Seaside Street Tokyo 2022

For two days, Saturday, August 27th and Sunday, August 28th, 2022,
The voices of approximately 1,000 students echoed throughout the Odaiba area.

The Aqua City side, the center of the venue, saw a two-day attendance of 12, with the outdoor stage alone drawing in 2 people.

The organizing committee members could not hide their excitement at the turnout, which far exceeded their initial expectations.

I felt a positive response from the very beginning of the recruitment process.
Looking back, we started accepting applications in early April, limited to 120 pairs.
In response to the more than 500 recruitment emails received, far exceeding expectations, one executive committee member commented, "Everyone is looking for a place to express themselves."

What made this event a success despite it being the first time it was held?
The biggest factor in this is probably that a cappella artists have continued to practice every day, without giving up on their pure desire to sing music, even during this COVID-19 pandemic.

This was obvious when you looked at the faces of the visitors.
From small children to the elderly, and even people from overseas, everyone stopped to take a look.
At times, he sat down and enjoyed the music with the students, who were singing along in their own way.

Seki Ayumu, a fourth-year student at Tokyo Denki University and chairman of the Seaside Street Tokyo 2022 Executive Committee, said:

■ What made you decide to hold this event?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we heard that university students' club activities have been limited and they have no place to show off their achievements, so we wanted to create a place that would solve this problem.
I myself was a member of a light music club since my first year of university, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, we were no longer able to carry out our activities.
Since then, I no longer have the opportunity to meet up with my friends from the club, and I have become estranged from the club members I was close with at the time.
I believe that by practicing for the a cappella event we have planned this time, we will be able to overcome obstacles with our friends in order to achieve a common goal, and share fun experiences that will create bonds.
I believe that the friends I made through these experiences will definitely be a source of support for me when I face difficulties in the future.
Our goal was to create these spaces and ensure they don't disappear.

■Rewards and difficulties
The most rewarding part was seeing so many people come and smile on the day, and it made me feel glad that I did it.
One of the difficulties was that since it was the first time the event was being held, we had no track record or budget, so it was difficult to find the funds to spend on stage construction, decorations, sound equipment, etc.
Despite these circumstances, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the companies that supported and supported the purpose of this event, as well as to those who provided technical and operational support.
Thanks to the efforts of the people around me, the event ran smoothly on the day, so I don't think there were any particular difficulties (laughs).

■ Future goals
We hope that this event will become a goal for a cappella clubs.
Although this was the first time the event was held, the number of applications far exceeded expectations, and the performers had to be selected by lottery.
From next time onwards, we would like to increase the number of stages, have more people perform, and make this an event where we can share the charm of a cappella with more people.
We also hope to create opportunities for a cappella clubs to interact with each other, something we were not able to do this time, and to build horizontal connections between clubs.

■Message to university students
Until now, we have been living a life bound by the restrictions of COVID-19, but I believe that from now on we will return to an era where we can challenge ourselves to do the things we want to do.
Even if something is big and out of reach, if you get the people around you involved and value your colleagues, I believe you will definitely find a way to achieve it.
I started this event without any knowledge of a cappella or anything like that, but with the help of those around me, I was able to create an event that attracted nearly 4000 people.
As a university student just like you, I often feel the difficulties of surviving in society, for better or worse, but let's do our best to make the dreams we have inside us come true!