2026.07.15
Report on the “Capital of Music, Hamamatsu Concert” Held at EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan
On Friday, September 26, 2025, EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan continued to welcome many visitors everyday as it approached its final stretch, despite the lingering summer heat.
To promote Hamamatsu as the “Capital of Music,” the city held a concert as its own independent exhibit!
The venue was EXPO Hall “Shining Hat,” located inside the EXPO site. The hall has a capacity of about 1,900 seats.
The opening performance was a concert by the first Japanese winner of the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition.
This was followed by musical instrument performance stages presented with the cooperation of three companies that represent Hamamatsu’s musical instrument industry, Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Yamaha Corporation, and Roland Corporation.
【Opening Performance】
Opening the program was Manami Suzuki, the first Japanese pianist to win the 12th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition.
Many visitors came to the venue from the morning to hear her perform, as she continues to expand her activities even further following her victory.
Using a Kawai full concert piano and Yamaha concert grand piano, she performed two pieces.
It was a magnificent and rare performance that allowed the audience to enjoy the difference in tone between the pianos of each manufacturer.
【KAWAI / Ai Higuchi】
Next, singer songwriter Ai Higuchi took the stage.
Using a Kawai full concert piano, she performed while accompanying herself on piano, including “Akuma no Ko,” the ending theme song for the TV anime “Attack on Titan” The Final Season Part 2.
Ai Higuchi’s singing voice and the beautiful sound of the piano moved some audience members to tears.
【YAMAHA / Yomii】
Next was Yomii, a music YouTuber with more than 2.5 million subscribers across his channels.
Yomii performed using two pianos, a Yamaha concert grand piano and a self-playing piano.
One especially memorable moment was when Yomii played the concert grand piano together with the self-playing piano, attempting to recreate “Makkuro Night of Nights” with the two pianos. The audience throughout the venue watched its success unfold with bated breath.
A video of the performance is available on Yomii’s YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/HcXD68ELL2I?si=2jC8ZQKSjOpuQ6z2
【Roland / Yuri Nakamura, Arisa Yamamoto, Aimi Hayashi】
The final performance featured electronic musical instruments played by a band made up of three performers.
Yuri Nakamura, Arisa Yamamoto, and Aimi Hayashi presented a beautiful ensemble using Roland’s digital grand piano and two types of electronic wind instruments.
A wide variety of tones rang out from the three electronic instruments, and the audience expressed surprise at the breadth of sound that electronic instruments can produce.
Built on its concentration of musical instrument industries, Hamamatsu has developed from a city of musical instruments into a city of music. It was a day that fully shared the potential of our city with the world.
