North America Guitar Tour

Methuen

August 1-3, 2014

I left the unattractive motel with a chill from the miraculous connection and headed for Methuen, Massachusetts, where I was scheduled to perform the next night. I had decided to go further north to Montreal at this point, hoping to continue this wonderful journey as long as possible. I had no destination in mind, but at that time I felt something divine, so I was fearless. Initially, I thought I would go see Berklee College of Music, my final school (I dropped out), the day after Methuen, but motel fees are expensive on Saturdays, and Methuen is quite far from Boston, even though it is in the same state as Massachusetts, so I decided to save it for another opportunity. From this time on, I began to have more opportunities to talk to people I met in rest areas and parking lots, which would later lead to more interesting encounters. The photo below is of Mr. J, a truck driver I met on the way.

All the motels in Massachusetts were full, so I had no choice but to check into a cheap motel in neighboring New Hampshire, and did my laundry first. That night, I bought some sushi rolls and tea at a nearby supermarket and splurged a little. I really wanted soy sauce. I asked the cook in the fresh fish section what the toppings were, but he said, "I don't know," which was pretty vague, and I couldn't find any tea without sweeteners, so I had to settle for honey. I enjoyed the soy sauce, even though I felt something was off.

I saw a commercial that seemed to be produced by the Japanese government several times every time I turned on the TV at the motel, and I happened to have a video camera on hand, so I recorded it from the middle. At the end, Prime Minister Abe appeared and appealed for the message that the future is an era in which women will play an active role, but on the other hand, it could also be interpreted as a sign that women have not been allowed to play an active role up until now, so it was not a very pleasant thing to watch.

The next morning, Bill Godwin, the owner of a general store/bookstore/cafe that I was playing at in Methuen, contacted me to say that his guitar friend D, who I was looking forward to seeing, had just had surgery and needed to rest, so he could not come. I didn't have any plans for the daytime, so I replied that I would come if Mr. D didn't mind, and he sent me his address. Actually, I hadn't driven since I moved east during my study abroad, so it was refreshing and fun to drive on winding roads that I didn't have in the west. Glenn Miller was always playing in my head. I had new recordings on my iPod touch, but something was different. What I was hearing was not clear sound, but old recordings (I ended up getting it in the west a few weeks later).

Mr. D is a jazz finger stylist, and we had a great time together, holding guitars. Considering his physical condition, I left after about an hour, but he was so happy that I was there that I felt embarrassed. This kind of mobility is also unique to guitar players.

I felt that the performance at Methuen was quite well done and calm. The customer sitting at the very front was trying to hold back his yawn against the partition, so I asked him to yawn without hesitation, as I have a special ability to make people sleepy. The person denied it wholeheartedly, but I am not blind. In fact, even in Japan, people who meet for the first time often have to hold back their yawns. At the beginning of the second half, Pino from Philipsburg called me and asked, "How are you?", but that also helped lighten the mood. Compared to the west and south, the customers in the northeast are quieter, and the atmosphere is more similar to Japan, so this was helpful.

The almost recital-like live performance ended safely, and while saying goodbye to Bill who had been so kind to me, I headed for an open mic spot in Montreal, Quebec that I had found at the motel. As far as I could tell, there was no problem crossing the border.

*The people who appear in the text are written with their initials until we could confirm their identity.

To Massachusetts (end of Miracle) • Supporter's Area • To Montreal

Contents

Introduction
Until Departure
Seattle
To California
Day Off
Sunnyvale
To La
LA 2 Days
To Tucson
Albuquerque
To Colorado (beginning of Miracle)
Berthoud
Denver
to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City 2 days
To Texas
San Antonio
Georgetown
Dallas
Houston 2 Days
Benton
Nashville (CAAS)
Roswell
Tampa 2 Days
Miami
Orland 2 Days
Myrtle Beach
Chapel Hill 3 Days
Kingsport
To Indiana
Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival
To Staten Island
Manhattan
Phillipsburg
Nazareth (Martin Guitar Factory)
To Massachusetts (end of Miracle)
Methuen
To Montreal
To Buffalo
Meadvill A Day Before
Meadvill Ghost Hotel
Detroit
Chicago
Minneapolice
Spin Off #1
Spin Off #2 "EU Tour IN 2008 / Until Departure
Czech 1
Czech 2
London
Liverpool
Chesham
To Germany
Lemgo
Ingolstadt
Bregenz
To Italy
Florence
The Last Gig
Going Home