If anyone is in or around Santa Barbara, go see Gardens and Villa. They are seriously good at what they do. It's been nearly a month since I saw them play in Berkeley but I still have one of their songs stuck in my head and I can't/don't want to get it out.
Show dates and location and some songs on their myspace:
One of the things I love in Japan almost as much as I love the food is the
countryside. Japanese countryside can have it all - incredible hiking,
volcanoes...