There's a short account of his first trip to Japan in 1977. Pepper had been surprised to learn he was highly regarded by Japanese fans who wanted him to tour. He was on a course of methadone to treat his heroin addiction and had a lengthy criminal record so wasn't sure if he'd be allowed in the country. He'd also picked up a heavy cocaine habit:
It was very hard, even for that short time, to do without coke. I took enough to last me on the plane trip. Just before we landed in Tokyo, I went to the bathroom and did the last of it. I couldn't take the chance. If they decided to shake me down it would have been suicide.
It seems the promoter took an interesting approach. To guard against Pepper being turned away at immigration, no advertising was done for his performances, instead it was all for his lesser-known sideman. It sounds like Pepper just got through on a tourist visa. He didn't know this at the time, so was annoyed when he saw the posters. His fans also hadn't heard he'd arrived so the first Tokyo performance was poorly attended. When he eventually took the stage as a "guest performer" after the break, however, it was worth it:
The minute my body became visible, the audience started clapping and cheering. It continued, getting louder and louder, until I reached the mike. I stood there for at least 5 minutes, bowing and waiting for them to stop and feeling the most beautiful feeling I think I've ever felt in my life...I knew then that this wasn't another shuck, another injustice, another disappointment. It was real...it justified my whole existence, my whole past, my whole life!
Later tours went even better. Pepper ditched coke but admits he did "some heavy drinking" to get him through longer schedules, despite having virtually destroyed his liver years earlier. I can't find any decent photos of Pepper in Japan. This is probably because he rarely left his hotel outside performing and travelling.
These tours were all arranged by Laurie Pepper, who was his partner until he died. Laurie also wrote the biography which did a great deal to re-establish his popularity. She credits Keiko Jones, wife of jazz drummer Elvin Jones (who has appeared on FG before) for telling her how to run her husband's business:
Keiko told Laurie to stop wearing jeans and dress up with good jewellery. Otherwise, she warned, promoters would assume all the money was going on drugs.She told me how to act, how to dress, and how much power to take: All of it. She told me to take control of the money.
Best welcome evaaaa!