a future of prosperity and happiness, priority needs to be given to the children, offering\u00a0hope and the opportunity to progress successfully in life after such a harsh start. For this reason, we\u00a0decided to host a music event\u00a0with the aim of raising funds\u00a0for the Ishinomaki Town Academic Fund\u00a0for Orphans.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8024\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8024\" style=\"width: 392px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8024 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"DSC_0057\" width=\"392\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0057-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 392px) 100vw, 392px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8024\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Around 80\u00a0people came to enjoy the night of free music.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was the first time for us\u00a0to host such an event \u00a0&#8211; our first aim\u00a0to secure a live venue for a Saturday night as close as possible to the anniversary date of March 11th. Thankfully, an art and live space by the name of Gamuso Chroma, just 10 minute&#8217;s train ride from Shinjuku, was obliging enough to allow us to hold our event for\u00a0free. This was a huge relief, considering that most live venues will allow only 5 bands to play in an evening, each paying\u00a0up to 30,000 for 30 minutes of stage time!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8025\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8025\" style=\"width: 385px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8025 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"DSC_0185\" width=\"385\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0185-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8025\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gare Mcnalle &#8211; Japanese solo pianist\/singer with an incredible 4-octave voice. Bohemian Rhapsody solo effort &#8211; quite something to listen to!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Next was the task of finding a number of bands willing to join us for the evening. Having been on the fringes of the Tokyo music scene for a couple of years now, as a spectator or performer, I was able to find a range\u00a0of bands that would hopefully make the evening a memorable one. Hearteningly, of the 8 acts that the proposal was put to, 6 agreed enthusiastically to take part. Then came to inevitable wave of questions &#8211; how many amps? what brand and serial numbers? the intricacies of the PA system? could we provide for a VJ? how many mics? what keyboard was\u00a0available? could equipment be brought by car to the venue entrance? any chance of an avant-garde dancer being able to\u00a0perform\u2026?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8031\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8031\" style=\"width: 299px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8031 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136.jpg?w=200\" alt=\"DSC_0136\" width=\"299\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-1200x1800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-900x1350.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-1440x2160.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-390x585.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-780x1170.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0136-510x765.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8031\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ruber Rosa treat the crowd to a little of Van Halen&#8217;s &#8220;Jump&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Surprisingly though, it wasn&#8217;t too much of a challenge to satisfy the artists&#8217; thirst for minutae. Oh, but then came the request from the venue manager &#8211; no use of wooden drumsticks, but instead, special noise-reduction\u00a0sticks that help maintain the balance\u00a0of sound being produced. Surely this would cause some disquiet\u00a0among our rock bands, but no, not one squeak of dissent. After all, I presumed, we were playing for free, and the real important focus was to get donations flowing\u00a0into the\u00a0children&#8217;s fund. I believe everyone was equally attuned to our aim.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8032\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8032\" style=\"width: 299px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8032 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098.jpg?w=200\" alt=\"DSC_0098\" width=\"299\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-1200x1800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-900x1350.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-1440x2160.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-390x585.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-780x1170.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0098-510x765.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8032\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trancey guitar sounds of LosingMySilentDoors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Next up, some marketing. Our bassist, Justin, got to work on placing ads in Tokyo&#8217;s most widely-distributed\u00a0English-language magazine, Metropolis (metropolis japan.com). I similarly found some Tokyo-based social\/music event websites to post on and the rest was down to word of Facebook mouth, and relying on our musical guests to invite their friends and family.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8030\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8030\" style=\"width: 387px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8030 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"DSC_0154\" width=\"387\" height=\"258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0154-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 387px) 100vw, 387px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8030\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An acoustic set (always with an injection of anger) by punk pop duo, Theaterbootlegs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And so to the morning of the event. Even though each band would only be performing for 30 minutes each, they of course needed to rehearse, set up their equipment and have their volumes, reverbs, distortion levels and microphones adjusted accordingly.\u00a0After\u00a04 hours of greeting musicians, putting up posters, rearranging amps and microphones, chairs and tables; connecting, disconnecting and unravelling twisted cables (subsequently inducing occasional\u00a0cable rage!) and trying to breathe amongst the haze of cigarette smoke (it seems that Japanese musicians can only breathe if nicotine intake is high), we were finally ready to plug in and play.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8027\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8027\" style=\"width: 389px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8027 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"DSC_0212\" width=\"389\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0212-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8027\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The kings of Tokyo indie folk pop rock, The Watanabes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There was, however, always the lingering fear that nobody would come to watch, which grew ever stronger as we approached the start of the opening band&#8217;s set. To great relief, people started pouring through the doors at 6pm, and\u00a0I am thrilled to say that after a night of folk guitar, nineties and noughties cover versions, Japanese indie rock, 80&#8217;s US rock covers, Japan female punk pop, UK indie rock originals, Stevie Wonder and Queen covers on piano, and Melodic UK folk rock, that we managed to raise 82,000yen for charity. \u00a0New friends had been made, music and laughter had been shared, and we had managed to do our little bit to support the ongoing struggles in Tohoku.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8029\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8029\" style=\"width: 386px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8029 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"DSC_0216\" width=\"386\" height=\"257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0216-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8029\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ganbarou Ishinomaki! Let&#8217;s go Ishinomaki! The words emblazoned across the afflicted Tohoku town&#8217;s memorial site.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8036\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8036\" style=\"width: 418px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-8036\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/img_1650-720x540.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_1650\" width=\"418\" height=\"317\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8036\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Ishinomaki Memorial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For those <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">interested<\/span> in hearing some of the great indie acts that participated,\u00a0please check out their music by clicking on the following links:<\/p>\n<p>The Cinders (UK\/Japanese Indie Rock):<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tjqeKAEs8GE<\/span><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCindersJP?ref=profile<\/p>\n<p>theaterbootlegs (Japanese Punk Pop):<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Lp3mXZijGOk&amp;feature=youtu.be<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Watanabes (UK indie folk\/pop\/rock):<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=j5noXehtKuI<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Ruber Rosa (US Rock Covers):<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5wqIKH5QUho<\/span><\/p>\n<p>mcrana galle \u00a0(Japanese piano soloist,\u00a0Queen, Stevie Wonder covers):<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"we are the champions by queen Japanese man singing\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qp0R_e3Bsgg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Barely Regal (UK\/US Rock covers):<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GsNy5SSX4l4<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Losing My Silent Doors \u00a0(Japanese Indie Rock):<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/voli-bori<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-8033 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/dsc_0030-510x340.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0030\" width=\"397\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8297\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! 4 years on from the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, and as my recent blog on Ishinomaki highlighted,\u00a0there is still a lot of support and development required in the town, and many other tsunami-stricken areas of Tohoku region. \u00a0While the Japanese government is investing\u00a0in other economic stimulation projects,\u00a0it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2356],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-miscellaneous-blog-posts"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8297"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8962,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8297\/revisions\/8962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}