Popular Japanese musical artists headed to Toronto as part of major festival

If you love Japanese musical artists, you’ll soon be able to check them out at local bars.

The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre recently announced that, through its new partnership with Next Music From Tokyo, it will deliver the largest showcase of live performances by independent Japanese musicians outside of Japan.  

“Next Music From Tokyo blows up the stereotype that Japanese music has to be weird or a novelty to have any artistic value,” Dr. Steven Tanaka, the Toronto-based anesthesiologist who founded the festival in 2009, said in a statement. 

“Canadian audiences are a little shocked at first at the passion and creativity of the Japanese artists. They’re often blown away, and I love that many become serious fans and follow the careers of the artists. At this point, I can’t count the number of people who have come up to me and said, ‘That was the best show I’ve ever seen’ and ‘I need to know more about this music’. That’s what really keeps me going.”

According to the JCCC, Japanese artists Hammer Head Shark, Sabanoomisony, Nikon, Fallsheeps, and Koutei Camera Girl Vier will perform at venues in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in early October.

On Oct. 4 and 5, Toronto fans will be able to catch shows at the Horseshoe Tavern (370 Queen St. W.) and Hard Luck Bar (772A Dundas St. W.). 

Further shows are set for the Petit Campus in Montreal on Oct. 7 and the Red Gate Arts Society in Vancouver on Oct. 9 and 10. 

Volunteer JCCC president Chris Hope says the partnership is an exciting step for the institution. 

“The JCCC was founded with the motto friendship through culture, to welcome diverse audiences to come together to experience and celebrate Japanese culture, and that is precisely what Next Music From Tokyo does; it builds bonds of friendship around a shared passion for some really fantastic musical experiences,” he said in a statement. 

All festival profits will be used to support the construction of an on-site music pavilion that will be used for lessons, small group recitals, and a permanent home for Kyowa Taiko, the JCCC’s taiko group. 

Earlier this year, the JCCC hosted sold-out solo piano concerts by Kyohei Sorita and Hayato Sumino (co-presented with Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts) and a fully staged four-night residency by Tokyo-based Led Zeppelin revival band Mr. Jimmy. 

The cultural centre says Next Music From Tokyo is the first JCCC-supported musical festival that will be primarily staged outside of the JCCC facility. 

“Next Music is a perfect fit as the JCCC continues to respond to a strong public interest in Japanese culture through a continued investment in delivering a wide range of cultural experiences to help us to celebrate the very best that Japan has to offer,” Hope said in a statement. 

“The JCCC is now consistently presenting Japan without the jetlag, with complete authenticity, from performances at the Kobayashi Hall to large festivals and events at the centre facility and beyond, to celebrating the fact that the JCCC is also home to Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto, one of the first and finest, Michelin Star restaurants in Canada.”