Japanese audiences are renowned as some of the world's most respectful listeners, but for musicians accustomed to getting more raucous receptions elsewhere, the experience can be a little unnerving.
When New York-based jazz composer Miho Hazama returned to her native Tokyo a few years ago to play a show in support of her debut album, "Journey to Journey," she recalls that the crowd's demure applause left her flummoxed.
"Clapping — that was it," she says. "I was really freaking out: 'My God, people don't like my music! Did I do something wrong?' I had to ask my manager if everything was OK or not."