The OTOKAI Friends Concert is a monthly concert series where guests can enjoy original music in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. We also share a video from each concert during the third week of every month.
For our fourth concert, we welcomed violinist Chiaki Yokoyama for a performance featuring two guitars and violin. The program was created around the theme “Between the Rain,” evoking the quiet spaces and atmosphere of the rainy season.
Although the day itself brought midsummer-like sunshine during a break in the rainy season, the program centered on music that captures the stillness of a rainy day. The combination of the violin’s expressive, flowing melodies and the warm rhythms of the guitars created a wonderfully calm and relaxing atmosphere.
Our guest performer, Chiaki Yokoyama, is also a member of the guitar-and-violin duo mille baisers. Together, they perform at restaurants and other venues throughout Tokyo and across Japan, sharing and developing Japan’s culture of live music in bars and dining spaces. Please visit their social media, including Instagram, to learn more about their activities.
▼ The 4th OTOKAI Friends Concert
Connecting through music — a joyful time for a healthy mind and heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E5v700Td5M&t=6s
Date
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Performers
Gyo Kitagawa — Guitar
Born in Saitama Prefecture and educated at Berklee College of Music. His extensive work in music production includes writing lyrics for Arashi’s “Happiness” and “My Girl,” writing, composing, and arranging M!LK’s “Ichininosan,” and producing the Braban Disney! series.
Norimichi Kokubo — Guitar
Born in Chiba Prefecture. He also performs as a member of the guitar-and-violin duo mille baisers. He has toured internationally and released ten albums and video works.
Chiaki Yokoyama — Violin
Born in Chiba City. She began playing the violin at the age of three and studied classical music before beginning her jazz studies at Kunitachi Academy of Music at the age of 19. She later became a freelance violinist, performing across classical, jazz, and pop styles with a natural and dynamic approach.
She also attended a short-term program at Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood in France. In 2013, she formed mille baisers. She served as a radio personality on RKB Radio in Fukuoka for five years and currently works across a wide range of projects, including her own musical activities, artist support, and recording sessions.
Program
Sunshower — Yuki Hirose
Whispering Woods — Maurice Claude
Afternoon Table — Norimichi Kokubo
Soft Rain — Maurice Claude
Under Alley Lights — Shun Miyazaki
On My Way Home — Norimichi Kokubo
OTOKAI Parade — Norimichi Kokubo
Venue
Pizzeria da Filippo
2-13-5 Shakujiimachi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo
A 5-minute walk from Shakujii-koen Station.
TEL: 03-5923-9783
https://filippo.jp/
Pizzeria da Filippo is a renowned Italian restaurant run by an owner-chef who has won a world championship in Neapolitan pizza. The restaurant offers pizza and pasta made with carefully selected ingredients from across Japan, including fresh vegetables grown locally in Nerima.
A large pizza oven stands at the heart of the restaurant, while autographs from professional football players and other notable guests add to its warm and welcoming atmosphere. Combining world-class craftsmanship with a strong commitment to local ingredients, it has become a popular destination in the Shakujii-koen area.