Episode 36: Busking at Shibuya Station

Ippei's proposal was street performance with an acoustic guitar.

Play in front of Shibuya Station and in Yoyogi Park, gather a crowd, sell our self-made CDs, and get people to come to our live shows.

It was a perfectly sensible proposal. And I had never done it before.

The setup was an acoustic-electric guitar, a rechargeable amp, and a single microphone for the vocalist. Really simple.

My eagerness completely outweighed any embarrassment. Every Saturday morning at Yoyogi Park, and on weeknights in front of Shibuya Station or Shinjuku Alta.

Let's just do it. Right?

That's what I told myself.

So one weeknight, I went to Shibuya Station with the vocalist.

Someone was already there. I've forgotten their name, but a dozen or so people who looked like fans were gathered around them, watching warmly and having a great time.

While I was watching from a distance, the acoustic duo suddenly said to us, "Please play next!" I was startled.

I hurriedly took my acoustic-electric out of its case, and the two of us stood in front of the mic.

We had three original songs: "Reset," "Eternal," and "Signal." I'm fairly sure we played "Reset."

I strummed the guitar like mad.

When I looked over at the vocalist, the nervousness was plain to see.

After one song, we got a little applause and handed the spot back to them. We took turns like that.

Before I knew it, about two hours had passed.

They had apparently been playing in front of Shibuya Station for a long time. I was grateful.

When we talked, they told me they also hold regular live shows, invite all kinds of people, and asked us to join one.

The name of the event was...

"Zassou no Yume" (literally, "A Weed's Dream").

Now that's a name that leaves you with mixed feelings...

To be continued.