Wow - what a night. First we sat in the pouring rain in front of the signing tent, welcoming all four guys in with chants of "New Ordahhh!" - Barney commenting "You lot get everywhere don't you?" It was some kind of MTV Japan "event".

They looked happy to be in Japan and played a daft game shooting rubber darts at a board to hit topics for questions. Barney promised to sing Krafty in Japanese to cheers all round.

Later, we got into the area at the front of the stage and waited for NO to come on. Thankfully the rain had stopped. Top of the bill here, although playing just in front of last main stage act Primal Scream, late "very special guests" to the bill. Great for us as we had a nightbus to catch at 1 am.

Pre gig music was tracks from U2's latest album and a couple of vintage Underworld tracks. Then the Morricone western music strikes up, cheers from the massive crowd, and they're on!

On brilliant form. On Crystal (incendiary) Phil is giving it Townshend-style windmill guitar, and the band seem so up for it. So are the Japanese crowd, who've waited four or five years to see the Order.

We're gonna play an extra long set, an hour and a half, says Barney, and they give us all the current tour repertoire. No EGG, despite a Brit yelling for it at the signing tent earlier, but I don't care about that.

Personal highlights are Crystal, Waiting For the Sirens Call, Krafty (which Barney, true to his promise, sings half of in Japanese, aided by subtitles on his autocue - and the subtitles come on the big screens to for the crowd - who LOVE it). But basically I'm in raptures throughout - it is a night I've waited a long time for. KW1 is amazing, and the JD tracks burn with intensity.

Hooky is a man possessed. He takes his bass a couple of times down to the crowd, followed by the huge security guy (dunno his name but he's everywhere with them). He's throwing mad poses to the camera, prowling the stage, shirt soaked in sweat after a handful of songs. At the end he goes topless, pulls a bodybuilder pose and chucks it into t'crowd.

Phil handles the keyboards, sort of, and fills in nicely on guitar. Barney is on cool form, doing mad dancing poses for Bizarre Love Triangle - which is a huge hit with the J-masses (although lots of western faces here too).

He throws in quips about "at least we're not as old as Primal Scream" .... "could someone turn off the deep fat fryer over there, it's making me feel sick, and i've already been sick once today" .... he dedicates LWTUA to Ian Curtis, he seems mock-grumpy about playing True Faith but it's a storming version anyway and seems to catch the crowd unawares with the housey intro before the legendary first lines. He chides Phil for messing up one intro .... and thanks the Festival and the "fucking great crowd" at the end ... and also comes quickly back on to big up the road crew. Hooky dedicated She's Lost Control to Mani who was watching from the side with some banter about being seeing who's the best bass player.

You know what, they just looked so happy and so up for it from what I saw, that I just feel the future for New Order is burning bright.

The best band in the world came and rocked the fuckin' house in the mountains of Naeba, Japan. Brilliant day.

I can't remember the set list, but it's been put on the other site by Tokoloshe Man - respect to him for that.

Come back to Japan soon guys! A lot of support for you here.

similar and different;Europe and Japan ! ! ! Fans everywhere! it's a little bit strange for me ( i've never left european zone)but cool anyway - and a part of modern life ? - we're here and there in short delays ( do we still know what travelling can mean ? ).
N.O can be "un trait d'union".Nice!