Travelogue: Preach Jacobs in Japan

I’ve been a starving artist — at times literally — for quite some time now. Struggle has been engraved in my brain as just a part of the game, but that doesn’t mean that at times it’s become exhausting living here in the states. I’ve always been told that going overseas would give you a perspective that being in the great U.S. of A couldn’t provide, so when my pal Keesh told me he had an opportunity to hit up Japan and do some shows, I took it. What ensued was a life-affirming experience.
In order for me to appreciate the effects my trip had on me with my music, I had to understand Japan from a human approach. I asked Keesh, who lives there and acted as my tour guide and translator, what he felt were the differences between living in Japan versus America, and he gave me a profound response.
He told me that the culture of Japan is an enduring culture. If things are difficult, not to your liking, you endure and be patient. I saw that patience first-hand and it appeared to breed a humbleness that the metropolitan Columbia area hadn’t offered.
He then offered that America has an instant-gratification culture. Whatever you want, from a swine-flu-infested-Maurice-Piggy-Park-Bar-B-Q burger to your Internet porn, things are expected to arrive pretty fast. read more