Twenty years ago this month I first went Japan. The occasion was the anniversary of the Sanda City and Blue Mountains Sister City relationship. Somehow, the choir I was a member of, Crowd Around, was selected to represent the Blue Mountains at a special concert. We were a non-audition SATB community choir so I guess that this was a considerable honour. Since I was the choir President (a title with no real power), I was hopeful (though in jest, to be truthful), that I would be presented to the Emperor. Alas, no.

But this was a wonderful week away in which our home-stay families spoilt us rotten and we got a small taste of Sanda and environs, including a lightning tour of Kyoto. I didn't know it at the time but this trip was the start of an enduring relationship with Japan, including a three year stint teaching English at Yes School in Sanda. So I owe much to Janet Swain (our choir director) for grabbing the opportunity when it came. I am also grateful for the chance offered by Stephanie Swoll, an American living in Sanda and whose school it was that we worked at. If not for Stephanie, there would have been no job to go to.

The evening concert took place in the outdoor amphitheatre of Fukada Park in Flowertown (also an evacuation site) and we performed half a dozen songs. Also on the same program were a Korean choir and a local symphony orchestra. The evening was very warm and I remember looking up into the audience and seeing hand-held fans swinging in the semi-darkness.

Below is a shot taken just before our performance on that hot August night. The glass building in the background is the Museum of Nature and Human Activities, adjacent the performance space. The photo is pre-digital and has deteriorated over time.