The "Yasuo Arai & heavens Four" band was the only Japanese jazz band to play the major role of being officially invited by the Chinese government to perform.
The jazz concert, an international event, was held on October 27, 2002 at the National Central Nationalities Orchestra Theater in Beijing as part of the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. We were the only Japanese jazz band invited by the China Association for Cultural Exchange with Foreign Countries, the highest organization in China, to perform at this event.
The audience was so enthusiastic that even after the last encore song was over and the autograph session was about to begin, the audience was still calling for more encores.
The next day's newspapers, including the "Youth News" and "Culture News," carried articles praising the show, and the international event ended with great success.