MINUS HEARTS JAPAN
Richie Hawtin leads Minus mission to Japan to support return of tourism to the country
On Wednesday 4th May, Richie Hawtin and Minus will travel to Tokyo for MINUS HEARTS JAPAN - a special event arranged during Japan's Golden Week celebrations with the intention of promoting the need for foreign artists and tourism to return to the country, and attempt to counteract misinformation about the conditions in the country that has contributed to a huge fall in visitor numbers.
With the wonderful progress that charity initiatives such as Red Dot Relief continue to make with the crisis in the worst hit parts of the country, Japan's economy cannot be supported by donations alone:
Since the earthquake we at Minus have been in constant communication with our friends in Japan on how best to help with the situation there. The story has continued to develop and we now see that the events will have longer-lasting effects than anyone had first imagined.
Reports of radiation and wide spread destruction have made tourists and artists reluctant to visit Japan while at the same time crippling Japan's vital export industry. This has led to two industries being severely affected: Tokyo's nightlife and Japanese Sake, two industries very close to my heart.
Although there continues to be an outpouring of charitable support for Japan, we feel that the best way to help one of our most beloved cultures is to return to the country itself. In light of this, and in the spirit of Golden Week, we are happy to announce a special event: MINUS HEARTS JAPAN, featuring myself, Troy Pierce, Marc Houle, Ambivalent and Hobo.
All featured artists will be making their own travel arrangements, with performance fees also deferred towards helping Womb reinvest in local businesses and the Sake industry, particularly the breweries from the Tohuku region affected by the events.
We will work together with Womb to celebrate and promote the culture of Japanese Sake at the MINUS HEARTS JAPAN event, with free Sake served on the night with additional voluntary donations to the breweries.
Staying in line with the Japanese people's outlook towards getting their lives back to normal, we hope to look forward to a positive future together with our friends in Japan and see everyone next Wednesday at Womb to celebrate Golden Week, the culture of Japan and enjoy Tohuku Sake together - Kanpai!
By returning to Japan, we support Japan.
- Richie Hawtin, April 28 2011
DISCO Groovy / Kanagawa, Japan
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