As Typhoon No. 14 approaches Kyushu, rock singer Eikichi Yazawa (73) held a concert at the Fukuoka PayPay Dome in Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City, and police say hundreds people temporarily lined up at the taxi rank. .
The concert organizer explained to the interviewer, “The wait time for taxis disappeared at 10:30 p.m., and there were plenty of empty seats in the hotel, so we don’t think there were had refugees returning home.
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On Eikichi Yazawa’s official Twitter account (@official_YAZAWA)
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Announced on the official website of Eikichi Yazawa
It is reported that there was a line of tens of meters at the dome taxi rank
In Fukuoka City, etc., other top musicians were scheduled to hold concerts on September 18, 2022, but they announced the cancellations one after another due to the approaching typhoon. Under such circumstances, Mr. Yazawa is said to have given a concert.
On the same day, Mr. Yazawa’s official website announced that the event would take place after receiving numerous emails from fans saying, “Please wait!” However, he asked, “Only those who can provide security at their own discretion and those who are on their way home, please come.”
According to reports, the concert was nearly sold out, but by the time it ended around 8:00 p.m., buses and trains had stopped running. Hundreds of fans lined dozens of meters at the dome’s taxi rank, heading home in the wind and rain.
The following day, the 19th, a message was posted on Twitter indicating that soaked fans were requesting a room at a nearby hotel and, in some cases, spending the night in the lobby. The account that posted this message has since been deleted and the truth is unknown.
Nonetheless, there were some struggling fan TV shows on the way back, and various opinions were written on Twitter. Many fans praised the concert and pointed out that even though they had trouble getting home, it was “a matter of self-responsibility”. On the other hand, there were also harsh opinions, such as “Indeed, there are people who are stuck at home” and “It would have been unreasonable to force that”.
Fukuoka City “I wanted you to think a little more about the safety of the participants”
According to a J-CAST News interview at the Fukuoka Prefectural Central Police Station on September 20, hundreds of fans were waiting for a taxi after the concert ended. There was a call to 110 saying, “I’m scared”.
In response to this, the police have asked organizers to consider providing security for supporters so they are not exposed to the elements. After that, he said fans waited in the dome parking lot, which is protected from wind and rain, and the wait for taxis disappeared after 11:00 p.m.
He is not aware of any instances of fans coming to a nearby hotel to request a room and spending the night in the lobby.
Regarding the concert, if a major flood occurs, it can be warned that it will be canceled, but it is up to the organizer to decide whether to hold it or not, and the police have the authority to stop the concert depending on the weather. . forecasts. They say there is no
On the 20th, the Fukuoka City Disaster Prevention Promotion Division told an interviewer what happened at that time.
“When I asked the department that has a global agreement with the dome to check the situation, I heard that they had arranged a hotel for those who could not return home and procured a taxi. It is said that he spent the night in the hotel lobby .I do not know the case.If it is a city related event, we can respond appropriately, but this time it will be a private event held at a private facility.As a city I would like to ask for something in particular.I didn’t but I knew in advance that transport would be stopped so I would like you to consider a little more to the safety of the participants.
On the same day, the manager of Kyodo West Japan (Fukuoka City), who handled the concert on consignment from Yazawa’s office, responded to the interview as follows.
“As for waiting for a taxi, it was cleared at 10:30 p.m. I went to the lobby of a nearby hotel, but there were a lot of empty rooms, and I didn’t hear anything about fans spending the night. Click here. I don’t think there were any refugees returning home after the concert.”
(Hiroyuki Noguchi, J-CAST News editorial department)
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