In the same way that it is on a map, Japan is on the very edge of our imaginations. For most of us our closest conception of it is some Tron-like world populated by strange vending machines or a fetishised Planet of the Samurai. So when four mildly dishevelled South Africans calling themselves Desmond and the Tutus went on tour there earlier this month, there was always going to be room for a culture shock."Most places we've been to the live music culture is quite similar. You go to Europe and everyone gets drunk and parties while they listen to a band. In Japan, it's kinda different," said the band's front man Shane Durant."The culture shock thing is that you will play a song and everyone will dance and stuff, then when the song finishes they clap and stand there dead quiet waiting for the next song," he said.For many people the idea of a room full of people staring expectantly at you would be enough to make you set your visa on fire and never return. Luckily, this was not Durant & Co's first time in the deep end."This is the third time we've been. What started out as a chat on Myspace has developed into something of a cultural exchange. It's quite a special to us," said Durant.The band first visited the land of the rising sun in 2010 as the result of a fortuitous chain reaction of song releases and Myspace conversations."The culture shock is that you rock up at a show and the kids will have learnt the lyrics, so they all sing along, but they don't understand English," said Durant."It pushes you to discover ways to bridge that gap, because instead of doing what you do, you really have to work the crowd a little bit more. It's almost like going out to see a band isn't like an excuse to party, like they really go out to appreciate a band."All of this, combined with starting gigs at 6pm, and one gets the impression that Japan could be a Marmite destination: either you would love it or hate it.Durant, however, took a more philosophical approach and folded it into the tapestry of his career with Desmond and the Tutus."Japan was great. The thing I am always humbled by is the fact that I get to do this as a job. So for me everything is an amazing experience, because as corny as it sounds I get to do something I love every day," he said.Desmond and The Tutus' latest album - Teenagers - is available on Apple Music..