Nippon Budokan

I went to a concert by Chisako Takashima and her 12 Violinists.

It was one of the things on my to-do list for this year.

Actually, I like classical music.

I remember when I was a child, we had several LPs of something called "Classical Music Collection for Children," and every night I would play the marches from them and march along the edges of the tatami mats with my younger brother.

By the way, it seems my brother doesn't listen to classical music.

I've gotten off track; I'll try to delve deeper into that subject sometime.

The venue was the world-famous Nippon Budokan.

When I got off at Kudanshita, there were already many people who looked like they were heading there, and there was a huge line for the restroom.

Since the doors opened at 12:00, I thought I'd grab some lunch, but the restaurants were also lined up.

If I were by myself, I would have skipped lunch immediately.

Naturally, the slope leading up to the Budokan was also overflowing with people.

Once I finally reached my seat and settled down, the lights went out and the show began.

I was surprised that, even though it was a classical concert, the violinists were talking into microphones, dancing, and even asking for applause.

It was an interesting production, showing how to produce sounds on the violin and lowering the barrier to classical music, which can sometimes feel a bit intimidating, so that even beginners could enjoy it.

I imagine it must be much harder to think up the structure of the show than just performing.

It was a very fun concert where they focused on songs everyone has heard, and I found myself impressed, laughing, and even being made to sing along (!).