Hard-hit orchestras find creative ways to play on

Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra violinist Matsuno Noguchi performs at Torimaru, a yakitori restaurant in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, on May 23. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

After the cooked chicken skewers are taken off the grill, the announcement is made that the show is about to start and that ordering for yakitori will be temporarily halted.

A hush falls over normally bustling Torimaru, a yakitori grilled chicken restaurant in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. It is an evening in late May, and Matsuno Noguchi of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra starts playing her violin to the accompaniment of a piano.