After a smooth morning of travel we arrived at Aso Elementary school around 1 pm. We had quite the adventure while setting up for our concert because we did not have any stands to begin with and then had only 10 until they found so many more right before the concert. We had a devotion before our rehearsal and before our concert that were both quite heart touching and made for a very sentimental concert in a small space that we were not accustomed to. We played a very entertaining concert consisting of: Melodious Thunk, Semper Fi, Clarinet Candy, The Stars and Stripes Forever, and Slava! The children were all very intrigued and interested in listening and talking to us. After we played “Nearer our God” and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” we lined up around the front half of the gym to have a mini meet and greet with the elementary students. We all loved talking with the students and listening to their English as well as how much they enjoyed the concert. We were then given a surprise when all of the elementary students had a very lovely and heartwarming song to sing for us. While it was in Japanese, we were given a rough translation which spoke of a good future and life.
After the concert, we drove back to the retreat center and had twenty minutes to repack our overnight bags and pack up the truck for the next day. We were then given the option of driving to the Aso Volcano or attending an Onsen in the area. I personally chose to drive and explore the Aso Volcano area.
Mount Aso is the largest active crater in the world. As we continued driving around the area we stopped at a view point where we could see the original crater area and size. The current active volcano is found in this area and is called Naka-Dake. This area is also home to multiple hot springs, pastures for cattle and roads and railways. As someone who had never seen a volcano and not a lot of mountains. The drive was very fun and full of scenery and switchback driving. As we got closer to the volcano we could see the smoke emerging from the open crater. The path to continue further up the mountain was closed because of how active it seemed today.
Before our dinner we were able to watch a performance of Iaido which is performed with a nihonto (Japanese sword). Their were two newer students and three older adults all in different parts of their journeys. I did not have a chance to read a lot of background before and was very intrigued in the order and combination of movements. The object of Iaido is to learn how to draw the sword in an instant to overcome an aggressor. This form of art performance is drawn from the Muromachi period. This is closely connected to the art form of kendo. In the 1960’s Iaido championships and competitions started being held in matches with referees making final decisions. In a match, competitions use either a live blade or practice sword and perform a set of five kata meaning forms. The referees make final decisions based on level of training, etiquette, precision of technique and attitude. After the performance, a couple of us got to go experience drawing the sword, attempting a couple of forms and putting the sword away all in traditional style.
Our dinner tonight was as a large group with members from our host team here in Kumamoto. It was our first dinner as a group since our first night in Tokyo. The dinner that was provided in buffet style was very good for everyone and had a large variety. After everyone had their food we were welcomed by students who were studying English and wanted to converse with us. It was a very fun evening and day overall. It was full of music and less tourism as we have been doing the past couple of days.
Wartburg College Wind Ensemble International Japan Tour 2019 