To tell the truth, I wanted to watch from the audience. However, I was stuck to the wings of the stage during the performance, and before and after the show started and ended, I ran around here and there in a suit and tie, which I hadn't worn in a long time, so my suit turned into a tracksuit.

If I were to start listing all the names of people I'd like to thank, it would be endless, like the end credits of a blockbuster EFX-packed historical film with a large cast of extras. I would like to thank everyone who knows even a little about the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, everyone in Miyakojima who helped us out at our summer camp last year, the people who provided us with a place to practice and camp, the people who taught our members, and of course everyone who came to watch yesterday, the people who donated money up until now, the various companies and organizations that have sponsored and supported us, the people who supported us behind the scenes at the concert, the people who told people about the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, the performers who took the stage at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall yesterday, and everyone who was involved in making our first concert a reality. Please forgive me for not thanking everyone at once.

Toshio Tsuchiya from Nippon Television, who was in the audience, commented, "Even though it was a concert, I was moved to tears many times. It was strange because there were no parts that required me to cry." It was a pleasant response, as we had no intention of creating a tear-jerking performance. Perhaps the passion of all the people who were in front and behind the stage at that time yesterday tightly gripped the hearts of those who were there, and tickled their tear ducts.

Tomoyasu Hirano, leader of Director Sakamoto's social media activity, the Sakamoto Social Project, posted a vivid report on Facebook about his impressions of watching the film with his mother.

Tomoyasu Hirano - I went to see the Tohoku Youth Orchestra with my mother.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10153968834236063&id=664516062

Thanks to you, when I searched for "Tohoku Youth Orchestra" in the news, many articles came up. The next day, the Iwate Nippo, Kahoku Shimpo, and Fukushima Minpo newspapers had a detailed article about the orchestra, mixed in with the news about the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen.

Other things include:

105 children from disaster-stricken areas perform with Ryuichi Sakamoto Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun Digital
http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASJ3V4TFPJ3VUULB002.html

Sayuri Yoshinaga and Ryuichi Sakamoto send cheers to disaster-stricken areas/Entertainment/Daily Sports online
http://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/gossip/2016/03/26/0008930552.shtml#btnMore

Sending music to disaster-stricken areas! Children's "Tohoku Youth Orchestra" holds concert - Dentsu News
http://dentsu-ho.com/articles/3874

Guest guest Sayuri Yoshinaga said, "Even if they say 'no' to the second one, I want to rush over." I can't quit now (laughs). I'm good at projects that are hard to quit, like the Tanaka Hirokazu campaign. The secretariat, including myself, is full of hardships and it's tough, but it's more fun than that, so I'm determined to keep going. While also taking into consideration the company I'm responsible for...

Behind the white-haired Director Sakamoto, who greeted the members with a touch after their wonderful performance, is Technical Director Iijima Norimitsu from the secretariat. He was a tough guy who made a round trip from the Boso Peninsula to a music store in Shinjuku to repair the instrument of the top oboe, Torii, when it broke the day before the performance. From the last training camp to the performance, I was in the role of producer, director, scriptwriter, tour guide, and errand boy, and last night I was so filled with a sense of accomplishment that I didn't have the energy to update this blog, but my eyes were shining with excitement, so I just read over and over the messages I received from the members as we were leaving yesterday.

The "Miyagawa-san" in the center here is Yu Miyagawa from the secretariat, a junior colleague of ours. He was a model office worker, able to properly handle his boss's often unreasonable requests and support the Tohoku Youth Orchestra. Thank you very much.

There was even space for the 103 members to write on the back cover, so I asked conductor Yanagisawa Toshio, who was sitting next to me, to sign it too. Thank you so much for your hard work during the three days of Spartan-style training from morning to night during the last day of the camp, and for doing the most calorie-burning exercise of all the performers during the actual show. And I forgot to get the director's autograph...

Among the comments that stood out among the members were, "It was a great experience that I could only have here" and "I was able to grow as a person."

Looking back at myself, I remember clearly that I grew 7 or 8 centimeters taller just during the winter break of my second year of junior high school, and the scenery I saw changed dramatically. If all the members of the orchestra grew 10 centimeters taller through this valuable experience with the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, I feel like I, an old man, grew 0.5 centimeters too. It's all thanks to you. Thank you too. I'm sorry I couldn't send you a message back! Please send me a photo of you together in the dressing room as you see them off, or a selfie.

And I think. One of the concepts that was strongly imprinted on me by the 19th century German philosopher Nietzsche, who I indulged in during my high school days, is the "guilty conscience." Even the Tohoku Youth Orchestra needs to be careful of this "conscience." We must not be conceited just because we are doing good things. We must remind ourselves that it is bad to be self-satisfied and feel good just because we are praised. Director Sakamoto must not become a "forced seller of goodwill," which is detested.

To that end, we would be grateful if anyone, not just members, parents, and other related parties, could give us any opinions or feedback they might have about today's first concert and our future activities.

info@tohoku-youth-orchestra.org

Oh, I have a request for all the members. Someone left something behind in the dressing room at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall yesterday. Naomi Okada, the secretariat, was furious as she retrieved it.

Do people usually forget their shoes? If they went back to Iwate barefoot, we should praise them and move on. There is also a watch that looks important, a costume from the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, and an original handkerchief designed by Rikako Nagashima, the art director. If you have any idea who it might be, please contact the office.

But this article is a bit loose. I'll give you a lecture the next time I see you. If you ever come to Tokyo, stop by the company. I'll treat you to a meal at the company cafeteria. But only once per person.

I remembered the antics of the bossa nova god "Johnny" that Director Sakamoto told me about at the wrap party yesterday, and while listening to Joao Gilberto on the plane on my business trip starting today, I wrote this article with tears in my eyes, and updated it when I arrived at Naha Airport! Sorry, I'm going back to Tokyo tomorrow. Well, I'll be back to you all soon!!