Japanese music fans frequently refer to live venues as boxes(箱). After I began playing the guitar, I realized how appropriate this nickname is. Both guitars and music venues are boxes that resonate with sound. I had a great time this past weekend at Kanaguya's Tatami Grand Hall, which is essentially a large wooden box. Some members of the audience were lying on the tatami mats after relaxing in hot springs. I also lay down on occasion, and the way the music sounded changed as a result; the sound vibrations were traveled through the tatami mats and throughout my whole body. It was like being inside the body of a large guitar. Because of the hot springs, the artists and audience are both excited and relaxed. It's possible that more than just sound resonated.

To be honest, the performance of De De Mouse, which I was most looking forward to, was a little bit disappointing. He's been the headliner of this festival for more than ten years, so maybe he's in a rut. When I attended this festival eleven years ago, his dance music was painstakingly arranged around the tatami mats specifically for this festival, and there was no unnecessary MC. I must say, however, his performance this time was half-hearted.

The amazing performances of the other artists made up for that disappointment. I was especially surprised by Summer Eye's performance. Perhaps I'll write about his performance later.

In two days, I went to three hot springs. Shibu-Onsen has nine bathhouses that don't belong to any particular hotel. They're open to both locals and tourists. Shibu-Onsen was so good that it made me feel like I wouldn't mind living there.