BENGALURU: Sushi, sake, music and conversation made for an eventful Sunday at the residence of the Japanese Consul General’s residence where the seventh edition of the Japanese speaking afternoon was conducted.
Japanese choir Royal Echo, founded in 1999, by Norie Oga, celebrated their 20th anniversary at this programme, with several of those learning the language. Interestingly, this is the first time that the programme was open to those learning any level of the language. With songs like Cherry Blossom, Letter to the future, Winter Night, and Grandfather’s Clock, the choir, including several seniors, performed for over an hour, while participants indulged in authentic food and drinks.
Comprising several Japanese who have lived in the city for decades, the choir comes together every Sunday for a practice session in Domlur irrespective of a performance. While they mostly sing in Japanese they sometimes perform Kannada, Hindi and Latin songs. They started off 20 years ago singing mostly old Japanese songs, and have come to perform a variety of songs. “We are about 20 of us in the choir and about 6-10 of us meet every week over beer and then decide what songs we want to perform,” says Shino Kohara, head of Royal Echo, who, along with her group will also be performing at the food fest next week. “During November and December we have a lot of performances. We are prepping for the Japan habba in February,” she added.
Takayuki Kitagawa, Consul-General of Japan in Bengaluru, who hosted the event said, the choir was established at a time when there weren’t too many Japanese in the city. “After 20 years, the choir has become like an institution. I usually invite those who have cleared N3. This is a special day,” he said.
Hiroyuki Tamaki, managing director, Sony India Software Private Ltd, who is a member of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, was keen to recruit Indians who are fluent in Japanese. “Such events should be held regularly,” he said.