When I’m casually asked, “Why do you always travel Asia?” I respond,
“Because I like it.”
“Why?” If I gave them every reason I had for traveling Asia, the listener would probably be compelled to get up and leave. So, if you ever meet me when I”m drunk, do yourself a favor and resist asking me that question. You’ll regret it.
If someone dares to delve a little deeper into the “Why?”, I often answer, “Well, one reason is….” The reason I choose to give varies depending upon the situation in which I’m asked, but one of my go-to answers is, “Because Asia is more cool and awesome than we think it is. And I want the people of Japan and Asia to know it.” And I usually end up giving the long version of my answer.
Yeah, so if I were to give one fault of the Japanese, it is that they look too much to the West and live oblivious to the attraction and greatness of Asia. However, there exists an unwritten law that “The West is cool!”, or even “superior”, so trying to get people to “get it” may be a hopeless endeavor. Everywhere you look, fashion, music, the arts and culture, they all face West. That makes it pretty tough for Asia to compete or even get a foot in the door. Of course, this is not to the exclusion of Japan. Asia as a whole suffers from the same fatal hang-up on the West.
Considering that, no matter how loud I shout, “Asia is AWESOME!”, it won’t even make a nanometer of a difference in the world, especially coming from a small fry like me. Still, I can’t help trying to fuel the tiny flame of hope in me that I too can make a difference, just like the “butterfly effect” that expresses the probability that the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas. Approaching a goal head-on is not my style, though – I’m the type who tends to take my time studying a map, occasionally stopping at a river to fish or eat delicious looking berries and nuts I find along the way, and taking the long way or the way less travelled. Yet, before I know it, I’ve miraculously arrived at my destination. Seeing as this style of approach almost always gets me where I want to go, I think it suits me the best. And, in my desire for Asia to have more confidence, and for the world to become richer in pleasurable and beautiful things, people and character, I set off to try and accumulate more wings for my butterfly effect by boarding an Airbus A320 to the Philippines.
The creation of my website, yet another of my impassioned attempts to bolster Asia, took over a year to accomplish. I remain humbly indebted to and grateful for everyone who spent so much of the time and energy helping me with this endeavor. Why it took so long is due to the impossible demands I had from the get-go.
My response to the question, “What kind of website do you want?” that was asked at the first meeting, was to pull out 2 instrumental pieces by an artistic band and several pictures I took at a fashion brand shop that had its roots in Asia.
“This is what I envisage.”
I had absolutely no concept, no model, for what I wanted for my website. Layout, color, configuration… I had no idea at all of what I wanted. Before we began the process, I had assumed that creating a website was similar to just popping into a shop during a trip and buying a shirt to wear the next day, but when we actually sat down to begin constructing the website, it was like having someone throw a lump of clay down on the table in front of me and say, “Go ahead, create a masterpiece of human emotion.” I was at a complete loss.
After contemplating my website for a few days, I decided that how it worked or how it looked were of less importance, and that what really mattered was that it permeated a feeling of “ambiance and worldliness”. Ok, so now that that’s been decided, how do I make that clear to others? Words and websites created by other people wouldn’t cut it. Suddenly inspired, I sent the web director “T” music and photos via e-mail. I have no doubt that when he received them he was at a loss, as well.
With that being said, today I would like to introduce you to “music”, one of the two themes of my website.

Artistic band based in NY, USA, with roots in Asia – the Music of “The Shanghai Restoration Project”
＜Preface＞

The first time I heard their music was on the afternoon J-WAVE radio program that my friend Rachel Chan hosted. I immediately stopped the car and, even though it was a live broadcast, I e-mailed her asking, “What’s that song on the air right now?” I got an immediate reply, “They were guests on my show. Acquaintances of mine.” Having received that reply during a live broadcast remains clear in my memory. That was about 6 years ago.
The song has a soft, elegant melody. It differs completely from the typical “Asian style” music that comes to most people’s minds. Nevertheless, when I walk upon the cobble stone floor of an old renovated spinning factory art space in Shanghai, or gaze down the demolished corridors at the Khmer stone statues of the serene Cambodia ruins, or watch the bright red sunlight descend behind the Ayutthaya ruins and the banyan trees, this song always replays eternally in my head. “Asian” is not a term that does it justice. Rather, “Buddhist art” may be a more description more appropriate for the way in which it complements the beautiful scenery of Asia. For me, there is no music lovelier than this.
The Shanghai Restoration Project has some pieces that always seem to play in my heart whenever I travel through China.
As I walk through Shanghai’s narrow streets and alleyways where steam rises from rice porridge and bamboo steamers.
While riding my bike through downtown Taipei on early mornings when it is slightly overcast and the streets are sparse.
What I hear when I am looking down at the streets of British concession, out of the window of the Heritage Hotel where vestiges of Tianjin’s good old days still linger.
That is what I’m talking about.

＜Miss Shanghai＞　The Shanghai Restoration Project

Forever during my travels, in various scenes, I will surely hear this music play. No matter how many times I listen to the Shanghai Restoration Project, I can’t help but feel that their music projects a worldly expression of a “cool and beautiful Asia”, and that they are a truly unique artistic group. I hope that you agree with me.

Next time, I would like to introduce you to “photographs”, the second of my two themes (“music” and “photographs”) of my website.