{"product_id":"tokyo-doesnt-exist-not-a-guide-to-music-or-cycling-in-japan-paperback","title":"Tokyo Doesn't Exist: Not a Guide to Music or Cycling in Japan - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eIan F. Martin\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy devote your life to art if commercial success seems impossible?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart travel memoir, part essay, and part exploration of Japan's local music scenes, this book follows Ian F. Martin as he cycles across the country, exploring underground music communities in every prefectureーand maybe figuring out some of his own confused motivations in the process.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom tiny basement clubs in Hokkaido to remote Tochigi record stores, Martin encounters more than three hundred bands and artists, along with the venue owners, promoters, shop staff, and die-hard fans who keep independent culture alive far from Tokyo's spotlight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is not a guidebook, but it traces an alternative map of Japan, beyond familiar clichés and into the regional spaces, bars, and back roads where local cultures take shape. Along the way, Martin encounters a side of the country rarely seen. Featuring over sixty original photographs, this is an insightful, funny, and moving portrait of contemporary Japanーand of the people who continue creating its culture against the odds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIan F. Martin is a Tokyo-based music journalist and founder of Call And Response Records. He is the author of \u003cem\u003eQuit Your Band! Musical Notes from the Japanese Underground\u003c\/em\u003e and has spent more than two decades documenting Japan's independent music scenes for publications including \u003cem\u003eThe Japan Times\u003c\/em\u003e and Japanese magazine \u003cem\u003eEle-king\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as pieces in \u003cem\u003eFrieze\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCNN Travel\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 296\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.62 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 17, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46556928475180,"sku":"9781937220136","price":51.28,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/6260\/8940\/files\/LyEUjWBe0b9781937220136.webp?v=1793577075","url":"https:\/\/littleredgeneralstore.com\/products\/tokyo-doesnt-exist-not-a-guide-to-music-or-cycling-in-japan-paperback","provider":"Little Red General Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}