Chapter 1: Big in Japan

10/2/2014

Day 2: As the sun rises for me on the 3rd day of being 39, it rises for me in the land of the rising sun. After almost 12 years with Toyota, this is my 15th trip to Japan. While my first few trips were quite the shock to my system, I have really come to love this country. But, nonetheless, it is still hard to be away. Music is one of the ways that I help keep myself grounded when I am so very far from home. And so this chapter is dedicated to the songs that I tend to gravitate to when I am on the other side of the globe.  Ironically, today's song, Alphaville's 80s classic "Big In Japan," doesn't necessarily fall into that category but you have to admit that it is appropriate for a 6'2" white guy in Asia. It has also been known to be used as the ring tone by certain coworkers of my who will remain nameless. In any event, what Alphaville says certainly is true: things ARE easy when you're big in Japan.

10/3/2014

Day 3: It is said that author J.K. Rowling had the entire Harry Potter series flash into her brain one day and she then proceeded to map out the entire 7-book series. However, when she got to the 4th book, she had to deviate from the original story a bit in order to make things work. Not to compare myself to a famous author or anything, but that it kind of how I feel today. I mapped out this entire project several months ago, from Day 1 to Day 365. However, as the beginning of this project approached and I sat here in my hotel room in Japan, I realized that there was one song that needed to be subbed in to best fit the mood and theme of this chapter: today's track, R.E.M.'s lovely Hidden Gem from 1991's Out of Time, "Half a World Away." As I go about my travels on this trip to Japan, quite literally half a world away from home, this song has been playing in my head for the past 2 weeks. I think that it is safe to say that, "my mind is racing, as it always will, my hands tired" and "my heart aches" and perhaps a couple of times, "I've had too much to drink." Oh well, my trip is almost finished, and I will be coming home soon. (and P.S. not every song is going to be from R.E.M. in this project!)

10/4/2014

Day 4: Today is the day that I head for home, and that means a very, very long plane ride. With any luck, I will likely spend most of that time sleeping.  But if not, I will almost certain fire up today's song, "Transatlanticism," by Death Cab For Cutie up on my iPod.  Several trips to Japan ago, this song came up on some sort of random shuffle. In the darkness of that airplane cabin, it really touched me on that particular day, and I will now forever associate it with long flights, whether over the Atlantic Ocean or not.  The slow burn nature of the track is perfect for those in no rush for a song to end, and the lyrics towards the end of the song resonate perfectly to those headed far away from home (or those returning from far away places): "The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row. It seems farther than ever before... I need you so much closer."  It will be nice to see Jen and Evy again.

10/5/2014

Day 5: The worst thing about going to Japan, other than being away from family and friends, is the jet-lag. Going from East to West (to Japan) is a piece of cake, but that return trip can be a killer.  I struggled mightily the first trip with jet-lag that morphed into insomnia for a few months (although the stress of a new job certainly did not help). I certainly have developed strategies to deal with the jet-lag (sleep as much as possible on the way home with the help of Nyquil gelcaps), but it never is easy. So, for today's track, let's take the advice of one of my favorite bands, The Cure, who say, "Let's Go To Bed."  I would certainly be remiss if I did not mention that this track comes from the 1982 album, Japanese Whispers. Nighty Night!

10/6/2014

Day 6: One of the most enjoyable things about visiting Japan is their absolutely amazing train system. Despite the fact that I am forbidden to drive there (and would not want to) and that I do not speak that much Japanese, I have had very little trouble going sightseeing on weekends, even if I am by myself.  Part of this is due to a  very helpful website (Hyperion) that if given a starting and ending point, will give you a detailed itinerary of trains and transfers, often complete with track numbers.  If it says a train departs at 8:41 going to your destination of choice, well then you just have to make sure you are on the train that leaves at 8:41 (but not 8:40 or 8:42).  For today's track, I have selected what I believe to be the greatest of all songs about train travel, R.E.M.'s spectacular "Driver 8".  The entire album, actually, is devoted to travel in general, and was written at a time when the band was touring extensively (at least that is what I was told by the biography of R.E.M. that I read in late middle school / early high school). I distinctly remember listening to this entire album once while sightseeing solo down the Izu peninsula in Japan one weekend.  Even in Japan, "we can reach our destination, though it's still a ways away."

10/7/2014

Day 7: Do you ever have the experience where in a certain situation you have randomly picked out a song or album and then that song is forever linked to that experience in your head?  Some years ago, I had that experience with the Tori Amos album, Boys for Pele. I don't even remember why, but one trip to Japan I decided to pull up that album while I was prepared some presentations in my hotel room at the base of Mount Fuji. Now, that album, especially its primary single, "Caught A Lite Sneeze" is one of my go-to songs whenever I visit.  I think that the haunting beauty has a kind of other-world feeling that is not so different that the feeling of being in a foreign land.  Things are basically normal, yet at the same time they are not.  And so, I leave you with this track as I close out this first chapter of my story.

Next up is yet another homage to Japan, I suppose. Chapter 2 is all about Karaoke!