Japanese music fans need the shows to go on

[AsahinaKimi]

By IAN MARTIN
Special to The Japan Times

Last month I wrote a hastily conceived piece for this column documenting the immediate reaction of the music scene in Tokyo to the Great East Japan Earthquake. It was a difficult article to write because the situation was still unfolding and so much was unresolved; however, a month later, a picture of the postquake music scene is emerging.

The initial effect on the live music scene in Tokyo was short lived. Gigs were called off at most live venues between March 11 and 13, but soon after that (a few isolated cancellations aside), schedules returned to somewhere near normal. However, since most venues book their shows at least three months in advance, the real effects are only just starting to emerge.

There isn't necessarily a problem with audiences. In the early days of widespread power cuts, irregular train schedules, and deep uncertainty over things such as aftershocks and the situation in Fukushima, people, especially those outside the central Tokyo area, tended to stay home rather than risk being stranded. However, audiences are starting to return to live venues now that those worries have, if not gone away, at least dragged on long enough to make fear of them mundane.

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http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20110422im.html

[ZombieHorde]

1. Thanks for keeping us current on Japan. nt

[AsahinaKimi]

2. yw!

dou itashimashite!! Long live Jrock, Visuel Kei and Jpop!

Jrock no otoko wa choo kakkoii honto desuyo!
Jrock のおとこわちょおかっこいいほんとですよう!

[Art_from_Ark]

3. They're predicting power cuts for this summer

That might have an effect on train schedules and the like.
Also, there is still a self-imposed "turn off the lights" movement in Tokyo where the non-essential use of large amounts of electricity is discouraged in order to stem off TEPCO-imposed power cuts.

[JuniperLea]

4. Music is a gift from the Cosmos...

Music soothes our nerves, gets us excited, it heals us, and reminds us to love one another. When we listen to it with others we get a sense of communion and oneness.

Music is my favorite creation in the Cosmos.

This is a very good thing. Some may think it trivial because Japan is suffering so much right now... but in my mind, it's essential.

Thanks for this, AsahinaKimi. And thank you for teaching us so much about Japan and her people, and for keeping us informed of their needs and their triumphs.

[AsahinaKimi]

5. You are most welcome..

ganbarimaus! I will try my best.