Ron and I have been taking turns deciding where we go on vacation. For this vacation trip it was my turn to decide. Last time Ron picked New Zealand and planned out the whole itinerary too. So why did I pick Japan? Well, that’s an interesting story.
Most everyone knows that I enjoy playing Electone. Electone is the brand name of electronic organ made by Yamaha Corporation. They have been making Electone since the late 1950’s. As a kid I played was in many competitions and music festivals. When the Internet came into being I was looking for a topic for a web site. Naturally I decided to do an Electone web site. Since 1992 I have run Electone Zone.
Through the web site I have met many other Electone enthusiasts from all over the world. Once such person is my friend Kenji. Some years ago I received an email from him saying that he was living in Davis, California, doing research. At the time he did not have an Electone. So I invited him over to play the ELX-1 I had at the time. It turns-out that Kenji is quite an accomplished player. He was featured on television in Japan for the compositions he wrote. We became good friends and have kept in touch even after he moved back to Japan some years ago.
Some months ago I got an email from Kenji saying that he recently found a GX-1 Electone and was thinking of buying it. In the Electone world the GX-1 is the biggest, most expensive stage model Electone ever. As you can see from the photo, the GX-1 is a HUGE futuristic-looking instrument. When it was released back in 1975 it rocked the music world because it was the first commercially produced polyphonic (more than one note at a time) synthesizer instrument. Wikipedia says that fewer than ten GX-1 were ever made. With a $60,000 price tag and weighing in at 662 pounds, you can understand why. This instrument was not meant for mere mortals. (I dispute those numbers though. I think there were fewer than ten shipped outside Japan.) When Kenji told me he might get a GX-1 I told him I would have to come over to visit if he got it. There were still many hoops he’d have to jump through in order to get the king of all Electones. Well, guess what? Kenji did get the GX-1. So away to Japan we go!
Ron thought Japan was a great idea for our next vacation. He has never been there. I had visited Japan when I was with Broderbund Software some 15 years ago. Since we were going to be in Asia, Ron thought it would be a great opportunity for us to also visit some part of China. We have been talking about going there too. Ron mentioned Hong Kong, I liked the idea, and we added it to our itinerary. Done deal!
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