Japan Travel - Part 3: BAND-MAID, Osaka, Friends, & Food

DISCLAIMER: BAND-MAID footage is from US performance at Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. see below for details
Japan Trip Days 10-14 Osaka, BAND-MAID, Ulma Sound Junction, Tanabata, meeting fellow Maidiacs ぽ!

From Day 10, we head down to the Kansai region to spend time in Osaka, Sakai, and Kyoto for the BAND-MAID concert hall show and martial arts training. In between, a 1 day return trip to see Ulma Sound Junction and an art exhibit by our new friend Rui. By the way, both shows and the art exhibit were all AMAZING! I'm happy with every decision we made...the best plan sometimes is just a guideline that changes based on what happens along the way!

Highlights - MEETING EVERYONE!!! I can't believe to describe how happy I was to meet so many kindred spirits from Japan and all over the world!!! Again - thank you so much POHOJISAN!!!
Like my last video, I'm providing links to everything I talk about to do my small part to promote them. I have my regular job and career (Youtube is my creative outlet only), but little things like this help bands & artists who I respect very much.

Please check out these links below:

Note on Disclaimer Here
‪@BANDMAID‬ The impossibly hard rocking band with musicians so talented, you wouldn't believe it until seeing them perform. I've seen them 3 times now, and would never miss out on a chance to watch again. Sorry about the lack of video from the Osaka show and the silliness from a Maid Cafe - recording at the Fenice Sacay Hall wasn't allowed, but I wanted to share my own footage and experience for people who have never seen or heard them live, so I included the Minneapolis show for context - This is really a killer freaking rock band!!!!!

‪@ulmasoundjunction‬ I finally was able to see one of my favorite bands live!!! Ulma is a progressive metal band with elements that remind me of Rush and Dream Theater...but definitely their own unique sound. There's something that's both primal & cerebral in their music that I'm drawn to that speaks to me. I really enjoyed meeting some of the members and of course hanging out with MATSU

‪@SLOTHREAT‬ Sadly, I only caught the last part of their set due to delays on Shinkansen, but they are a great band! I've been listening on Spotify and added them to several of my playlists. They are definitely worth checking out. I will try and catch a future performance next time I'm in Japan

MAXIMUM THE YURIMONE - This is actually a side-project cover band by the bassist Yuri from the band ‪@hadesrock1004‬ . Both her main band Hades and the side project sound GREAT!

‪@tapeanddrives‬ - Artist and musician Rotten Rui has reformed this band after a 6 year hiatus and if you are a fan of 90s rock/grunge...CHECK THEM OUT NOW!!!! I'm including background music from the song Drink it Up and at the end screen pop-up with songs Gore Hore and Aussie.
‪@rottenrui9077‬
Meeting Rui and Shohey (from Bahboon) at Hatsudai Wall was a great chance encounter meeting two really talented and cool people. Please note the band is reforming and their Youtube content will be rebuilt most likely.

Additional appearance by ‪@RyanMear‬ in this video as well. One more shout out and suggest people interested in J-Rock and music in general to check out his channel!

Finally, I want to share these 3 items via infolinks on important cultural and recent events in Japan -

2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake - The worst natural disaster in Japan since the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami. I'm glad to have attended this specific concert and hope it's made a difference in people's lives.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_No...

Billiken - One of my hometown's cultural exports that has had an effect on the culture of a city around the world. The Billiken originated in Missouri, popularized in St. Louis, and adopted by the City of Osaka as a sign of Good Luck.
https://www.slu.edu/about/key-facts/w...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billiken


Tanabata - A beautiful old folktale remniscent of stories we all grew up with.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2283.html

Chapters - Feel free to skip anything you want:
00:00 Leaving for Osaka
00:36 Arrival and Exploring Osaka
01:59 BAND-MAID Show w/ Minneapolis Performance
04:21 Aftershow Gathering with Friends
05:09 Bands: Power of the Intrepid Soul show
05:35 Art Exhibit - Rotten Rui
05:49 Osaka Montage ft. Song by TAPE&DRIVES
07:28 Tanabata Festival
08:48 Last Day in Osaka - Being a Tourist
11:16 Osaka at Night
12:06 Crepes and End of the Night

Only equipment used for this video:
Audio - Voice over and talking head - RAZR Mini Condenser Mic, Outdoors - Cheap USB lapel mic
Additional voiceover and vocals, I recorded in my car...the sound isolation is much better there! LOL
Video - Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (portrait, HD and 4k footage)

#bandmaid #japantravel #osakajapan