Tokyo-rickshaw
If you take a group of rickshaw drivers in Asakusa, add some music, and a good deal of energy and creativity, what you get is Tokyo-rickshaw. Japan Expo is glad to welcome this unusual band for the 18th Impact!
Presentation
The district of Asakusa in Tokyo attracts many Japanese and international tourists. Everyday, smiling young people take them to visit this part of the city in rickshaws. They’re called shafu and drive the visitors through this popular district that takes them back to the Edo era.
In 2015, a group of shafu decided to turn to music as Tokyo-rickshaw, to promote Japanese traditional rickshaws to the public over the world through music and entertainment, before Tokyo’s Olympic Games in 2020. Their moving ballads with traditional tunes, as well as their acrobatic performances on stage, attract attention and a few months later, they released a CD with a major, Teichiku Entertainment.
The band has been part of many events and TV and radio shows. They also often work with celebrities, like in the RUN! music video, released last summer, with the famous Japanese wrestler Kyoko HAMAGUCHI. In January 2017, as they were recruiting new members, many actors, comedians, and athletes auditioned. Takeshi TAKANO (MMA wrestler), Yûya TAMAKI, and Takuya ISHIBASHI (rugby player) have been accepted to join the band.
Though they spend quite a lot of time with their entertainment activities, Tokyo-rickshaw’s shafu keep on driving their rickshaws through Asakusa towards the future!
Three rickshaw drivers from Tokyo-rickshaw started a world tour, with their rickshaw of course. After travelling across Asia, they have arrived in Europe, right in time for Japan Expo. Let them take you to Tokyo the time of an original performance, a photo shoot at their booths in hall 5A and hall 6, or a tour of the festival in their rickshaw! They will also be holding a panel about their world tour. They will be attending the festival all four days.