For every year since 1989, a man from Kumamoto by the name of Charlie Nagata has put together a country music fiesta at ASPECTA, a musical venue boasting the world’s longest stage perched on a hillside in the world’s largest caldera.

The first time I met Good Time Charlie and his Cannonballs was within my first month in Japan, when he performed for a local summer festival in Tomiai.  I sat with him in his band in a beautiful old house and we ate raw horse and talked about country music together.  These cowboys had no qualms with bonding with their beast over a bit of ginger and soy sauce.  But man can these cats play.