16:41 All the way from Japan to get Sentenced

Fumiko Suzuki from Japan is not an ordinary festival goer. She is a fan of the Finnish metal band Sentenced. Well there's nothing strange about that...but how about this:

She has seen them 20 times all round Europe and five times in Finland plus she's met the guys personally at least 11 times on the 2000 tour alone.

She's seen them in the last two months twice already, in June at Sauna Open Air festival in Tampere and now at Ilosaari. On Sunday she will travel to Helsinki to see them at Tuska festival as well.

And no she doesn't stay in Finland or Europe for months on end to see them, it's always back to Japan and then back to where ever the band have been playing. After Tuska she will go home and come back the end of the month to Gothenburg in Sweden to see them once again.

However this visit to Finland is bitter sweet: Fumiko's a bit sad as this is Sentenceds last tour. The band have decided to call it a day and this last ever leg around Europe is abtly named The Funeral Tour.

Over the years she's seen them in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden. "They're very popular in Japan and we've tried to get them to come there but as they haven't- I've always flown to Europe to see them", she says.

Her route to Ilosaari was from Tokyo to Frankfurt to Helsinki and then a train to Joensuu. Total travelling time just under 20 hours. I ask her how much she spends on her travels and this years tour alone has come to about 2000 Euro. Time and money well spent as far as she's concerned.

And why not!

Fumiko is "old enough to travel", Lives in Tokyo and works for an Italian bank. She says it's a lot easier for her to take frequent holidays than ordinary workers as the Italian working culture differs quite a bit from the Japanese. She doesn't speak Italian but as as she uses English at work she speaks it perfectly.

She first got into Sentenced after hearing another Finnish band Amorfis in 1996. She liked what she heard and as Sentenced are in the same genre, decided to give them a go as well. And she hasn't looked back since!

I ask her what is so special about Sentenced and what particularly appeals to her: "Well it's the music of course but for me it's also the lyrics. They sing about depression but there is always hope and a kind of freedom at the end of it." It's clear the band means a lot to her.

Fumiko has kindly brought Japanese beer for the guys from Sentenced and Sake for the Swedish band Dark Tranquility. The two bands have toured together and she has got to know them as well. She's seen DT in Japan three times.

Fumiko likes visiting Finland: "In Tokyo there is 11 million people always rushing around but here it's almost as if the time stands still. At work I have to keep an eye on the time constantly so this is wonderful. It's quiet and as there's not that many people there's a lot of space!"

She hasn't had a sauna or a swim in the lake yet but would like to. She says sauna is not unsual Japan as they like to bathe in hot springs.
We chat about Finland a bit more and she's never tasted the traditional Finnish sweet Salmiakki (a kind of salty licorice...yes really!) either and as I happen to have some with me she bravely agrees to have a go. She takes a bite and says it's strange but not completely horrible and would definitely make an unsual gift for friends back home.

Fumiko's taken to the heat wave we're having like duck to water: in Tokyo it's always this hot (and hotter) and very humid in the summer so she doesn't mind.

She also knows a few words in Finnish and pronounces them perfectly: Kiitos, huomenta ja terve. Thank you, good morning and hello.

But for now it's goodbye to Fumiko and sadly Sentenced as well. Thank you coming, it was lovely to meet you!

Lärwi xxx
Pic: Riitta Käppi

Back