Toyama: A Town of Sound Where Tradition and Internationalism Coexist
When you start looking for band members in Toyama, you'll notice that this prefecture's music scene has a "two-layered structure" of tradition and internationalism.
In Gokayama, Nanto City, the "Kokiriko Bushi" — considered Japan's oldest folk song — is still performed. In Yao, Toyama City, there is "Owara Kaze no Bon," a 300-year heritage known for its mournful erhu melody. Meanwhile, the same Nanto City has been hosting "SUKIYAKI MEETS THE WORLD" since 1991, serving as an international hub where musicians from around the world gather. Sandwiched between the Tateyama mountain range and Toyama Bay, this land possesses both historical depth and openness to the outside world.
With the March 2024 Hokuriku Shinkansen extension to Tsuruga, the Kansai region is now connected to Toyama in approximately 2 hours 35 minutes. Tokyo to Toyama can be reached in as little as 2 hours 10 minutes. The significant improvement in cross-prefecture travel has brought Toyama's music scene into a new phase.
What is Band Member Recruitment?
Band member recruitment refers to the activity of seeking musicians to fill necessary roles (guitar, bass, drums, vocals, keyboard, etc.) for forming or continuing a band. This includes both cases where existing bands seek replacements for vacancies and cases where people are looking for others to start a band together.
In Toyama Prefecture, recruitment and application methods primarily use five approaches: ① dedicated platforms (such as Membo), ② in-person meetings at live houses, ③ social media posts, ④ bulletin boards at music stores, and ⑤ networking at regional festivals. With a prefecture population of approximately one million, which is relatively small on a national scale, combining multiple methods is particularly important.
Toyama MAIRO — The Hokuriku Region's Largest Live House
Toyama MAIRO (2-1-1 Sakura-cho, Toyama City, 2nd Floor, Amuse Building), located five minutes on foot from Toyama Station in Sakura-cho, is the Hokuriku region's largest live house with a capacity of 500 people. Since its opening in June 2000, it has hosted live performances and club events spanning diverse genres from rock to hip-hop, techno, and J-pop.
MAIRO operates with a "live house and club" concept, with DJ events frequently held during evening hours. After watching a live performance, DJ play might begin in the same space, allowing audiences and artists to spend the night together — this unique way of creating space generates a distinctive intensity in Toyama's music scene.
Due to its proximity to Toyama Station, it has become a standard touring venue for bands from outside the prefecture. The location allows bands arriving by shinkansen to head straight to the venue, which is a significant advantage for bands touring from Tokyo and Osaka.
Toyama SOUL POWER — A Local Band Hub
A short distance from Toyama Station in Tokiwa-cho, there is another important venue. Toyama SOUL POWER (3rd Floor, KK Building, 1-43 Tokiwa-cho, Toyama City) is a live house with a capacity of approximately 300 people that actively seeks local band performances and has a homemade feel to it.
SOUL POWER has long been loved by young local bands as "the place where you first experience performing." With a relatively low performance barrier, it serves as the core of the local band culture. Multiple bands perform on the same night, and after the live, they naturally gather for after-parties — it's through this repetition that new bands are born.
Takaoka and Imizu — Western Toyama's Music Centers
Music venues are also established in western Toyama, in Takaoka City and Imizu City.
The Takaoka Cultural Hall (13-1 Nakagawa-en-cho, Takaoka City) is a major cultural institution in Takaoka, used for diverse performances ranging from classical to contemporary music and citizen band recitals. Meanwhile, the High-Frequency Cultural Hall (Shinminato Central Cultural Center) (3-23 Mikka-sonejishita, Imizu City) functions as a regional cultural hub with a grand hall, located five minutes on foot from the "Shin-machi-guchi" station on the Manyosen Line.
Back near Toyama Station, the Aubade Hall (Toyama City Arts and Culture Hall) (9-28 Ushijima-cho, Toyama City) serves as the prefecture's leading arts and culture venue with both a grand hall and medium hall. Classical and large-scale performances gather here, and with its walking distance access from Toyama Station, it also attracts audiences from outside the prefecture.
These cultural halls support a different layer of music community than live houses. They are also important venues for people seeking forms of bands other than rock, such as citizen bands, brass bands, and choirs.
SUKIYAKI MEETS THE WORLD — Where the World Gathers in Nanto
The entity that has brought Toyama's music scene to the world's attention is the international music festival held in Nanto City.
SUKIYAKI MEETS THE WORLD 2026 will be held over three days from August 21 (Friday) to 23 (Sunday), 2026, centered at Nanto City Fukuno Culture Creation Center HELIOS. This world music festival, which has continued since 1991, draws approximately 10,000 visitors over three days and is a rare gathering place for artists from around the world — Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, and beyond.
What distinguishes SUKIYAKI is the close distance between audience and performers. Numerous workshops are held, providing opportunities for attendees to play music directly with musicians from around the world. Among Toyama's young musicians, many continue collaborations with foreign artists they met at SUKIYAKI.
If you live in Toyama and are considering international music activities, participating in SUKIYAKI is essential. Even attending as an audience member creates an experience that brings the world's music closer to you.
Owara Kaze no Bon and Traditional Music
When discussing Toyama's music, we should also touch on traditional music.
Every year from September 1-3, "Owara Kaze no Bon" is held in Yao, Toyama City. This folk music event, which has continued for over 300 years, features dancers parading through the streets to the sounds of shamisen, erhu, and drums. This festival forms the foundation of Toyama's musical culture. Many local musicians grew up listening to that distinctive erhu melody from childhood.
The "Kokiriko Bushi" transmitted in Gokayama, Nanto City, is said to be Japan's oldest folk song. Both continue to be preserved across generations within their local music communities, and many Toyama musicians cross over from traditional to contemporary music.
"I play in a rock band, but I play erhu in the local festivals" — meeting musicians like this, working in multiple genres, is one of Toyama's charms.
Music Stores and Practice Studios
The overwhelming presence as a music store across the Hokuriku region (Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui) is MPC Kaishin-do Musical Instruments, a long-established local store. It operates two major locations in the prefecture: the Music Center Toyama at 5-6 Toyokawa-cho, Toyama City, and the Music Center Takaoka within the Aeon Mall Takaoka, providing sales, repairs, lessons, and studios all in one place.
MPC is an established music store that has long worked alongside Hokuriku's music culture, supporting musicians from the initial stages of learning instruments through recitals, band formation, and live performances. It can be said that almost every person who plays in a band in Toyama has used MPC.
For practice studios, Studio Ghost Note, which operates locations in Toyama City and Tonami City, functions as a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year shared studio. Since you can practice during late-night and early-morning hours, it's a valuable hub for working musicians' bands.
Five Ways to Find Band Members in Toyama
1. Recruit and Apply on Membo
Membo is a platform specialized for band, theater, and circle member recruitment, with listings for Toyama Prefecture as well. You can narrow your search by area, instrument, and genre, making it possible to efficiently find matches for conditions like "I'm looking for a bassist who can perform in Toyama City" or "I need a jazz drummer."
In regional cities, since competing platforms aren't as densely concentrated as in Tokyo, simply registering on Membo increases the likelihood of successful matches relatively high.
2. Get Known at Live Houses
At Toyama MAIRO and SOUL POWER, live performances in battle-of-the-bands format are held regularly. By performing with your own band, you naturally become acquainted with members of other bands. "That band's guitarist seems like our genre match" — if you think this, strike up a conversation after the show — it's normal in Toyama.
It's good to first search for Toyama bands using Membo's recruitment search, check their activity areas and vibes, and then reach out.
3. Participate in SUKIYAKI
SUKIYAKI MEETS THE WORLD in August every year is an event where Toyama's entire music community gathers at once. Simply participating as an audience member creates opportunities to talk with local musicians and foreign artists.
If you participate in a workshop, you can experience making music directly with musicians from around the world. This is an experience rarely available outside of Toyama.
4. Spend Time at Music Stores and Studios
At large stores like MPC Kaishin-do, bands sometimes form through connections between music lesson students. At shared studios like Studio Ghost Note, it's common to become familiar with other bands practicing during the same time slots.
In regional cities, people's movements are visible, and information like "that person joined that band now" spreads through word of mouth.
5. Use Social Media and Local Communities
Searching hashtags like "#toyama band members wanted" or "#toyama live house" on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram allows you to find actively recruiting bands and musicians. In regional cities, you can easily see the faces of those posting, and many connections happen through direct DMs on social media.
Toyama's foreign tourist numbers are increasing, and bands that can communicate in English have an advantage. Reddit's r/japanmusic and Facebook's Hokuriku region music communities are also effective.
Music Scene Characteristics by Area
| Area | Main Genres | Characteristics | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around Toyama Station (Sakura-cho, Ushijima) | Rock, Pop, Club | MAIRO and Aubade Hall | Walking distance from JR Toyama Station |
| Tokiwa-cho | Local bands, Battle-of-the-bands | Homemade feel centered on SOUL POWER | 15-minute walk from Toyama Station |
| Takaoka, Imizu | Citizen bands, Brass bands, Choral | Centered on cultural halls. Strong classical community | Ainokaze Toyama Railway |
| Nanto (Fukuno) | World Music, International | SUKIYAKI venue. World gathers here | Johana Line, Personal vehicle |
| Yao, Gokayama | Traditional Music, Folk Songs | Home of Owara Kaze no Bon and Kokiriko Bushi | Toyama City suburbs, Nanto |
Finding Toyama Bandmates on Membo
Toyama Prefecture has a population of approximately one million, with Toyama City at about 400,000, yet the density of its music scene — where tradition and internationalism coexist — is thicker than its population size would suggest. On Membo, you can narrow your search by instrument (guitar, bass, drums, vocals, etc.), genre, and activity area, making searches possible for conditions like "I'm looking for a drummer who can perform in Toyama City" or "I want to do world music sessions in Nanto."
Additionally, using the push notification feature allows you to receive immediate notifications when new postings matching your criteria appear. In regional cities, since there aren't as many new listings as in Tokyo, this speed in staying informed becomes important.
Experiences and Reviews Using Membo
Membo is still in its growth phase and doesn't have as many registered users as major platforms. However, in regional cities like Toyama, where competing platforms aren't as densely concentrated as in Tokyo and Osaka, simply registering on Membo tends to increase the likelihood of successful matches.
In particular, Membo's feature of supporting eight languages becomes a strength in Toyama. Due to SUKIYAKI's influence, Toyama frequently hosts foreign musicians. Membo can reach audiences that recruitment sites supporting only Japanese cannot reach.
Some people report, "I registered and got a message from a band I'd seen at Toyama MAIRO." Others say, "It took several weeks to find a match." It's more practical to proceed patiently, using multiple methods in parallel.
Differences Between Membo and Other Methods
| Method | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Membo | Condition searching, 8-language support, accessible to foreigners | Still developing user base |
| Live Houses | Can directly confirm musical compatibility | Requires time and transportation costs |
| Festivals like SUKIYAKI | Global-scale connections, concentrated experience once yearly | Limited to specific event dates |
| Social Media (X/Instagram) | Free, easy to see faces of posters in regional cities | Inconsistent quality of responses |
| Music Store Bulletin Boards | Community-rooted, connection with instrument players | Information sometimes outdated |
Although Toyama is a regional city, it's characterized by thick layers spanning from traditional music to contemporary rock to world music. Membo's strengths are its 8-language support, allowing reach to foreign musicians, and its ability to conduct detailed, condition-specific searches. The more specifically you narrow down — "Toyama City area, Jazz style, Keyboard" or "Nanto, World Music, Percussion" — the higher your matching accuracy becomes.
Playing music with your back to the Tateyama mountain range, feeling the sea breeze from Toyama Bay — the music in this land holds a scenery unique to this place. A band formed with friends met in Toyama might one day stand on the SUKIYAKI stage alongside the world. This possibility is embedded in the sound of this town. Start by searching for Toyama band members on Membo.
If you want to explore other areas in the Hokuriku region, refer to our articles on Ishikawa (Kanazawa), Niigata, and Gifu. For major urban areas, we also have articles on Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.
