Did you know there are lots of places in Nishinomiya where you can enjoy live music?
To help people experience music more casually in “Nishinomiya, a city where you can encounter music,” Nishinomiya City has published the Nishinomiya Live Music Map.
For details, please see the official website below.
Publication of the Nishinomiya Live Music Map
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Nishinomiya Live Music Map
Taking a quick look at the map, it seems to be divided into about five areas: Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi/Mondo, Kotoen, Kurakuen-guchi/Koroen, Hanshin Nishinomiya, and Koshienguchi.
The features of each venue are clearly listed.
There are all kinds of music genres too, and it makes me want to go!!
Just reading it is fun♪
Nishinomiya Live Music Story
One place that’s essential to Nishinomiya’s live music story is a shop that used to be in Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi called “Jazz Kissa Corner Pocket.”
Apparently, Corner Pocket (originally called Duo) had an all-horn, integrated stereo speaker called a “Paragon.”
Is “Paragon” famous?
I wonder if it’s an incredibly rare speaker…
When I Googled it, the first thing that came up was Baragon from Toho’s monster movies😅
I’m pretty sure the one at Corner Pocket wasn’t the monster “Baragon.”
Paragon seems to refer to an ultra-high-end speaker released in 1957 by the American audio equipment maker JBL.
Jazz Kissa Corner Pocket
The shop was located here↓
The address is 1-12-15 Kofuen, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.
Here is what it looked like in March 2012↓↓
You can see the red “JAZZ” sign.
It now appears to be Pinon Music School.
It all began when Kiichi Suzuki, the owner of Corner Pocket, a place originally known for letting people listen to jazz, invited the students who were always hanging around the shop by asking, “Why don’t you try doing a jam session?” From there, late-night sessions started, centered around young aspiring jazz players who were regulars and belonged to light music clubs at “Kwansei Gakuin” and “Kobe University.”
The shop closed in 2012. Due to strong requests from musicians, the jam sessions were revived in the same style under the name “Nigawa Fight Club.” Even today, several times a year, jazz musicians from the Hanshin area are said to gather there for intense musical battles as a serious proving ground.
Halls and Schools in Nishinomiya Where Concerts Are Held
Nishinomiya has many public halls, and concerts are held frequently.
There are also casual events held around the city, such as “Machikado Concerts” and “City Hall Lobby Concerts.”
Nishinomiya City Otani Memorial Art Museum
Nishinomiya Shell Museum
For more information, please see the Nishinomiya City Cultural Promotion Foundation website.
Concerts are also held at places such as Kwansei Gakuin University and Kobe College.
Finally
It seems there are many venues where you can enjoy all kinds of live music, including country, jazz, rock, and folk.
It sounds fun to take the map with you and look for your favorite spot!
