IMARi ToNES -The First Christian Heavy Metal from Japan-: Thank you for The Extreme Tour Japan 2015!

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Thank you for The Extreme Tour Japan 2015!

Yes we did it again.
The Extreme Tour Japan 2015.

It is a long story when I try to explain about this "Christian Missionary Music Tour" in Japan.

Back in 2011, when we toured in USA, we had a chance to play an event called The Objective in Nashville TN. That event was hosted by The Extreme Tour. They were a Christian missionary tour that had been around since 1994 in USA, featuring all kinds of music and extreme sports. We had a very precious experience there and next year 2012 we took part in their West Coast USA tour. It was a great experience, playing our "Japanese Christian Metal" in many unusual places like, street festivals, skateparks, schools, and a juvenile detention center.

That was when they asked us, "Can we do this in Japan?" We immediately answered "No way! It's impossible!" because things were very different in Japan, both Christian situation and music situation.
After coming back to Japan, I talked with pastors, friends, musicians. They all said "That is impossible." or "It would be very difficult." However, we knew there was no choice when God tells us to do something. So we took a step ahead and decided to do this. The Extreme Tour Japan, a grass root style Christian music tour in Japan.

We had bands coming from USA/Canada and toured together with them throughout Japan. Even though this is a small grass root tour, things went really well and really awesome. Having those greats bands from USA/Canada was a great thing, but the real blessing of The Extreme Tour Japan (XTJ) was Japan team getting stronger. All those Japanese Christian artists joined XTJ, such as Soul of Faith, CLOD, Kaori Yamamoto, B.D.Badge, Peter's Chicken Party, and Gitaro, they were all inspired and we became a great team.

So this year, 3rd year for XTJ. We did it again.
Yes, something all the people said "That is impossible". Now we did it 3 times.
It surely has been tough, but it feels good when we have this "starting something new" feeling.

This year we had 2 bands/artists from USA, Sika and Filia from Los Angels California.
http://www.sikaband.com/
http://www.filiamusic.com/

We toured and played shows in Fukushima, Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Aichi.
Japanese artists joined the tour as XTJ artists were, Hiroki Miki (ex.Clod), B.D.Badge, Atsuki Ryo with Jesus Mode, Peter's Chicken Party, Gitaro, Oharaichi, Tak Nakamine (acoustic solo) and of course Imari Tones.

We, as Imari Tones, didn't play all the shows because this XTJ is a tour to feature everyone, all those Japanese Christian artists. So here is some pictures from the tour, from those shows we played as Imari Tones. Those shows in Aichi (Toyohashi, Gamagori, and Nagoya) were especially great blessing, because Toyohashi, Aichi actually is my (Tak's) hometown, I mean birthplace and where I mostly grew up.

Thank you very much and thank you for everyone we met on the tour.
Thank you everyone who helped us make this tour happen.
Thank you for all the musicians who joined the tour.
Thank you Sika and Filia, for coming to Japan and spending awesome time together with us.
And most of all, Thank you Jesus for being Savior and Awesome and Awesome God for all of us!!!!!
You are THE Rock Star and everything is about You! Jesus Rocks!!!

Tak (aka Tone) / Imari Tones

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Bio, Bio, Bio...

IMARITONES BIO

Written by Phil Putnam

Of the long list of factors that make ImariTones stand out from the world around them, it is their drive, their reach that tops it all. An unapologetically Christian heavy metal band out of Japan, Tak, Hassy, and Jake have a passion to reach beyond their culture to make the music they love, and to reach beyond their music to bring Jesus into their culture. While drawing comparisons to legends like Van Halen, Rush, and Stryper with their hybrid of old school metal/glam/Brit/70's prog rock, they are one of very few bands in the world that can claim true originality. How so? They are the first Christian heavy metal band ever to come out of Japan.

"There are very few Japanese bands who say 'Hey, we're a Christian band.' A Christian band from Japan almost sounds like a joke, since most people in Japan are Buddhists, or Atheists," says Tak, founder, guitar/vocalist, and frontman of ImariTones. Things didn't start out Christian for Tak, though. Having started playing electric guitar at age 14 and joining his first band at 15, Tak gained local teen success in his hometown of Toyohashi and won awards for his songwriting. However, he quit the band at 17 to pursue a career as a lawyer. Music stayed with him, though, and while playing an acoustic show in Harajuku Tokyo in December of 2007, Tak was impressed by several Christian performers who were playing as well. Feeling that Jesus may be the larger meaning behind music that he always felt was there, his mind and heart opened to Christianity.

Breaking many written and unwritten rules of Japanese culture, Tak, Hassy on bass/background vocals, and Jake on drums/background vocals, are reaching upward and forward to see changes happen in the world. Currently based in Yokohama, their astonishing 15-album discography includes Hero of the Lights, Color of Hers, fireworks, Japanese Pop produced by metal legend Sascha Paeth (Angra, Edguy, Rhapsody of Fire, Avantasia, Kamelot), Welcome to the School, and their most recent release Victory in Christ. Not content to play the standard soft pop/rock of the major label Christian industry, their music is 100% heavy metal and 100% independently recorded and produced. Victory in Christ hit the street in October 2010 with the single "Faith Rider" leading the charge. Originally written as a parody of the big 80's metal of Judas Priest and Stryper, it quickly became a fan favorite and was put on Victory in Christ.

With both their commitment to making stellar heavy metal music and their driving passion to share Jesus with their native Japan and the rest of the world, ImariTones is always reaching to join these two primary goals together. "Since we are a Christian band, our goal is not business success," says Tak. "We are not chasing glory in this world. We are chasing the glory of God." Staying independent and record label-free is an important part of the process for them. "We don't believe in 'music business', especially in Japan, and have chosen to go independent, looking for our own way. We really want to change something about society and about what people think and believe. That's our ultimate goal."

That ultimate goal, to see their native Japan embrace Christianity, is what they reach for most of all, even while their sights are set on the USA and the rest of the world. Some think they're a joke, or a contradiction, that Christianity, Japan, and heavy metal just don't belong together. Some think they're ahead of their time. But if you ask Tak, Hassy, and Jake, they'll say they're doing exactly what they love at exactly the right time, and they're never going to stop reaching for more.