Day 15: Japan Album Release Tour JINSEI 2024 – Shinkansen to Tokyo & Surprises at Naru Livehouse

Around 9 in the morning, I woke up, took a shower, and stepped outside the hotel to get some coffee. Although breakfast was included at the hotel, I never use it—grabbing food at a 7/11 or Lawson is just more convenient. Since I like to be on time and knew the schedule would be tight to reach the gig, I settled for coffee and returned to the hotel to pick up my stuff. After checking out, I walked to the train station.

From Umeda Station, it’s only a short ride to Shin-Osaka, where all the major shinkansen trains depart. A quick 12-minute trip, and I was at Shin-Osaka Station, ready to get in line at the ticket office. Buying a non-reserved ticket is slightly cheaper than a reserved seat, and I don’t mind standing if necessary. In my experience, there are usually some seats available. Since I planned to take the 11:32 shinkansen, I had some time for a proper breakfast. I found a nice spot with a great menu at a friendly price and went for a salad with a soft-boiled egg—outstanding choice.

Boarding the shinkansen, which left right on schedule, I stored my bag and saxophone in one of the onboard lockers. The train wasn’t too crowded, so I found a seat and spent the ride reflecting on the past few days and the upcoming final stretch of the tour back in Tokyo.

That evening’s gig at Naru Livehouse was going to be different, as it wasn’t with my usual crew. This concert was set up by Naoto Suzuki, a fantastic guitarist I met years ago on a tour in China. I also played with him when touring Japan with Yuichiro Tokuda’s group. Naoto had invited a bassist and drummer to join us for this special gig at a club where he plays frequently. I was looking forward to reconnecting and playing together, especially knowing the musicians he invited were top-level players.

Around 2:30 pm, I arrived at Tokyo Station. Surprisingly, I found the Yamanote Line right away, heading to Otsuka Station, where I would stay for the remainder of the tour. Otsuka is between Ikebukuro and Sugamo, and just one stop past Sugamo is Komagome, where I stayed at the beginning of the tour. Back then, I had already explored Otsuka, so the area felt familiar. At 3 pm, I arrived at Otsuka Station and walked up the street to my APA Hotel. A tall building with its recognizable colors, it was impossible to miss. I’ve stayed in many hotels in Japan over the years, and APA is one of my favorites—consistent design and service everywhere. This particular location seemed quite new, and the lobby looked like a palace made for kings.

Since I had to be at the club by 5 pm, I quickly took a shower, put on my show outfit, and hopped on the Yamanote Line (counterclockwise) to Akihabara. From there, I decided to walk the last stretch to Naru Livehouse. With my phone as a guide, I reached the club right on time. The neighbourhood  is known for it’s many music stores, although most of them seem to be focused on guitars and drums.

Naru Jazz Livehouse is a wonderful venue with a long-standing tradition. Walking in, I was greeted by Naoto—so good to see him again! The last time we met was a short catch-up in 2020 when I recorded JINSEI in Nagoya. Soon after, bassist Ryu Kawamura and drummer Sota Kira arrived.

The club was filling up, and the night promised surprises. One of them was the arrival of my good friend, fan, and videographer Kazuhiro Sato (Questkazu). A kind soul and a passionate jazz lover, Kazuhiro had just arrived from Sendai by bus to catch the show. He planned to be at Studio WUU the next day to film and take photos, but tonight, he was just here to listen.

From the first note, the energy was electric. The band went all in. Ryu Kawamura wasn’t just a fantastic bassist—he also helped translate my stage talks and turned out to be a hilarious guy, check-out his youtube channel. During the first set, Johan arrived, fresh from a day trip to Mount Fuji.

As the set ended on a high note, another surprise walked in—Junichiro Ohkuchi, one of Japan’s renowned pianists. We met at the Okinawa Jazz Festival when I toured for Tokyo’s Bad Boys, and we connected over our shared love of nature and butterflies. We kept in touch, and he had mentioned possibly sitting in during the tour. Still, I was surprised and excited to see him. Junichiro plays with many great musicians in Japan, including Tamaya Honda, the drummer from my gig at No Room for Squares earlier in the tour. In fact, Junichiro was about to start his own tour the next day, which also included Tamaya.

For the second set, we kicked things off with a tune before bringing Junichiro on stage. We played Body and Soul followed by Now’s the Time, and the audience loved it. After his guest appearance, we played the title track JINSEI and wrapped up with a blazing version of Giant Steps that went all over the place in the best way possible. 😊

After the show, I said my goodbyes to Junichiro, the band, the Naru Livehouse crew and of course, Kazuhiro. Johan and I took the Yamanote Line back toward our hotels, as he was staying near Ueno. We planned to meet the next day for some sightseeing before my gig at Studio WUU.

Back in my hotel room, I changed into my “ramen outfit” and found a late-night ramen shop nearby—not a difficult task in Tokyo. After a satisfying bowl, I returned to my room and did some video calls to the Netherlands, still buzzing with energy from the show.

The next day would bring another surprise…