Who gathered in place for cultural activities during the COVID-19 pandemic? Studies from event space user survey in Tokyo

The global spread of COVID-19 has significantly affected cultural participation worldwide, including in cities and countries in East Asia. Scholars have observed that cultural activities and events transitioned online due to policy responses, such as lockdowns and other measures that restricted mobility. However, relatively little attention has been paid to face-to-face cultural activities and events held in physical spaces during the pandemic. Tokyo occupies a distinctive position for examining on-site gatherings in place for cultural participation, as its infection control measures are less stringent compared with other East Asian cities. This study investigated individuals' cultural participation in physical cultural event spaces in Tokyo during the pandemic. Data were collected through an online questionnaire survey targeting users of various cultural event spaces, including theaters, small theaters, concert/music halls, nightclubs, music venues, and doujin events. The analysis revealed four participation patterns: continuous participation, corona non-participation, gradually increasing participation, and new participation, and identified the social factors influencing these patterns. Although cultural participation in physical venues was reduced owing to the risk of infection, this study found that the genres of cultural activities, attachment to places, and social ties contributed to the diversity of participation patterns. These findings suggest that while cultural participation has diminished for some respondents, it was also sustained in varied ways.