A first in Osaka

Osaka is for many the Japanese party capital, but for me it is the city where I went to my first festival.
The night before the event I was holding 16 (bus, train, concert) tickets for two. The Kyoto-Osaka ticket was different from the Osaka-Kyoto one. Since we were illiterate in Japanese, our Japanese friend taught me to write the city names. At that point I should have known that was only the beginning of a crazy adventure.
The next morning started quite normally with an early departure to Osaka. The closer the train got the more crowded the carriage was, with mostly Japanese people in band T-shirts and merchandise towels.
Towels are an essential in surviving the summer heat and partying at concerts. Despite how odd it seems to European eyes it’s common in Japan and South Korea. Ours had small icepacks wrapped inside and placed on the neck. This invention was heavenly also at the festival where it was 47°C with 90% humidity.
Once inside the venue we saw the big stage facing the sun and a crowd of sweaty, happy fans. My first band was playing. The volume was high. My friend stayed behind as I got closer to the music, to the power that you can only feel floating between a band and its fans. Their mentality is completely different in Japan than in Europe. I could easily get closer and no one was shoved or stepped on despite the high density. Singing and waving their towels, everyone disregarded the heat. The first group finished, but was followed by my favourite rock band. All of a sudden I was in the front row and my shoe untied. The girls beside me offered to hold my bag while I tied it. For two hours they became my friends and even translated what the singer said in Japanese. Was it the power of fandom or good people? I do not know. All I felt was the charge of music blasting through the air, lifting my heart, soul and tired arms.
Nothing mattered, but the music. The energy was more uplifting and empowering than anything I had ever experienced. We sang our hearts out and the musicians sweated with us. Sand sneaked into our sneakers. Like all spectacular things in life, the setlist came to an end.
For the next two days I had trouble hearing in one ear (so earplugs became my “concert dress code”). I will always carry this experience in my heart. For most it was just another hot summer day in Japan. For me it was the best day of my life and will be forever cherished in my memory. And that’s what the true gems of travel are-the memories we make.