[Kumamoto Report Day 1: Landing in Kumamoto]

The Tohoku Youth Orchestra will be coming to Kyushu for a concert commemorating the opening of Kumamoto Castle Hall on Wednesday, December 25th!

We are heading to Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Kumamoto Castle Hall Opening Commemorative Performance

Ryuichi Sakamoto Presents: Reconnect -Connecting Kumamoto and Tohoku-

( https://www.kumamoto-jo-hall.jp/news/20191107.html )

Participants will gather at Sendai Airport from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.

This time, 45 members of the group participated.

No one missed their flight and everyone was able to get together safely.

First, we fly to Fukuoka.

For some members, this was their first time flying on a plane, and they seemed very excited.

Arrived in Fukuoka. From here we took a bus to Kumamoto.

It takes about two hours from Fukuoka to Kumamoto!

The building that houses Kumamoto Castle Hall is a complex called "SAKURA MACHI Kumamoto" that houses not only the hall but also a hotel, wedding hall, park, commercial facilities, and a bus terminal, and is a landmark of Kumamoto Sakuramachi.

Arrived at Kumamoto Castle Hall!

First, we had a tour of the hall.

This is a hole with a very nice wooden texture.

The foyer is glass-walled and open.

You can also see Kumamoto Castle, which is currently being rebuilt.

Members taking photos of Kumamoto Castle.

After this, we finally got to meet the members of the Kumamoto Youth Symphony Orchestra!

*We will report on this in another issue.

During their stay in Kumamoto, the elementary school to high school students will be homestaying with the families of the Kumamoto Youth members.

Kumamon welcomed the university student members in the lobby of the hotel where they were staying.

For now, we were able to make it to Kumamoto safely, and as the leader I feel relieved...!

From here, I would like to report on our activities in Kumamoto over the three nights and four days.