These Christmas carollers appear to be just a little bit Buddhist!
RocketNews24 reporters are accustomed to reporting on (and instigating) some weird things in public, but even we’d have to guess that our most seasoned reporters wouldn’t be prepared to stumble upon a group of singing, bouncing, and instrument-wielding Buddhist monks in the commercial and administrative heart of Tokyo.
Passers-by on MOA 4th Street in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district were treated to a special performance on Christmas Eve by a legitimate band of monks known as VOWZ Band (坊主バンド in Japanese). Clothed in traditional robes and sporting clean-shaven heads, we’d be hard-pressed to find another group of spiritual leaders with as much modern musical sense. Check out this video that a spectator caught of their performance, which has since gone viral on Japanese Twitter:
▼ “Christmas Eve at Shinjuku is unreal”
The song’s lyrics describe a “typical” week in the life of a monk, with more than a little cheeky humor thrown in–every day, they apparently return home after eating sushi and tempura. Perhaps funniest of all is the impromptu mokugyo (a fish-shaped wooden temple drum) solo around 0:40 in the video, followed by a bell-ringing solo at 0:55.
Here are some other videos of the band from that same day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKX4vzNFiLU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbotkw5lfx0
Net users were tickled by VOWZ Band’s performance, leaving the following comments on Twitter:
“These monks are creating a new musical genre. It seems fun!”
“I lost it at the solo part.”
“I died laughing after watching this when I woke up. Thanks for giving me a reason to smile on my way out the door!”
“Adults who have fun in earnest are awesome.”
“I hope they rock ‘n’ roll during joya no kane!” [a tradition of ushering in the New Year by ringing a large bell at a Buddhist temple 108 times to help rid people of their worldly desires]
If you’re intrigued by VOWZ Band, be sure to check out their official website or follow them on Twitter for band updates and live performance information.
Source/Featured image: Twitter/@xmorix887