Ichi, ni, san, chi, go...

EUROPE! The countdown has begun!

Did you understand the title? No? It's Japanese and means 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.... Both EUROPE and I can probably count a bit further today, because we have just come back from Japan. EUROPE have struck in the Far East!

Now EUROPE have just come back from their first Japan tour. OKEJ's reporter followed the band during their visit. Just before we got on the plane to Tokyo, Ian Haugland said. "This is what we have been looking forward to! It's going to be an incredible experience to see Japan."

EUROPE was a hit in Japan from the very beginning. The country far away in the east went crazy, but it hasn't been possible until now for EUROPE to visit their friends in Japan. But they have stayed in touch with their Japanese fans, who are quite many. They even have a fan club in Tokyo, and often write answers to a lot of letters which arrive.

"Six concerts are already sold out. Four in Tokyo, one in Nagoya and one in Osaka. "The Final Countdown" sells very good," says Beatrice Johansson at Hot Management and laughs!

It's going to be almost the same show as we had during EUROPE's ice stadium tour this spring, but prolonged by 20 minutes. "We've added "Seven Doors Hotel" and some other old songs," says Ian, and probably trains with the sticks a little more - eating sticks, that is. He's handling the drumsticks without any problems, but in Japan he will have to do without knife and fork.