EPILOGUE OF AUTUMN

8th December 2012. I woke up to brilliant sunshine. The thunderstorms that had clouded Tokyo for the past weeks seemed to have blown over. Today would be the day of our tour finale.

The final act.

Fujimigaoka Church in Shimokitawa was a venue that we had specially picked for our tour finale/label showcase 2012.

But i hadn’t expected it to be this beautiful. Winter shimmer pierced through the lancet windows.

Akira Uchida and Ricks. Ucchi-san has been our “official” piano tuner since the Mashiko/Starnet show…

Janis Crunch soundchecking “gensei” with us.

Soundcheck finished, so we explore every nook and cranny of the church like curious, mischevious childern.

Stairs climbed, doorknobs turned, curtains lifted… perhaps there could be secrets to unravel in here…

The pope’s dressing room, behind the stage!

We do find a secret attic camouflaged beneath the oak roof trusses.

Haruka, Yundy and Junya find the room as well. We hereby bestow this the Kitchen. Label family room. All family members are to enjoy tonight’s performance from this secret top view…

Hey guys!

AOKI,hayatoとharuka nakamura souncheck.

いろのみ soundcheck.

We had a hunch that the pendant lamps hanging from the arched ceilings would not suffice so we rang up Chikuni-san, a lighting/decor artisan who had previously worked with us at Sonorium for haruka nakamura and Ichiko Aoba’s show. This time he brought along a new creation – a beautiful lamp-easel. Several other handmade lamps were placed strategically around each performer’s personal space.

The show begins. We watch from yet another secret room right behind the PA. It was a little like one of those rooms where the police observe a row of suspects behind an invisible glass window. Friends come and pass by the window, totally unaware of our presence while we make large comical gestures.

Roses from natsu. Thank you!!!

The merchandise counter manned by the staff of p*dis.

Flyers and programme sheets.

The night deepens. We go out and put on our best. The show ends with a resounding applause that still lingers in my memory… Thank you to each and everyone of you who shared the evening with us at Fujimigaoka Church with us. I was so blessed to have my best friends with me on stage. Janis, Junya, haruka… thank you. Shivers were running through my body as we played “gensei”, “Endless Dreamless” and “Landscape With A Fairy” together. It was magical. I hope the audience felt the same.

Pope Ichiko Aoba hanging out with us after the show. She was to board the midnight bus for Nagano for a performance the next day but she managed to make it here… thank you!!!

Photo by Ichiko

Eating too much, drinking too much, laughing too much. But too much of those things are never too much! I love all of you too much. Teary-eyed, i embraced friends for the last time till we would meet again next year.

→ More backstage photos
→ Official concert photos by Ryo Mitamura
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KITCHEN. LABEL SHOWCASE 2012
EPILOGUE OF AUTUMN

L I V E
ASPIDISTRAFLY + special guest Janis Crunch
AOKI,hayato と haruka nakamura
いろのみ

Organized by Kitchen. Label
Produced by Inpartmaint Inc. / p*dis
Executive Producer: Ricks Ang
Producer: Masami Shimomura
Staff: Shin Ohsaki, Makabe Terukuni, Shimpei Kaiho
PA: Ken Inamori
Lighting: Chikuni
Photographer: Ryo Mitamura
Videographer: Yatoo Takashi
Design: Kitchen.
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ASPIDISTRAFLY JAPAN TOUR SPECIAL THANKS

Masami Shimomura & Inpartmaint Inc / p*dis staff, haruka nakamura, Junya Yanagidaira, Yu & Naomi Isobe, Janis Crunch, AOKI,hayato, Daichi Kambayashi, Akira Uchida, Natsu Ohara, Yatoo Takashi, Koshi Baba, Eiko Hatta, Fumiko Morishita, STARNET, Ken Inamori, Yasuhiko Fukuzono (Flau), HUTU, Katsunori Fukuoka (Flysound), Ryo Mitamura, VACANT, Eiichi & Aiko Yasukawa, nowhere, Masakazu Okamoto (Moderado Music), Kozo Yamada (shuri), 城下公会堂, Art Rock No.1, Tatsuya Shimada (nightcruising), Goto Yoshitaka, Cafe/Bar OIL, Tower Records, Sound & Recording Magazine, HITSPAPER™