The 47th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival 2024 "Performance Performance" A wonderful time sharing many emotions and joys

Monday, November 11, 2024

The entertainment performance will be held on November 3rd (national holiday) from 10am to 3:30pm, with a lunch break in between, for a total of 4 hours in the morning and afternoon!

This is a great moment when the energetic and active townspeople show off the fruits of their labors over the past year! This is the townspeople's cultural festival, where everyone can share in the excitement and have fun to the fullest.

• Organizer:Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival Executive Committee
• Co-organized by:Hokuryu Town Cultural Association, Hokuryu Town Education Promotion Association, Hokuryu Town Board of Education

Performing Arts Program Opening Ceremony

Greetings from Executive Committee Chairman Yoshiharu Yamashita

"Good morning everyone.
This year, Hokuryu Town experienced no disasters and enjoyed a bountiful autumn harvest. I would like to share this joy with you all.

Today is Culture Day, and it's the 47th Hokuryu Town Citizens' Cultural Festival.
90 performers from 13 groups are participating in the performing arts section of this cultural festival. 130 people from 19 groups are exhibiting their works. A total of 500 works are on display. It's a wonderful one-day cultural festival.

I hope that everyone will enjoy the event, and I look forward to lots of applause at each and every moment of the hammer presentation.

Now that we are wrapping up, we are heading towards winter. I hope that you will all stay healthy and happy every day.

Thank you very much for coming today," said Executive Committee Chairman Yamashita.

General MC: Naoki Kishi (Social Education Officer, Hokuryu Town Board of Education)

Each club was explained in detail.

Morning session: 10:00-12:00

Sword Poetry Dance: Oushin-ryu Sword Poetry Dance Association

• I am working hard once a week under the guidance of Professor Shimoyashiki Ousui, with my hobby and health in mind.
• This time, we will also be asking Professor Ousui to dance, so we look forward to your support.

Kuroda's song: Isao Hoshiba, Kazuko Hirai, Hideko Kawada

Boat Song of the Sky: Ousui Shimoyashiki and Hisakura Shimoyashiki

Ruined Castle: Kazuko Hirai and Hideko Kawada

Karaoke: Singing gathering

• The singing group has been around for 28 years. There are currently eight members, and they practice every Wednesday at the community center.
• All members enjoy singing together, singing at the top of their lungs, to relieve daily stress and improve their health, while also enjoying conversations with their friends.
• I hope that everyone will experience the joy of singing. We are also looking for members, so please let us know if you are interested.

Snow Camellia: Yoshiko Yamada

Wild Drum: Toshiko Yamagata

Mother of the Flower District: Fujinobu Motoko

Red Umbrella: Masako Kikura

Karaoke: Himawari University Club Activities

• In addition to various courses, Himawari University also holds club activities in the afternoon after courses.
• This time, the entry was from a karaoke club.

Heartless Tone: Ryoji Kikura

Karaoke: Hekisui Karaoke Club

• The Heishui Karaoke Club meets every Monday from 12:00 to 3:00 pm to practice at the Heishui Mutual Support Center.
• If you want to sing, please come along.

As Love: Keiko Takahashi

TOMORROW: Hiroyo Nakamura

The Makioka Sisters: Hideki Matsuura

Noto Peninsula: Fumiko Kawashima

The Way of Flower Tiger: Kazuo Kimura

Karaoke: Hokuryu Karaoke Club

Lie: Toshio Ishikawa

Red One Flower: Hiroko Ishii

Street food stall: Takao Yamada

Chorus: Himawari Chorus

• We are currently practicing hard for our regular concert. We hope to make our 10th anniversary concert a memorable and enjoyable one.
• We look forward to seeing you at the event on Saturday, November 30th at 2:00 PM in the Hokuryu Town Community Center Large Hall.

Representative, conductor, accompanist, and performers

• Representative:Mitsuko Fujii
• Conductor:Tetsujo Yamamoto
• Accompaniment:Tomoyo Kano
• Scheduled performers:Miki Akamatsu, Naoe Oda, Seika Kashiwa, Miho Sakamoto, Toyoko Shinohara, Kazuko Teragaki, Tsubasa Terashima, Sachiko Hirotaki, Ayumi Fukase, Mitsuko Fujii, Naoko Adachi, Hiroko Kawada, Etsuko Saito, Keiko Taniuchi, Hide Doi, Yoko Honda, Mika Sato, Tomoko Sano, Ikuko Sugimoto, Yumiko Takahashi, Hiromi Torigata, Yukie Fujioka

• Song played:Sakura, Star Dream, Country Road

Narration: Ikuko Sugimoto

"Hello everyone! We are the Himawari Chorus. Thank you so much for watching until this time, almost noon!

We will do our best to sing today so that we can bring you some energy and healing.

I will be singing three songs today. First, I will sing two songs from the suite for female chorus and piano, "Songs for You," "Sakura" and "Star Dream."

And the last song is "Country Road." This is a song that we, the Himawari Chorus, sing on every occasion. It's a song that we're very confident in and can be called our speciality. Please look forward to it!" said Ikuko Sugimoto, introducing the song.

Afternoon session: 13:30-15:30

Taishogoto: Japanese Taishogoto Club

• There are currently eight members
• Ms. Chikako Kobayashi, who lives in Fukagawa City, always gives us fun and sometimes strict guidance.
• Anyone who wants to learn is always welcome

Representatives/Instructors/Performers

• Representative:Junko Yoshida
• Instructor:Chikako Kobayashi
• Performers:Michi Oba, Yoneko Yoshimoto, Yukiko Kitakiyo, Shizu Iwamoto, Junko Yoshida, Chieko Fujisaki, Michie Kanayama, and Naoko Nakamura

• Song played:Brother Ship Blue Chateau Not Available on Sundays

Taishogoto: Midorigoto Association

• Under the guidance of Chikako Kobayashi, we practice every Thursday from 2pm for one hour at the Hekisui Ikigai Center.
• We have had new members this year and are enjoying practicing hard.
• If you're interested, please come and watch a rehearsal.

Representatives/Instructors/Performers

• Representative:Kumiko Asano
• Instructor:Chikako Kobayashi
• Performers:Kumiko Asano, Chiyoe Itagaki, Keiko Kawashima, Etsuko Nagai, Yuki Matsunaga, Ryoko Yamashita

• Song played:Two-leafed grass, season of love, chiencera

Chorus: English Conversation Circle

• Every Saturday, Mr. Sel teaches English in the Kaizen Center conference room from 6pm to 7pm.
• There are currently three members. If you are interested, please come and take a look.

Representative/Performer

• Representative:Hide Doi
• Performers:Tolentino Joe Circampiado, Toyoko Shinohara, and Hide Doi

• Song played:What a wonderful world・Country roads

Shigin: Japan Shigin Academy Gakufukai, Fukagawa Shigin Association Hokuryu Dojo

• We have four members and practice every other Sunday from 6pm. In the winter, we practice from 2pm.
• This year's Shigin will be a series of popular songs and folk songs to be enjoyed by both the performers and listeners.

Representative/Performer

• Representative:Isao Hoshiba
• Performers:Kazuo Kimura, Ryoji Kikura, Isao Hoshiba, and Yukitake Kanayama

• Program:Akagi's Lullaby, Boatman's Song, Shiretoko Travel, Famous Spear Nihon-go, Spirit of the Poetry

Kendama: Hokuryu Kendama Club

• Every Tuesday we have fun activities
• In addition to kendama, which is a competition of skills, we also incorporate various other games using kendama, and we aim to "liven up the town with kendama!" by allowing people of all ages to interact through kendama.
• We are working to make Kendama enjoyable even for those who are not good at it, so if you are interested in Kendama, from children to adults, please contact us.

Representatives and scheduled performers

• Representative:Naoki Kishi
• Scheduled performers:Sakiya Fujii, Seiya Fujii, Ryu Tanimoto, Sakura Tanimoto, Miku Myojo, Sakura Takigami, Rina Sato, Keita Takahashi, and Naoki Kishi

Drums: Hokuryu Taiko

• I am working hard on my practice so that I can continue with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. Although it has not led to an increase in membership, I am grateful for the opportunity to give people the chance to experience Japanese drumming on various occasions.
• We are grateful for the requests to perform at various events. We plan to try new songs as well as existing songs.
• If you are interested, please come and observe or try out the class. We practice every Wednesday and Friday night from 7pm to 9pm at the Hekisui Ikigai Center.
• First, I'll play two songs in a row.

Before that, have you noticed the drums that are different in size and color? This drum was given to me by Takamasa Hatta's family as part of his estate. It cannot be used on a horizontal stand, so I made a stand for it.

• Today, we will be unveiling the taiko drums, and at the same time, a new member will be making his debut. His name is Yutaku Hashida, a second-grader at elementary school. He has been practicing hard since this spring. Please support him warmly and give him a big round of applause.

Representatives and scheduled performers

• Representative:Hiroyo Nakamura
• Scheduled performers:Yuta Yoshida, Rikka Yoshida, Mio Yoshida, Shungo Hayashi, Rio Hayashi, Ryota Saito, Toshiki Okabe, Atsuhiro Nakamura, Chihiro Itagaki, Keita Takahashi, Kimiko Ukai, Fusako Miyakozawa, and Hiroyo Nakamura

• Program:Northern Prosperity, Harvest Celebration Drums, Flying Dragon

Performing Arts Program and Closing Ceremony

Greetings from Vice Executive Committee Chairman Hiroyo Nakamura

"Thank you all for watching the taiko drumming performance until the very end. We are able to hold the cultural festival yesterday and today, just like every year, and we would like to express our gratitude to all of you for this.

I think a lot of children came to see the movie yesterday. It was unfortunate that there was no North Dragon Show, but we look forward to the next one.

I have been looking at the works since yesterday, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone from each group, from children to the elderly, who has submitted their works.

You may have noticed that the town's population has grown over the years to about 1,600 people. There are just under 200 children, ranging from toddlers to high school students. We are grateful that you are all in good health and able to come to the event.

We would also like to express our gratitude to the Women's Association (Hokuryu Town Women's Liaison Council) for their cooperation in making the bazaar a success.

I hope to see you all again next year. I believe that the reason we can continue this cultural festival is if each of you thinks, "I'll perform or exhibit next year!"

The reason for the low number of children this time is that events are being held in other towns at the same time, but depending on next year's calendar, it is possible that more people will be able to participate.I would like to conclude my remarks for today by asking everyone to take care of their health and sincerely hope that we will be able to see each other here again next year.
Thank you very much for the two days.

After this, as in previous years, we will have bread scattering, so we will prepare it.
"We may not have enough people, but please be careful not to push or jostle each other, and we hope you will all cooperate and have a great time. Thank you very much for coming today!" said Vice Executive Committee Chairman Nakamura Hiroyo in his greeting.

Bread scattering

Finally, the event ended with the scattering of Rich Kobo's roll bread.

The Hokuryu Town Citizens' Cultural Festival is a place where the townspeople, who have accumulated a year of hard work and enjoyment, can present their magnificent performing arts and works. It is a wonderful time to share many emotions and joys, and we send our boundless love, gratitude, and prayers to this wonderful occasion.

YouTube videos

Photos from the Town Cultural Festival "Exhibition and Presentation" and "Performance Presentation"

46th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival - All Exhibited Works 2023 (279 pieces)
46th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival and Performing Arts 2023 (56 photos)
45th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival - All Exhibited Works 2022 (142 pieces)
45th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival and Performing Arts 2022 (201 photos)
[Cancelled] 44th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival 2021
[Cancelled] 43rd Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival 2020
42nd Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival - All Exhibited Works 2019 (296 photos)
41st Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival - All Exhibited Works 2018 (328 pieces)
41st Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival and Performing Arts 2018 (277 photos)
40th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival - All Exhibited Works 2017 (333 photos)
The 39th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival: All Exhibited Works 2016 (396 pieces)
The 38th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival: All Exhibited Works 2015 (364 pieces)
The 37th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival: All Exhibited Works 2014 (328 pieces)
The 36th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival - All Exhibited Works 2013 (230 pieces)
The 35th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival: All Exhibited Works 2012 (133 pieces)
The 34th Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival - All Exhibited Works 2011 (43 pieces)
The 33rd Hokuryu Town Cultural Festival, YouTube 2010 (2:42)

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◇ Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editing assistance: Noboru Terauchi)