Day 2 of the Ishigakijima training camp went smoothly

The second day of the Ishigakijima training camp went smoothly on Tuesday, August 8th, when we practiced hard from 8am until 12pm at the gymnasium of the Okinawa Prefectural Ishigaki Youth House. The temperature was 31 degrees, which is lower than in Tokyo, but the humidity is high, which is typical of the Yaeyama region, and because this is a "prefectural" facility for "youth," there is no air conditioning, so even if you just sit still you can feel the breeze coming in through the windows, and it's an environment where you can get sweaty.

While staying hydrated to avoid heatstroke, the group practiced Stravinsky's "The Firebird," Debussy's "La Mer," and "The Last Emperor," composed by director Ryuichi Sakamoto. The two pieces in particular were very difficult, so much so that conductor Toshio Yanagisawa asked the members, "I'd like you to answer honestly for reference. Did you get the scores right before the camp?" Well, practice has only just begun, so we have high hopes for their improvement! By the way, the exterior wall of the Ishigaki Youth House where they are staying has this kind of art painted on it.

The Crested Serpent Eagle, a special natural monument of Japan that lives in the Yaeyama region!

I strongly hope that the members of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra this season will approach "Firebird" and "The Sea" with enthusiasm, perseverance, and courage.

In the morning, Captain Hatakeyama Akane and Akama Kanayoshi took a break from practice to pay a courtesy visit to Deputy Mayor Kanna Masahiro at Ishigaki City Hall. We expressed our gratitude for choosing Ishigaki City as the site for our summer training camp, explained the activities of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, and heard from the Deputy Mayor about Ishigaki City's administration. Ishigaki City is rare among local governments nationwide in that its population is growing naturally, and its total fertility rate is at the top level at 2.06. We were impressed by the living environment and local community in which children are naturally born and people want to have and raise children. We took a commemorative photo with Deputy Mayor Kanna wearing the Ishigaki City backpack.

For lunch, I had Yaeyama soba noodles and rice balls at the cafeteria.

The dish served next to it is not bamboo shoots, but Yaeyama kamaboko.

After four hours of hard practice, we took a quick tour of Ishigaki City in the afternoon. First, we went to Yaima Village , which has relocated historical buildings from the Yaeyama region and introduces the local history and culture. "Yaiima" is the dialect name for "Yaeyama."

As expected, Mr. Yanagisawa seems to have a strong interest in music, and he talked to us as an 80-year-old "grandfather" introducing us to Yaeyama folk songs.

We heard about his passionate desire to pass on the Yaeyama dialect, which, along with Yaeyama folk songs, was banned by the Meiji government and is now considered at risk of extinction by UNESCO, and to continue to be passed on through the singing of the dialect.

This is Kabira Bay, which was awarded three stars in the Michelin Green Guide. Everyone cheered in surprise at the magnificent color of the sea.

Behind them, wearing a white hat and looking down at her smartphone, was Mizuho Miura, a first-year high school student playing percussion. She seemed unable to contain her quiet excitement, saying, "It's completely different from the sea in Kesennuma."
However, rather than taking photos, I would like everyone to take in the ever-changing expressions and colors of the sea with their whole eyes, and transform Debussy's "La Mer" into the Tohoku Youth Orchestra's "La Mer."

That's right. When I saw Professor Yanagisawa, who had already dipped his feet in the sea with the other members of the group, I felt like Bruce Lee saying, "First of all, you need to experience it! Don't think, feel!"

Afterwards, we took a ride on a glass-bottom boat, reminiscent of the Showa era, and enjoyed the natural aquarium.

"Wow, it's like a commercial for Aquamarine Fukushima ," one exclaimed. We held back what we wanted to say, and moved further underground.

This is Ishigakijima Limestone Cave . I was suddenly surrounded by natural art that dates back 200,000 years. It is the fastest growing of all the limestone caves in Japan, growing one centimeter every 30 years, but the sense of time is mind-boggling. When someone commented that it was not as cool as Abukuma Cave (in Fukushima), I wanted to reply, "I don't know!" but I resisted the urge to say so and headed to the Suikinkutsu, the largest in Japan.

Once again, it's so Showa-era. However, after listening to the natural musical instrument played by the dripping water, I asked the members, "Have you all heard Ryuichi Sakamoto's new album 'async'?" and was relieved to see that some of them responded appropriately.

After sightseeing in Ishigaki City, we returned to the youth center and had a barbecue dinner. What I learned at the Sapporo training camp last year was that "barbecue photos don't look like anything to people who don't know about them," but I've uploaded a few photos for the members and associates of the group!

The above are a collection of meal scenes where people tend to look down.

After dinner this evening, a special concert was held for us, the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, arranged by Mr. Shino, the Secretary General of the Ishigaki Philharmonic Orchestra, who have been helping us out this time.

The area where sausages had been being browned and sizzling yakisoba made with noodles from Yaeyama was quickly transformed into a stage equipped with sound equipment.

It was an evening to enjoy local Yaeyama folk songs. There is a famous Yaeyama folk song called "Tubara-ma" that sings of love between a man and a woman. Since 1947, there has been a "Tubara-ma Competition" in which people sing this song while admiring the full moon on the night of August 13th of the lunar calendar. The champion of the competition in 1998, Ketashiro Yoyu, organized a group of five members and gave us an explanation of the Yaeyama folk song and performed the song and music just for us.

The second person standing from the left, holding a sanshin, is Keitajo-san. On this day, the performance was held outdoors, illuminated by the light of a full moon, which was perfect for listening to Tubarama. The Yaeyama melody was wonderful, with the occasional sounds of insects, dogs, and birds chirping. By the way, here is the set list.

Following the songs from the Yaeyama celebrations, the young members seemed to keep up with the Densa, Tundara, and Hatoma songs, and listened intently to the lyrics of "Asatoya Yunta," a song that originated on Taketomi Island. Finally, everyone stood up and danced to a song called "Kachashi" on Okinawa's main island and "Mo-ya" here in Yaeyama. I also danced to the choreography I learned from my nine years of work experience in the Okinawa Prefectural Government. Thank you very much to Mr. Ketajo and the other members, and to Mr. Shino, who made this project a reality.

Thus, the second day of the summer camp ended with a fulfilling school trip. Thanks to everyone, everything is going smoothly. Tomorrow, we will have a musical exchange with a local junior high school!