The one think I found most odd and satisfying in Japan was the music, there’s jazz everywhere.

I heard scofield and larry carlton as background music in shopping centers.

But it’s like a mix, from 50s style US jazz to modern rock-funk influenced stuff. And that’s just the kind of music that is apparently pleasing to most people there… I’m not saying it’s the most popular, but it’s very common. I don’t think any Western country or city has such a culture around music. Sure, you can go to a conservatory, or a jazz club, or a jamming space or any other place where musicians gather and hear great stuff, but the music that the general public can listen to has to be *very very* low in complexity, it has no soul.

I once stumbled upon a random band playing modern bebop with a funky touch to it, think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEkNf0NGhxY , they were hands down one of the most prolific musicians I’ve ever heard, possibly the best I ever witnessed live… and I’ve been to a few concerts and jam sessions in my day. They were just a fucking no-name fun band, playing in the middle of the night in a random part of Shinjuku.