Tokyo Doesn't Exist: Awai Books

Why devote your life to art if commercial success seems impossible?

Part travel memoir, part essay, and part exploration of Japan's local music scenes, this book follows Tokyo-based music journalist and record label owner Ian F. Martin as he cycles across Japan to explore the country's underground music communitiesーand maybe figure out some of his own confused motivations in the process.

From tiny basement clubs in Hokkaido to remote Tochigi record stores, he meets the musicians, venue owners, promoters, shop staff, and die-hard fans who keep independent culture alive far from Tokyo's spotlight.

The journey moves beyond the clichés of Tokyo's neon information overload and into the regional venues, record shops, bars, and back roads where local cultures take shape. Along the way, Martin encounters a side of Japan rarely seen even within the country. 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.

About the Author

Ian F. Martin is a Japan-based music journalist and founder of Call And Response Records. He is the author of Quit Your Band! Musical Notes from the Japanese Underground and has spent more than two decades documenting Japan's independent music scenes for publications including The Japan Times and Japanese magazine Ele-king, as well as pieces in Frieze, The Guardian, CNN Travel, and The Wire.