KATHMANDU, Nov 10: Folk-rock band Nepathya is set to perform a series of concerts in three Japanese cities—Nagoya, Tokyo, and Osaka. The band, which shares many bittersweet memories with Japan from its early struggling days, is returning to the country after two years.
The tour will begin in Nagoya, where Nepathya will perform for the first time. The concert will take place on November 13, at the Nagoya Lives auditorium.
Five days later, the band will perform in the Japanese capital. On November 18, Nepathya will take the stage at the world-renowned Tokyo Dome City Hall. This will be the band’s second performance at the venue; they last performed there seven years ago. Nepathya had previously performed at Toyosu PIT as well.
Six days after their Tokyo show, on November 24, the band will perform in Osaka at Zepp Osaka Bayside. Two years ago, Nepathya had performed at another venue in the city, Namba Hatch.
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Nepathya first performed in Japan in 1998, and the country remains one of the most frequent international destinations for the band.
This year’s Japan tour is being organized by Visionia Group. “We are working at full capacity to make the concerts grand,” said Subash Lamichhane, head of Visionia, adding that ticket sales are moving rapidly and inquiries are coming from Nepalis living in other Japanese cities as well.
Amrit Gurung, frontman and lead vocalist of Nepathya, said the band holds many memories with Japan over its three-decade-long musical journey. “Along with sweet memories, we also carry the bitter experience of the band breaking apart in that same country around 25 years ago,” he said. Despite such challenges, he added, Japanese audiences have always welcomed Nepathya warmly.
Japan has long remained an attractive destination for Nepalis seeking employment or residence abroad. In recent years, it has also become a popular destination for higher education. Young Nepalis who travel to Japan carrying their cultural identity have embraced Nepathya’s folk-based rock music.
Besides Nepali audiences, Nepathya has also gained love from Japanese listeners, who are often seen attending their concerts. In 2015, Japan’s leading broadcaster NHK featured Amrit Gurung in a primetime interview as part of a profile introducing Nepal and Nepathya—an exposure that further strengthened the band’s presence in Japan.
According to Kiran Krishna Shrestha from the Nepalaya management team, a group of eight additional members from the management and technical sections will accompany the artists to Japan. “It becomes more effective to manage technical aspects when the team travels from Nepal,” he said.
In Japan, Amrit Gurung will be joined on stage by Dhurba Lama on drums, Subin Shakya on bass guitar, Niraj Gurung on guitar, Shanti Rayamajhi on madal, and Dinesh Raj Regmi on keyboard.
For the convenience of audiences, tickets for the Japanese shows can be purchased directly online through Nepathya’s official website www.nepathya.com.np.
