Street piano at the former Kunitachi Station building

2025年1月21日

The street piano spots here require reservations on a day-by-day basis, so if you’re determined to play, we recommend getting there early.

Piano Type : Upright Piano

The piano is an upright piano with a gentle sound.
The Former Kunitachi station building also serves as a rest room, so many people visit.
As such, it can be a pretty tense spot.

Origin of the piano installation

This piano has rekindled the “Kunitachi Music Village” concept buried in the history of Kunitachi Town, and is a symbol that is in line with Kunitachi City’s urban development philosophy of allowing everyone to enjoy music and resonate together.

The piano “SCHIMMEL” donated to the old Kunitachi Station is a historic German piano brand with its headquarters in the central German city of Braunschweig. The fact that the city is in Lower Saxony, the same state as Göttingen, a central German city that is said to have been one of the references for the urban development of the Kunitachi University Town (now Kunitachi City), and that the general distributor of “SCHIMMEL” pianos in Japan is the piano retailer “Musashi Gakki,” which has been based in Kunitachi for about half a century, all contributed to the installation of this piano.
Quoted from the Kunitachi City website

Installation date : Permanent

The time limit is two hours in total per day, one hour at lunchtime and one hour and 15 minutes in the evening.
Each person will be allotted 15 minutes (including preparation time).
There is a book near the piano and you write your name next to the time slot you want.

Playable time :12:00～13:00 / 17:15～18:30

There may be cases where the band cannot be played at events, so please check the website in advance. (Website here)

Play Piano Day

Every month they hold a “Play Piano” event, which has a different theme each time.
During these events, you can play for a long time.
Information is available on the official website, so it’s a good idea to check it in advance.

Notes

Please read the “Notes on Use” on the piano top.
Each person is limited to 15 minutes of playing time. Please keep to your allotted time.
Only the performer can make a reservation. Substitutes cannot make reservations.
If there is no performance 5 minutes after the reserved performance time, the reservation will be canceled.
In principle, reservations are limited to one slot (15 minutes) per person. However, if there are no reservations by the time, you can play in the second slot and beyond.
Please observe the following rules when performing with instruments other than the piano.
The number of people should be limited to two, including the piano player.
Only live instruments are allowed. Please refrain from using electronic instruments that use amplifiers, etc.
Singing is not allowed.
Even if there are two performers, the waiting time is limited to 15 minutes. Please complete preparation and removal within the time.
Do not open the top.
If the piano is seen to be treated roughly or damaged, compensation may be required.
Please note that if you do not comply with requests from museum staff, you will be asked to discontinue use.

Location

Former Kunitachi Station Building, 1-1 Higashi, Kunitachi City, Tokyo

The building is located immediately outside the south exit of Kunitachi Station.

Recommended access : Train

The nearest station is JR Kunitachi Station.
It’s only a 2-3 minute walk from the station, so you can get there in no time.

Afterword

This is a registered street piano spot where you can play at your leisure for 15 minutes by yourself.
It can be a little nerve-wracking as many people are taking a rest in the waiting room.
There are days when you cannot play due to events, so we recommend checking the official website in advance.

I think it’s rare to find a place where you can not only play street pianos, but also jam with other instruments.
Also, the atmosphere of the town being built around music makes it easy to play.

Be sure to check it out.