SANIMYOK’s musical ties with Japan — “น้ำหอม” and “Free Bird”
Updated: Oct 18
CHIANG MAI · MUSIC
“Kousui” in Thai. “Free Bird” in Japanese.
SANIMYOK is a band based in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Its music has grown through exchanges with Japan, collaborations and live performances. This feature follows “น้ำหอม”, “Free Bird” and the band’s journey in Japan from 2024 to 2026.
16 October 2026 · Edited by FreeBirdChiangMai
SANIMYOK’s arrangements meet collaboration with musicians from Japan. One collaborator encountered through these exchanges is Eito. Together they made the Thai “น้ำหอม” and Japanese “Free Bird”, and performed in both countries.
CONTENTS
01 · THE ENCOUNTER
From social media to a performance in Chiang Dao
SANIMYOK (สนิมหยก) is a band based in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Alongside songs such as “Free Bird”, the band has developed musical exchanges with friends in Chiang Mai and musicians from Japan.
One of SANIMYOK’s collaborators through its ties with Japan is Eito, a singer-songwriter from Yokohama. Their meetings and recording sessions in Chiang Mai began an exchange of songs in Thai and Japanese.
An announcement on Eito’s official website in June 2024 says he discovered SANIMYOK on social media while studying Thai pronunciation. He asked the band to arrange a song, then travelled to Chiang Mai to record it.
In a 2025 interview published by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Eito also recalled meeting SANIMYOK at Shambhala in Chiang Dao and hearing “Free Bird”. Discovering the band online and hearing it locally are both part of the story of their early exchange.
Sources Eito biography | Official website, Meeting the band and recording in Chiang Mai | Eito official, 15 June 2024, Eito on “Free Bird” | Tourism Authority of Thailand, 3 October 2025
02 · น้ำหอม
Relearning Thai pronunciation for “Kousui”
After releasing “Kousui (Thai Ver.)” in 2022, Eito studied Thai pronunciation again. SANIMYOK’s arrangement was added to his singing for “น้ำหอม -Kousui- feat. SANIMYOK”, released on 7 August 2024. STAMP provided the Thai translation.
The music video followed on 8 August. Eito’s official announcement says it was filmed in Chiang Mai with a local director and crew. The collaboration changed the recording and filming locations and the people making the work, as well as the language of the song.
Sources “น้ำหอม” release and video | Eito official, 8 August 2024, “น้ำหอม” release information | Eito official
BONUS · OFFICIAL SHORTS
The making of the music, with Thai narration
This selection brings together Eito’s official YouTube “น้ำหอม” series and shorts about its production and music-video shoot. The short films follow the making of the Thai version of “Kousui” in Chiang Mai.
Four main episodes are followed by four bonus shorts. Date-only titles retain the official posts’ wording. The vertical videos play on this page; if a player does not open, use its “Watch on official YouTube” link.
The making-of story · Four main episodes
“น้ำหอม” Episode 1
Episode 1, published on Eito’s official channel.
14 August 2024
An official production short with Japanese and Thai text in the video.
16 August 2024
An official short about the Thai version of “Kousui”.
“น้ำหอม” Episode 4
Episode 4 of the series.
Bonus · A little further into the journey
17 August 2024
A related short from Eito’s official channel.
ขอขอบคุณพนักงานร้าน😆!
An official short thanking the shop staff.
19 August 2024
An official short including Thai-language practice.
น้ำหอม MV Behind #1
Behind the scenes of the music-video shoot.
Published by Shorts on Eito’s official artist channel
03 · FREE BIRD
Singing “Free Bird” in Japanese
The next collaboration was SANIMYOK’s “Free Bird”, sung in Japanese by Eito. After singing his song in Thai, they turned to the band’s song in Japanese.
In the interview, Eito said hearing “Free Bird” at Shambhala left a strong impression. They later chose it for a Japanese version. He recalled recording in Chiang Mai in a peaceful setting with views of the mountains and sky.
The Japanese “Free Bird” was released on 5 September 2025. The official announcement describes a song they had been performing live for more than a year before its release. They had shared it on stage with audiences before it became a recording.
Sources Eito on “Free Bird” | Tourism Authority of Thailand, 3 October 2025, Japanese “Free Bird” release | Eito official, 5 September 2025
04 · FROM 2024 TO 2025 AND 2026
Three years of performances together in Japan
The 2024 “Thai & Japan PUAN TOUR”, the 2025 “Free Bird” tour and “PUAN LIVE” in 2026 continued their performances together in Japan over three years. Names and fellow performers changed, but their collaboration carried on into the following years.
Sources Thai & Japan PUAN TOUR | Eito official, 2024, JAPAN TOUR “Free Bird” | Eito official, 2025, PUAN LIVE and Japan–Thailand Culture Festival | Eito official, 2026
05 · JAPAN / YEAR ONE
2024: making “Kousui” and performing in Japan
Following the August release, SANIMYOK was announced for 19 and 20 October at “JERSEY EIGHT 2024”, hosted by Eito. gnkosaiBAND also joined the subsequent “Thai & Japan PUAN TOUR”.
The official itinerary listed Yokohama GrassRoots on 21 October, Sake PACE MONSTER GABORA in Fukui on 24 October and Musica Japonica in Osaka on 25 October. A third band from Japan joined Eito and SANIMYOK for the tour.
Sources Meeting the band and recording in Chiang Mai | Eito official, 15 June 2024, Thai & Japan PUAN TOUR | Eito official, 2024
06 · JAPAN / YEAR TWO
2025: “Free Bird” visits six venues
“Eito × SANIMYOK JAPAN TOUR ‘Free Bird’” celebrated the Japanese song’s release. The official October 2025 announcement listed six performances.
01 Oct · Numazu, Shizuoka · CALLE5411
02 Oct · Toyohashi, Aichi · cafe EnBeach
03 Oct · Awaji Island, Hyogo · kominka.awa
05 Oct · Mino, Tokushima · Loop hoop
08 Oct · Juso, Osaka · THE RAINCOAT
12 Oct · Nagoya, Aichi · Japan–Thailand Culture Festival, Kakuozan Nittaiji Temple
From live bars to a temple’s cultural festival, the venues show the band reaching different places and audiences. These are the 2025 dates, not performances currently accepting bookings.
07 · JAPAN / YEAR THREE
Performing together in Japan again in 2026
In August 2026, SANIMYOK’s return to Japan for “PUAN LIVE 2026” with Eito was announced. The dates were 28 September at Live Theater Gion JTN in Kyoto and 29 September at Umeda Musica Japonica in Osaka. NDARICCA was also listed for Osaka.
The announcements also listed both days of the Japan–Thailand Culture Festival 2026 at Kakuozan Nittaiji Temple in Nagoya, on 3 and 4 October. In the third year since 2024, the notices recorded plans to keep performing together after their song collaborations.
By this feature’s publication date, 16 October 2026, these dates had passed. No booking or availability information is provided. Announcements alone cannot confirm the set lists or whether every performance took place. Check the artists’ and venues’ latest announcements for future shows.
08 · SHAMBHALA
Continuing to share the stage at Shambhala
Their Japanese tours also connect to performances at “Shambhala In Your Heart” in Chiang Dao, northern Thailand. The festival appears in Eito’s interview about first meeting SANIMYOK.
The FreeBirdChiangMai editorial team reports that Eito and SANIMYOK played a main role at Shambhala over three years. We include it alongside Japan as a place where their shared performances continued.
Eito’s official 2026 notice lists an appearance under the name EKACHOKI on the MAIN STAGE, 14 February, 20:00–20:40. Billing and running order vary by year. This notice alone does not establish joint billing with SANIMYOK or three consecutive years as headliner or closing act.
Returning to the place where he first heard the band to share a stage again, and travelling between Shambhala and Japan, offer further glimpses of how the two acts developed their exchange.
Sources Eito on “Free Bird” | Tourism Authority of Thailand, 3 October 2025, Shambhala 2026 appearance notice | Eito official, Shambhala In Your Heart | Official organiser
09 · LISTEN TO THE STORY
Compare three official music videos
Listen first to the Thai “Free Bird”, then Eito’s Japanese version, followed by their Thai “Kousui”. Changing languages brings out different vocal phrasing and sounds. Official videos let you listen without reproducing the lyrics here.
Free Bird — Thai original
SANIM YOK official channel · Watch on YouTube
Free Bird — Japanese Version feat. Eito
Official music video published 5 September 2025 · Watch on YouTube
น้ำหอม (Kousui) — EITO feat. SANIMYOK
Official music video filmed in Chiang Mai · Watch on YouTube
Sources Japanese “Free Bird” release | Eito official, 5 September 2025, “น้ำหอม” release and video | Eito official, 8 August 2024
10 · THE LIVE SCENE
SANIMYOK on stage
These SANIMYOK live photos were supplied by FreeBirdChiangMai. They show hands playing, musicians at microphones and lighting seen from the audience. They illustrate the band on stage, rather than documenting a particular year of performances with Eito.
11 · FM YOKOHAMA
A session on FM Yokohama’s “Iketeru Tarantula”
Eito hosts “Iketeru Tarantula” on FM Yokohama. His exchanges with friends from Chiang Mai have continued in a Yokohama radio studio as well as at concert venues.
Eito’s official YouTube channel also has a short of him and Jan playing the Japanese “Free Bird”. It offers a closer view of the voice-and-guitar interplay than a stage video. Check the programme’s official FM Yokohama page for broadcast times and listening information.
Free Bird · Eito & Jan
Official Eito short | A studio session on FM Yokohama’s “Iketeru Tarantula”.
12 · JAN IN JAPAN
Japanese venues Jan visited with Eito
Separate from tours by the full SANIMYOK band, guitarist and vocalist Jan has also visited Japan to play with Eito. Japanese listeners have encountered their music both with the band and in a smaller line-up.
For the 26th Thai Festival Tokyo, held on 9–10 May 2026, Eito and Jan were announced for 10 May on the stage inside the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) booth at Yoyogi Park. This was separate from the festival’s main stage.
They were announced for a duo concert at Ongakukan MiMiZuKu in Yokohama on 13 May, then both days of Thai Festival in Nagoya 2026 at Hisaya Odori Park on 16–17 May. The May Nagoya event was separate from the autumn Japan–Thailand Culture Festival at Kakuozan Nittaiji Temple.
FreeBirdChiangMai also reports Jan’s exchanges on Miyako Island, beyond Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya. During the band’s three years of Japanese touring, he visited other places in a different line-up too.
Sources Thai Festival Tokyo 2026 | Eito official, Yokohama concert with Jan | Eito official, 13 May 2026, Thai Festival in Nagoya 2026 | Eito official
Miyako Island exchanges: information supplied by FreeBirdChiangMai. This feature does not identify the venue or performance dates.
THE STORY CONTINUES
Live information, recordings and merchandise
Discover SANIMYOK’s music and journey in the band feature and FreeBirdChiangMai’s information. For joint performances in Japan, also check official announcements from fellow performers and venues. Recordings and merchandise are listed on the official website.
Ask the seller about stock, shipping and collection. This feature does not accept product orders or payments.
Sources and photographs
This feature draws on official announcements and published interviews, not on-site interviews or reports of the concerts themselves. The account of a main role at Shambhala over three years was supplied by the editorial team. The itinerary extracts confirmed notices and does not cover every date or establish that every announced performance took place.
Sources were checked on 16 October 2026. Photos were supplied by FreeBirdChiangMai, including collaborations, performances and radio recording scenes from the albums received for this feature. Full album sharing links and shooting locations are not published. Videos use official public links and YouTube players. Lyrics, full official articles and external photos have not been reproduced without permission.
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