Political and economic capital of Germany and home of the famed Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin is high on the list of cities Tokyoites most wish to visit and explore, as I did recently. Berlin and Tokyo have much in common, certainly including the quantity and quality of the musical scene.
Both are large, prosperous cities boasting millions of people, scores of concert halls and opera theaters and dozens of musical events presented every day. Berlin and Tokyo are both capitals of nations ravaged by war a half- century ago, and since rebuilt through an identical benevolence to achieve similar miracles of social and economic prosperity. The German and Japanese peoples are distinguished by a strong work ethic and a devotion to precision engineering, timeliness and neatness.
The Berlin newspapers regale the music lover with a daily listing of concerts, recitals, operas, musicals, jazz, clubs and other entertainments; Tokyo's Pia may list just as many concerts and recitals, some 15 to 20 events a day. Tokyo's 10 major orchestras produce more concerts in total than the five in Berlin.