First off, the Zen Master that facilitated our meditation the day earlier was there, along with his friend, both dressed in their robes. Additionally, we saw a man sitting in center orchestra that we thought was Japanese composer Ko Matsushita. It turns out it was another man that we recognized from when we had a visit from the Youth Theatre of Japan in New York City this past Spring. Rumor has it that Ko-san will becoming to one of our concerts shortly – it just goes to show that we never know who will be in the audience on any given night, and we must always be ready!
After the concert that night, we were pleasantly surprised by a boy from the Youth Theatre of Japan who was wearing an “I love YPC” t-shirt, and gave us each handmade bookmarks saying “YPC + YTJ” after the concert that night. It meant so much to us and me personally that someone would make us each handmade presents like that. It really helps put in perspective the influence we have on people.
On Tuesday, we had another fantastic concert at Act City in Hamamatsu. This city we were told
was famous for its music, including Yamaha and Kawai pianos. It was clearly evident when we got to the hotel, which had music themed flooring, décor, elevators and bathrooms.
On Wednesday we performed in Kanazawa, and it was just an awesome concert. The hall was huge, the audience loved it, and we had total synergy on stage. After we felt pumped up, celebrated for 20 minutes, but then remembered that we have nine more concerts, and tried not to kill our voices.famous for its music, including Yamaha and Kawai pianos. It was clearly evident when we got to the hotel, which had music themed flooring, décor, elevators and bathrooms.
Thursday was a travel day by plane and bus back to the Tokyo Dome Hotel. After arriving we were quickly off to a Tokyo Giants game, a gift to us from Min-On. Even though the Giants lost 3-2 to the Nagoya Dragons (the 2nd best team by the way), it was still tons of fun. We all got food, Giants gear, and wore all the Giants jerseys we bought. After the game we headed back across the street to our hotel and crashed into bed in our rooms.
Friday we headed on over to Sony Music Studios in Tokyo and recorded a few Japanese songs and other tracks for our new CD. We got to meet the Chairman of Sony Music, who was in the control room when we recorded, which was very cool. Also for me personally, it was an amazing experience to see Sony Studios because I hope to be a part of a record company one day, and some day run my own.
Saturday we did a workshop at Min-On’s headquarters in Tokyo and it went well. Francisco told stories of YPC’s beginnings and answered questions from Min-On and the audience, we sang a few songs including Tshotsholoza with the boot dance, and left for the musical instrument museum there. We saw antique working pianos including one played by Beethoven’s student, and left back for the hotel.
I expect the days ahead of us to go fast. Coming up in our schedule are three concerts, travel day, three concerts, travel day, three concerts, and flight back to New York. Hard stuff, but exciting. I am especially excited for Yokohama, which I heard is a beautiful concert hall. I look forward to the rest of the tour in this beautiful country, and I am sure that we will go home feeling a sense of uncomparable accomplishment, and appreciation for other cultures. I can’t wait to come back to Japan when I am older and show my family what I experienced on this tour. Go YPC!- Chris H.
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