PMX: Music As Well As MangaPMX: Music As Well As Manga
Expat life in Japan really is different from life as a foreigner in any other country. (Something that Lost In Translation, in my opinion, utterly failed to portray.) Rather than slowly get accustomed to things, you start out on an absolute high, loving every single thing you see and experience. A couple of months into it, though, you crash hard, as all the not-so-great aspects of society seem to come to a head. And thus the cycle continues until you leave for good.
For me, the thing that saved me from despair after my first "crash" was the underground Japanese music scene. I happened upon a homemade flyer promoting what seemed to me to be a punk concert. On show night, I arrived (with two reluctant colleagues in tow) to see a wonderful sight: Girls decked out in vintage/indie chic, dudes in hardcore-style outfits, many of both sexes with tattoos. Then the music started--and for one night, it was like the best parts of life back home and life in my new home had converged.
Now that I have some perspective, I of course look at music from that country the way I do at acts from everywhere else: With an open mind and discerning ear. Recently I got my first taste of "visual kei": Think American metal, European goth, and the Japanese ability to take something from another culture and make it its own.
So I'm absolutely psyched to see Suicide Ali play Friday at the Pacific Media Expo! Besides that visual kei extravaganza, I'm also looking forward to one of their opening acts, Vaeidos, a J-rock band whose members hail from both Japan and the United States.
Stay tuned, as I'll be reviewing the show and interviewing the bands. In the meantime, check out the Pacific Media Expo's site: http://pacificmediaexpo.info/2008/index.php
