A mid-day concert at The Nippon Foundation

“Music is what feelings sound like” – Author Unknown

You can join Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, or listen to live jazz musicians for an elegant lunch in downtown Tokyo if you happen to be passing through Toranomon. Yes, you can bring your bento (lunch) box if you wish. And the concerts are free and open to everyone. Dress is optional. Casual clothes are welcome.

The Nippon Foundation (Nippon Zaidan) invites a wide range of musicians, individuals and groups, to play in its bright, spacious ground floor lobby, which has an audience capacity for 150 people. While the accomplished musicians raise the artistic level and cool vibrations of the Toranomon area, people can relax for an inspiring break and return to work refreshed.

The Christmas music program

The concerts are held on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month from 12:10 to 12:50 PM. The address of The Nippon Foundation is1-2-2 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo. It’s only a 5 minute walk from Toranomon Station on the Ginza Line, or Kokkai Gijidomae on the Marunouchi Line.

The lunchtime concerts are very popular, so on occasion there may be standing room only if you don’t get there early to claim a seat. But, the music is such a high quality that few people worry about standing if necessary. Often, the concert contents take a seasonal approach. In December there was a lively Christmas music session to get everyone in the mood for the season.

The Nippon Foundation accepts and encourages up and coming, young musicians to perform at the Wednesday concerts to give them live audience exposure and build their professional self confidence.

Musicians include students at music academies and established soloists who are already well known in their own career.

Music selection varies to a large degree as the Foundation leaves it up the musicians to choose what they want to play, so every concert is a musical surprise.

Momoko Mizutani

The next performance, the 147th since the beginning of this lunchtime tradition, is scheduled on 10 February 2010. The featured musician is Momoko Mizutani, a young, rising pianist, who will play a selection of keyboard music that will include Bach, Liszt, Beethoven and Chopin.

Enquiries can be made about this and future Wednesday performances by contacting The Nippon Foundation via our contact page.