Fukui: The "Next Music City" Transformed by the Shinkansen
When you start looking for band members in Fukui, the first thing you notice is that "while the population is small, the musical density is surprisingly high."
With a population of approximately 750,000—among the smaller prefectures among Japan's 47 prefectures—Fukui still has long-established rock live houses like "Fukui CHOP," founded in Takeo in 1983 and relocated to Fukui in 1994, and "SHIRAI HOUSE," a jazz club established in 1987. The prefectural music-dedicated hall "Harmony Hall Fukui" supports classical music, and Rekishi (Takashi Ikeda), a native of Fukui City, continues to be active nationwide as a musician.
Then in March 2024, the Hokuriku Shinkansen extended to Tsuruga. Tokyo and Fukui became directly connected in approximately 3 hours, making it realistic to book artists from the Tokyo metropolitan area. Fukui's music scene is definitely entering its next phase.
What is Band Member Recruitment?
Band member recruitment refers to the activity of searching for people to fill positions (guitar, bass, drums, vocals, keyboards, etc.) necessary for forming or continuing a band. There are both cases where existing bands recruit to fill vacancies, and cases where recruitment begins from the stage of "looking for people who want to start a band together."
In Fukui Prefecture, due to population size, there isn't the buzz of numerous band recruitment sites like in Tokyo or Osaka. That's why it's especially necessary to combine ① dedicated platforms (like Membo) ② face-to-face meetings at live houses ③ SNS posts ④ connections through instrument shops and studios ⑤ networking at regional festivals—all together.
Fukui CHOP — A legendary converted warehouse rock sanctuary
In Hanado Higashi, Fukui City, there is a venue that has supported Fukui's rock scene for over 40 years. Fukui CHOP (1-18-6 Hanado Higashi, Fukui City) was founded in Takeo in 1983 and relocated to Fukui City in 1994. The unique space created from a converted warehouse has a capacity of 250 people and has continued to host a wide range of artists from indie to major.
CHOP's characteristic feature is that it operates as a bar on days when live performances aren't held. It functions as a gathering place for local musicians, and it's commonplace for encounters like "meeting that person you wanted to talk to after a live at CHOP's bar sometime later" to happen.
Continuing for over 40 years means the store has accumulated connections spanning generations. If you want to seriously do rock in Fukui, it all begins with frequenting CHOP.
SHIRAI HOUSE — Fukui's jazz hub established in 1987
In Junka 2-chome, Fukui City, in the basement of a commercial area, you'll find SHIRAI HOUSE (Waako K Plaza B1, 2-20-14 Junka, Fukui City). This jazz club, established in 1987, features live performances on Friday and Saturday, and holds jam sessions on Thursdays about twice a month.
SHIRAI HOUSE is a holy ground visited by jazz musicians from outside the prefecture, and has functioned for local young jazz players as a place to "learn standards" and "perform alongside seniors." In jam sessions, you improvise music with strangers, naturally creating connections.
If you want to play jazz in Fukui, attending SHIRAI HOUSE's jam sessions is the shortest route. Rather than performing, starting out by frequenting as an audience member and getting to know the regular faces—that's the normal approach in Fukui.
Harmony Hall Fukui — A full-scale prefectural music hall
Harmony Hall Fukui (Fukui Prefectural Concert Hall) (40-1-1 Imaichi-cho, Fukui City) covers classical, band music, choral, and large-scale performances. A prefectural music-dedicated hall, it offers both a main hall and a smaller hall in addition to practice room rentals.
Harmony Hall Fukui is an important hub for those seeking band forms other than rock, such as municipal bands, wind orchestras, and choral groups. Whether renting practice rooms for rehearsals, performing at showcases, or participating in competitions—the core of those viewing music as "something to perform on stage" centers here.
Tsuruga: Music venues after the shinkansen opening
With the March 2024 extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga, the distance between Tsuruga and the Tokyo metropolitan area shrank dramatically. Alongside this, Tsuruga's music venues are redefining their roles.
The Tsuruga Citizens' Culture Center (7-1 Sakura-cho, Tsuruga City) is Tsuruga's core cultural facility with a main hall, smaller hall, and practice rooms, hosting cross-genre performances. Similarly, Kirameki Minato Hall (1-1 Sakura-cho, Tsuruga City), also in Tsuruga's Sakura-cho, features an event hall and smaller hall and is utilized as a festival venue.
Tsuruga gained new positioning as the terminal station for the Hokuriku Shinkansen, becoming a relay point between the Kansai region and the Tokyo metropolitan area. Tour schedules like "a band from Tokyo plays in Tsuruga and heads straight to Osaka" are now realistic. Local musicians also have significantly more touchpoints with other prefectures.
ONE PARK FESTIVAL — Fukui's largest urban festival
The event symbolizing Fukui's music scene is ONE PARK FESTIVAL, held every September at Fukui City's Central Park. In 2026, it will be held September 5-6 (Saturday and Sunday) at a special venue in Central Park, a 3-minute walk from JR Fukui Station.
The 2026 lineup includes diverse artists such as WULFULS, Remioromen, .ENDRECHERI., SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS, Hedigan's, TESTSET, and maya ongaku. A 2-day pass costs ¥13,200. The excellent accessibility characteristic of an urban festival—just a 3-minute walk from Fukui Station—is one factor driving annual attendance growth.
ONE PARK FESTIVAL is also an event where Fukui's entire music community gathers at once. While participating as a performer would be ideal, simply participating as an audience member creates natural opportunities to talk with local musicians.
In Tsuruga too, Oboro Rock ~TSURUGA MUSIC FESTIVAL~ is held every September. In 2026, it will take place September 12-13 (Saturday and Sunday) in the Kanagasaki area of Tsuruga City (Tsuruga Citizens' Culture Center and Kirameki Minato Hall). The pattern of Fukui City and Tsuruga—connected by the Hokuriku Shinkansen—holding consecutive music festivals in September has become established.
Instrument shops and practice studios
MPC Musical Instrument Center Fukui (5-16-21 Hinode, Fukui City) is the flagship store of the Hokuriku MPC Group, comprehensively handling guitars, wind instruments, and pianos with integrated music lessons. It has long served as the place where people come to select their first instruments when starting a band in Fukui.
For practice studios, Studio Qubit (12-7 Suehiro-cho, Fukui City) accommodates solo practice, band rehearsals, and recording. Operating from 9 AM to midnight with 4 parking spaces, it's designed to suit Fukui's car-dependent society. With instrument sales also on-site, it's convenient for local bands to buy strings or picks on their way out from practice.
5 ways to find band members in Fukui
1. Recruit and apply through Membo
Membo is a platform specializing in member recruitment for bands, theater, and circles, with recruitment information registered from within Fukui Prefecture. Since you can narrow searches by area, instrument, and genre, you can efficiently find matches for conditions like "looking for a drummer who can work in Fukui City" or "wanting jam session partners in Tsuruga."
In small-population prefectures like Fukui, since there isn't the density of competing platforms found in Tokyo, simply registering on Membo tends to increase the probability of matching.
2. Build visibility at live houses
At Fukui CHOP and SHIRAI HOUSE, live performances and bill-sharing events happen regularly. By performing with your own band, you naturally become acquainted with members of other bands. In a small city like Fukui, once people remember your face, they're sure to talk to you at the next live—that's the kind of density it has.
First, try searching for Fukui bands through Membo's recruitment search, confirm their activity area and vibe, and then reach out.
3. Participate in large festivals
September's ONE PARK FESTIVAL and Oboro Rock are the once-yearly opportunity when Fukui's music community gathers. Simply participating as an audience member creates chances to talk with local musicians. Connections form from things like "that band's guitarist is in Fukui?"
Since the shinkansen opened in 2024, performances by Tokyo metropolitan artists have increased, broadening opportunities to build connections outside the prefecture through festivals.
4. Frequent instrument shops and studios
At large shops like MPC Musical Instrument Center Fukui, connections between music lesson students sometimes lead to band formation. At studios like Studio Qubit, it's common to become acquainted with other bands practicing at the same time.
In regional cities, people movements are visible, and information like "that person is in a different band now" spreads easily by word of mouth.
5. Use SNS and local community
Searching hashtags like "#fukui band member recruitment" or "#fukui live house" on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram lets you find actively recruiting bands and musicians. In regional cities, performers' faces are easy to see, and directly connecting via DM from SNS is a common pattern.
Checking music circle accounts from Fukui University and Fukui University of Technology also helps you understand movements in the younger generation's scene.
Music scene characteristics by area
| Area | Primary genres | Characteristics | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fukui City Hanado/Junka | Rock, Jazz | Fukui CHOP and SHIRAI HOUSE, long-established venues spanning generations | Bus/walking from JR Fukui Station |
| Fukui City Imaichi | Classical, Band music, Choral | Centered on Harmony Hall Fukui | By car from JR Fukui Station |
| Fukui City Central Park | Urban festival | ONE PARK FESTIVAL venue | 3-minute walk from JR Fukui Station |
| Tsuruga City Sakura-cho | Regional festivals, Cultural hub | Tsuruga Citizens' Culture Center, Kirameki Minato Hall, Oboro Rock | Within walking distance of JR Tsuruga Station |
| Echizen/Wakasa | Traditional music, Folk songs | Musical culture parallel to Echizen ceramics and washi paper culture | By car from Fukui City/Tsuruga City |
Finding Fukui companions on Membo
Fukui Prefecture has a population of approximately 750,000, and Fukui City around 260,000—small on a national scale—yet it's also the land that produced nationwide musician Rekishi (Takashi Ikeda). Membo allows you to search by instrument (guitar, bass, drums, vocals, etc.), genre, and activity area, making searches possible for conditions like "looking for a bassist who can work in Fukui City" or "wanting jam session partners in Tsuruga."
Additionally, using the push notification feature lets you receive immediate notifications when new matching recruitment postings appear. In regional cities where new listings don't appear as frequently as in Tokyo, this speed of response matters.
Impressions and reviews of using Membo
Membo is still in a growth stage, with fewer registered users than major platforms. Yet in small prefectures like Fukui, where there isn't the density of competing platforms found in Tokyo, simply registering on Membo tends to increase matching probability.
Particularly, its support for eight languages including English is a strength even in Fukui. With increased foreign tourists after the shinkansen opening, there are foreign musicians who can only search for recruitment in English. Traditional Japanese-only recruitment sites won't help them find opportunities, but Membo is designed to bridge that gap.
Some users have experienced "after registering, a band I'd seen at Fukui CHOP messaged me," while others report "it took time to find a match." Taking time for matches in a prefecture of Fukui's scale is natural, making it practical to use multiple methods in parallel.
Differences between Membo and other methods
| Method | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Membo | Condition-based search, 8-language support, accessible to foreigners | Still-developing user base |
| Live houses (CHOP/SHIRAI HOUSE) | Can directly verify musical compatibility | Requires time and transportation costs |
| Large festivals | Concentrated once-yearly opportunity, connections with Tokyo area | Limited to festival timing |
| SNS (X/Instagram) | Free, performers' faces are visible in regional cities | Variable response quality |
| Instrument shops/Studios | Community-rooted, musician connections | Depends on coincidental practice schedules |
While Fukui is a small-population prefecture, it has produced musicians like Rekishi, established urban festivals like ONE PARK FESTIVAL, and become directly connected to Tokyo via the Hokuriku Shinkansen. As the "next music city," Fukui is clearly in the midst of transformation. Membo's strength lies in its 8-language support enabling reach to foreign musicians and its ability to search with specific conditions. The more specifically you narrow criteria—like "Fukui City, rock-oriented, drums" or "Tsuruga, jam sessions, bass"—the more precise your matching becomes.
The sea breeze of Echizen and the calm townscape of Fukui Castle's former grounds—a band you form with companions you meet in Fukui might one day stand on the ONE PARK FESTIVAL stage. In this city where the world arrives by shinkansen, such possibilities are genuinely increasing. First, try searching for Fukui members on Membo.
If you want to explore other Hokuriku regions, see our articles on Ishikawa (Kanazawa), Toyama, Niigata, and Gifu. For major metropolitan areas, we also have articles on Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.
