Country Gold

"This isn't Japan," claimed one of my Japanese friends. "But it's not America either," I told him. He was getting his first taste, peek, and earful of Country Gold, the country music show held here in Kumamoto every year. It's really a world all its own. Everywhere you look, people are dressed in full cowboy western gear, with authentic hats, boots, leather fringed pants or shirts...the whole get up! Every year, in the awesome outdoor venue where over 20,000 people can sprawl out on the grassy slope surrounded by mountains, Kumamoto is the host of the largest country music concert in Japan. If you just listen to the music, you could mistakedly feel like you were at the Saturday night concert of any U.S. summer county fair, but when you see the stagefront dance floor crowded with over 200 line-dancing fully costumed Japanese, hopping and kicking in sync, those thoughts soon disappear. I was shocked to see bus loads of tourists, mostly line-dancing groups from all over the country. At 8000yen ($90) a ticket, I wonder if its the dancing or the music that attracts so many people. I guess I have to ask myself, why are we there almost every year? I guess its just the atmosphere that is so entertaining and relaxing to me. We spend the day eating, drinking and lounging around on the grass...what can be better! Oh, the music isn't bad either. I usually only know the name of the final act, this year Mark Chestnut (last year Charlie Daniels!). This year the other groups were a family bluegrass group, a jeans and t-shirt "grungy" boys country group that threw in a Bon Jovi song in for fun, and a pop-country sexy blonde duo. Have to admit, we managed to get free tickets again this year, plus tickets for 11 more of our friends, so sharing the joy was also part of the fun. I can't really explain...y'all just better come and join us some year!