Steven Tanaka has a secret. The vibrant live-house scenes of Tokyo's Koenji and Shimokitazawa neighborhoods hold a special place in his heart, and since last year he has been spending vast sums to take some of that energy to Canada — just don't tell his parents.

Prior to dabbling in do-it-yourself music promotion, Tanaka, 37, had been a student for most of his life — at least as long as it takes to become a practicing anesthesiologist — and he didn't have the time or the spare cash to vacation in Tokyo.

Though born to Japanese parents in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tanaka says he never really listened to Japanese music growing up. He had his own stereotypes of what the bands were like — overly dramatic Visual-kei and mediocre J-pop. That changed when he came to Japan for the first time and went to some smaller shows.