A Little Road Trip to Matsudo
On April 12th, I headed the road with my mom, heading to Matsudo City in Chiba Prefecture to attend a music event she was performing in. It was a breezy hour-and-a-half drive from Gunma. The weather was absolutely perfect, making the drive incredibly smooth. When we arrived near the venue, I was blown away by the parking fee—only 800 yen (about $5.30 USD) for the entire day!. Thrilled by this unexpected bargain, we made our way into the venue.
Surrounded by Absolute Love for Music
Stepping inside, the place was already packed to the brim. The event was a marathon, running from 11:30 AM all the way down to 5:00 PM. Performers took turns hitting the stage, each getting about five minutes to sing or play their instruments.
To be completely honest, I don't usually hang out in these kinds of musical spaces. At first, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the intense atmosphere and the sheer energy in the room. Since I'm not a musician myself, I felt like a bit of an outsider and naturally took a step back. But as I watched the performances unfold, my perspective shifted completely.
What struck me the most was not just how incredibly talented everyone was, but how genuinely they loved what they were doing. Seeing them perform with such massive smiles on their faces made me realize how truly precious it is to have something you are deeply passionate about. It was a beautiful, joyful atmosphere that completely won me over. I even had the chance to meet someone there who has been supporting my own journeys, which was a wonderful surprise.
Winding Down with Comfort Food
After the event wrapped up, we stopped by a soba restaurant called "Sarashina" to grab some dinner.
Surprisingly, for 7:00 PM on a Sunday, the place was pretty empty, giving us a nice, quiet space to decompress.
I ordered a combo set featuring soba noodles and Oyakodon (a chicken and egg rice bowl). While the food wasn't exactly mind-blowing, the cozy, unpretentious vibe of the restaurant was exactly what I needed after a long day.
We finally headed home, had a nice little chat with my grandparents about our day, and then I crashed. It was a perfectly peaceful spring day, made richer by witnessing the incredible power of people doing what they love.
