Toydeath
Tour Diary
Japan 07
Aug 29 Day 7 Toydeath are of to Shinjuku! Its night time and the lights are incredible. We visit the Golden Gai which is an oasis of old style bars in a sea of neon. Toydeath drop in to April Fool bar and see Aska. Her bar is tiny and can seat about 8 and we try some special Shoju made from the Shiso plant. Another great night in Tokyo!
Aug 30 Day 8 Gijoe, Big Judy and Disco Barbie caught a fast train to Himeji, about 4 hours south of Tokyo. Famous for its castle which overlooks the city, the intrepid threesome climbed to the top tower, peered through slits in the castle fortification and imagined firing arrows, throwing stones or pouring hot oil on enemies foolishly attempting to scale the impressive stone walls. Those samurai really knew how to deal with unwanted visitors. Gijoe, Bj and DB have already made friends in Himeji, hanging out at the local watering hole and ending up at the red light district (fondly known as Pimp St) singing "we are the world" at 2am. Marvellous!!!!!!!
Day 9 is gig day in Himeji. Nursing hangovers Toydeath try to visit the Japan Toy Museum but are diverted onto an air-conditioned local sightseeing bus. The aircon is a welcome relief from the heat and humidity! Hopping of the bus we find ourselves in a Japanese garden and participate in Tea Ceremony. The tea is green, hot and strong! Served up by kimono clad ladies with really strong legs! Its gig time and we are of to Fab Space in the heart of Pimp St. It's a night of break core comedy with OveAxx and DJ Scotch Egg who is not a DJ, not Scottish and not an Egg!
Day 10 Nursing hangovers Toydeath travel to Kyushu Island and play at Kokura Megahertz. What a great night of music! Megahertz is a bastion of all things experimental in Kokura and we are treated to some great DJing, MIDI Guitars and beautiful vocals. The crowd are great and laugh hysterically at our costumed antics! We are treated to some post gig soba at 2am!
Day 11 Nursing hangovers Toydeath are of to the romantic city Yamaguchi. A local band meets us at Yuda-Onsen station and escorts us to the venue, Organs Melody. Another great gig with some local wild bands who have us in hysterics with their gymnastic stage antics and strip teases. No wonder the singer is wearing knee pads! We have a much needed Sento (bath) after the gig and retire for a relatively early night.
Aug 24 Day 2 Spent a great day hanging out in Kyoto with our new friends Louise and Grey. Showed us around Kyoto in true tour guide style! Markets, Temples and Ducks! Also we had a go on the Taiko drum game!Aug 30 Day 8 Gijoe, Big Judy and Disco Barbie caught a fast train to Himeji, about 4 hours south of Tokyo. Famous for its castle which overlooks the city, the intrepid threesome climbed to the top tower, peered through slits in the castle fortification and imagined firing arrows, throwing stones or pouring hot oil on enemies foolishly attempting to scale the impressive stone walls. Those samurai really knew how to deal with unwanted visitors. Gijoe, Bj and DB have already made friends in Himeji, hanging out at the local watering hole and ending up at the red light district (fondly known as Pimp St) singing "we are the world" at 2am. Marvellous!!!!!!!
Day 9 is gig day in Himeji. Nursing hangovers Toydeath try to visit the Japan Toy Museum but are diverted onto an air-conditioned local sightseeing bus. The aircon is a welcome relief from the heat and humidity! Hopping of the bus we find ourselves in a Japanese garden and participate in Tea Ceremony. The tea is green, hot and strong! Served up by kimono clad ladies with really strong legs! Its gig time and we are of to Fab Space in the heart of Pimp St. It's a night of break core comedy with OveAxx and DJ Scotch Egg who is not a DJ, not Scottish and not an Egg!
Day 11 Nursing hangovers Toydeath are of to the romantic city Yamaguchi. A local band meets us at Yuda-Onsen station and escorts us to the venue, Organs Melody. Another great gig with some local wild bands who have us in hysterics with their gymnastic stage antics and strip teases. No wonder the singer is wearing knee pads! We have a much needed Sento (bath) after the gig and retire for a relatively early night.
Aug 25 Day 3 Its Sunday and we are of to Tokyo on the Shinkansen! Our 1st gig at Bullets Bar was awesome! We played with Sonton and other wild Circuit Benders from Tokyo! Have made some wonderful new friends! Tonight we play at Super-Deluxe. Of to Tokyo Hands store for some retail therapy
Aug 26 Day 4 Flying up to Tokyo on the Shinkansen, Toydeath play their 1st Gig at Bullets Bar. What a night! We are on the bill with the incredible Sonton and other Tokyo circuit benders. It is a night of electronic mayhem and shoju! All the instruments have been modified, including a fax machine and strobe lighting. Live visuals are created by VJ OP (on an overhead projector). Truly amazing.
Aug 27 Day 5 We play at Super-Deluxe in Tokyo. The PA is top notch! This is a great gig and lots of people by our CD! After our gig Sean Lennon drops in for a jam but its back to Bullets Bar for a party. It's Monday night and the party goes to 5am! It's a laid back night of impro music and DJs and the idea is you stay out till 530am so you can catch the 1st train! We also spent the day visiting the Amusement park in Asakusa which boasts a roller coaster circa 1953. This was enormous fun!
Aug 28 Day 6 Toydeath pound the streets of Tokyo! Our new friends from Sonton Kawa & Saki take us to Electronic Town. We trawl alleys of electronic shops looking for exotic switches. This is what nerds do on tour! Earlier we went shopping at Tokyo Hands department store, perusing a myriad of interesting items. Gijoe bought a key ring that has a fish with its insides visible!
