Last month I had the amazing opportunity to go to Japan with the Aloud charity as part of a cultural exchange programme. Although I’ve travelled a bit with my family, and of course went to Canada with Johns’ Boys in the spring, this was the longest flight I’d ever one.d We touched down in Tokyo after a 14 hour flight from London and tried to adjust to the time difference as quickly as we could!
We had a really busy 10 day schedule of visits, workshops and performances. One of the absolute highlights was singing “Hiraeth” in both Welsh and Japanese at the Hiroshima Peace Park. The Japanese words were tricky to learn but it felt really important to sing in the language of our hosts. It was brilliant to visit schools and youth groups; they made us so welcome and it was great to make a musical connection. I learned a lot about Japanese culture; their customs and traditions, infrastructure, food and even how they rehearse and perform. I’m really grateful for this incredible opportunity – I’ll never forget the people I met, the places I saw, and the music we shared.
Iwan B, Baritone
