Happy new year

The first joint practice session of the new year was held on the middle day of the three-day weekend at the Fukushima Prefectural Culture Center in Fukushima City. It's been warm in Fukushima this year, and it's been abnormal weather with no snow yet.

I came from Tokyo wearing two layers of down jackets, but I was blessed with the weather and it was a very warm winter. However, the practice is indoors, and today it is in the large hall.

Some members were absent this time due to their Coming of Age Ceremony, so the hall was too large for just under 100 people, but for the actual performance at Tokyo Opera City Hall we need to fill the seats to this size.

Before practice, the string players were practicing the bowing for the piece they were going to play for the first time today. As someone with no violin experience, I learned for the first time that the conductor decides how the bow moves.

Yes, today will be a full ensemble practice led by conductor Toshio Yanagisawa, following on from last time.

From the second floor, it looked like a magnificent orchestra! First, they played Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5.

During lunch break, each section works together to eat lunch and deepen their friendships.

This time, I went to the stage during the break so as not to distract the other members by taking photos during practice.

I'm practicing even during break time.

I think it would be best to rest the hand supporting the double bass, but I still need to practice.

It's break time for the wind instruments, but they continue to play.

I'm getting into rhythm and practicing seriously...

The viola and cello players also practiced diligently, sacrificing their breaks. Everyone seems to love practicing.

The last practice piece, with only the strings remaining on stage, was the first piece of the day from the film "Living with My Mother," composed by director Ryuichi Sakamoto. I'm looking forward to seeing them perform together with Sayuri Yoshinaga in the actual performance.

The gifts given to the office on this day were lavish. The Fukushima office brought dried persimmons. Apparently they were able to be shipped starting this year after the disaster. The inside was a gooey, sticky sweet. The parents of the members also brought Genkotsuyama sweets from Koriyama. These also had an excellent brown sugar flavor.

We also received two boxes from the family of one of our members who is an apple farmer in Fukushima. The office will be smiling even more than TOKIO. Thank you very much. This pleasant surprise cheers us up. (Just to be clear, we are not asking for any more gifts.)

After practice, a university student came up to me and said, "I want to take a photo with Professor Yanagisawa." I thought that if we were allowed to take commemorative photos, there would be no end to it, but to my surprise, he said, "I'm wearing the same clothes as Professor Yanagisawa."

Indeed, their red crew-neck fisherman's sweaters make it seem like they're a matching outfit! In reality, the colors are even more similar, and the weave patterns are the same too.

Before heading home, everyone was engaged in friendly conversation. I heard an interesting story from an NHK reporter who happened to be there that day. "Each member of the orchestra has a different passion for the reconstruction effort. But they all had one thing in common. They all said they enjoyed playing with members who were much older than them."

A mixed orchestra consisting of students ranging from elementary school students to university students who live in different places may be quite rare.

The Sendai group returned home on a chartered bus as usual. This time, for the first time, I managed to sneak onto the bus.

We only have one joint practice session left next month, and the month after that is the first concert since the training camp. I would like to ask all members to continue practicing hard.

We would also like to thank everyone who has visited this website. Tickets for the first concert, which will feature a star-studded lineup including Director Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yosuke Yamashita, and Sayuri Yoshinaga, will go on sale to the general public from January 23rd. Please come along and give a big round of applause to the children. Of course, donations are also welcome!