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This historical Kyoto zen garden is hosting a guitar and beatbox concert

Elliot Hale May 9, 2026
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Blending modern beats with the sounds of nature for a one-night-only ambient session.

For many, Kyoto is just a list of famous spots to check off an itinerary: the shining golden pavilion, the crowded bamboo forest, and the seemingly-endless vermilion gates. It goes without question that they’re beautiful, but they can sometimes feel like a museum, as art you’re supposed to look at. However, for the design innovation studio Moon, these historical places, and their surrounding environments should be something you can also hear.

Having curated a diverse range of projects that blend “nature” with “sound” — including Ambient in Nature, held at Kifune Shrine in northern Kyoto — Moon’s latest event, The Wave, marks the eighth installment of their Time & Space initiative, which seeks to let nature lead the music while the performers improvise around it.

▼ Moon’s most recent event, held in October, 2025.

The venue for the event has been chosen to be a small sub-temple of the much larger Tofuku-ji complex, Komyo-in, which is famous for its “rainbow moss” garden, a peaceful space filled with vibrant green moss and carefully raked sand.

Designed back in 1939 by Mirei Shigemori, a well-known name in the world of Japanese landscaping, the circular windows were included in the temple’s walls to make the room seem as if it was specifically designed for moon-watching.

While the typical soundscape of temples often features chanting, The Wave will instead offer modern ambient music performed by guitarist Gensuke Kanki and beatboxer SHOW-GO, along with the sound of chirping insects, the rustle of the wind, and the silence of the stones.

▼ Gensuke Kanki

▼ SHOW-GO

It’s a music performance, but instead of expecting a loud, high-energy concert, this is more of an opportunity to sit back, listen to some experimental music, and enjoy how it mixes with the sounds of a zen garden, creating a unique and intimate experience.

▼ The most recent performance in the Time & Space initiative held in May, 2025, at Komyo-in.

The event will be held on June 6, with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. and the show starting at 7:00 p.m. It’s not a performance where you can just turn up at the door, though, as tickets are available only through advance booking (link below), and start from 8,000 yen (US$51.31) per person.

If you’re ready to experience the beauty of a candle-lit Japanese garden to the blend of natural sound and human music, get your ticket before it’s too late.

Venue information
Tofukuji-Tacchuu Komyo-in / 東福寺塔頭・光明院
Address: Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Honmachi 15-809
京都府京都市東山区本町15-809
Event date: June 6, 2026
Event time: 6:00 p.m. (doors open), 7:00 p.m. (start time), 8:00 p.m. (finish time), 9:00 p.m. (doors close)
Venue Website

Related: Ticket Booking, Moon, Gensuke Kanki’s Instagram, SHOW-GO’s Instagram
Source and images: PR Times
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