KINGSTON, Jamaica— Mai ‘Okamai Okamoto, a Japanese national, has been residing between Jamaica and Japan for almost 16 years.

During that time, she developed a passion for reggae music. Over the years, she has assisted in organising artiste tours in Japan, while promoting the Jamaican culture and encouraging Japanese nationals to visit and to enjoy what the island has to offer.

On February 19, she partnered with the Japanese Embassy in Jamaica to stage the inaugural Japan x Jamaica Link Up which took place at Dubwise Café at 82 Lady Musgrave Road in Kingston.

Veteran singer Junior Reid held the crowd captive with songs including One Blood

Endorsed as one of the events under the Reggae Month banner, it featured performances by Jamaican and Japanese entertainers and sound systems.

Okamoto, the author of four books, told Observer Online why she decided to host the event:

“The music industries of Jamaica and Japan share a uniquely strong connection, and the ties and simultaneous economic impact they generate are quite exceptional even on a global scale. The relationship between Japan and Jamaica has long been characterised by ongoing exchange between the two countries through reggae.

“Amidst this, it seemed that opportunities for travel between the two nations had decreased due to Covid-19 and economic reasons. However, 2024 marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Jamaica. To further invigorate Japan-Jamaica relations, it was deemed desirable to organise collaborative events with the Embassy through the medium of reggae,” Okamoto explained.

The Bandelero – Pinchers made it known that he was in town

The event featured performances by Japanese acts Ray, Chehon and 775. Japanese sound Jah Works (represented by Oga), which won the Jamrock Cruise Sound Clash in 2023 created musical mayhem with his selections while Stone Love and Jamaican acts – Grammy nominee Jesse Royal, Pinchers and Junior Reid were also in fine form.

Okamoto shared that she had always been around reggae music for years, and this helped in the development of her appreciation for the genre.

Japanese selector Oga spins the beat while Jesse Royal gets into his act

“When I was 16 my friend made me listen to a Bob Marley album and that was my first time being introduced to reggae. I once dated a Japanese DJ who had a huge collection of reggae music, and he always talked about Jamaica, and I go to his shows every week. So reggae music was around me,” she said.

Okamoto, who has helped to coordinate tours in Japan for artistes such as Jesse Royal, Kabaka Pyramid, Lila Ike and Protoje, said the Japan x Jamaica Link Up will be an annual event, based on the response from the public and support that it received.