Third indication that it is the month of May: My birthday

Birthday celebration #1

I spent the evening of Saturday May 12 and the morning of May 13 at the annual POT camping trip with around 30 people. Twenty hours of tents, beer, grilled food and DJs is a great way to celebrate my birfday, despite not having my twin brother with me. Because of a variety of substances, no one can really remember singing happy birthday, but they did!

In lieu of not hanging with many musicians during my time here in Japan (as per my usual modus operandi when living in a new place), many of the people I’m meeting are DJs. And lately, they’ve been crazy hard-house, techno, rare groove and soul DJ’s.

DJ XS and his prized Marvin Gaye picture disc

DJ Marcy announcing the that the bar is open again...at 7am

Speaking of crazy, what some of these Japanese women wear while camping just boggles the mind. During this camping trip, there were at least four of these ladies.

Two Japanese girls going for a hike

They all packed either a Hello Kitty or Little Mermaid suitcase full of cosmetics, hair products, hair dryers, crimping irons and spiked high-heeled shoes. They were really roughing it.

It was a great time, and unlike last year's party, when I drank so much gin that I ralphed all over myself and my tent, I could remember this time around.

Our host Tsutomu Ando (bottom right), me, and the dancing girls.

Ranie Bowers dancing in the campfire light

Akihiro Tanaka after three bottles of wine

An extremely stoned DJ