The Nippon Budokan is one of Japan's storied venues.  Originally built for the 1964 summer Olympics, it has also functioned as a concert hall for many famous names.  The Beatles, KISS, X Japan, Mariah Carey, and many others have played upon its stage.  And now?  Nemophila.  

Cover photo and top-of-crowd photo by Brian Lee

All other photos taken by Yasumasa Handa 

Nemophila was formed back in 2019 but only came on my radar in early 2020 with the song "OIRAN."  This was one of the only videos of the band on YouTube, and I wanted more.  It was a band that seemingly came out of nowhere but was damned good.  Now we're here, celebrating the band's fifth anniversary.  Given how two of those years were largely nonexistent due to world events, you could argue that in three years the band made it big enough to play at Budokan.

Let's go over a short explanation of venues.  You have your live houses which might hold anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred people.  A lot of times this is in a random basement somewhere.  Then you have your mid-size venues that hold anywhere from 1000-3000 people like the Zepp music halls.  Budokan is one of the next steps up and holds 14000 in its full 360-degree configuration, or 7000 for a standard stage configuration.  Past that you have your arenas, stadiums, and domes (10000, going all the way to 70000 for the Japanese National Stadium opened in 2019).  As you can see, the numbers jump quite a bit.  A lot of bands never move past the mid-size venues, and that's perfectly fine.  You're stlil pulling 1000+ people together at any one time.  But holding a Budokan show means you've made a name for yourself.  

The band consists of vocalist Mayu, formerly of Lipstick, bassist Haraguchi-san, one of Mayu's classmates, guitarist Saki (also of the on-hiatus Mary's Blood), ex-Disqualia guitarist Hazuki, and drummer Tamu Murata, who was recruited through online postings (and who is also married to Silent Hill series composer Akira Yamaoka).  

I originally purchased a ticket in December 2023 upon learning of the event.  I had no idea if I'd even be in Japan at that time.  This is important because buying tickets for foreigners can be a bit complicated due to many ticket platforms not accepting non-Japanese credit cards (also requiring a Japanese phone number for account authentication).  I forked over some money in person at Lawson and locked in my ticket.  Clearly, I was able to come this past weekend, and in fact, flew in just for this show.  When I picked up my ticket on Friday, I saw that I was on the second floor, far to the side.  Can't win them all, I suppose.

Sadly, I walked away without any merch because the things I wanted (the tour shirts) were sold out.  Granted, I didn't arrive until a half hour ahead of the show.  Perhaps I'm too used to showing up last minute to things and still having stock available (I have heard rumors that they plan to print more shirts and make them available on their webstore).  

I last saw Nemophila last March during their US tour for Seize the Fate.  They played a couple of our smaller venues like the Goldfield near Sacramento, the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, and the Echoplex in Los Angeles.  A bit smaller than their shows back home but this also allows you to get closer to them than you would in Japan.  In comparison, I was quite a distance away during the Budokan show, albeit with a birds-eye view.

Nemophila has three albums, with the third, EVOLVE, having just been released on January 17.  This is plenty of material for a solo concert and they hammered through a total of twenty-one songs in just under two hours.  

The first song, "RISE," is one of the singles from EVOLVE, and along with some pyro, a heck of a way to set the tone for the rest of the show.  It has a great message to go with the music: is this where you want to be?  Is this the best of you?  Keep going, keep pushing forward.  

The second and third songs, "HOZUKI" and "RAITEI," go back to their first album, REVIVE, and keep the heavyness the band is known for going. This was followed by "ZEN" from their second album, Seize the Fate.

Overall, the setlist had its fair share of songs from EVOLVE including "AMA-TE-RAS," "ODYSSEY," "Justice," and "Hammer Down." It did not shy away from REVIVE or Seize the Fate and we had "ADABANA," "SORAI," "Waiting for you," and "STYLE." That last one is a song I didn't really like initially but live is a different story. I did miss "Ray of Light," "Fighter," and "Monsters," though, and think they should have been included.  

For me, the stand-out for the entire set is "Night Flight."  Once those 80s beats came out, you knew exactly which song was coming on.  The whole crowd got into it, waving their arms in sync with the band.  It's fun to both listen to and to participate in.  Seeing thousands of people all taking part is one of my highlights of the night.  Pop those sunglasses on and get to work.  

A three-song encore capped off the night.  The heartful "Life," another one of my favorite songs, was followed by "DISSENSION."  And of course, the song that started it all, and now ends the night, is "OIRAN."  

The band had a chance to speak and share their thoughts.  As mentioned earlier, a Budokan show is a major milestone for any band, and they had plenty to say. The following is not going to be fully accurate (I'm not fluent, after all), but it hopefully gets the jist across.

Haraguchi-san said that stick to your dreams, and they will come true. Thanks to all of the fans both in attendance and at home, they were able to make it to Budokan.

Saki talked about the passing of her mom many years ago. Two decades ago, right around this time. A friend told her that when a parent dies, their fortune goes to their children. Now Saki and Nemophila might be on the stage at Budokan thanks to that luck. Saki asked the crowd to yell out, "Saki!" like a parent would.

Hazuki said that after listening to what Saki said, she forgot what she was going to say. Hazuki hails from Shimane prefecture, which is to the north of Hiroshima, and says that one of her dreams is to hold a concert there. Shimane is a bit of a trek to get to, and thus might not be the best place for a concert. Hazuki said that maybe if the crowd agrees to see a concert there, they'll be able to hold one.

Tamu also opined about being able to make it to Budokan. She talked about the band and its sound having power, and that is what her reason to be (of sorts) is.

Mayu said she was happy to be on stage at Budokan. Earlier in the night the band said that they were merely attendees at Budokan in the past, and now they're onstage. Her school was more sports-focused, and teachers told her that she was better off doing sports instead of music. But now, at Budokan, her choice has been validated.

One thing that is customary at large shows are streamers being fired into the crowd near the end of a set, and this show was no exception.  Each member of Nemophila wrote well-wishes and a message of thanks that was then printed on the streamers.  Being up on the second floor meant no streamers for me, but everyone on the ground floor should have been able to snag one.  From Twitter, here is a photo of a few of them:

I'm looking forward to the band's next five years. It's been a hell of a ride thus far, and they show no signs of stopping. If you happened to miss the concert, or you are stuck overseas, fret not! You can watch it on stream for a little bit longer via ZAIKO.

Here's to you, Nemophila. Grow strong and prosper, just like your namesake.