Japan Tour 2007: Acknowledgements

Writing to you now from Bangkok, having just arrived after 3 months in Japan. Before that I was in India for 3 months and in a few days I'll be back in Australia after 6 months away...

This year's Japan tour was a big success and I had a fantastic time the whole time with so many friends. On previous trips of course I played a lot of music with many people, and felt friendships developing through that music, but this time I really felt warm friendship with so many people and sharing music with them was an added bonus. Through this I found a deeper love of tabla and music. There are so many people to thank, so without further ado...

Thanks so much to my various hosts all around Japan: Martine & Fuku-chan (Tokyo), Taro & Yuriko (Chiba), Bon-jin (Niigata), Rie (Niigata), Chris (Chichibu), Takasitar & Kei-chan (Hachioji, Tokyo), Sugimoto & Shoko (Kakegawa, Shizuoka), Nishi-Izu Autocamp during Dance of Shiva, Tadao & Ishihama-san (Osaka), Steve & Teruyo (Kyoto), Minamizawa-san (Kyoto), Kousuke (Ayabe), Michelle (Kyoto), Yasu (Kyoto), Alex & Hana (Kyoto), Jimi-san (Horado, Gifu), Christophe & Ayumi (Shiga), the night bus to Kyushu, Kamura-san (Kokura), Amigo-chan and family (Fukuoka), Chikako-san @ Cafe Rinya (Kumamoto City), Ravi & Masaki-san (Annapurna Farm, Kumamoto), Makoto-san (Nishihara, Kumamoto).

Many thanks to my co-performers: Masa Mbira Zvakanaka Sakurai & Shun (mbira - Earth Day @ Yoyogi Park), Taro Terahara (bansuri) and Yuriko Terahara (tamboura) (Niigata, Greenhouse, Izu, Oto-kin), Kenji Sakasegawa (tabla), Eric Mandala (various world), Takasitar (sitar), Tim Hoffman (vocal, shakuhachi, koto) (Greenhouse Golden Week Gathering), Dr. Chandrakant Sardeshmukh (sitar - Shizuoka), Takaaki "Maha-kun" Kuno (ghatam - Oto-kin), Tadao Ishihama (sitar - Osaka twice in one night, Kyoto, Osaka), Hiro Minamizawa (sitar - Ayabe), Yasu Fujibayashi (sarod), Shuhei Ozaki (sitar), Junichi Osako (sitar), Yuji Hiromoto (tabla) (Shanti Nilayam event in Kyoto), Setsuo "Jimi" Miyashita (santoor - Shanti Nilayam and Nagoya), Koki Yoshida (sitar - Nagoya), Christophe Rossi (sitar - Zuirenji and EiUnIn temples in Kyoto), Hide Iwai (sitar - seven concerts around Kyushu), Takuya (Beatles songs on guitar - Kyushu)

Thanks also to Nobuo Sugimoto (sitar - Shizuoka), Hiro Okazaki & Yuji (tabla & sarangi - Osaka) and Carlos Guerra (bansuri - Kyoto) who gave of their time and hospitality to practise with me.

And a big thanks to the hard-working event organisers (and venues): Masa Sakurai (Earth Day 2007), Rie-san (Rin-Sen-An Temple, Niigata), Chris Case (Greenhouse), Pooja Sardeshmukh and Taj Group (Shizuoka), Tirikita-san (Dance of Shiva in Izu), Yuriko & Taro Terahara (Otoya-Kintoki), Tadao Ishihama (Salon de Amanto), Kousuke Matsumoto (Ohgiya Kaikotei), Yasu Fujibayashi (Gaea), Koki Yoshida (Cafe Dufi), Eric Mandala (Hati-Hati), Painukaji, Christophe & Ayumi Rossi (Zuirenji and EiUnIn temples), Hide Iwai and Michi (Kyushu: Brick Hall, Kumamoto International Hall, Gallery Ado, Annapurna Farm, Bonga Curry, Makoto House).

Extra special thanks to Chris, Alex and Hana for memorable times.

Also extra special thanks to anyone whose name appears more than once above! :-)

And of course thanks to all the folks who came to listen to, enjoy and support our music!
コンサートに来ていただいたお客様、ありがとうございました。

Much gratitude to God, Guru-ji, Mum and Dad, and the spirit of tabla for giving me the opportunities to have this kind of life.

Sincere apologies if there's anyone I've missed.

I slept in 22 places, performed at 22 events with 21 musicians playing at least 12 different instruments in 10 prefectures from Niigata to Kumamoto. Wow! Japan is great. And I really really love tabla!!!

皆様ありがとうございました！！！また来年よろしくお願いいたします！　：－）