Ohayo from Osaka! Today, the 1759 Singers were able to view some impactful history as well as travel to our final city!

We started off the day by checking out of the Aki Grand Hotel, which had absolutely beautiful views of the mountains during the day and at night! We took a short bus ride to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and on the way, folded paper cranes to place at the Children’s Peace Memorial Park.     We walked through the park silently and viewed remains of the bombing in Hiroshima at Chou Park, which was really powerful and moving in seeing the history of relations between the US and Japan. We then walked to the Children’s Peace Memorial, which stands as a reminder and hope for a future of peace. We were able to ring the crane-shaped bell and place our collection of 25 paper cranes to be put alongside the memorial. We were also fortunate enough to go into the indoor museum, which had a wealth of history and un-filtered history of what occurred in the 1900s in Japan. 

Later in the day, we traveled by bullet train to Osaka and visited the Osaka Castle Park. The park had many little shops surrounding the grand castle which stood upon and rock platform. The Osaka Castle itself was quite grand and had beautiful white and green colors and architecture. On the top level, there was a viewing deck, where we were able to see the city skyline. Though it was not the best of weather, the sky had a cool misty-like view, which was equally as good as our sunny days. We also traveled to a shopping district in Osaka, and had some time to do some shopping and exploration. A small group of us found an all-you-can-eat Kobe beef restaurant, and were able to have endless plates of delicious food for an hour. 

We ended off the night by going to dinner in a nearby hotel. The food was delicious, and there was a little bit of everything from other restaurants we went to while on tour, which was a great way to end. We also hosted our paper plate awards, and recognized everyone for their efforts and enjoyment of tour, as well as as thanking the phenomenal team that made tour possible. 

We had a great final night, and are ready to embark on the journey back home from Japan. Sayonara!

-Anthony Hall '25, Vice President/Tenor Section Leader

Hello from our first day in Hiroshima! We started off the day super early by checking out of our hotel in Kyoto, and taking Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima. We arrived at Hiroshima station at 11:11! After arriving at the train station, we met our bus driver and ventured to the Hiroshima International School, a small international school in the mountains of Hiroshima, teaching kids of wide age ranges. We then ate lunch with the students of our age; some being from Japan and some from other places. Talking to the students was so fun and interesting; it is so awesome to meet kids around the world who are your age. It is cool to see other teenagers’ perspectives on life around the world. 

After lunch, we had our concert and performed for the students and teachers of the school. We even learned a song that the 3-5th grade choir is performing, and briefly sang with them. Afterwards, we played some volleyball and basketball with some students, and then left for our hotel. 

Once we arrived at our hotel, we were all in awe of the view. The mountains and the bay are so beautiful here, and everyone has a view of them! A rainbow even came out during the amazing sunset. We had some free time, and my friends and I did some exploring around the hotel, seeing the dock and the little beach. We then went for dinner at Ristorante Thomas. We had bread, antipasti, various pizza and pasta, and a meat entree (mushroom steak for vegetarians). The desert we had was chocolate look alike drawings of our faces, and vanilla pudding. We then walked back to the hotel and then went to sleep. 

We cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings with another concert and many excursions! Sayonara! 



-Ada Leeds '25, Alto Section Leader

Today the choir performed some of our repertoire for the Kyoto International School with some special performances by Liam and Gianna showing off the Music Theatre Department. After singing, we were so happy to talk and eat snacks with a group of the school’s students. They were very friendly and loved our music!

The bus rides grant us many great views as well. We got to see a cherry blossom tree today! Later, we got to walk around in Kyoto and find lunch. The little mall area near the hotel is a favorite of ours.

We also got to walk around at kinkaju ji temple and got to see the amazing golden pavilion and other wonderful sights. 

Finally, we finished with a nice dinner at Hana no Mai Hatago Chaya Ikedaya. There were so many nice options!



-Kayla Mullen '24, President

Hello from the 1759 Singers! Today was very busy and fun! We started the day off bright and early performing for the English and Japanese church service at St Paul’s Lutheran Church. In between the services we had a delicious lunch from an Indian restaurant. 

When we arrived at the British School of Tokyo we rehearsed Lacrymosa with other choirs from Japan. Before the performances, we enjoyed the beautiful view from the school of the mini Tokyo Tower. We also had the opportunity to socialize with the students of the other choirs. Later, we performed Lacrymosa and other songs in our set which lasted for about 30 minutes; and afterward, we watched the other choirs perform and said our farewells. Later that night we enjoyed a great night walk through the city to dinner at a Japanese/Korean barbecue and enjoyed a variety of meats and veggies that we grilled ourselves. 

We had a great day and hope you enjoyed reading! We are excited about our final day in Tokyo tomorrow!

-Farihah Kemp '25, Performance Coordinator 

On Thursday, March 14, the 1759 Singers met at GA at 7:00am. Around 7:30am we boarded a coach bus and embarked for Newark Airport. Arriving at Newark at 9:00am, we checked in and made it through security. Having some downtime, we grabbed breakfast in small groups of friends. Finally, it was time to board the United Airlines flight 79 for Tokyo! 

On this 13-hour plane ride, we watched movies, took naps as comfortably as we could get them, and chatted with friends sitting near us. Leaving Newark at 12:30pm on Thursday, we arrived in Tokyo at 3:30pm on Friday (2:30am at home). After safely landing, and being very happy to finally be able to walk around after 13 hours, we then made our way through immigration and customs. Finally, it was time for us to leave the airport! 

We met our translator from Japan, Betty, and tour assistant Amanda after getting our bags, and boarded our bus that would take us to our first hotel of the Japan tour. On the 2-hour drive to our hotel, we learned a bit about Betty and the Japanese culture. Once we arrived at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel, we had a little time to settle in and unpack. While the rooms are quite small, we made the most of it! Next, it was time for a short walk to dinner at the Tonkatsu Ise Shinjuku. At this traditional Japanese restaurant, we were able to cook our food and were served many courses of meals including noodles, chicken, fish, rice, tofu, soup, and other delicious dishes. At this meal, we all had to take our shoes off and place them in a locker, to enjoy this meal traditionally, on padded benches around a table sunken into the ground. 

After this wonderful meal, we all headed back to the hotel, to call it a night, and prepare for a fun day of exploring Tokyo tomorrow!

-Anna Willard '25, Publicity Chair