I hear Kyoto was built on the grid system too. I only know sapporo for its snow and skiing events.
Yep next time GNR better go to sapporo and queue-shoe(sp?).
You're probably thinking of Kobe, which was rebuilt on more of a grid system after being destroyed in a quake a little over a decade ago.
Actually Kobe would have been a good place for the band to play since it has a large western population compared to most of Japan, but then again it's a short ride on the rails from there to Osaka. And the Rapid in Kansai (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, etc) is cheap and fast.