Emil Chau dons his souvenir jacket from the J-Club in the Pacifico Convention Center lobby before the rehearsal as his stylist looks on and a fan shoots the scene.

What a great time everyone had on 2001-5-29 with Emil and his band in Yokohama! Emil clearly appreciates all of his fans in Japan. I'll not forget something in particular that he mentioned to me: "[During the dinner speech] I didn't speak to them deeply enough, I think. In 1999 I'd promised to come back for a concert here in 2000, and I'm sorry I forgot to talk about that at the dinner." Yep, he'd still remembered his two-year-old promise!

Though Japan is not a target market for Emil Chau Wakin, the Hong Kong-born artist based in Taiwan who writes and sings in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, he certainly has many fans in this country anyway! As well as in North America, and also in Europe...... Not only does he have zillions of fans across Asia, but he seems to attract loyal followers on the other side of the world just as easily. So, how is it that non-Chinese people become fans of Emil Chau? Below is the account of one such route. We two were first introduced to the artistry of Emil Chau in the summer of 1999. To escape the muggy heat for a while one day, we ducked into a music store advertising in the window that it would be closing down its Asia CD & video section. HEY! We're only 3 hours away from Taipei! We found that the entire stock in that part of the shop was priced at more than 50% off: "What a great deal!" I thought as I began to paw my way through a bargain bin. Before long I spotted a music CD titled Emil & Friends, and unlike most of the other items in the pile, the song titles of this album were printed in English. Boy, they looked intriguing: "Friends," "Coffee, Tea, or Me — I Love You," "Fear," "The Happiness of the Instant Noodles"....?! We were not acquainted with this Emil Chau person, but here was an album only two years old and full of songs at less than half the price! (And what a cool red suit! ) My fingers closed around it instinctively, so I continued to probe the bin with my other hand....

After we got home, we casually popped Emil & Friends into the player — and we both were instantly amazed and increasingly delighted by the beautiful mosaic of music that emerged! We were truly struck by the richness and breadth of this singer and his songs..... It may sound like I have a rather flowery heart , but that's the simple fact of the matter.

Found my first Emil Chau album among a mishmash of CDs piled in a bargain bin!

Since then, we've been greatly impressed by the CDs and VCDs of Emil's that we've acquired so far — no discounts, no problem!  The songs are wonderful and exciting, even though we can't understand the Chinese titles and lyrics. (It is a small consolation, however, to have some Japanese kanji knowledge that can give us a hint here and there: "Ah, he's saying 'I love you'!" we announce in unison as the subtitles of the karaoke MTVs roll by......) Compared with Japanese music, Chinese albums often appeal to us more because their songs have rhymed lyrics, like English-language music does. Both traditional and contemporary Japanese compositions tend not to rhyme, so despite the sophistication of the musical arrangement or the prowess of the singer, the vocals by design are at risk of sounding disorganized or unpolished. Emil has recorded a few Japanese songs translated into Chinese, such as "You Make Me Happy and Sad" composed by Ryo Aska of the duo Chage & Aska. Why do these songs also become huge hits for Emil? Because he effortlessly breathes a special new life into them, making them his own. Certainly we're among quite a number of fans who've been compelled by the particular qualities of Emil's musical mastery to put some effort into studying the Chinese language. But even with many of the same kanji characters at our disposal in everyday Japanese, Chinese seems a tougher row to hoe — and the more we dig in, the more we're convinced! So it was a relief to discover that Emil releases English-language albums on occasion, too. Of those in my collection, Bluebird remains my special favorite for featuring some of the finest contemporary classics on the planet.

Signing Bluebird — Another English album? "OKAY!"

Emil's touch is velvety smooth on such songs as "Goodbye Girl" by David Gates and "Drive" by the Cars, then his vocal punch rips right to the point of John Waite's "(I Ain't) Missing You" and Billy Joel's "Honesty." (As I consider this, I'm reminded of Emil's 1999 Singapore concert and how he took his guitar and commenced to sing Kenny Loggins' "Danny's Song" so beautifully, afterward launching into a charming few bars of the sentimental oldie "Sweetheart Tree" before forgetting the rest...!)

At the dinner in Yokohama, Emil kindly autographed my precious Bluebird CD. "Oh — THIS one!" he noted with some interest after having signed a procession of the Now CD booklets. That was my cue: "It's a classic! Pleeez make another English album." And grinning straight into my face Emil blared "OKAY!" Yessss!   Emil's accomplished characterizations of the songs of other artists, and especially his gift for original compositions, continue to delight us both. Emil Chau is obviously on very solid ground in whatever language he makes music. And that's one of the reasons why I think it's an important role of the fan organization here not only to serve the interests of its own membership but also to consider ways that Japan may be drawn in closer to the traditional Asian markets (Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia) where Emil focuses his activities.

Emil himself surely has plenty of confidence in his own ability to achieve greater recognition and success in the Japanese market. However..... at the late-night dinner gathering on May 29th, I had resolved to pass him a souvenir that might be of some additional help!   A number of involuntary Ooohs and Ahhhs were heard around the room when Emil pulled the "daruma" out of its carrying bag..... But I especially enjoyed the expression of surprise on Emil's own face!

The daruma finds its purpose for being....

Daruma, which are often called "daruma dolls" in English although they're actually not dolls in the literal sense, are traditionally painted red, white, black or gold. This particular daruma had been created for a rather unique purpose, and so it was painted an Emil-esque blue.   Down the right side of the daruma's face is written in Japanese "For good health," and down the left side "Dreams come true," in gold paint, while across the back of the daruma's head are the Chinese characters of Wakin's name in gold. Across the daruma's belly in "fighting white" characters are the words Nihon Shijo Seifukusha — "Japan Market Conqueror"!

Shifting his posture and assuming a serious expression, Emil listened intently as I briefly described what this oval-shaped blue guy with the painted whiskers and blank eyeballs was for. Naturally, such a novel scenario was rather more thrilling than a typical marketing presentation.....! Okay, I admit I was a little nervous. In fact, if I didn't have these photos (rather poorly exposed, alas!) as evidence, I might end up thinking that it all had been just a dream.....   ( -_-) . . . zzzz    ( *.*) - - - ! On the afternoon of his departure from Haneda Airport, Emil carried the daruma in its bag himself — "How many carry-ons can I have?" he wondered aloud at one point — as he and his band members and staff waved good-bye and headed for the gate to catch their plane to Taipei. Surely the flight crew would allow a good-luck daruma like that one on board! Wakin, thank you for coming with your band to Yokohama, and for your kind generosity toward your fans. We all look forward to your next visit to Japan! A few promo appearances to plug your new album, perhaps?

The Japan Market Conqueror daruma was crafted by the Tozuka Daruma Factory and blessed for extra power by a Buddhist priest at the renowned Shourin Temple, both located in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture.