street performance in tokyo?

[gabbyS]

hi, i live in new york and i am trying to understand some things about the street music and performance scene in tokyo. i have never been to tokyo, so i hope the forum can answer my questions.

here in new york, lots of musicians play in the subways and streets. they put out a hat or a jar or a bucket for tips, and if people passing by like what they hear, they will give the musician a tip. there are also people doing magic tricks or mime or other kinds of performance for money. in new york it is illegal to play music in the subway without a permit, but lots of people do it anyway...

does the same thing happen in tokyo? do people play music in the streets or subways? what kind of music do they play? do they do other types of performance, too? do people stop to listen and give them money? do performers get hassled by the police?

has anyone become famous who started playing in the streets?
has anyone on the forum ever tried playing music in public places?

thanks for helping with my questions!

gabbyS

[Henbaka]

The street musicians were one thing I loved about Tokyo when I was there. Saw people play various genres, at many places really. But Yoyogi is a nice place in the weekends (Sundays is the best if I remember right), since bands usually play there on the streets (often selling their CDs).

[Crea]

Originally Posted by gabbyS

does the same thing happen in tokyo? do people play music in the streets or subways? what kind of music do they play? do they do other types of performance, too? do people stop to listen and give them money? do performers get hassled by the police?

has anyone become famous who started playing in the streets?
has anyone on the forum ever tried playing music in public places?

Hey, I'm only familiar with the western side of downtown Tokyo so I might not be the best source, but I'll just post what I've seen.

People do play in the streets, but I've only really seen them in Shinjuku area, including Yoyogi Park as Henbaka mentioned. And they're all outside in big open spaces, eg., around the train station exits, in parks. I've never seen performers inside stations or on platforms, and I'm guessing they wouldn't be welcome.

Sorry I'm not familiar with the official laws/regulations, but I've never seen police stop any of the street lives.

Unlike NYC, where performers range all ages and do all sorts of things, all the performances I've seen are music-based, but back when parapara dancing was all the rage, I've seen groups of those as well. Recently, the performers are usually young hopefuls trying to increase fanbase and get their name out there. There's a range of music they play, but mostly geared towards a younger audience--a lot of pop rock-based bands, lone singers on the piano, etc. (There's a group at the JR East Shinjuku exit that gathers around to headbang...I dont' know if they count as street performers but they attract a bunch of people who take videos on their cellphones and giggle.)

Like I said, people do gather round to watch, but I've rarely seen people give money--mainly since most of the performers don't look like they need the extra cash, and also again they'd rather have attention, so to show support, the audience usually cheers them on, talks to them after the performance, buys a CD, etc.

Off the top of my head, YUI and Kobukuro are two jpop-artists who used to perform on the streets and have since then made it big.