Japan

I just spent the last week and a half in the most amazing place in this world, Japan. My band had the opportunity to come over here and tour the country for a couple weeks. Its a life changing experience. The way of life is so much different here, the people are so much more polite and respectful. Its such a peaceful place. I wish I never had to go back to the U.S. but unfortunately I do. I thought I was going to have something to come home to, but things change really quickly. I now am returning to nothing. Its devistating, but thats life. Its not the first time I've been let down, and I'm sure it won't be the last. But all I can do is learn to stop putting so much into things that will eventually fade. I'm not going to be bitter, I'm not going to be upset, I'm just going to take what I can from the situation and learn from my mistakes. And there isn't a better place to reflect on those things than here, in this amazing country.

We got here on August 27th. A 4 hour flight to Detroit, which ended up being a flight to Toledo, because our plane couldnt land right away in Detroit cause of weather, and we didnt have enough gas to make circles, so we landed in Toledo, refueled, and took back off to Detroit. After landing in Detroit, only to discover that we had missed our Original flight to Japan, we had to take a later flight. So after a 3 hour layover, we were finally on our way. We landed in Nariita, Japan mid-afternoon, after a "25 hour flight" according to this lady on the plane who we still make that joke about. It was only a 13 hour flight in reality, but she somehow did the math on her own and came up with the idea that we would be on the plane for 25 hours. Still hilarious to think about. We got picked up after going through a very short customs, by Tohru, our Japanese driver/tour guide/tour manager, and Dicekay, thats probably not how you spell it, but it sounds like that. We got in our huge van that they had rented for the couple weeks we were there, and took off for food. We ended up at a sushi spot that had conveyor belts full of sushi. I was never a fan of sushi, but I knew that it was going to be a huge part of this trip so I started to try things, and to my surprise, I enjoyed it. After we ate, we were trying to figure out how long it was going to take us to get to the house we were staying at. The language barrier provided us with the answer of "8 minutes". We were in the van for 4 hours. 8 minutes = 4 hours in Japan I guess, this was something we were going to have to work on. We slept on little mattresses on the floors, as you'd expect, shoes came off everywhere after you walked through the front door, as far as houses and hotels go.

Tohru

Our first show was at a practice studio. It was still a lot of fun. We went back to Tohru's after and stayed there one more night, having to wake up at 5am the next moring to head to Tokyo for the 2 day fest we were playing. Pulling into Tokyo 5 hours later, we hit traffic. There is a lot of construction going on there, and driving is crazy. Think of New York, but 5 times busier. There are side streets everywhere with things you would never imagine to be hidden in them. We played at Club Asia which is hidden in the middle of a bunch of side streets. The club was huge. And there were a lot of people there. We got to hang out with The Acacia Strain dudes for the next 2 days and we had a blast. Practical jokes were played and it was just an all around awesome experience. To our surprise, we stayed in Hotel rooms every night. Tohru spoiled us way too much. He wouldnt take our money for anything. It felt really nice and welcoming to be taken care of the way we were. We went to a castle or monument of some sort almost everyday. We saw such amazing things throughout the trip. A golden temple, some ancient castles, we stopped in Hiroshima and saw the memorial there, We did some shopping all over, we were constantly busy. It took me a while to start enjoying myself because a big part of me was still thinking about back home, but after I finally decided that I should appreciate this trip and let things play out when I got home, I took in everything we saw and it was an amazing experience. Even riding in the van just looking at the beautiful mountain ranges, the tunnels and small towns in between the mountains, the big city buildings, and even watching the people, how peaceful they were, the way they rode their bikes. It was amazing. Every show we played was better and better. The people were so welcoming. Even though they hardly spoke english, they knew our songs and sang along. It is an amazing feeling to know that your art is appreciated on the opposite side of the world. Its kind of shocking to think about. I cant pick out one highlight of the trip that was my favorite, we did so many things. But all of it was amazing. I took a lot of pictures. I didnt have much money to buy things, so I made due with what I could.

Bloodaxe Fest, Tokyo, Japan

The Acacia Strain @ Bloodaxe Fest, Tokyo, Japan

Bishop, The Acacia Strain, Maroon, Loyal To The Grave

Osaka Castle

Hiroshima Memorial

At a Rest Stop

The Golden Temple

Temple

Bridge in a Garden

That Guy Statue

Niigata Stadium

Intersection in Tokyo

Overall, this trip will be something I remember for the rest of my life. I hope we have the opportunity to come back here one day. Sooner than later. I am now dreading the return home. Im torn because I do miss it, but at the same time, Im going back to a place that will open up thoughts and memories that will hurt to think about. I dont know what is going to happen, I dont know what life will bring me, and Im honestly scared. I just want to stay happy like I am now, but I know I probably wont. I dont have anything to look forward to really once I get home. Part of me wants to believe that everything will be ok like it always has been. But it feels different this time. It really feels like its over. And maybe thats for the best. I know that I will be ok. I just wish I didnt have to try so hard to feel that way. Its going to be hard, but I can do it.

Luckily, I have a week in Austrailia before I have to deal with reality again. Please make this last.