Day 1
We arrive Nairita airport in Tokyo and meet Mr. Noro the man who has brought us to Japan for the very first time. Tim & Timm flew in from Milwaukee, I flew in from New York and Chris flew in from Madrid, a truly international bunch we were. We drove into Tokyo as the sun set and we saw the fantastic skyline all lit up. Mr. Noro took us to our hotel to drop off our bags and then head out for our first meal in Japan! We were joined by a group of fans and musicians and the sentiments ran high, one young man actually had tears in his eyes as he told me of how long he had waited for us to come to Japan…it was an emotional moment for all of us…we were very happy to have finally made it. After eating dish after dish and drinking the endless quantities of beer we headed off to bed…it had been a long day.
Day 2
I woke up at 6 am as is my custom where ever I am and started the day with the sun rise in Tokyo, the weather while we were in Tokyo was exceptionally good, clear blue skies and lots of sun shine. Our hotel, The Park Inn was right across the street from a 24 hour grocery store that became our supply center while we were in Tokyo. Later Mr. Noro came and met us at 3 pm and we went to sound check at Shelter where we would play our first show. The plan was to also record the 2 Tokyo shows for a Live in Japan album. Each night we played with 3 other bands, tonight was Tweezers, The Playmates and The Cokes. Tweezers were a legendary band that had not played for many years and they reformed just for our show. We really loved most all the bands that played with us and there was a lot of musical appreciation going on through out the whole tour. In Japan the shows start at 6:30 pm and we hit the stage at about 8:30 or so, which was great by, 10 pm it was done and you could start the party!
It felt pretty good saying, “For the very first time in Japan…The Paul Collins Beat…Live in Tokyo!”
The first show was great, my band is just ripping these days, a well oiled machine even though we don’t act like it, but when it’s time to rock my boys kick it into gear. The set list is blistering these days chock full of hits, if you don’t believe me you can buy the record… “Blast Off” Paul Collins Beat Live in Tokyo…coming to store near you. After the show we had a blast chatting with the fans and signing autographs, there were even some Americans, Joe from Marked Men even showed up! I went home to the hotel and the band went to Fifi’s bar to the wee hours of the morning. All in all it was a great first day in Tokyo.
Tim & Joe of the Marked Men
Day 3
Up at 6:30 am again watching the sun come up over Tokyo, I stand on the street and watch the people walking by, on there way to work, school or where ever...it’s just great to be in Tokyo! Mika and some friends stop by to take me and Tito and Tim to do a little sight seeing and lunch…we walk through the park by the hotel, have tea in a tea room and head over to the observatory on top of one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo and then we have some lunch at a noodle house that makes its own noodles on the spot, the best noodles and curry soup I have ever had. At 3 pm Mr. Noro picks us up to go to The Garden for sound check, then we head over to Disc Union for an in store performance,
then back to the club to get ready for the show. Tonight we are playing with Three Minute Movie, Raydios & Jackie and The Cedrics. Jackie and his band are through the roof, jumping all around like nothing you have ever seen! You can catch them in New York this October when they play Norton Records 25th anniversary party. Once again the joint is packed when we hit the stage, tonight we are rested and we are ripping through the set with fury but keeping our cool because we know we are recording…. “Blast Off” After the show we hang out signing records and talking with all of our new found Japanese friends…we are really digging it in Tokyo….the next day we have an early call to catch a plane to Osaka so its off to bed at the Park Inn.
Day 4
Up at the crack of dawn again, I just hang out in my room and wait to meet Mr. Noro and go to the airport. The flight was a breeze but checking in was a nightmare, they freaked out over the guitars and spent all kinds of time with their tape measures measuring the cases one way and another, finally we got it all sorted out only to have to go through the whole thing all over again with the police at security! I was right pissed when I walked onto the plane and saw that the overheads were humongous! Finally we got the hotel….man what a hotel 5 stars at least, we checked in chilled out for a bit and then went across the street to the club…what a trip when we got inside! They had decorated the club up like a teen social and it was fantastic! Tonight’s bill was Liquid Screen, The Yaggies, The Whimpys and us. The show was over the top, Osaka fans are the craziest of the whole tour and the place just busts wide open when we hit the stage…the band is ready for them and we all eat it up! Lots of beer was flowing and whiskey too by the end of the night we were all pretty toasted! Off to the 5 star hotel and bed!
Day 5
Check out time was 11 am…ouch we had to hang around rainy Osaka and kill 6 hours before we go back to the airport and Tokyo. The boys had fun going through Time Bomb Records and we had some more great noodles, then we walked around, sat in a coffee shop, walked around some more, went back to the hotel hung out in the lobby and then went to the airport, by the time we got to the hotel in Tokyo we were wiped out. Chris and I got some food at the restaurant next door and it was pretty funny trying to order when we could not speak any Japanese and the waiter spoke no English…finally we got what we wanted by pointing at other peoples plates…it was good!
Day 6
Another early call, this time to take the high speed train to Niigata, about a 2 hour ride to a smaller city in the north that promised to have some snow. The ride was nice and as we got close to Niigata the scenery was fantastic, beautiful snow covered mountains, as we speed by on the very smooth high speed train ride. We go to the club and sound check before heading over to the hotel, a word about the hotels, they are great in their own way, the main thing that we notice is the high level of toiletry, all the toilet seats are heated and equipped with a built in bide, that means that when you are done you get a nice wash of your bum before you go…I have never seen such a high level of toilets anywhere, at one restaurant I opened the door to the bathroom and the toilet lid opened up automatically!
After a nice nap its back to the club and get ready for our last show. It has all seemed to go by way too fast and we are all dreading the moment when we have to leave. Tonight we are joined by The Fadeaways, El Action & The Manky, we are especially fond of The Fadeaways as we met them in Tokyo where they are from and their lead singer Toyozo jumps up and sings a few numbers with us. We play like we aint ever gonna leave, we don’t leave out a single song that we know and when we bring the girls on stage to dance with us in Look But Don’t Touch the small little club of some 80 people packed in like sardines, goes nuts! Its over…we did it…the first tour of Japan and it was an amazing experience! Now we all go out for a massive farewell dinner with some 20 Japanese and us….
Day 7
We sleep as late as we can, check out and roam the streets again, killing time until we have to catch the train at 3 pm. We do some last minute shopping and then as we head back to the hotel we see a big bowling alley…who wants to go bowling? I will if you will….so we go bowling!
We meet Mr. Noro at 11 am and head over to his store which is located in a very cool part of Tokyo, kinda like the East Village, filled with small shops and cool restaurants, he shows his store and gives us a ton of swag, I got a really nice new base ball cap and a pair of high top converse style sneakers hand designed by Mr. Jelly Bean himself. Mr. Jelly Bean designed the poster and the tee shirt, we first met him in Los Angels last September when we played with his band The Chop Sticks. One last bowl of noodles and then its time to leave for real, Mr. Noro takes us to the bus terminal where we will catch our bus to the airport and its good bye….we get on the bus at 3 pm, the sky is clear and blue, there is a slight chill in the air but everything is perfect, like a post card, we peer out the window of the bus with our private thoughts of this once in a life time trip, trying to soak up every last bit of Tokyo before its gone….little do we know that in less then 24 hours the entire country will be in ruins, devastated by one of the biggest earthquakes to have ever hit the planet.
It was an amazing trip with a bizarre ending, we of course send all our love and prayers to all of our new friends that we have made in Japan and we hope that they and their loved can return to the life as we knew it as soon as possible. Arigato Japan.
Paul Collins, Tim Schweiger, Lead Guitar, Timm Buechler, Bass Guitar, Chris Bongers, Drums & Tito on Merch!
Paul Collins, Tim Schweiger, Lead Guitar, Timm Buechler, Bass Guitar, Chris Bongers, Drums & Tito on Merch!
