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A few days later on a Friday night we went to the Rocker Room. It was just like home, same music, same dress code, motorcycles parked out front. I felt at home immediately. It was a bit small though but then everything in Japan is. When I was hanging around looking at the place I felt something was not quite good. At first I didnﾕt know what it was. But then it hit me: everyone smelled nice, wafts of soap and shampoo were around me. If I would be in such a club back home then it would smell of stale beer, unwashed bodies, tobacco and or marihuana. (I am from Holland if you wondered). The whole set up resembled a movie set. It was fresh and there were no cigarette butts on the floor. Gee, I thought you can look tough but still keep the place clean, and smell nice. Anyone who ever went to a similar event in Europe can attest that the opposite is true. I also noticed some people sitting on the floor, nothing strange they do that all the time in clubs when all the seats are taken. But they were sitting on the bare floor without a handkerchief or a newspaper to protect their pants. Then I knew that these guys were the hardcore. Everywhere else in Japan, their contemporaries would never do such a thing. This was one thing that I noticed when we visited all the shrines and temples and other sights in Kyoto. They even use protection when sitting on public benches. 　The atmosphere was good and everybody did their best to not look at us. But me and my wife stuck out like, well like Westerners in an Asian crowd. But the mood was friendly and relaxed. When the bands started to play I thought that is early, and I checked my watch, to my great surprise they started exactly on time. This was something unheard of. Rock bands starting to play on time, where will it end I wondered. 　According to the time table they played for half an hour and they all abided by this. The bands were musically and technically very good, the sound was very nice, not too loud, and not too soft. In Europe it is always too loud at the back. The technicians in the Rocker Room were very able because it didnﾕt matter if you were in front of the stage or in the back, it all sounded very good and balanced. You could hear every individual musician. It was only a pity that I couldn`t understand a thing. The fans were headbanging and jumping up and down like there was no tomorrow. Just like home I thought when I joined them.