JAPAN’S FIRST LADY OF COUNTRY MUSIC – TOMI FUJIYAMA
RETURNS TO NASHVILLE FOR THE RELEASE OF
“MADE IN JAPAN” – A FILM BY JOSH BISHOP
ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARY FILM NARRATED BY ELIJAH WOOD
ABOUT THE LIFE OF THE LEGENDARY COUNTRY SINGER
WILL BE RELEASED ON DEMAND BEGINNING JUNE 12
SPECIAL EVENTS WILL TAKE PLACE JUNE 8 & 9 CELEBRATING HER
HER RETURN TO NASHVILLE INCLUDING A LIVE PERFORMANCE AT
DEE’S COUNTRY COCKTAIL LOUNGE AND A SCREENING AT CITY WINERY WITH Q&A
May
31, 2018, Nashville, TN The film and media production
company, A Window In A Tunnel, announced today the release date of the
acclaimed documentary “MADE IN JAPAN” – A FILM BY JOSH BISHOP starting
on June 12
on-demand. The film is a funny, yet poignant multicultural journey
through music, marriage, and the impact of the corporate world on the
dreams of one woman – Tomi Fujiyama, Japan’s First Lady of Country Music. It will be available to rent and purchase on iTunes, AmazonHD, Dish Network, InDemand and Comcast.
To launch the release of the film, Tomi Fujiyama returns to Nashville, TN for a number of special events beginning on June 8, 2018. The activities and dates are as follows:
Friday, June 8 TIME TBD “MADE IN JAPAN” Mural Unveiling at Fond Object Record Store – 1313 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN
Friday, June 8 12:30 PM Tomi Fujiyama performance live on WMOT radio’s “Finally Friday" show at the Nashville Palace
Friday, June 8 6:30 PM Tomi Fujiyama live performance at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge - 102 E. Palestine Ave., Madison, TN
Saturday, June 9 7:00 PM Special screening of “MADE IN JAPAN” at City Winery, 609 Lafayette St, Nashville, TN – Solo performance and Q&A with
Tuesday, June 12 All Day “MADE IN JAPAN” available on-demand for rent or purchase on iTunes, AmazonHD, Dish Network, InDemand and
“I
am excited to be returning to Nashville and perform for my fans and all
country music lovers,” stated Fujiyama. “It will be great to once
again be on stage in the heart of America.”
“MADE
IN JAPAN” is the remarkable story of Tomi Fujiyama, the world’s first
female Japanese country music star. From playing the USO circuit
throughout Asia, to headlining in Las Vegas and recording 7 albums for
Columbia records, Tomi’s career culminates in a 1964 performance at The
Grand Ole Opry where she followed Johnny Cash and received the only
standing ovation of the night. Over 40 years later Tomi and her husband
set out on a journey through Japan and across the United States to
fulfill a dream of performing at The Grand Ole Opry one more time.
"We
are thrilled to announce that after a 15 year journey, “MADE IN JAPAN”
will be available to the North American public,” said director Josh
Bishop. “This project has been a huge labor of love and we, the
filmmakers are beyond excited to finally be able to share Tomi's story
with the masses.”
###
ABOUT TOMI FUJIYAMA
TOMI
FUJIYAMA is Japan’s first lady of Country music. In 1951 ”Tomoko
Yamaji” changed from performing traditional Japanese Enka songs for
local Japanese audiences, to Country Music for American soldiers on
military bases across Japan. It was at one of these military bases that
she became “Tomi” after the mispronunciation of her name by a soldier in
the audience.
Playing
the military circuit for American soldiers, recording 21 singles and 5
albums for “Columbia Records” and going to Las Vegas to play a back
breaking 7 day a week, 4 show a night contract at “The Mint Hotel” are
just some of the things that she would do before the magical night of
November 9th 1964 when she sang at the 39th Birthday of America’s number
one Country Music institution “The Grand Ole Opry,” in Nashville
Tennessee. She played right after Johnny Cash and got the only standing
ovation of the 5-hour show. This is something every Country musician
wants to achieve and was an event that would shape her life and stay
with her forever.
Tomi
returned home and continued to play the military bases around Japan and
was eventually sent on a USO tour of Vietnam and Southeast
Asia during the height of the Vietnam War in 1967. After a hiatus in
the 1980’s, “Columbia Records” put out a “Best Of” album in 1994 and in
1996 she recorded “Lonely Together” in Nashville, with Bill Anderson,
her first new work in 30 years. She returned to Nashville again in 2002
to record “Gold”.
Today, Tomi
is still performing in clubs and venues all over Japan and her passion
for music and lust for life continues to move and inspire people
everywhere. In 2015, almost 50 years after her original performance, she graced the Opry stage once again.
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