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Japan Trip Nov.2011

As some of you might know, in the past few months I have been busy organizing the 1000 cranes for Japan initiative.

On March 11 this year, the earth shook so strongly in Japan it shifted the entire country the distance of one parking space.

The monstrous three story high tsunami that followed drowned entire towns and communities and this was only the beginning of one of the worst crisis Japan has ever experienced.

The 1000 cranes initiative was based on an old time tradition in Japan, that states that who ever folds a thousand origami paper cranes will be granted a wish. With the intention of wishing Japan a quick recovery I then asked friends and fans to join the initiative to show our support for Japan and its wonderful people.

The response was truly overwhelming. We have received boxes of origami cranes from all over Australia and the world. The cranes came in all shapes and sizes some of you wrote your wishes for the quick recovery of Japan on them, some folded one or two cranes only, others folded dozens. We even received beautiful silver sterling cranes from the Australian designer ‘Oh my giddy aunt’.

I’d like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in this initiative!! It was really inspiring to witness such a process.

The aim of the initiative was to eventually deliver the cranes to Japan. A week ago, with the very kind aid of the Australian embassy and the Australia-Japan foundation, I flew into the country.

Together with members of the Melbourne based theatre group Polyglot and representatives from the embassy, we traveled up northeast to the worst hit areas by the tsunami and earthquake.

We were driving through lovely, lush countryside. It was so beautiful that I started thinking everything had gone back to normal, but after a couple of hours we reached the town of Minamisanriku on the coast.

The town used to be situated right at the edge of the ocean. most of it on flat land. When we drove through the town only the houses located on higher ground were still standing. Everything else was completely wiped out by the tsunami. It is very hard to describe this scene of total destruction. If it wasn’t for the mountains of rubble and debris, the piles of smashed cars and the patterns of former house foundations on the ground, you might have thought this area was always wide open and the town never existed.

The wave was so powerful and huge it totally mangled and twisted the 3 story high steel structure that was supposed to be the town’s evacuation centre in case of a tsunami. This sad looking structure is a testimony to how surprised everyone was by the size of the wave, an event, we were told, that is likely to happen once in 2,000 years. A survivor had to climb up and dangle off the antennas on the roof of the building all night to save himself.

Huge boats wedged on rooftops, oyster fishing nets covering ruined towers, personal belongings scattered chaotically on the ground, were all silent reminders of the magnitude of the horror that struck the town that day.

First we visited the kids in Tegura primary school. Their school completely destroyed, their classrooms lay in ruin. They were now all relocated to a temporary building up in the safety of the hills. Luckily only one young girl lost her life in the tsunami, but many of the children lost relatives, friends, their homes and all their belongings.

Not knowing what to expect and in what mood the kids would be I was delighted to find them very open and excited. We sang some songs together and had such a great time. We were all touched by the innocence of the children. Seeing them all smiling and joyous after the scenes of destruction we’ve witnessed, really symbolized the better days awaiting the recovering region.

A day later we all helped out setting up stools in the local market. The market shut down for few months after the tsunami. The aim of reopening the market was to give the locals a chance to sell their goods and boost moral and enhance the sense of things getting back to normal in the community. The Australian embassy set a stool where they were selling Australian beef sausages and wine. All money went to charity.

The market was a huge success. It was packed with people strolling between dozens of stools all selling their local goods.

I performed a short set on the market’s impromptu stage (set on a back of a truck).

I was following an act of transvestites from Hokkaido! Japan is always good with setting up some surreal scenarios.

After I did a few songs the kids from Tegura school joined me on stage to sing the song ‘La’ together. It was a really beautiful moment. All the parents and the locals seemed very proud of the little ones.

At the end of the performance there was a little ceremony where the Australian ambassador to Japan spoke and I presented some of the cranes to the mayor of the town.

Returning to the hotel that night we all felt mixed emotions. Thrilled that the market was such a success, but still coping with the battlefield like scenes from our hotel window.

On our last day in Minamisanriku we went to visit the school again. This time we did a fun music workshop with the younger kids, singing some nursery rhymes and fooling around. At the end of the session we presented the origami cranes and gave free reign to the kids to do as they wished with them. They found the different sizes, colors and writings on the cranes so fascinating! They started taping them to large pieces of paper, with much enthusiasm, creating a wonderful and colorful collage, which they later hang in their school.

This process has been such an amazing experience, one that really puts things in perspective. A story that might sum it all up occurred when I met a local fisherman from Minamisanriku who lost his house, his business and all that he owned in the disaster. He seemed to be genuinely happy and we had a great chat so I had to ask him how he could be so positive after all that happened to him? “I might have lost everything in the tsunami” he said and then pointed towards his heart “but I haven’t lost this!”

Thanks again to everyone that took part in the 1000 cranes for Japan initiative!

Yours,

Ohad

Hello USA, I’m back!

Hello friends,

I’m coming back for a short trip to one of my favourite cities, the big apple before I go on tour with the fantastic Tallest Man On Earth in OZ. Here is where I’ll be in New York, would love to see you all at one of my shows.

Friday 30th September at CITY WINERY w/ Keren Ann. * Solo 
155 Varick Street (between Spring and Vandam Streets) NY, New York 10013 
http://citywinery.com/

Saturday 1st October at THE LIVING ROOM (Upstairs), 8:30pm * Solo
154 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002
www.livingroomny.com/

Thursday 6th October at PIANOS, 9pm w/ Tristan Clopet, Common Grackle, Ceschi. * Band
158 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002
http://pianosnyc.com/

13th October at PIANOS, 9pm w/ Becky Mimiaga Band, Andrew Keoghan, Siberia, Love Connection. * Band

158 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002
http://pianosnyc.com/

I’m going on the road with The Tallest Man On Earth

Hello friends,

I’m pleased to announce that The Tallest Man On Earth, aka songwriter Kristian Matsson (Sweden), will be returning to Australian shores this October for his Australian Tour. 

Tour Dates: 

Thursday, October 19 | The Factory Theatre, SYDNEY, NSW http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=TALLESTM11#.TnBhRnNpJEI

Friday, October 21 | The Powerhouse, BRISBANE QLD  SOLD OUT

Saturday, October 22 | The Factory Theatre, SYDNEY  SOLD OUT

Tuesday, October 25 | The Corner Hotel, MELBOURNE VIC  SOLD OUT

Wednesday, October 26 | The Corner Hotel, MELBOURNE VIC  SOLD OUT

Thursday, October 27 | Rosemount Hotel, PERTH WA http://www.rosemounthotel.com.au/events/201110/tallest-man-earth

Saturday, October 29 | Wave Rock Weekender, HYDEN WA http://www.soulhighway.com.au/menu/events/wave-rock-weekender/