Chaz's Japan diary , this story entree will evolve as we are in Japan for a while..

We landed at 6am in Haneda airport after a 17 hour journey from Amsterdam via Paris. I'd made the mistake of eating the muggy airplane breakfast before landing and felt ready to puke in the queue to enter Japan.

Fortunately my stomach held it together and we met our friend Seigo @gypsyeyestokyo at the airport. Before we knew it we were scattergunning through the greater Tokyo rail netwotk at morning rush hour with a couple of million other people squished into jam packed breathy trains until we reached a main station. (See bobs reel from yesterday)

Our bullet train to Yamagata wasn't due to leave until 10am so we sat in a busy cafe and had Ramen for breakfast. With its heavy egg noodles and rich broth it may as well have been a big fat sleeping pill as we boarded our train with weighty eyelids and full bellies.

Yamagata was a beautiful sleepy town but our proposed work on the outside wall was seriously hampered by the rain coming down like a panda pissing on a flat rock. Instead we fought the jet lag and got supplies in to start the indoor piece.

Working without the projecter always means the hardest part is getting started with the composition before it all begins to come together. These murals will all be b/w pieces with marker pen only so tomorrow we can get straight into the blacking/filling in part of the mural.

We got a solid foundation in during the early evening before enjoying a local yakitori restaurant which had all the trappings of Japanese culture. People smoking fags inside, sitting cross-legged on the floor while eating and everyone's shoes in a disorderly scrum of footwear by the door. Great food as always in this part of the world and ‚although I came in wearing shitty thrift shop worthy sneakers, I managed to leave with a nice pair of Nike Air Max. Touch!! Mata Ashita!

@taichiman_rlounge

Day 2 of 12

It's been intense non stop work yesterday but here's the diary entry:

Accompanied occasionally by our good friend 'jet-lag' we pushed on today with both pieces amidst diverse weather conditions and the odd nap in Taichis car.

Realised today we're not in the city of Yamagata at all but one hour away in a village called Akaju hence the quiet sleepy vibe. It's absolutely beautiful here nonetheless with handsome skies and simple pleasures.

It was a full days work which somehow saw everyone involved (including ourselves) making timelapse's of Bob and whatever he was doing. So much so that I wouldn't be surprised if he was timelapsing himself now. Doing nothing.

After dinner it was almost midnight but I coaxed Seigo and Taichi into helping me find a local bar. I used the old 'Just one drink!' method which saw us all plastered by 3am. The bar worked on a drink all you want for 12 euros per hour basis.

One of the more foolish systems I'd ever encountered. If you had an all you can drink for 12 euro an hour bar in Amsterdam it would be bankrupt the same day it opened. Needless to say the owner was probably having a policy rethink by the time we left.

@gypsyeyestokyo @taichiman_rlounge

Chaz here again, a bit later but that’s just how things evolve in Japan.

If you happen to be anywhere in Asia this weekend why not pop to Japan this Saturday and join us at @the_gallery_harajuku for Simple Pleasures.

A sweet selection of fun size canvai and some limited edition prints will be on display at our friends @yone69harajuku @yohko_yonehara new gallery!!

Bob will also be appearing in person to answer any questions about bike parts or the efficiency of muesli bars to fill those hungry gaps between meals.

If you'd rather give the artwork a swerve and just want to get down to the business end of the night the after party is at OR club @ortokyoofficial nearby

Thank you to @gypsyeyestokyo @taichiman_rlounge

Well this live story evolves so check in later!