Ryuji manages a great specialty cocktail and wine bar in Tokyo called Penny Lane. If you ever find yourself wandering Harajuku street, just off the beaten path of shops and tourist attractions, you will find his small, tastefully decorated lounge. It’s complete with rock n’ roll memorabilia, dark wood finishings, and a seemingly endless supply of iconic Classic rock and blues music on the jukebox. We spent a decent amount of time talking to Ryuji about music, life in Japan, and many other “pop-culture” related topics. He explained to us that the bar’s name, “Penny Lane” pays obvious homage to the owner’s love and admiration for The Beatles. As the evening progressed, Ryuji sent us over a small cheese plate with a kind and thoughtful message that was passed on by our server of, “Thank you for coming to Japan.” It was a simple gesture, but one that left us leaving Penny Lane feeling very thankful for all of the amazing people that we’ve been fortunate enough to meet on our trip thus far. All we can say at this point is: “Thank you for having us, Japan.”

Musically,

MV