Japan continued ….

Aloha, peeps!!
This is probably going to be a long blog since I’ve missed the last few days. The WordPress app on my iPad was acting weird but I think it’s finally fixed … I hope! Well, the 2011Aloha Yokohama festival is over and I have to say that this was the best one yet! Not only was the weather great, but it seemed like the crowds were bigger than ever at our performances. I continue to be overwhelmed by the huge show of love and support from all of our fans here in Japan, and I want them all to know that we truly, truly appreciate it! The response to our benefit song, FEEL THE LIGHT, has also been fantastic and we want to thank everyone for their great support!

Just before we took the stage for our final performance at the festival, I started feeling a little weird and realized that some of the food I had eaten earlier probably contained some MSG. Because that stuff makes me very jittery and hyper, I had difficulty with my concentration and vocal control during the performance but managed to make it through without any major “train wrecks”. It was definitely something that I do not want to go through again! That evening, we took a train out to Zushi to see our friends Akio and Kuma-san perform at a small place called Vahana’s Bar. Because it was already pretty late and we were tired, we were only able to spend a short time there before heading back to Yokohama. We had fun, though, and I want to send a big mahalo out to Akio, Eriko, and Shiho for their warm hospitality!

Yesterday, we checked out of our hotel in Yokohama and came back to Tokyo, though we had to return later that evening to perform at Thumbs Up, one of our favorite venues. We rocked the house in front of a sold-out house and it was great to see many of our fans again! I apologize to those who were not able to get tickets this time, but we will be back again in September so I hope we’ll be able to see you then! Mahalo to Vance K who sat in with us for a couple of songs, to our friends Hiroyuki and Kyoko for Alex’s surprise graduation cake, to Hamoa and Kana for the awesome KIZUNA keiki hula, to our “cheerleaders” Yutaka, Misa, and Kayoko, and finally, to all the rest of our great fans who were there to cheer MDNA on!

Today is the first day that I can actually relax and rest – at least until later this afternoon when we have a performance at the Westin here in Tokyo. I also have to do some laundry sometime soon before I run out of clothes!

Aloha, “D”