Punkafoolic! Bayside Crash 2012

So on Saturday I worked in Miyoshi in the morning and then headed back to Okazaki for lunch and my second job of the day up by Higashi Koen. That job over, I ran home to get my stuff and hopped on a train back to Nagoya for

Three Lights Down Kings, Rookiez is Punk'D, and Real Reach!!

I'd never heard the Three Lights Down Kings before, and, unfortunately, my job ran late, so I had to miss at least half of them. Still, what I saw was awesome, and I'm totally psyched to check them out again at Freedom Nagoya 2012 this weekend.

Up next was Rookiez is Punk'D - it was my third time seeing them, and, as usual, they were amazing! Possibly even more amazing than usual, because they actually played "Eggmate of the Year," which is my favorite song by them.
They also played stuff from their new album coming out July 25 - I'll definitely be getting my hands on that.

Last up, REAL REACH! If you read about me seeing them at Sakae Spring 2012, you know how much I love them. They were, of course, amazing! And the guitarist is such a fast talker that it also managed, I think, to be good listening practice. Though there were still some things I didn't understand. :-(
They also had a new album out mid-June, and as soon as I have money again - yeah, it's totally mine.

So when the AMAZING concert ended, I met up with Steven and hopped on a night bus to Tokyo to spend the next day at

Punkafoolic! Bayside Crash 2012
This was an all day outdoor music festival - it started at 10, and I didn't get home until about 9 PM. With a sunburn, despite the enormous amounts of sunblock I applied, and happiness from a full day of awesome music! In total, *23* bands! (would be 24, but I missed For A Reason while searching for water)

Let's do this by ratings:
BEST BAND OF THE DAY: Electric Summer

They were also the last band of the day.
It was super late, and I was super exhausted, so I was kind of hoping they would be bad, but when they came out with the singer dressed as a dragon and one of the dudes in a Devo hat, suddenly all of my energy came right back!

Sorry, my picture taking skills aren't the best.
Steven didn't like him because he said he didn't like the singer's voice. I totally loved the singer's voice. And everything else about them!

Now, let's do all the rest of the rankings as if Electric Summer weren't there.

BEST PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN BAND OF THE DAY: Tie between Mr. Jingles and S.M.N.

Both were totally punk rock and totally awesome, and I totally couldn't stop myself from dancing around like a crazy person the whole time! S.M.N also has a bit of a ska sound - I love how ska punk is still in in Japan!

I can't find a Mr. Jingles video. :-(

BEST PREVIOUSLY KNOWN BAND OF THE DAY: Secret 7 Line

Sure, I'd heard these guys before, but nothing could have prepared me for how awesome they were going to be live! They rocked some kind of hardcore!!


I really hope I get to see them again, to do a full live!

RUNNER UP FOR BEST PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN BAND OF THE DAY: Tie between TNX and St. Elmo's Fire


TNX is just plain ole punk rock, and they are awesome! They even did a cover of the Offspring's "What Happened to You?" While I've never been a huge Offspring fan, their version was awesome!


St. Elmo's Fire is a little harder, but still - just plain ole punk rock that makes pogo and head bang like it's nobody's business.

BAND I LOVED BUT WAS EXPECTING TO LOVE MORE: The Cherry Coke$
I saw them last year at Haziketemazare (which I apparently never wrote about - weird), and they were beyond awesome then! Celtic punk, in the vein of Flogging Molly. They were totally awesome this time as well, but for some reason, maybe because I was tired and sunburned and needing water, I had trouble getting into them as much as I thought I would.

Still, I highly recommend you check them out!

MOST SURPRISING THING: There were SO MANY PEOPLE WITH TATTOOS! When I first got to Japan, I knew that Japanese people don't get tattoos as much as westerners. Still, I though that might be different in the punk community. In Nagoya, though, you really just don't see them that often. So I was surprised.
I've been to punk fests now in Nagoya, Osaka, and Tokyo, and I DEFINITELY like the Nagoya atmosphere best. There's something almost innocent about it. It just feels like it fits me.

MOST HILARIOUS MOMENT: At one point, this guy climbed up to the top of one of the tall lamps and was hanging around and flying around like a monkey. Then he pulled his pants down and mooned the whole crowd. I tried to get out my camera to get a picture, but was unfortunately too late. :-(

OTHER PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN BANDS THAT WERE AWESOME: (with my notes I made at the concert written to the side)
Bassui - OKAY!
The Sensations - ska, good fun!
Skallheadz - great, fun!
Matter - Operation Ivy cover was totally awesome!
Buzz the Bears - quite good, but their sound seemed off. Think they could have been better.
Hakaihayabusa - alright
F.I.B. - water run during them, but what I heard was great!

OTHER PREVIOUSLY KNOWN BANDS THAT WERE AWESOME: (with my notes I made at the concert written to the side)
Dradnats - great!
Shank - yay!
Four Get Me A Nots - good, but not as good as I remembered
Country Yard - AWESOME!

BANDS THAT DIDN'T DO IT FOR ME: (with my notes I made at the concert written to the side)
Hardcore Fanclub - not my style
Velocity - voice a little too emo for me
Meaning - okay sometimes, but in general not really my style
Fight It Out - alright, but really too hard for me
A.O.W. - totally not my style

The next day I took the bus back to Nagoya in time for work. Crazy busy weekend of non-stop PUNK ROCK! I really just don't know if I could ask for anything more.

以上です

Nagoya Grampus, Shink and Jackpot Bell ROCK 豊橋(Toyohashi)!

I've still got to write about my Mie hike with Alexis, but I'll skip that for now and come to more recent things. Because I'm all fired up about last night and this night, so it's time to WRITE!

Yesterday, I met up with a friend in 豊田市(Toyota) so that we could head over to Toyota Stadium to see the Nagoya Grampus play Ventforet Kofu (I don't know if that Ventforet is supposed to be French for windy forest or what, but it's weird). We would of course be routing (have I ever mentioned that I HATE this word?) for　名古屋！！！！

Toyota Stadium was absolutely LOVELY, surrounded by trees and with two very cool bridges leading up to it on both sides.

When we got there, I felt very out of place. First of all, I was wearing blue, which ended up being the color of the opposing team. Second of all, I wasn't wearing red. And when we got into the section where we could sit, it seemed like EVERYONE was wearing a jersey - and those that weren't were at least wearing red t-shirts. In any case, certainly not blue.

See all those people with the flags up - yeah, every single one of them had on a Grampus jersey.

Miho and I were also both SHOCKED by the amount of people that there were there. The last soccer game I went to was in Colorado, and it seemed like there was practically no one there (granted, it WAS snowing, but still), whereas this wasn't even a special match, and the stadium seemed practically full. We actually had trouble finding seats.

It was AMAZING, though, because everyone was SO into it! There were people with loudspeakers leading chants and cheers and dances, and everyone was just SO into it! Miho and I have decided that we must go again, and next time we will wear jerseys and get there early enough to sit in the real "supporters" section with all of the crazies. SO MUCH FUN!

I'm happy to say as well that Nagoya totally rocked - 4 to 1. Two of the goals literally happened in a period of about 3 minutes. It was amazing!

With that super exciting experience under my belt, tonight Alexis and I headed out to Ell.Knot in　豊橋　(Toyohashi) for some awesome concert action. Five bands played, and I kind of loved all of them!

The first one was ポタリ（Potari), and, aside from one song, the music was upbeat and fabulous and exciting. The drummer (who looked like he couldn't have been more than 15) was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. He reminded me of L from Death Note, in a weird way.　　I gather from their website, though, that he's not their usual drummer. Sadness. The bassist actually started CRYING, and for someone like me, who cries a LOT, it was absolutely FABULOUS. I loved her!

Up next was 洗脳集団キミとロック (Sennnoushuudann kimi to rock, which basically means Brainwashing group, you and rock). They were SUPER fun, and I will totally be seeing them again. For serious. If I can, that is. Like perhaps Sunday when they play at Cam Hall in Okazaki.

Then was Eve. I think that I could have liked them if I hadn't seen them. The music was very screamo rock with the occasional punkish or skaish twinge, and I was into it. Unfortunately, the guys in the band seemed. . .well, ridiculous.

Then Jackpot Bell!!!! I have been dying to see them for ages, as they seem to play in Okazaki a lot, and I always just keep missing them.



They were just as amazing live as I expected them to be, and they'll also be playing Cam Hall Sunday, so really I've just got to go.

Then Shink. They were AMAZING, but I think they could have been MORE amazing. The crowd didn't seem to be all that into them, which I really just don't understand. They put on a better show this time than when we saw them last time, and still, most of the crowd just wasn't having it. :-(



i am a concert addict, and all I ever want to do anymore is go to concerts.

以上です。

Freedom Nagoya 2011

So, when I was talking to the singer dude, ちゃっせ (Chasse) of Scusi, he mentioned this free concert in this huge park right outside of Nagoya. Freedom Nagoya.

Last Sunday, Alexis, Joanna, and I decided to head over and check it out.

We headed over around 11, even though Scusi had played at 9. And of course the first person we see upon arriving, directing traffic, was ちゃっせ, who informed us that we had missed his band. We were aware. Oops. At least he smiled and waved, though, which implied that he remembered us.

And with that began an awesome day of MUSIC!!!!

The first band we saw was Banbi, and while I don't really remember them at all, I put a star by them, which means I must have liked them. Then we saw Misty and 太陽族　(taiyouzoku), both of whom were quite good without being overwhelmingly awesome. I didn't get to see more than a song or two of 太陽族, though, and I think I really could have loved them.　

Next up was Yum! Yum! Orange, a ska band from Osaka, I think. I'd heard them a couple times before, and I was psyched to get to see them.

Unfortunately, pretty much before the first song even began, the singer tripped over the speaker and fell in an extraordinary show of klutziness that impressed even me. Later, I read in her blog that she doesn't know how she'll ever be able to get excited about a show again without first falling. :-P In any case, they were wonderful. The perfect blend of pop and punk and ska with great female vocals.

Up next, ソライアオ (Soraiao), who according to my memory and their lack of star on the schedule, pretty much did nothing for me.

The the Gelugugu, who, well. . . I don't know how to describe them. They're ska, but also a little hip-hoppy, and while it's weird to say that music is Clockwork Orange-influenced, they totally were, not only in their style, but also in their sound (which isn't to say they sounded anything like Beethoven - they didn't).

I liked them, but I'm still not sure if I loved them. I think I would need to see them again doing a one man live (which is what they call it here when a band plays a show with no other bands). I gather they're fairly popular.

And then after the Gelugugu, SKULL CANDY!!!!

I have now officially seen them three times, and each time was pure awesomeness. Seriously. I said that Yum!Yum! Orange is the perfect blend of pop, punk, and ska, but their perfection pales in comparison to that of Skull Candy. And the female vocalist is just the cutest thing since. . . I wanted to compare her to sliced bread, for some reason, but that's not really all that cute. . .so, insert something super cute.

They're playing a one man this Saturday in Nagoya, and if it wasn't the Okazaki Fireworks festival, which I unfortunately had to miss last year, I would SO be there!

After Skull Candy, we saw Sim, who was mostly boring despite drawing the largest crowd I saw the whole day, and then Feelflip, who I apparently liked but not enough to have remembered them if I didn't have the schedule in front of me right now.

Then　Misspray, who was awesome.

And awesomely adorable - they're playing in Nagoya at the end of August, and I'm thinking I might have to go.

Then Fatprop, who were relatively boring, which was okay, because they were followed by the Skippers, who ended up being on of my two favorite bands of the day (that I had never previously heard of). They were seriously AMAZING!

Downright straight up punk, and absolutely perfect! And I can't find their albums anywhere, so I might have to get a Tsutaya card so that I can rent one.

Then Eddy, who were okay, Crossfaith, who were terrible, and Each of the Days, who were also terrible. Then Last Gasp, a band from Okazaki (I think). I like them on CD, and I liked them live, but I feel like there's something missing about their sound. They're rock, and there's nothing to make them special to make them anything more than just another rock band. Still, they were fun.

And then Egg Brain! Along with the Skippers, my other favorite previously unknown band of the day. They were like doofy, nerdy pop punk, which is totally my favorite kind of pop punk.



I liked them so much that I have to include a video, even though I promised myself no videos today. I've pretty much been listening to them nonstop since.

Then Astral Mess, okay. Then Backlift and at Anytime, who were AWESOME!!!!

But not awesome enough, apparently, because I forgot about them when Hey Smith came on.



The whole day, we'd pretty much been sitting back and enjoying the bands over people's heads, but for Hey Smith, Joanna and I decided to join the crowd, and we danced and skanked and pogoed, and seriously - Hey Smith knows how to rock!

Then music was over, and it was time to go home, and I was sad, because I was SO not ready for music to be over. It felt SO good to hit up an outdoor summer music festival again. I went to one in France, but there was only one band I liked, so mostly, that doesn't count. It's been FAR too long since my last Warped Tour, and this TOTALLlllllllllllllY made up for it!

So that was Freedom Nagoya, and it was fabulous, and it was two whole weeks ago now, and I already feel like I'm going through concert withdrawal. I'll have to find another one soon! :-)

The end.

Girls Rock

After Sakae Spring, I was feeling very concerty. I saw some AWESOME bands, and I was feeling like I needed to see them again.

Lucky for me, Alexis was feeling the same way, so we headed back to Nagoya the Saturday after term ended (it was a very burn outy term, and I feel like I didn't really learn all that much, but I still managed an A+, so I get to move on, and this term I plan to be totally studious and Japanese-learny!), we headed over to the Girls Rock Magazine Fest!

It was AWESOME! We left after I got off work, and the first band we saw, 桜華(sakura hana), was unfortunately not good. They seemed a little bit too put on, and the singer annoyed me more than anything else. I was therefore worried.

Next up, though, was Shink, and my world was rocked.

They were vibrant and exciting, and they put on an AMAZING live show. Alexis also thought so, and we might go see them again when they come back to Toyohashi.

Then was Hysteric*Flavor.



I really, really, really wanted to LOVE them, as all of their merch was pink and punk looking and fun. And they were super cute! Unfortunately, they didn't blow me away. I think a lot of that could be because the vocals were so low that I couldn't hear them at all. Listening now, the youtube song is WAY better than their live was.

Then came Scusi, who, aside from the obvious (Skull Candy, to come) was by far the best band of the night. They were totally Less Than Jake style with two singers, and it was pure awesomeness. I was shocked to find out that they're a newish band.



I was also psyched to find out that they're from Nagoya - I totally plan on going to see them again (and maybe again and again and again). I was talking to the male singer later, and he seemed super nice. Even if he didn't seem to really be wanting to talk to me. And even if the bassist (guitarist?) was sitting far away on a couch and kept being shocked that he was talking to the white girl. All like, "You're talking to her? What'd she say, what'd she say?!?" I felt very zoo-animal-esque.

After Scusi, Bunny the Party.



I love Bunny the Party, so I was super psyched to get to see them, and of course, they were awesome. Unfortunately, when I was first talking to the Scusi dude, I totally thought he was the Bunny the Party dude, and it took me a minute to figure out why he was looking at me like I was crazy. He had to explain. I was embarassed.

Then Hybrid Statice.



They were fun, but nothing overly special. I wasn't surprised to learn that they're a new band, and I think that once they get their sound figured out, they could end up being awesome (especially as I'm really digging the song in this video). This whole Nagoya seeming to have a newish music scene full of the kind of music I love is more than exciting!
The drummer pretty much begged me and Alexis to come to their next show, and I really do want to go. But unfortunately, it's July 17, and I've already got a ticket to see Special Thanks (YAY!!!! I don't even know how to contain my excitement about the fact that I'm going to get to see them!!!!), so no can do. :-(

Then came the ハイファイコーヒーズ (Hi-Fi Koohizu). Unfortunately, at this point, Alexis and I had begun to wonder why it was SO hot. Turns out the air conditioner had broken, and as their set progressed, it just got hotter and hotter and hotter.



The singer was hilarious, and it was SO obvious that she really did NOT want to be performing in that heat.
After the Hi-Fi Coffees was Skull Candy, our reason for going.



They were, as they had been at Sakae Spring, AMAZING! Seriously. This band knows how to rock, and I hope to get to see them lots more times before I leave Japan.　　Despite the broken air conditioner, I barely noticed the heat.

By the time they were over though, both Alexis and I were sweating maybe more than we had ever sweat in our entire lives. Our clothes and bodies were literally so drenched with sweat that it was as if we'd jumped into a sweat swimming pool. Delicious.

This made watching the last band, fly sleep fly, rather difficult.



I'd downloaded their album the week before and had been listening to and enjoying them, so I was psyched to get to see them.
We ended up having to sit outside for most of their set, because it was just too painful to be outside. 超ー暑かった！　　And what we did see ended up being impossible to enjoy because it was just, so, well, HOT!

So there we go. . .my second music fest in Japan, and aside from the broken air conditioner, I think it might have even been better than the first. Sheer awesomeness!

Next post, no music, I promise (maybe).

And then and then and then and then and then (aka resto and Nagoya and karaoke and biking and dance)

So, it's been a ridiculously long time since I last updated, and to be honest, I don't even know where to start with the whole update thing. I can't really remember everything that I've been doing.
And thus - brief summaries!

Two (three?) weekends ago, a bunch of us got together and went to this nice buffet restaurant. I, of course, could eat nothing there, but it was still cool to get to hang out with everyone.




I believe, Martin and I took another bike trip around Okazaki, and this time, we went all the way over to Anjo, which is where he lives with a Japanese family.


Martin in front of his host family's house!


There was a cute little temple right by it


with, yet again, super awesome dragon fountain

and very pretty flowers.

And I really don't think I will ever get tired of these gate things.



Some weekend in there, Alexis, Martin, and I hopped on the train over to Nagoya.


Alexis got a beautiful pink donut!


We mostly just walked around and shopped, and it was super cool.


There are apparently ALWAYS festivals going on everywhere in Japan (there was a festival going on behind those things)!

We were for some reason all extraordinarily tired, though. We were planning on getting our hair cut, but we ended up not being able to find anywhere that would do it for us.

Last weekend, on Friday night a group of us went out to karaoke. I of course forgot to bring my camera, so I am sad to say that I have no pictures. We had a FABULOUS time, though! I got to sing "Nichiyoubi yori no shisha" by the High Lows, which is one of my favorite Japanese songs, and I totally rocked it (well, I managed to read the hiragana and sing along - my voice, however, is another story).



Jenny-Lyn, Lynne, and Laura all had FABULOUS voices, so it was embarrassing attempting to sing after them, since my voice is horrible. Lauren kept picking metal songs, which was sort of fabulous. And Alexis did wonderful old school 80sesque songs. Good times.
I will definitely be karaokeing again, and next time, I will remember to take pictures.

Other than that, I had my big kanji test two weeks ago, and I got 100%! Ohhh yeah! All that kanji time with Martin is totally paying off. Then we had our big test last week, and I totally rocked it. I didn't miss a single point for lack of knowledge, just a couple points for stupidity (i.e. writing things in that were already there). Just one more left and then the quarter is over. Time really has been flying by!

Oh, AND, I started doing this Japanese dance class thing. Jenny-Lyn and Jin-Han are the other two Yamasa students in the class with me, and it is super fun. It's good because it's like exercise.


me, Jin-Han, Jenny-Lyn

We already learned one whole dance, and then this past week we started a new one. Yay!

And that's what's been going on. Life is good. Japan is fabulous. Rachel and Josh are coming at the end of June. Guillame is coming at the end of July! And I might just come out of this all being a speaker of Japanese.

And I'll try to update more often, as I've already got things to say about this weekend.