[Event Report] Toso Art Music Festival Vol. 5 - Yokopika☆Fest

The 5th Toso Music Festival, an event held twice a year in the Toso area of Chiba Prefecture in spring and fall, was held on November 5, 2023, in Yokoshiba-Hikari, which is the hometown of the event's organizer, professional bassist Shinichi Ichikawa. This outdoor festival was the first of its kind!

I am happy to see that the event is getting bigger and bigger each time!

The venue was held at the baseball field at Fureai Sakata no Ike Park. When I arrived at the venue, I found many food trucks and people waiting in line. It's an outdoor festival, so we decided to have some festival food before the live music...

Here's what we ordered!

NimoBurger's meaty hamburger! It's 100% beef, and it was very satisfying!

As I was chomping away on the burger, it was time for the show to start, and then Mr. Ichikawa appeared on stage!

“I'm very happy to be performing at this wonderful stadium in Yokoshiba-Hikari!"

“I grew up in this city until I was 18. I've been touring overseas for over 20 years with my band Baraka, and every time I go overseas I realize how great Japan is and how wonderful my hometown is."

Mr. Ichikawa spoke to the audience showing his love and enthusiasm for the local area. He actually knew many of the audience members.

“Today we have five of Japan's top artists on stage! Please stay with us until the end!"

Here are the artists who will be performing at this year's event!

The backing band will be 61 Band, a group of professional musicians who are in the same grade as Yochikawa.

“First of all, let me take a minute to show you the instruments. The drums sound like this!"

Budum Bam!

The sounds of the instruments are explained one part at a time to make the performance more enjoy for audience members who may not be accustomed to attending concerts.

This event is not just about listening to music, but also about inviting everyone to "Let's make music together!" It could be the beginning of a future superstar artist emerging from Toso.

Now, the first artist was Keiko Walker!

She was dressed in sunglasses and jeans and carried a black acoustic guitar,

“I've never sung in the daytime before, but I'd like to sing a song about reverse pickups," she said, as she introduced a charming song from the very first tune.

Hearing the country music on the autumn breeze really set the mood for the outdoor festival. The ennui of her vocals were very pleasant.

The stage was filled with songs that people of all ages have heard before, such as classic songs from the 70s. The luxurious resort-like atmosphere passed by in a flash.

The second artist was Hidehiko Ishizuka.

Oh, wasn’t that the comedian?

That's right! Mr. Ishizuka is actually a vocalist as well!
He performs mainly cover songs of Imawano Kiyoshiro.

"Hello again, I am Taeko from Finger 5.”

From the very beginning, she held the audience's attention with her familiar talking speed on TV!

Even though it was a bit warm for November, wearing overalls with a bare upper body was a bold fashion choice.
The audience naturally clapped their hands to the groovy rock sound!

During the MC, she also made fun of local businesses, and the audience was smiling from start to finish!

It was very satisfying to hear the live "YUM”!

The third artist is Real Vibes.

Real Vibes is a project involving Kiyomune Takano (ex.Mrs. GREEN APPLE), a member of the Basement Society, a group of bassists of which Mr. Ichikawa is vice president.

It is a transformative band that changes members at every event. This is new!

“Let's get rock and rolling, everyone!”

The band began with the theme song from the popular video game anime!
...Could this be the song chosen for "Yokopika"?

Other songs included a 40-year-old city pop song that had a worldwide revival hit on social media.
When I introduced the title of the song, the adults responded with "ohhh~♪" and applause.

Musical communication across generations is another great thing about these family events.

It was a wonderful stage filled with young power and taste in music!

The fourth artist is Toru Sugihara -TE'TSU-.

This was his second appearance at the Toso Music Festival.

He sang as if he was whispering with a single guitar, but then he started to sing from a red hat...

The second half was funky with the band. The fun talk and inclusive sound was very pleasant!

I was a bit on edge during the last song, which was a fun way to learn the names of places in Tokyo (lol).

The last performer was Akira-san of Finger 5, the legendary artist who made his debut as an elementary school student!

Akira also appeared at the second Toso Music Festival and thrilled the audience.
This time, too, he performed a series of hit songs that got everyone's body moving!

While the funky songs continued, Akira performed "Uchina-", a song written with Okinawa, Akira's hometown, in mind for the theme of this event, "hometown".

Akira also sang a beautiful ballad full of his charm and nostalgia in addition to his hit songs.
It must have touched everyone's hearts deeply.

The last song of course ended with a call and answer from the audience. "Are You Ready?” Yeah!”

When the audience clapped for an encore, Ichikawa asked, "Shall we do something?”

The performers decided on a song on stage and performed "Stand by Me" together!
The event came to a close in a friendly atmosphere.

The 5th Toso Music Festival was held outdoors in a different environment than usual!

The next Toso Music Festival will be held on Sunday, June 23 at Shibayama Cultural Center in Shibayama Town! Don't miss it!

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