The entire King Crimson band and crew arrived safely in Japan yesterday - something that has seemed quite unlikely at various points in the last few months. Those who have bought "Music is My Friend" with my description of touring in the times of Covid can expect a Japanese update in due course.

The efficiency - and bureaucracy - on landing was simply astonishing. We must have passed through ten separate check points - each manned (or mostly femaled, to be more correct) by multiple tables of people who then:

1) check your paperwork
2) check it again
3) ensure that you have given an accurate history of the last 14 days
4) ensure that you are double jabbed
5) make sure you have the SOS tracking app and teach you how to use it. It will call you to chech that you are quarantining where you say you are
6) Wait to see a test email arrive to make sure that you can collect your email
7) Give you a PCR test
Carry out the PCR test
9) Display your negative PCR test
10) Give you the paperwork to go through immigation and ensure that you will not be using public transport to leave the airport.

And they do this with every single person who flies into the country... I suspect that is mirrored by everything they do internally, (which helps explain just 18,000 deaths in a population of 125 million).
We are now in strict quarantine locked in our rooms for three days. And we have to travel in a "bubble", with limited outside contact, for ten days. The first concert is at the Tokyo International Forum on the 27th.

The care package awaiting us in our rooms (we have to order in food for the next five days) included some fresh sushi and fresh fruit... So other than the wide-awake 2.30 am jetlag (as captured perfectly by Lost in Translation) not exactly hardships. As verified by the photos.