Memories of Japanese audience - Light in Babylon in Japan

After our concert in Yasugi, I met a woman who asked me if she could give me a hug, “of course” I
answered, I opened my arms and we hugged, the young woman started to cry, “Why are you crying?”
I asked her, she answered: “In Japan, we are not used to hugging, especially with someone we didn’t
meet before, I knew you, but you didn’t know me, and you agreed to hug me even so, it means a lot
me”.

Other women told me something that touched me very much. She had a job she didn’t like, she was
very depressed and lost, she wanted to leave the job but never had the courage and the energy to do
so, for a long time she didn’t know what to do and how to continue, that’s the point where she
discovered our music, she was watching our videos in YouTube every day. She told me that through
my voice and my strong energy, she found the power to quit her job, and she found another job
where she was so happy. She thanked me for being there for her and giving her inspiration and power.

It was after our concert in Hamamutzu, and a long line of people were waiting to greet us, among
them was a man using a walking stick to support his body. He handed me a drawing he made of me
playing the drum, I was so moved by the beautiful painting, and I thanked him, and then the man just
burst into tears, he couldn’t stop crying, I didn’t ask him why he is crying, but I just hold his hand so
as my colleagues Julien and Mete, we all hold his hand. Later I learned that this man was suffering from
cancer, and the doctors gave him just a few months to live, he came to our concert from the hospital
and after the concert went back there. He has followed our music for more than 10 years, and he
was so happy that we managed to have his dream come true and to see us live.

Another young woman at that concert wanted to talk to me, she was a bit shy, and she couldn’t
speak English, but it was very important to her to share with me her story. We found a friend who
translated her. She told me that she is working in a factory, hard work, sometimes night shifts, and
many times she feels sad and lonely. She discovered our music on YouTube, and our music
accompanied her during the long hours at work and gave her comfort hope, and motivation. She
never believed that the day would come when she would be able to see me outside of the screen, it
was like a dream to her. I held her hand and she couldn’t stop her tears from falling.

After another concert, among the line of people who came to greet us, was one Japanese young
man who surprised me very much! He was speaking perfect Hebrew. He told me that he had followed our
music for years and he was even living in Israel for some time, where he learned Hebrew. He gave me
a gift – it was a package of coffee from Israel, the most typical local brand, and the name of the brand
is “Turkish coffee.” The guy is Japanese, the language is Hebrew, and the coffee is Turkish - this is
what I call the celebration of the beauty of multiculturalism.

I have so many more stories of the people I met in Japan.

A belly dancer that listened to our music for years and danced for peace, came to three of
our concerts with her family, about another beautiful older woman, her beauty and impressive look
was something unignorable, she told me she admired the energy in our music, and that music inspired
her to love herself and not to color her hair and leave it silver and shining, and more and more stories…
I learned from all of those people and their stories, that in Japan women and men are
dealing with the same conflicts, the conflict between their own will, individual, dreams, and self-freedom in between their culture, society, and traditions. Many women in Japan too finding their voice,
their own voice which is getting more and more clear and loud and free. And like them so am I, still
walking by this path and discovering my power in this world, voice, music