Japan And Scenery

Journeys in Japan provides an eye-opening look at the many unique places to visit in Japan. English-speaking visitors travel the length of the country, exploring the culture, meeting the local people, visiting historic sites and offering travel hints rarely found in guidebooks.

"It's a nice tome for armchair travel, whisking you off around the country from where you sit—or time travel, taking you back to that life-changing decade-lost holiday and old friends."—The Japan Times

In 1976, a fusion band called Rainbow featuring pianist Will Boulware recorded an album entitled "Crystal Green", which included saxophonist Michael Brecker, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and drummer Steve Gadd. In 2002, Boulware, the Brecker brothers and Gadd-along with the late saxophonist Bob Berg and bassist Will Lee-reconvened in a New York studio to record "Over Crystal Green" under the group name Will & Rainbow. The album proves that the intervening years have clearly not diminished their rapport.

Ryo Fukui is a jazz pianist based in Sapporo. Not well known in Japan, he recorded "Early Summer" in 1976, which has been praised overseas as a representative example of "Japanese jazz. Just as Japanese "city pop" is highly regarded overseas, Japanese jazz is now a legacy of which Japan should be proud. Moreover, many of the Japanese jazz albums that overseas fans love so much do not have such high domestic sales and name recognition in comparison to their reputation. This collection of popular "Japanese jazz" songs, which attracts music fans around the world solely through the "power of sound," is a must-have for any music lover. Experience the charm of Japan as seen from a foreign country.