In a big city like Tokyo, life is fast and everyone is busy. With people mostly looking down at their phones, silent trains, busy streets and people always headed somewhere, it can feel confusing to find a place where you can just be yourself. A place where people who understand you fully. When I first came to Japan, I was 19 years old. Having attended university online for the first full year, I did not know anyone here. Even the friends I made online felt less familiar when I met them. For the first few months, I went straight to class in the morning and straight back home in the evening. I missed having someone to just talk to in real life.
Life in Japan is exciting in many ways, but it can also look like constantly translating yourself. Your thoughts, your habits, even your silence.
What I have come to realize, is that art and music don’t need a language, or a fixed translation. It doesn’t care where you’re from, where you’re headed or how long you plan to stay. You could stand right next to someone who you have never met before, look at the same visuals and feel the same beat, and suddenly, we are all not strangers anymore. All you need is a space where you can be free to be yourself and find the strangers who seem a little bit more familiar.
More than an event
To me, Tokyo Vibes is that place for me. More than an event, Tokyo vibes is a meeting point for people looking to connect. It is a place where creativity meets curiosity. At Tokyo vibes, you don’t need to do more to belong, all you need to do is just be curious and show up.
I joined Tokyo vibes about 2 years ago as a volunteer. How? After a friend sent me a “call for volunteers” instagram story, saying “You have always enjoyed being creative, this might be good for you!” And guess what? It was!
Tokyo vibes is a perfect blend of art culture and to me, language. What fascinates me most about art is that it could have a million different interpretations and none of them are wrong. And the best part? You could show up alone or in a group, confident or reserved and there will be something waiting there for you.
By volunteering at Tokyo Vibes, I get to experience the bubbling art culture of Tokyo first hand. I get to experience the art pieces that have an exciting and unique story to tell, listen to the music that few people have gotten to hear before, and I get to experience people having a good time. I see people arrive unsure and staying closer to the sidelines, and eventually they open up.
Art brings us together
Conversations start over a shared curiosity for art, over a relatability from the same culture we get to experience. By the end of the night, these same people are exchanging instagram handles or simply just leaving that they are not alone in this big city alive and bustling with dreams. This is what drives me to Tokyo vibes every time. The same way it did the first time around.
Art is neutral. People come close to each other and build their own unique story around every piece of art. Art is connection because you don’t need to perfect your vocabulary to be around it. And Tokyo vibes is a place you find that art and weave your story around it with people from all over the world willing to do the same.
So don’t wait on the sidelines, come join us in creating your story. We are always looking for volunteers, and you could be the next person we get to know more about!
Through Vibes Stories we highlight the stories of the faces behind Tokyo Vibes. The team, the volunteers, the visitors, the artists, anyone who has felt the vibes and wants to share their personal story. This article is written by Prapti, one of Tokyo Vibes' known and loved volunteers.
