This year¡¯s edition of the Japan Nite event at the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) was going to be special. It would have marked the event¡¯s 25th anniversary of showcasing Japanese artists to fans in Austin, Texas, with a North American tour to follow.
Co-founder Audrey Kimura, however, began having doubts about the situation in mid-February as the COVID-19 outbreak started spreading globally. While SXSW officials remained optimistic that the gathering would happen, Kimura worried about travel restrictions that could put the visiting performers in a bind.
¡°I contacted the representatives of each city¡¯s venue on the Japan Nite tour in early March, but they were not worried at all,¡± Kimura tells The Japan Times.
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