Haruomi Hosono shared the teaser for his upcoming film called SAYONARA AMERICA, documenting his U.S tour from 2019.
The clip opens with the iconic Japanese musician standing alone on a rooftop in Tokyo with an acoustic guitar. “I picked up a guitar for the first time in a while. I hadn’t touched it for two years,” he says in the voice-over. “The virus that appeared all of a sudden. This pandemic feels like a global opera.”
The scene then flashes back to his U.S. tour from two years ago, when crowds filled the venues and nobody had to wear masks. In between the onstage and offstage footage from his tour, eager young fans waiting outside are quoted as saying, “Really excited,” “He’s a visionary. He’s super cool,” “Made me really happy.” Another fan closer to his age notes, “He’s a good example of someone who’s free to do what he’s interested in.”
Hosono apparently also caught up with Van Dyke Parks, Sean Ono Lennon, and John Sebastian during the tour. The approximately one and a half minute clip ends with the words “In Memories of No-Masking World” on the screen as the he sings, “Sayonara America, Sayonara Nippon (Japan).” The veteran artist is set to digitally release a self-cover of the 1973 classic Happy End track on Nov. 3.
The documentary movie SAYONARA AMERICA is set to be released in Japanese theaters Nov. 12.
