Last night, I attended my final Kodo concert in Osaka, which is barely a twenty-minute ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto. Despite that I have spent all this time in Kyoto, I have never made it Osaka before yesterday. It is definitely a much more industrial city, and has much less cultural significance than Kyoto; but, I did like it much more than I had anticipated I would.
I saw Gen Matsui again; we chatted for about ten minutes before and after the show. I cannot emphasize how warm and friendly he has been to me: he even offered to give me a tour shirt (I had bought one the night before), so instead gave me the 2007 Kodo yearbook. Again, it’s so amazing to me how welcoming and helpful he has been. It’s just very reassuring to know that even Kodo is one of the most famous and successful Japanese arts group, the members and staff still are extremely grounded.
Of the three Kodo performances I saw this week, I thought this was the best for a handful of reasons. First, it was definitely my favorite venue: the acoustics were noticeably better here than Hiroshima or Okayama. Second, I had better seats: I’ve always felt that vantage point doesn’t make or break a concert-going experience, but it is that much more exciting to be closer (although, with a taiko performance, you do not want to be too close, otherwise the sound quality will suffer, as it will be too undefined). Lastly, because I was so familiar with the set, I was able to appreciate each song individually and the whole flow of concert, in general.
I am so happy I have been able to see these three performances. It has been such an appropriate, wonderful conclusion to my time here in Japan. Again, my only regret is that I was not able to take pictures or videos: I would highly, highly recommend seeing a Kodo show at some point in your life, as there is nothing quite like it.
Tickets from all three shows and the yearbook
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