Excited to be performing at the “Sakura Town JAZZ Stage” in Tokorozawa!

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be performing at the “Sakura Town JAZZ Stage” on September 20th (Sat) and 21st (Sun), 2025, held at Tokorozawa Sakura Town in Saitama!

Sakura Town is a cultural complex operated by KADOKAWA, known as a hub for events related to books, anime, art, and other creative culture throughout the year. The architecture is strikingly modern, with an atmosphere that feels like stepping into a small futuristic city. There are open plazas and a beautiful waterfront area, making it an enjoyable place to simply stroll around — and now, imagining jazz music filling that space makes me even more excited for this event.

The event runs from 12:00 to 17:00 on both days, with a special stage set up inside the venue where various jazz artists will perform. Best of all, admission is free! Whether you’re there for shopping, dining, or just a casual visit, you can stop by and enjoy some live jazz in the afternoon. Many people associate jazz with late-night bars or live houses, but there’s something uniquely refreshing about hearing it outdoors under the open sky. The swing jazz I’ll be playing is a genre born as dance music, so if you love rhythm and energy, you’re going to have a great time!

For this stage, I’m preparing a setlist that focuses on my favorite style, swing jazz, while keeping plenty of space for interaction and improvisation — the kind of interplay that only a small combo can create. I want to deliver the joy of playing guitar, the fun of trading ideas with my fellow musicians, and the happiness of sharing the same air and moment with everyone in the audience — all through music.

Since Sakura Town attracts many families and visitors, I’ll include some catchy tunes and feel-good swing numbers that even first-time jazz listeners can enjoy. If you’ve ever thought, “Jazz seems complicated…,” this is the perfect chance to experience it in a relaxed setting. Music isn’t just something to hear — it’s something to feel with your whole body. Live music, in particular, is special because you can witness the moment the sound is born right in front of you as the musicians breathe together and create the music in real time.

This will be my very first time performing at Sakura Town, which makes it even more exciting. I’m curious to see how the space will sound, who will gather to listen, and what kind of atmosphere will come to life that day. Jazz is a music that thrives on the “one-time-only” feeling created between the stage and the audience — your reactions, applause, and even laughter shape the performance. That’s why I’d love for you to be there and become part of the music with us.

It’s the perfect way to spend the first weekend of autumn. You can even combine it with some sightseeing in Tokorozawa — during breaks, you can check out the famous Bookshelf Theater or the exhibitions at the Kadokawa Musashino Museum inside Sakura Town.