LI Jianhong 李剑鸿
Our intrepid protagonist, Hangzhou-based noise guitarist, half of D!O!D!O!D! (together with Huang Jin 黄锦), organizer of the 2pi festival and founder of 2pi records.

Marqido
Japanese musician, the electronic half of the duo 10, Li Jianhong’s host on this tour.

itta
Korean musician, the theatrical and vocal half of 10.

Hideo IKEEZUMI 生悦住英夫
Proprietor of the PSF record label and Modern Music store. His PSF label reissued D!O!D!O!D!’s Ghost Temple album and organized this tour.

Shoji HANO 羽野昌二
Japan’s best free jazz drummer, according to Li Jianhong, and the substitute for Huang Jin on this tour.

NARITA Munehiro 成田宗弘
Psychedelic Japanese guitarist, half of the influential group High Rise.

Zbigniew Karkowski
Polish-Swedish composer and performer, founding member of Sensorband, based in Tokyo for several years.

Ainotamenishis 愛のために死す
Psychedelic punk band opening for Li Jianhong at the UFO Club, subsequently appearing on the PSF compilation Tokyo Flash Back 6: P.S.F. Psychedelic Sampler.

Shizuo UCHIDA 内田静男
Bass player in Keiji Haino’s 灰野敬二 Nijiumu 滲有無 project. Attended Li Jianhong’s show at UFO Club. Designed the artwork for the PSF re-release of the D!O!D!O!D! Ghost Temple album.

Seiichi YAMAMOTO 山本精一
Japanese guitarist, formerly of the Boredoms. Owner of the live music venue Bears in Osaka and the Ummo Record label.

Koyuki 小雪 (translated literally as “Little Snow” in early posts, whoops)
Manager of Super Sonic China, agent and promoter for the Shanshui 山水 records in Japan. Organized Li Jianhong’s second Osaka performance at New World cocoroom.

Iida 饭田 and Tanaka 田中
Friends of Koyuki, and hosts of Li Jianhong, Marqido, and itta in Osaka.

YOSHIKAWA Masatoshi 吉川昌利
Another friend of Iida’s who accompanied Li Jianhong around Osaka.

Tetsuharu MASUDA 増田哲治
Opening act at Bears in Osaka, performing guitar noise processed with delays, loops, and feedback. Designer of effects processors.

Masonna
Japanese noise musician unexpectedly found working in the Alchemy store in Osaka.

Carl Stone
American composer and performer, based in Tokyo and San Francisco, and also on the faculty of the Media Department at Chukyo University in Japan.

HUANG Jin 黄锦
Drummer in D!O!D!O!D! who wasn’t able to make the trip to Japan with Li Jianhong, so Japanese drummer Shoji Hano substituted for him on this Japanese tour.

Asahito NANJO 南条麻人
Psychedelic Japanese bassist, the other half of the influential group High Rise, whom Li Jianhong would have you know has not given up the bass for guitar.

SUN Dawei 孙大威
Better known as Sulumi, the Beijing-based 8bit artist, head of Shanshui records. Koyuki, who organized Li Jianhong’s second show in Osaka, is the agent and promoter for Shanshui in Japan.

Yoshiyuki “Jojo” HIROSHIGE 広重嘉之 or JOJO広重
Osaka-based guitarist, the one constant member of Hijokaidan 非常階段. Founder of the Alchemy label and record store, were Li Jianhong bumped into Masonna.

Now what shall I read next…?

December 17, 2008
The concerts are all over, so now all that’s left is to be a happy tourist. I’d be happier if I had some money to spend, ha ha. But that doesn’t matter, most of the time money doesn’t buy happiness.

Unfortunately today itta was sick with a cold and a fever, so she and Marqido stayed home at Iida’s place. Iida and his friend Yoshikawa Masatoshi 吉川昌利 accompanied me to go stroll around Osaka.

We first went to Shinsaibashi 心斋桥 to check out a market specializing in second-hand clothing, a really big place. The top floor was nothing but second-hand clothes of every kind, trousers, shoes, hats…they had everything, and everything was arranged very clearly. For example, Levi’s Jeans were all hung according to size, making it very convenient to choose the right pair. There were so many pretty and fashionable clothes, and huge numbers of young people shuttling back and forth inside, picking out some clothes, trying them on, then trying on something else. Too bad, I didn’t buy anything.

Afterwards we went to a keyboard store. Inside were all kinds of second-hand keyboards and effects processors, all kinds of effects boxes stacked up like gold bricks, extremely enticing. It was a good thing I had already withstood the temptation of Ochanomizu’s second-hand music stores; otherwise I would have had my heart broken all over again. I saw a Gibson Firebird V, made in America, almost like new, at a very good price. It seems if you had some capital to invest, you could make a good profit buying equipment here and selling it elsewhere.

Afterwards, we went to the birthplace of the Alchemy label, the CD store opened by Jojo Hiroshige JOJO広重. Just like the Modern Music store, this place is on the second floor, with the door covered in D!O!D!O!D! posters, and very small inside. Upon entering, I saw a salesperson with long hair, dressed all in black, very cool. I thought to myself that this guy strongly resembles Masonna. Prior to this, I had no idea he might be here. But I didn’t want to pry, so I just minded my own business, turned around, and started browsing through the CD’s.

In addition to local new music from PSF and Alchemy, there was a wide selection of European and American rock and psychedelia from the 60’s and 70’s, such as Hawkwind, Can, Amon Düül II, etc. And the music playing in the store was also this kind of old rock, just like in Modern Music. It seems the influence of old rock from the 60’s and 70’s on Japanese new music is truly significant. In fact, looking deeper, Japanese noise goes quite well with this early rock. Lots of noise musicians listen to hard rock, Kraut rock, prog rock, art rock, etc., each of them absorbing nutrition, energy, and inspiration.

In the end, I finally chose a double CD called Alchemism, a 20-year retrospective of music on the Alchemy label. On it, in addition to extreme noise music by the likes of Merzbow, Hijokaidan 非常阶段, The Incapacitants, and Masonna, most of the rest was early rock, such as Sekiri 赤痢, SS, SOB 階段, etc. There were also some tracks from JOJO’s former group Ultra Bide and Seiichi Yamamoto 山本精一. After listening, the feeling could be summed up in one phrase: original flavor. Besides the idea I mentioned earlier , that it’s important to find your own angle and dig down deep, this idea of “original flavor” is another important aspect of Japanese new music. Careful attention to mastering your own style and finding your original flavor are the twin nuclei of Japanese new music.

As I was paying for my purchase, I asked the salesperson, “Are you Masonna?” He replied, “Yes!” It seems my earlier guess was correct. I asked if I could take a picture of the store, and he said, “Of course you can, we’re selling your CD’s here.” Afterwards we chatted for a bit.

After we left, the weather suddenly changed, and the drizzle unexpectedly turned to hail. I thought to myself that previously I had only seen such a strange and sudden change of weather in Yunnan.

At nearby Sankakukouen 三角公园 we ate the famous local octopus, which is rolled up into little balls, ha ha. It’s a fashionable place in Osaka for boys and girls to gather together. When the weather is good, there must be a lot of open-air performances.

Finally we returned to that musical instrument shop we visited earlier, and I bought a loop pedal. It’s the newly released Boss RC-2, which I still haven’t seen for sale in China. They didn’t have any second-hand models on sale, so I just bought a new one.

After we got back to where we were staying, we started to pack, since our long-distance train was leaving at 10 pm, arriving in Tokyo at 7 am, 9 hours of travel.

As we were leaving, Iida gave me a copy of Derek Bailey’s book Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice 即興演奏の彼方, which had been strongly recommended by those guys. Too bad it’s in Japanese. I thought to myself that it would be so much better if there was a way to translate it into Chinese. There are too many books on music without a Chinese translation, which is really too bad.

December 18, 2006
After returning to Tokyo, we passed out for a bit. At noon, I contacted Karkowski by phone, but we had to cancel our plan to record today, since his friend’s recording booth was already in use. So we were out of luck.

Very well, said Marqido, today let’s go shopping and be happy! After eating lunch, we went to Harajuku to visit the Meiji-Jingu shrine. This shrine was originally constructed in honor of the Meiji Sun Emperor and his mother. Every year on New Year’s Day, people from all over come to pay their respects. The gigantic inscription above the door is Japan’s largest. Inside, the ceiling is constructed of ancient wood, adorned with crows. As it happens, some rite was being performed inside the Meiji-Jingu shrine; the specific details weren’t clear, but Marqido said what we were hearing was Japan’s most ancient music. I hear that the divinations performed in this shrine are very accurate, but I didn’t stick around to find out for myself.

Afterwards, we walked along a footpath kitty corner to the Harajuku subway station. It seemed to be the famous Omote-sando 表参道, the one with two big eyes at the intersection. This really is a place for young boys and girls to gather. Both sides of the street are lined with Tokyo’s most fashionable clothing and jewelry stores, all of them with their own unique style, vying for the attention of the young passers-by. Everywhere you look, fashionable young guys and beautiful girls shuttle back and forth along both sides of the street in every kind of shop, dressed up in traditional uniforms, or decked out in punk or rock attire, or in kawai style, or in cosplay, each one individual and different. It was a pleasure just to enjoy the spectacle. The three of us couldn’t help doing some shopping ourselves. I bought a second-hand jacket, my only luxury purchase, excluding musical gear, since arriving in Japan.

But the happiest surprise was when we suddenly stumbled upon a wondrous, hidden, second-hand synthesizer shop. All kinds of Moogs, Korgs, and Yamahas were stacked up on the floor, filling the room. They also had monitors, effects processors, even a few old Theremins, along with lots of other stuff. Several young shopkeepers were inside busily testing out newly received equipment; it looked like they were repairing talking robots. Not only did the place look like a space ship control center, but lots of these old machines were plugged into speakers, so we could play happily. You can be like a spaceship captain, launching any waveform or signal into whatever direction you can imagine.

Our stroll finally brought us to Shibuya. Evenings in Shibuya can only be described as bustling, with every kind of neon light and billboard; it made me think of Ghost in the Shell. Standing on the street, I thought of my friend Lao Fang 老方. He would surely enjoy Shibuya, since he loves crowded places, and this place was seriously crowded. When the light turns green, from all four directions people crowd into the middle of the street, then quickly disperse in every direction. It seemed like a scene from a movie played back sixteen times faster.

Interestingly, in the second-hand section of one CD store, on the Noise/Avant-garde rack, I discovered a D!O!D!O!D! album selling for 1470 yen, ha ha! Well OK, since they were selling my album, I bought a few second-hand CD’s there for myself: two Derek Bailey disks, one Naked City, and one David Shea.

When we finished shopping, Marqido suggested going to visit a friend, and I thought he was referring to a friend’s concert. When he said the name, it didn’t ring a bell. I only knew that he said this guy has been making computer music for a long time, and Karkowsky should know him. Only when I saw his face and exchanged greetings did I recognize elder statesman Carl Stone. He said, you must know my old friend Yao Dajuin 姚大钧, and I replied, of course I know him, we just played a show together in Hangzhou [the 2pi Festival 2006]. Carl Stone invited everyone to a bar to chat. He and itta and Marqido chatted quite happily, but I couldn’t keep up with the language, so I just listened on the sidelines.

December 19, 2006
My return flight to China is a little after five in the afternoon. I got up at eleven in the morning and decided to prepare a Chinese meal for Marqido and itta to thank them for their hospitality. I originally planned to make some taro pork chops, but unfortunately the store stocked neither taro nor pork chops. So I just prepared three very simple dishes: Chinese yam with scallions, stir-fried egg and tomato, and shredded pork with celery.

After eating, I packed my bags and went out the door. Good-bye, Japan.

Thanks to everyone I met in Japan who assisted me and extended such friendship.

December 16, 2007
Today’s concert was arranged by Super Sonic China, which Koyuki manages, and it’s also my last show in Japan. The venue is New World cocoroom. When we arrived I discovered it’s a coffee shop that’s part of a big, multi-storey entertainment complex.

The show started with a VJ performance organized by Super Sonic China. Koyuki and Iida presented a film montage of the Chinese Model Operas, which was interesting. [The Model Operas or Yang Ban Xi 样板戏 were the dozen or so revolutionary works that were permitted to be performed during the Cultural Revolution, exemplifying revolutionary ideals. If I’m not mistaken, Torturing Nurse incorporated an LP recording of one of them, The White-Haired Girl, into a recent performance. -Ben] Tanaka had originally been scheduled to perform, but in the end he wasn’t feeling well, so he had to pull out. Afterwards was 10, and the timing and emotions of their performance were just right. Marqido made a recording, as he does every time they perform. Then came my solo set. After two days of rest, my hands were much better, so today’s performance was calm and level-headed. Listening to the recording after the show, it sounded quite good.

I thought to myself, this is a contradiction. In a situation where I remain relatively sober and level-headed while performing, my hands will be fine and not cramp up; however, if I throw myself into it in total oblivion, problems will surely emerge after ten minutes. In terms of musicality, for sure it’s clearer when I’m cool-headed; but on the other hand, it won’t be as emotionally intense as when I throw myself into it in total oblivion. So, how to strike a balance between level-headedness and intense emotion remains a problem that I need to deal with.

Last was an improvised collaboration with 10: Marqido on computer, itta vocalizing, and me on guitar. It probably lasted about thirty-five minutes. It sounded awesome, a really great collaborative performance! Maybe we’ll put out a CD together.

There was a Japanese guy who had come from out of town just for this show, and afterwards he was very excited. He came over to tell me that he was told about this show by the PSF label, so he rushed back just to attend. He also bought my CD before leaving. I was surprised that quite a few Chinese people had come to the show, especially an old friend from Beijing who’s already been doing business in Osaka for many years. Previously he only went to extreme metal shows; this was his first time checking out something new, and surprisingly, he really liked it. There were also a few Chinese students studying here: a pretty young girl from Shanghai and a handsome young fellow from Shandong.

In addition, I sold 10,000 yen worth of CD’s. Altogether at three shows I sold 30,000 yen worth of CD’s (about 2000 RMB), notwithstanding the fact that I forgot to bring my CD’s to the BEARS show to sell.

December 15, 2006
We got out of bed at noon to go have lunch with Koyuki. Today she wanted to invite us to eat an Osaka specialty, okonomiyaki, at a little place called Cherry Blossoms. This dish is a little bit like teppanyaki; looks, smells, taste—got them all.

Afterwards, Koyuki took us to nearby Kobe to check out a famous street for second-hand goods. This market sprang up under one of Kobe’s light rail lines. It must stretch past several stations, certainly more than a kilometer in length. We entered from 7th St. and went straight in, successively passing 6th St., 5th St….I can’t remember clearly. I liked the part where we started our stroll, which had mostly old stuff like second-hand clothes, digital equipment, antiques, musical instruments, toys, albums, furniture, adult videotapes, a lot of adult manga, used books, and all sorts of other stuff, good quality at a cheap price. The shop owners were mostly middle-aged and elderly people. The things we saw the most of were shoes: old and new, leather and cloth, they had it all, since Kobe is the center of Japan’s shoe production. There was one store that specialized in second-hand Converse shoes; inside and out, the place was crammed full of Converse shoes of every size and shape, style and color. They were distinguished by their place of manufacture: Made in USA, Made in China…. The American ones were naturally more expensive, the Chinese ones were naturally much cheaper, and there were also shoes produced elsewhere at varying prices.

It really was a feast for the eyes, especially all of the toys and figurines, including lots of Japanese cartoon characters, all kinds of toy monsters, and small-sized Japanese antiques—really easy to “waste” time on. In the end, Marqido and itta bought several toy instruments, and my harvest was a pile of monsters to take back. The only one whose name I knew was Godzilla. Koyuki told me several of the other models were also famous Japanese monsters. I was wondering if some might be from Kairyu Daikessen 怪龙大决战 (Battle of the Dragons, 1966), but I couldn’t remember for sure.

As we continued pressing forward, the items on sale got newer. 1st St. and 2nd St. were basically a young person’s world, the majority of the products being fashionable clothes. Nothing there to really turn my head.

When we were done shopping, Koyuki went back, while Marqido, itta, and I continued strolling around Kobe until we were ready for dinner.

When we got back to Osaka, Iida and some of our new friends were all having dinner at his place. His parents had made several dishes, of which one dried, pickled radish dish was especially good, and I ate quite a bit. The Japanese word for “radish” is “daikon” (literally “big root” in Chinese)…such an exciting name! It kept reminding me of the virile male genital organ.

Happy New Year!

December 13, 2006
Today’s performance was at the UFO Club, and judging from the name alone, you can tell it’s a psychedelic rock venue. It’s also located in a basement, and the stairway down to the entrance is plastered with posters advertising concerts and recruiting musicians. I was surprised to discover that the boss here is the same guy who runs Show Boat.

We arrived there early, and the club still wasn’t open, so we just left our instruments, suitcases, and laptops at the door along with a note. Then we went to check out a street specializing in second-hand stores. There were second-hand books, albums, clothes, and home furnishings. Itta and Marqido especially dug into any shops that had red clothing, ha ha. They pay great attention to their appearance on stage; if it’s not red, they’re not interested.

There were a lot of interesting old books, including authors such as Shuji Terayama 寺山修司 and Araki Nobuyoshi 荒木经惟. In one used bookstore named Nishimuraya 西村屋, which also sells a great quantity of second-hand videotapes and DVD’s, I also saw books by Daisetsu T. Suzuki 铃木大拙. They weren’t expensive, but considering that I don’t read Japanese, I decided not to buy anything.

At 4:30 in the afternoon we went back to the UFO Club, where Shoji Hano was already sound checking his drums. Today before our duo free improvisation, I was scheduled to do a solo set. He said today he was ready to record, so he hoped that we could get a better balance between our playing volumes this time.

After waiting for all of the performers to finish sound checking, it was just about show time. Hideo Ikeezumi and Munehiro Narita had also come to check out the performance.

The first to perform was a newly formed Tokyo psychedelic punk band named AINOTAMENISHIS 愛のために死す. They had some pretty good songs, reminding me of the Beijing band Mafeisan 麻沸散. But they played a bit long, more than an hour; waiting for them to finish, Shoji Hano ran over to me and said that since they were playing so long, maybe I could curtail my solo performance a bit, if we still wanted to do our duo improvisation. I said no problem.

Next up was 10, and tonight they put on a great show, better than two days ago at Show Boat. But after they were done, my performance was really a disaster. Halfway through my solo set, I had a sudden recurrence of an old malady. My left hand cramped up to the point where I couldn’t hold down the strings, and my right hand couldn’t even hold my guitar pick. I was so emotionally pumped up that I couldn’t even stand steady, and I stumbled on the stage. After I was done, there was no time for a break, since the next set was my duo improvisation with Shoji Hano. My two hands were already completely stiff, and there was no longer any joy in playing, so the concert was very rigid and mechanical, with no chance for anything truly creative or inspired to happen. But Shoji Hano was great, just crazier and crazier; when I was ready to leave the stage, he called me back for more.

As far as I’m concerned, today’s performance was a complete mess. Sitting in the green room after the show, I just wanted to chop off my two hands. I utterly despise this old illness, which has so many times robbed me of the joy of performing. Of course Hideo Ikeezumi was also disappointed, since he was hoping to get a good recording of tonight’s show, but the result was far from ideal.

Afterwards someone came over to greet me. When he introduced himself, I realized it was Shizuo Uchida 内田静男, the bass player in Keiji Haino’s 灰野敬二 Nijiumu 滲有無 project. He also came to hear our performance two days ago at Show Boat. He was the one who designed the artwork for the PSF re-release of the D!O!D!O!D! album. We exchanged contact information, and he gave me a copy of the Shizuo Hasegawa 長谷川静男 CD he did together with Hirotomo Hasegawa 長谷川裕倫. I also gave him a few 2pi CD’s.

Just before we left, Hideo Ikeezumi gave us 5000 yen to go get a late night snack, as well as 10000 yen to pay for our trip to Osaka. What a great boss!

Today was such a tiring day. When we got home, I could only lie paralyzed on the bed. Itta brewed some pomelo honey tea for me to drink. This is a Korean specialty that she had just brought with her a few days ago, and it was extremely tasty. These last few days, this tea has become our best cure for staving off exhaustion. Two cups down the hatch, OK, the day’s work is behind us, and we’re ready for bed. Tomorrow we’re off to Osaka!

December 14, 2006
“Life’s got more twists and turns for the poor [穷人多折腾].” This is a famous saying for Marqido and me. Translated into the best English that the two of us could manage, it means, “Poor is hard, rich is easy.” Maybe it’s not grammatically correct, but if you understand the meaning, that’s enough. I’ve known him for two years, and between the two of us, we don’t know more than fifteen words of English.

“Poor is hard, rich is easy,” was in reference to the fact that the direct bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka, which only takes three and a half hours, costs 15000 yen, too much for our budget. In the end, we had to leave at 6:30 in the morning and change trains about seven or eight times, ultimately taking nine hours to reach Osaka.

But all this trouble was worth it. Although all these twists and turns meant that there was no chance for sleep on the train, the journey gave me a taste of some beautiful Japanese scenery, including Mount Fuji, the Pacific Ocean, several small villages nestled at the foot of the mountain, the tidy and tranquil countryside, and the kind of wild fields you’d see in a film by Hayao Miyazaki 宮崎駿. Large statues of Guanyin (a.k.a. Avelokitsvara, the Buddhist goddess of mercy), dotted the hillsides we passed along the way.

We arrived in Osaka in the afternoon around 4 pm and went straight to BEARS bar. This is Osaka’s performing holy ground, opened by the famous guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto 山本精一. All of the big name noise artists (or any kind of big name artists) who come to Osaka play here as their first choice venue. Tokyo may be Japan’s capital for psychedelic music, but Osaka is the noise music capital. This bar’s also not very big and also located in the basement; I’m realizing that basically all of Japan’s music bars are underground. The sound engineer was a young girl, but very experienced and fast-working, the most deft and precise sound engineer I’ve seen. When I was sound checking, she asked if I wanted more treble or bass, so I replied, “More bass,” and very quickly she had dialed up a satisfying tone. The audio equipment was also quite good; if you want to really crank it up, this wish is easily satisfied.

Before the performance, Koyuki 小雪, the manager of Super Sonic China, arrived. I met her a few years ago in Hangzhou. She is now in Japan acting as an agent and promoter for the Shanshui 山水 record label run by Sun Dawei 孙大威 (a.k.a. Sulumi). She also organized our other Osaka performance. Her Chinese is really good, and the other friends who accompanied her, including Iida 饭田 and Tanaka 田中, also speak Chinese. I was so happy that I could finally use Chinese to communicate with people!

The first act to take the stage tonight was pretty good, Tetsuharu Mashita 増田哲治, performing guitar noise processed with delays, loops, and feedback, very psychedelic, with some ear-splitting high frequencies. After the show, he told me he made effects processors. No wonder his music had such an original tone!

Next up was 10. I’ve already seen them perform many times, but I can always discover some new impression. Japanese artists and musicians all have a very persistent quality. Once they have chosen some mode of expression, they seem compelled to drill down deep to the heart of the matter. Because only then is it your own music, one that is totally unique. 10 also possess this quality, the idea that you’ve got to have something that’s your own; this is what touched me most deeply while I was in Japan. You might say that the proliferation of different forms of creative music in Osaka is the proof.

Next was my performance. I still hadn’t recovered the full use of my hands, so I couldn’t play guitar. Instead I chose to do a hardware noise set of “rubbing box” [a small, custom-made box that generates noise when rubbed] plus effects. The performance turned out alright, since the sound in that room was so good; all of the minute details and variations could be heard clearly. Since I pressed down so hard on the rubbing box, I actually broke off a corner of the table on which I was performing. When Seiichi Yamamoto came over to help me move my equipment off the stage, I apologized to him, but he said it was no big deal, and took a look at my rubbing box while he was at it.

The last performance was by a super prankish band, two guys and one girl, performing on keyboard plus a huge drum, along with Japanese comic dialog, very interesting.

When the concert was over, Seiichi Yamamoto gave us eight thousand yen to get us back to Tokyo, and Koyuki and her friends invited us out for some food. This meal was great; I particularly love those barbecued apricots, so fragrant. While in Osaka, we were staying at Iida’s place, so after eating, we headed back there to sleep. Iida is a very warm-hearted Japanese guy, very sincere. He studied in China for a while, so we were able to chat together quite happily.

Going to Iida’s house was my first time taking a Japanese taxi, since they’re so expensive. Even a short trip makes about 2000 yen just disappear. Marqido jokingly pointed to Iida from the back seat and said “Rich people! Rich people!”

What a great day this was: great scenery, great performances, great food, great friends…itta said today must have been my happiest day in Japan so far, since she was always seeing me smile.

December 12, 2006
I first went to buy a transformer for my Boss ME-50 effects pedal. The electricity used in Japan is 110 Volts, so it’s not the same as in China.

Then I took my equipment and, accompanied by Marqido and itta, set off to find Zbigniew Karkowski. Before I left for Japan, Karkowski sent me a note inviting me to come and make a collaborative CD with him. He lives in Higashi-Nakano 東中野, not too far from Marqido’s place.

Today’s weather wasn’t so great, a nonstop drizzle. When we got to the Higashi-Nakano subway stop, we saw Karkowski waiting for us from far off, wearing a dark overcoat, looking cooler than I had seen him before! I’m very happy to have a chance to meet up with him while I’m in Japan.

His house isn’t very big either, but comfortably furnished. What made me happiest upon entering was something I hadn’t smelled in a long time: cigarette smoke, indicating I was free to smoke here. In a lot of places in Japan smoking is prohibited, so for two days I hadn’t had a proper smoke.

Karkowski grabbed a beer, and he offered us a wide choice of tea. I joined Karkowski in drinking beer, while Marqido and itta drank tea. Since there wasn’t enough recording equipment at Karkowski’s house, we didn’t record that day, so we made a date for the 18th after I returned from Osaka, when he could borrow a friend’s recording booth and we could record something together. So we spent the afternoon just chatting together. After beer, we turned to harder alcohol, so that by the time we left, my face was flushed deep red and I was feeling more than a little tipsy.

Karkowski gave me five of his CD’s, and we listened to a classical work of his that was recently performed in London. It was really great! He combined his laptop with string instruments to imposing effect; I might go so far as to say psychedelic. This was the first time I’d heard one of his classical pieces.

When we returned home the rain had stopped. In the evening, after we’d had a rest, we planned to head to Kichijōji 吉祥寺 to find something to eat and browse for second hand CD’s.

As we were leisurely strolling around, we discovered a shrine standing among the tall buildings, with all sorts of tomb steles made of wood and stone, uncannily peaceful and eerie amid the city’s noise and flashing neon lights. On the door was written “Cloud Cave Mountain Moon Window Temple,” and underneath was a series of inscriptions mentioning “Zen meditation club,” “aikido,” “tea ceremony,” “calligraphy club,” “tai chi,” etc. China also has a Cloud Cave Mountain, a tourist destination. But this place appears to be at least a place to rest and drink tea, if not a meditation center.

We browsed a few musical instrument shops and CD stores. We saw all the latest models of synthesizers, effect pedals, and the like. You’re welcome to play the instruments in the stores, and a lot of new equipment is plugged into speakers especially to allow people browsing in the shops to play. If you’re happy with what you hear and would like to buy an instrument, they’ll get out a brand new one for you, or if you don’t have money and just want to play, that’s also no problem. If you’ve got the time, you could easily spend a whole day in those instrument shops. In a second-hand CD store I uncovered a few soundtrack albums such as Natural Born Killers and From Dusk Till Dawn, and also some Yoko Ono 小野洋子. Everything was super cheap; each CD cost less than 20 RMB.

On our way back, we saw a few young people performing in the entryway to the Kichijōji subway station. There was traditional rock, Japanese punk, reggae, etc. Even though it was a winter night, the air was filled with the springtime scent of youth. Marqido said there are people performing here every night, so I said, great, let’s come back tomorrow and perform ourselves, so we can earn some tips to fund our trip to Osaka.

December 11, 2006
At noon, the head of the PSF record label Hideo Ikeezumi 生悦住英夫 invited everyone for lunch. He’s such an ordinary looking, middle-aged man, completely contrary to my expectations. While eating we talked a bit about Chinese music, and he said he didn’t really care for Cui Jian 崔健. He asked me what kind of rock music I like, and I said I’ve always liked rock from the 60’s and 70’s. He smiled and said, “Me too!”

This Tokyo tour was arranged by PSF as a promotion for the Japanese re-release of D!O!D!O!D!’s “Ghost Temple.” Since in the end drummer Huang Jin 黄锦 [the other half of D!O!D!O!D!] didn’t come along on this trip, Hideo Ikeezumi said he’d like to put together a Japanese D!O!D!O!D! He originally called Tatsuya Yoshida 吉田達也 to be the drummer, but Tatsuya Yoshida was unavailable, so he arranged for Shoji Hano 羽野昌二 to collaborate with me. Hideo Ikeezumi said Shoji Hano was Japan’s best free jazz drummer. He’s made a lot of collaborative recordings with Peter Brötsmann, as well as with Derek Bailey. I recall that the Improvised Music from Japan website had an entry introducing his work. Also collaborating with us on this performance was Munehiro Narita 成田宗弘, a very important guitarist in the new wave of Japanese psychedelia. Together with bassist Asahito Nanjo 南条麻人, he founded the most famous group in this movement, High Rise. (And I’d like to put to rest the common misconception back in China that Asahito Nanjo has given up bass for guitar.)

To tell the truth, I’m really looking forward to tonight’s show. I’ve heard High Rise’s stuff, but I’ve never heard Munehiro Narita play solo, and now we have an opportunity to listen and learn from each other. Shoji Hano has also been renowned for a long time, so to have the chance for this kind of collaboration is certainly cool.

After eating, we went to the PSF label’s Modern Music CD store. This musical stronghold is already becoming quite legendary. I had heard it was small and crammed full of CD’s, but I didn’t imagine it would be this small and crammed this full; there wasn’t room for four or five people to turn around. The store stocks a full range of albums besides the PSF releases. There’s all kinds of early Japanese progressive rock, as well as every kind of experimental classical, jazz, etc. I finally saw that 50 CD Merzbow boxed set, a really thick box sitting in the corner of the room.

At Modern Music, there’s a strong feeling of being pressed for time. You really want to choose something, but you feel there’s no way of choosing. You want this one, but you also want to buy that one, and in your excitement, time swiftly slips through your hesitating fingers. Since we had to perform in the evening, we had no time to waste, so in the end, I didn’t buy anything. Hideo Ikeezumi gave me a copy of a live Fushitsusha 不失者 concert from 1991 on DVD and a G-Modern magazine. He also gave me a big pile of D!O!D!O!D! CD’s that he said was to sell at my concerts in Japan.

Sound check was at 4pm, and the venue was Showboat in Kōenji 高円寺, a renowned bastion of live performance in Tokyo. Upon entering, I saw Shoji Hano and Munehiro Narita already sound checking. Shoji Hano’s hair is grey, but his spirit is lively. When he speaks, you can see he’s really just an old rocker. Munehiro Narita is comparatively sedate and quiet. After introducing ourselves, we went on stage to try to make some noise, and the initial results weren’t bad.

In the evening, the first to perform was 10, comprised of Marqido and itta. 10 as always maintained their own kawaii direction, a kind of pop experimentalism. Their music is unpretentious and highly concentrated, but not extreme.

Next up was the Japanese version of D!O!D!O!D! with me and Shoji Hano. His drumming was always changing unpredictably, with lots of suspense, and since it was our first time playing together, I wasn’t playing as irascibly and extreme as back home. Between the two of us, we looked for ways to achieve a better synergy. The performance had some very good passages, as well as some transitions that didn’t come out smoothly. But overall, it was a very good improvised collaboration.

Next up was Munehiro Narita’s solo set, just as intoxicating as I expected. Each step he took was more daring, each layer more far out. His guitar had a strongly individualized timbre, imposing and threatening, a tightly integrated sound.

The last performance was a trio free improvisation with me, Shoji Hano, and Munehiro Narita. This time it felt more relaxed than our previous performance. As much as possible, I tried to distinguish my tone from Munehiro Narita’s. We also took turns soloing against each other, just like a rock concert, ha! For me, this was the evening’s most brilliant set.

Hideo Ikeezumi was also very happy. He said, “Today all three of you were really impressive; for your first time playing together, it wasn’t bad at all!” Then he gave me a few thousand yen for our late night snacks.

About 15-20 people attended the concert, more or less. Apparently, all over the world, the audience for avant-garde concerts is the same. Marqido said this wasn’t a bad turnout, and my albums were selling for 15000 yen, so I made a small fortune. I also bumped into a friend from Hunan. What are the odds of that?

December 10, 2006
Today the weather was beautiful, and my objective was to buy a second hand guitar. On this trip to Japan, I didn’t bring a guitar; I just planned to buy one I like after arriving. Before leaving I had already found a lot of second hand guitars on Yahoo Japan.

Around 10:30 am we arrived at Ochanomizu 御茶ノ水, Tokyo’s most centralized area for musical instruments. There’s a street lined with musical instrument shops on both sides, where every kind of rare guitar can be found. Of course, there are also rare and precious second hand instruments. One store specializes in buying instruments from the ’60s and ’70s that were formerly played by various celebrities. As the quality of an instrument goes up, the price soars; we could only gaze through the shop window, desperately counting the zeros on the price tag. What can you do with such an expensive guitar? Strum it once, and there goes 1,000 yen; strum it a second time, that makes 2,000…

Passing by several shops, I took a liking to a Fender Tele Deluxe. The original price was 120,750 yen. It was made in Mexico (I didn’t even consider the American ones; there’s no way I could afford them). The protective film on the pick guard had already been torn off, so even though it was a new guitar, the price was reduced to 72,450 yen. I really liked it, but to make sure I had found the best value for my money, I walked the entire length of the street and compared with other stores.

In one shop I bought a second-hand Ebow. I’d wanted one of these things for a long time. Once I saw one on Taobao (a Chinese online store), but the asking price was nearly 1,000 RMB, so I didn’t buy it. Here I spent just over 300 yuan for an Ebow that was just like new, including packing case, instruction manual, and instructional tape, a complete package.

Before going to Japan, I had heard that Akihabara 秋葉原 was a good place for electronics, and it wasn’t far from Ochanomizu, so we walked to Akihabara. This section of the road made for a very pleasant walk; the ground was strewn with falling leaves, some evergreen trees offered shade, and there was historical architecture along the side of the road. We ran across a place, and I wasn’t sure if it was a temple or a Shinto shrine, with a wooden panel that read “Historical Site Yushima Seido.” Inside I was surprised to find a Confucian temple built over 400 years ago.

When we arrived at a tall building proclaiming “Ishimaru 石丸電気” in big letters, we had reached Akihabara. There were old and new shops, one on top of another. We saw cameras, iPods, video cameras, computers, all kinds of stuff. With enough patience and care, I’m sure you could find anything your heart desires in these piles of electronics!

Next we went to Shinjuku 新宿, which was absolutely full of young people. I was especially amazed to see so many intrepid girls braving the cold December air in short skirts. Wow, what troopers! It made me think that in all of Japan I might be the only person to put on two pairs of pants before stepping outside. If you tried to go into the long thermal underwear business, you could lose a lot of money here.

We strolled by several of Shinjuku’s instrument and CD shops. If you like jazz music and find yourself in Shinjuku, you’ve got to swing by the Shinjuku Jazz Shop. From bottom to top both floors are packed with jazz albums for sale. The bottom floor sells new products, and the top floor is mostly second hand. There were four very full shelves of free or avant-garde jazz, with albums by artists like Sun Ra, Moondog, Anthony Braxton, and labels such as ESP and Tzadik. I wasn’t exactly set for a shopping spree, so I satisfied myself by surveying the spoils. Then returning to Ochanomizu, I bought that Fender Tele Deluxe.

In the evening, Marqido went to pick up itta at the airport, and afterwards itta invited us all out for a tasty evening snack.

So here’s day one of “My Ten Days in Japan: A Personal Map” by Li Jianhong, originally published on his site (check it out for photos and the original Chinese text). Many thanks to Lawrence and Yao Dajuin, who helped me a lot with things I got wrong or didn’t understand!

Remaining journal entries to follow soon…

December 9, 2006
I got out of bed before dawn, at 3am, and took the train from Hangzhou to Shanghai for a 9am departure. Japan is one hour earlier than China, so I arrived in Tokyo around 1pm. Marqido was already waiting for me. His bright red clothes swaying in the crowd made him easy to spot. It takes a long time to get from the Narita airport to Tokyo proper; after 25 minutes in the train Marqido said we still hadn’t arrived… My first impression of Tokyo was that everything seemed so clean.

Marqido’s Tokyo apartment is even smaller and colder than mine. His bedroom is unfurnished, apart from a bed and a desk. I asked him, “How can your apartment be even colder than mine?” but Marqido insisted our two apartments were equally cold.

We dropped off my bags and went to have dinner. Marqido’s like me; we both know a city’s cheapest and tastiest restaurants, since we’re both so poor.

At dusk we went to Kichijoji 吉祥寺 to look for second hand musical instruments and records. Kichijoji is not far away. After checking just a few shops at random, we had already seen a lot of guitars that I’d only previously seen on the internet. It made my fingers itch, but I told myself that tomorrow there would be more second hand shops to peruse, so I forced myself to endure it. As for the second hand music shops, I was overwhelmed; two floors were filled from top to bottom with every kind of music. As I browsed the second hand albums, I saw, among others, The Incapacitants, Hijokaidan 非常階段, Masonna, Keiji Haino 灰野敬二, Merzbow, Yoshihide Otomo 大友良英, lots of prominent Japanese avant-garde musicians, western composers like Iannis Xenakis and John Cage (a large John Cage boxed set was particularly tempting), and lots of free jazz albums. It was like a dream: so many stacks of records, rare beyond my wildest imagination, and on vinyl! I wish I had the dough to hire someone to carry them home for me. Second hand avant-garde albums are a little more expensive than other albums, usually about 1200–1500 yen, though you can find some that are cheaper.

In the end, I bought Merzbow’s Green Wheels, not my favorite album, but this CD was the cheapest and most economical, a thick plastic boxed set containing one CD and one mini LP, all for only 1,000 yen. So I snatched it up. In Japan buying albums is a never-ending war; you’ve got to keep your wits about you.

Outside, at a roadside bookshop, I purchased a copy of Studio Voice magazine, the 30th anniversary specially sized issue. Inside was a feature introducing D!O!D!O!D!’s recent performances in Japan.

After returning home, we went to a public bathhouse to renew ourselves. We sat on a small wooden bench, took the towel, and washed away the fatigue of the day.