On the afternoon of the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference And Festival's second day, I sat on a shuttle bus with eight people who had been hustling between the countless concert venues in this city. True to the its slogan "Keep Austin Weird," a local resident whipped out a bag of marijuana and the driver nodded his approval. As a small pipe went around the bus, passengers discussed acts they wanted to see — DJ Diplo, pop duo The Ting Tings, buzzed-about rapper ASAP Rocky. After declining a smoke, I said "Japan Nite."
"That's one of the highlights of SXSW," the Austin native said. "It's always great."
Still popular with locals after 17 years, Japan Nite serves as a hub for a handful of Japanese acts that made the trip to SXSW 2012, a five-day festival featuring thousands of bands from around the world.