Tiny spaces, massive flavours
A March newsletter from Tokyo
I am writing the March edition of my newsletter from my tiny (and I mean tiny!) hotel room in Tokyo. Let’s say that it’s so small that I could be typing on my keyboard set on the table while comfortably laying in my bed…and yet, it feels very comfortable and nothing is missing in this space. There is every accessory one needs in a hotel room, even a fridge, a safe, a small desk, a humidifier and somehow enough space to have all my instruments and suitcases lined against the wall and being able to walk around them. This hotel room is perhaps a good way to understand Japanese efficiency and minimalism. Everything is very carefully designed and thought of, and no space is wasted.
Japan!
Yes I finally made it to Japan!! I can’t believe it’s the first time for me over here, as I have been dreaming of coming to this country for a very long time. It’s a very common fascination in Italy, perhaps because many of us grew up with Japanese cartoons in the 80’s. Way long before people had ever heard of the word anime, one Italian tv network bought entire stocks of cartoons from Japan and repurposed them for the Italian market, some with different titles, but all quintessentially Japanese. So we all grew up with huge doses of robots, sports and sentimental anime. But I digress…and perhaps this will be subject for another piece soon. The reason why I have become progressively more and more obsessed with Japan is of course its food: Washoku!
Blue Note!
The real reason I finally made it to Japan, is to play some shows with Rhiannon Giddens at Blue Note Tokyo, the legendary jazz club where so many of my favorite artists perform regularly. We were supposed to visit this venue 5 years ago when we were touring our album “They’re calling me home”, but we had to rush back home from Australia mid tour as Covid happened! So it took a very long time to get back here, but we finally managed.
We had three days at Blue Note, with 2 sets each night for a total of 6 shows. The performances were wonderful and we had some amazing audiences, but between the shows and the jet-lag, it was a very intense half week! We were joined by Rhiannon’s regular bass player Jason Sypher (who coincidentally lives in Japan!), and by our friend Kaoru Watanabe as a special guest. Kaoru is a Japanese-American musician that we know from the Silk Road ensemble, and his traditional Japanese flutes and taiko drums were a wonderful addition to our classic trio.
Food!
Once the shows were done, I was supposed to travel back to Ireland, but instead I planned to stay an extra 5 days to make sure I could take advantage of being in Tokyo, and most importantly to get into some good culinary adventures. I will probably write a series of posts here to describe all the amazing food I am trying while here, but for now I will show you a couple of memorable bites:
Coffee!
Another thing Italians and Japanese people have in common is the propensity to become obsessed and total nerds about the craziest things, so when it comes to coffee, the level is incredibly high over here. Every little little coffee shop has a pour over setup and some of the most interesting beans I have ever tasted. I also love that every such coffee shop has small samples of beans on the counter so you can smell the coffee before you order it.
After this incredible 10 days here in Japan I will travel back to Ireland, where I will spend the rest of this month with my daughter Aoife, and actually I will be off the road for a little bit while working on some new music, and teaching and performing locally. It will be very nice to take a break from travel after a very intense start of the year and I won’t be back on the road until late May.
Watch this space as more detailed Japan reports will appear
A presto
(P.s. all the exclamation marks are because I am so excited about everything and maybe also because I drank too much coffee)
Every post I read from you gets me more and more excited about my upcoming trip! Now I have the food AND the coffee to look forward to! Oh, and the ramen as well.
How fun to be able to "pick up on" your excitement and honest enthusiasm and joy for this very special visit! I LOVE that vibe ~I love traveling myself, but could never do what you professional musicians do: Road Warriors. I'm so happy that YOU are happy.