@mslight2016st and I had a blast last night playing a short set for a crowd of kids and parents at a local children's center.

The community group provides a place to get a cheap meal and hang out for parents that are stressed out, overworked, and short on time.

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Here in Japan, there are numerous initiatives and groups such as this, started independently and privately by individuals who truly care about their communities, and most importantly, the individuals that comprise them.

While the fact remains that Japan is a strongly collectivist culture, what one discovers upon living here, is a surprisingly libertarian and individualist bent among many individuals, and within and as a subtext of, that "collectivist" culture in general is a unique respect for nature which engenders an attitude of liberty, freedom and "live and let live" which I honestly could not really find too often when I was living in "the land of the free," United States.

While individuals in Japan face such daunting problems as "death from overwork" (no, I'm not joking), high suicide rates, an oligarchic and often merciless legal system, cruel psychological and physical bullying and abuse at public schools, there is this other side to the culture, too, which should not be ignored. It should be promoted in my view! That's waht Voluntary Japan is all about!

The woman who started this afterschool group was crying as we played our songs for the kids and parents there. Many of the families are low-income families, with extreme stress and little time, and her group gives them a place to chill out, have a meal, and find some human connection in the midst of this rat race known as "modern culture."

It was an honor to play there. I hope you like the video!

~@kafkanarchy84