However it was not until 1979, when Jamaican singer Bob Marley visited Japan on holiday that reggae would gain momentum.
This suggestion resulted in the albums Pecker Power, and Instant Rasta being recorded in Jamaica at "Channel One" and "Tuff Gong Studio" in 1980.
The albums featured Japanese artists Minako Yoshida (吉田美奈子), Ryuuichi Sakamoto (坂本龍一), Naoya Matsuoka (松岡直也), Shigeharu Mukai (向井滋春), and Akira Sakata (坂田明), alongside Jamaican artists Augustus Pablo, Sly & Robbie, The Wailers, Rico Rodriguez, Carlton Barrett and Marcia Griffiths.
He was scouted by Sugar Minott and began performing in Jamaica, and later formed Japan's first reggae festival "Japansplash" in 1985.
The esteemed band Jagatara (じゃがたら) combined punk rock, jazz, and funk with reggae and influenced hybrid artists such as Ego-Wrappin'.