Data suggests that a relative lack of live music and performances is a contributing factor as to why many young people move to Tokyo or Osaka.

It wasn’t that long ago that the concept of “Hiroshima skipping,” which refers to major musical artists skipping over Hiroshima in favor of other regional cities, was drawing lots of attention on the Japanese news. This time, there’s been renewed interest in the “skipping” phenomenon after television network TV Aichi revealed that the number of live performances held in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, accounts for a relatively small percentage of total performances held throughout Japan despite Nagoya being Japan’s fourth most populous city.

According to a report from the All Japan Concert & Live Entertainment Promoters Conference (ACPC), during 2023, 11,613 live concerts were held in Tokyo Prefecture and 6,002 were held in Osaka Prefecture. Those numbers comprise over 50 percent of all concerts held throughout the entire country. In contrast, 2,401 concerts were held in Aichi Prefecture, accounting for only 7 percent of the total.

▼ Nagoya at night

Further data sourced from Aichi Prefecture revealed that approximately 90 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 39 who moved from Aichi Prefecture to the Tokyo region expressed their desire for a lifestyle with easy access to “cutting-edge culture and the arts.” It was therefore speculated that “Nagoya skipping” was a major driving factor for this exodus of young people.

▼ Meanwhile, the Japanese government has considered paying women to move out of the Tokyo area in an attempt to revitalize other areas of the country.

On March 13, the Central Japan Economic Federation published a report regarding the potential impact of the number of live performances on urban development in the central Japan (Chubu) region, for which Nagoya serves as the heart. Possible current reasons cited for artists to skip over Nagoya during their tours include a lack of large performance venues in the area and the ease with which it is to hop on a bullet train to the larger metropolitan areas of Tokyo or Osaka from Nagoya.

On the bright side, the opening of two new venues in Nagoya this year is bound to make the city more attractive to younger generations and in turn, stimulate the local economy. First, the Comtec Portbase concert hall will open in Nagoya’s Minato Ward on March 20. Second, the Aichi International Arena/IG Arena will open in Meijo Park, which surrounds Nagoya Castle, in July of this year with a seating capacity of 15,000. The Central Japan Economic Federation hopes to appeal to concert organizers to bring more musical performers to the city in order to attract younger crowds heavily engaged in oshikatsu fan activities.

We’d like to chime in that Nagoya has plenty of other popular destinations and activities to offer visitors. From the Ghibli Park to Legoland Japan Resort, giant food portions to coffee served from a stepladder, there are plenty of ways to make your trip to the area more than memorable.

Source: TV Aichi via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2)
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