Hello JB
There are a few of us here on the forum living in Japan. I’m a bit south of you.
Here is a little info about Active Melody for you.

I’d like to mention that on Active Melody forum there are a few exciting things
happening.
#1. We have monthly challenges for both premium members and members of
The forum, but being a premium member is however one of the requirements for
the participants that can earn t-shirts by participating in the monthly challenges.
For more information concerning this please see this
link. https://www.activemelody.com/forums/topic/active-melody-t-shirtchallenge2/
#2. Active Melody now has an AM Jammers Inc. ( you might have to have a
Premium Membership of Active Melody ) See the
link. https://www.activemelody.com/forums/topic/amjammers-inc-friends/
#3. To be able to do Active Melody private messaging this is what you must do.
( a good time to do this is when you see a new member come on board that may have the same interest as you )
A. Go to the members icon that you want to private message, tap the icon, it will
then take you to their profile page. Look for “add friend ”
Tap it. ( you might have to have a paid membership with Active Melody )
B. A friend request will then be sent to that member. If accepted you’ll be notified
by your email that you gave Active Melody when you joined the site.
C. After acceptance you’ll be able to private message that member. It’s a good
way to stay in touch with members on Active Melody.
If you have any questions please send a private message or post your questions
on the form, a member will most likely be able to answer them.
The active Melody forum is where you can ask and reply to questions, share
their guitar/learning Experiences, showcase their playing and interact with other
members.
This is just a suggestion but when you log into active Melody you might want to
go to your account and then check the update on your post and messages. It’s a
very convenient way to find what’s new for you on your post and messages.
Also we have the media on your profile page, upload your pictures there also.
And again welcome aboard to the friendliest guitar forum on the internet.

So, have you ex-pats been enjoying “Midnight Diner” on Netflix? The fingerpicking guitar theme song will give you a brain worm. I’ve already worked out how to play it.

Hajimemashite, Matsuyama ni sundeimasu. Let me know if you come this way so we can meet. I play every week in Sing Out live house and others. I also go to Oye Come Va live house in Onomichi occasionally which I recommend.

Hi JB. Welcome to Japan. I don’t currently live there, but I am from there. And I’ve met and know these two guys. I visited both Pete and Jonathan during the pre-pandemic time… Japan is such a beautiful and interesting place. I, too, have a graduate degree in education and teach. I like raw blues, too. Here are some samples of my playing. One time, I played with Willie (the Touch) Hayes. He’s the drummer there. A grammy-winning guy.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9dMck5wQYw1O-VzJdrNzUQ