Enchanted by Kamakura, musician Kota Ogawa moved there!

Hello, I'm Fumika Mabuchi.

This time, we'd like to introduce you to Kota Ogawa.
I previously mentioned him briefly when I introduced ceramic artist Ayako Hayashi ; he's a musician who performs as part of the extremely locally-focused unit "Ogawa Kota & Tomason."
In addition to his own unit, he has also provided songs to numerous other artists.

I met Kota-san over 10 years ago.
Actually, they've also been involved in the music for a stage production I'm producing.

Kota currently lives in Kamakura.
She is originally from Machida City in Tokyo, but moved here in 2010.
The reason she chose Kamakura as her new home was that her apartment in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, where she was living at the time, had become dilapidated and she had to move. While she was thinking about where to live, several friends told her that Kamakura would suit her, so she came to see for herself. She liked the old streets and narrow alleys because they were similar to those in Bunkyo Ward, and that's why she decided to move there.

Then, he met his current partner, Tomason, and formed the duo "Ogawa Kota & Tomason".

They have created numerous songs with Kamakura as their theme, and have released eight albums to date.
In addition to actively performing at numerous events, mainly in the local area, they also hold solo concerts at venues such as the Kamakura Arts Center and the Kamakura Lifelong Learning Center, and organize the "Kitakama Festival," an event centered around temples in Kita-Kamakura.

In October 2022, we organized the "Namioto Bon Odori Festival" (Inamuragasaki Park), which attracted 20,000 visitors.

In addition, she is active in a wide range of activities, mainly in the Shonan area, including collaborations with the magazine "OZmagazine," appearances on TV Tokyo's "Shutsugen! Admatic Tengoku," and regular appearances on FM Yokohama and Kamakura FM.

A live performance is scheduled for May 14th at Toramaru-za in Enoshima, so please check the official website for details!

And Kota Ogawa, who has lived in Kamakura for over 10 years, shared some slightly off-the-beaten-path recommendations.
① The Angkor Wat of Kamakura: "The Naito Family Tomb" (Click here)
② Kamakura's Cappadocia: "108 Yagura" (cave tombs)
③ Kamakura's Mont Saint-Michel, "Wagaejima" (see here)

You should definitely go check it out!

Kota Ogawa actually has many more "faces" than we initially thought...
I'll tell you about that in the next story.

Kota Ogawa
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