In November 2025, I had the pleasure of having dinner in Tokyo with Norio Sato — conductor and guitarist — and of discussing Toru Takemitsu, with whom he had been one of the closest collaborators.
After this meal, Norio introduced me to a small neighborhood — “Golden Gai” — which has not changed since the 1970s and is filled with narrow passageways and bars, each with a very different atmosphere. He wanted me to discover this place because he had spent time there in his youth with his friend Toru Takemitsu.
This gave me the idea of creating a Suite made up of several miniatures describing the imagined and unique atmosphere of this place at that time.
The piece is dedicated to Norio Sato.
