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-- Firstly, welcome back to San Francisco! We're really glad to have you back. How does it feel to be back here with your fans in the US after having to postpone everything during your 2009 World Tour? How is this tour different from your last tour of the States?

First  of all, I'm really glad to be able to come back to San Francisco after fuckin' 2 years. I feel like... I'M  ALIVE!! Because of the cancellation of the American leg that we were supposed to have last year, I felt really sad and sorry for my people who were waiting for me for so long. So this time, I thought I should bring a new and improved MIYAVI to make up for it. Now you can see that improvement.

-- What are some of the biggest differences you have noticed with your US fans compared to your fans at home in Japan? Is the atmosphere at concerts different? Do the audiences react differently?

Yeah, the U.S. fans are way louder than the Japanese. (Laugh) Their passion and enthusiasm toward music are the same temperature. but expression wise.... it's totally different. They always make my ears ring. (Laugh)

-- Have you ever considered relocating your home to the United States for business purposes? Like touring and promoting yourself here?

I'd love to. It'll be great not only for business, but as an environment to raise children. I'll consider it after my business in Japan has taken off.

-- The release of "Survive" and your NEO TOKYO SAMURAI BLACK WORLD TOUR VOL. 1 DVD was a really exciting experience in the US, and for me personally. I understand that the track was written during your NEO TOKYO SAMURAI BLACK WORLD TOUR in 2009, which seemed to be very challenging for everyone involved. How does this song relate to everything that happened last year while on tour?

As you know, I was having a hard time through the European and South American leg because the Japanese take the clean and convenient lifestyle for granted. I realized how sheltered I was and how blessed I am. I really felt that I had to be a lot stronger to survive, even as a musician.

-- How does this latest release, "Survive," compare to previous releases throughout your career in terms of the music you have made? Do you feel more confident in your abilities as a musician and artist than you did when you first started out?

Yes, I definitely do. After the going over so many difficult obstacles, I feel I became a lot stronger, so I can simplify everything and get rid of things that decorate myself too much.

-- What genre of music do you feel your music belongs to?

Literally, ROCK, i think. Actually.. I don't fuckin' care about genre. If ROCK is something that restricts people to behave in a certain way, I'm totally fine with not being a ROCK musician. I don't really care.

--Cure Radio and its listeners are in the middle of a heated debate about removing the "J" from the title "JROCK" and calling it by its specific genre for example "VK" is "VK" not JROCK.  VK categorizes many different styles of music, and titles like LOUD KEI & Oshare Kei are used to label those certain styles of music for what they are.  What does Visual Kei mean to you?  What do you think about taking the label of "J" away from "JROCK"?

Although I have no idea about what is going on, Visual Kei itself is where I started out. It freed me, but after a certain point in my career (around the time I began working with artists from other genres), the image of everything started restricting me as a musician. So, now I'm just doin' what I do. Maybe this is not an appropriate answer, I'm sorry.

-- You mentioned on your Myspace blog that you would be releasing a new single and album later this year. What can you tell us about these new releases?

It's a new experience. Some things you can expect from this tour are simplicity, a solid act, and absolute madness. No bassist, no sound effects. Just the sound of my guitar, the beat and me, out there screaming. I feel like I finally found my style, ever since I tried it with the DOKUSOU album.

-- You recently signed onto EMI Music Japan. Do you feel that you have more freedom to do what you want with your music than when you were with other labels like PSC and Universal? Are you happier with the way things are in terms of where you see your career going?

First of all, I really want to thank all the people who used to work for me. I wouldn't be here without their huge amounts of support. On the flip side, it's true that I had to leave them to move in the directions of the goals I wanted to achieve while not compromising my musical integrity. So with that said, I became independent and now I'm working with EMI, which is a fuckin' great rock label.

-- What types of promotion tactics do you do differently when promoting material in the United States versus in Japan? I'm assuming that because American fans are so much more direct and outspoken about what they want, you have to approach them differently than you would your fans in Japan. Have you found out what works best when dealing with promotions  in either country?

Umm... It's a difficult question because I'm not in charge of it. (Laugh) I know that they are totally different markets but what i gotta do is to just rock out where ever I am.

-- These next questions are from some fans who listen to Cure Rock Radio. Some of them might be a little silly, some may be a bit personal. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to.

-- What is your favorite color underwear?

Samurai Black.

-- You are very fashionable. Have you ever considered starting a clothing line and designing clothes to be distributed in the US?

Yeah, someday in the future, after I so what I want to do as MIYAVI the artist.

-- What are some of your favorite/least favorite expressions your daughter makes?

My most favorite things my daughter does are smiling at me, clapping her hands, and huggin' my legs. My least one is seeing her face while she is sleeping at night.

-- You used to play soccer right? Are you planning on following the World Cup this year?

We are following along on the bus during the drive to the different cities on the tour.

-- What is it like being a father and a husband and having to be away from home to do a tour? It seems like being away from your family would be hard, but you would be doing something that you love to do.

It's pretty hard to avoid my daughter's affection, but staying away from family is also a way to make love stronger. and I'm more than happy to know that there are so many people all over the world waiting for me as one big family.

THANKS!!