Yesterday I went to a Tokyo Jazz Club "Body and Soul". A friend of Motomi (my girlfriend) was playing bass with a latin band that night. That band was using a violin player as a frontman (a girl) and Tommy Campbell (Sonny Rollins' group) was on the drums. The band was cookin' and I made a set in on the anchor tune (Wave). That was fun! A big Thank you to Motomi's friend who made this possible. The musicians were heavily listening to what was happening, I liked that. The house pianist was also great. Never seen a guy playing that fast before. The percussion player was a big entertainer, he was cool. Wow! The club "Body and Soul" turned out to be a very nice location, it's not far away from the Blue Note Tokyo. Hope I return there soon. 

So what? I've been since a week here in Japan. And I must say I'm having a great time here. This country is fantastic for everybody who can speak Japanease what I don't do. Fortunately my girlfriend is japanease, so I can enjoy this place in the full volume. Every other people will probably get in trouble here. People are crazy but friendly, incredibly polite, here is NO BAD FOOD and I think it is possible to do here everything (in case it's not prohibited).

The first 2 days I spent in Tokyo in Shinjuku (Hotel Keio Plaza) with the NDR symphony orch. where my girlfriend is playing violin. On the first day I went shopping to the "Disc Union" in Shinjuku (a chain of at least 10 big and small record shops placed on just one street), having difficulties to find a jazz department, a single store just at the end of the street (the jazz LP department turned out to be another store in the same building just around the corner). But after I found it, I didn't want to leave it. So many stuff...Wow. I bought 10 LPs.

I should say after seeing a town that huge with so incredible amount of entertainment opportunities my hometown Hamburg seems to be a small village or something. On the next day I visited an expensive NDR concert in Kawasaki (another big town next to Tokyo) and Kawasaki (another big town next to Tokyo) and then moved to Yokohama a day after.

I must thank my girlfriend Motomi very much for managing my stay here, she's doing a great job. After just a week in Japan I've seen Tokyo, Yokohama city, Kamakura (buddist temples) and Kyoto (we stayed there at the small traditional japanease hotel for 2,5 days, I'll never forget this!).

I'm working hard here making pictures and small videos (I bought a camera in Tokyo). I will post some of them after I return home. Tomorrow I go to the Tokyo Jazz Club "Body and soul" to check out some lokal jazz here.