Peace Through Music Tour of Japan

Seen through the eyes of Ayako Ochi, our long-time chorister and Assistant Accompanist

by Joanna Ebbutt

Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate

In May 2019, Upper Canada Choristers (UCC) fulfilled a years’-long dream. To celebrate the choir’s 25th anniversary, and its ongoing commitment to bringing music to some of Toronto’s most needy, isolated communities, UCC embarked upon a 10-day trip to Japan (including travel time)! The Peace Through Music Tour was jampacked with five concerts over six days, held from Nara City in the west to Ageo City, 40 kilometres north of Tokyo.

The tour was the brainchild of choir co-founders Laurie Evan Fraser and Jacqui Atkin, but Ayako Ochi made it happen. Ayako came to Canada from Japan in 1997 on a two-year research fellowship at Hospital for Sick Children. Much to Canada’s benefit, Ayako stayed, and in 2001 became a staff neurophysiologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in the Division of Neurology, where she continues to study epilepsy.

Shortly after arriving in Canada, Ayako was introduced to UCC by a colleague who was also a UCC chorister. For both the choir and Ayako it could be described as a match made in heaven. Ayako had studied piano and music theory since she was a child, had sung in her high school choir, and played keyboard with jazz and pop groups since first going to medical school and then becoming a pediatrician. Besides singing in the choir, and stepping in as an accompanist when required, she began studying piano and music theory with Laurie – recently passing the ARCT exam in piano performance at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music.

We asked Ayako what was involved in making UCC’s The Peace Through Music Tour happen… and learnt that it was a great example of persistence, hard work, and the serendipity of unexpected connections!

How many times did you visit Japan to arrange the UCC trip? 

I visited my mother – who still lives in my hometown of Nara City – two or three times a year, pre-pandemic. Knowing that it was a possibility, I’d mull over how to organize a successful choir trip each time I went. The tour would have to include concerts at seniors’ care homes and nursing homes since service is key to UCC’s mandate. Finally, on my visit in July 2018, I moved into action!

First, I contacted some of my former high school choir friends in Nara, for ideas, and my friend Renge opened the right door. She, her husband and their two daughters all sing with a wonderful Nara-based choir, the Tanoshiku! Chorus. It was founded by its director Haruko (Haru) Takahashi and her daughter when they realized there were no choirs in Nara – or even in Japan – where families could sing together. When I approached Haru, she really liked the idea of a joint concert with our two choirs. 

At Hotoku-ji Temple with Tanoshiku! Chorus. Haruko Takahashi, conductor

How did the concert at the Hotoku-ji Buddhist Temple come about? 

The priest of the temple, Mr. Baigan, was a good friend of Haru’s. (He also played the banjo, which later triggered a bonding between him and Ross McLean, a UCC chorister and a keen banjo player!) Haru asked him if he’d be willing to have UCC sing with the Tanoshiku! Chorus at the temple. After many discussions between Haru and Mr. Baigan, he kindly agreed to host the joint concert – which was an absolute highlight for both choirs. 

Ayako with the Tanoshiku! Chorus

Bellepage Nara Ayameike Care Residence

How did you connect with the seniors’ homes?

For the last few years of my father’s life, until his death in 2009, he lived in the Esteem Life Gakuen-Mae, so that was a logical place for me to start. Some staff remembered me, and they all loved the idea of hearing a choir from Canada. Once that was arranged, I just approached two other seniors’ residences close to my mother’s home. They were equally enthusiastic, and so now we were committed to four concerts in Nara – including the joint one with the Tanoshiku! Chorus. As an added bonus, some members of the Tanoshiku! Chorus participated in our concerts for seniors, making it possible for our Sing-Along session to be conducted in Japanese.

What’s the story behind the Seiyukai Choir?

UCC was contacted by a representative of the Seiyukai Choir prior to a tour they were planning to the US. They had realized the timing of the trip would coincide with the anniversary of 80 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Canada and thought that, if possible, it would be a good idea to take a quick trip to Toronto and connect with a Canadian choir. 

We were delighted to work with them to make this happen. In May 2008 they arrived by bus from Washington DC, on the day before the concert, for which we had made all the arrangements. It took place just a scant two weeks after UCC’s regular concert at Grace Church on the Hill. Not only was it a different repertoire for our choristers to tackle, but the concert took place in a different location, the Calvin Presbyterian Church. It turned out to be a wonderful concert; each choir sang selections separately, and then we combined to sing songs in both Japanese and English. Afterwards, UCC hosted a potluck supper for the Seiyukai Choir, who repaid us by performing a traditional Japanese dance and we exchanged gifts. On that occasion, Laurie promised that UCC would sing with the Seiyukai Choir again, next time in Japan! 

Ten years later, I wanted to contact the choir’s director, Kazuchika Tomokiyo, but remembered that he wasn’t a fan of computers – and therefore did not use email. So, I mailed him a card, saying “we remembered!”. We connected by phone, and eventually came up with a very detailed concert plan – despite the fact that the venue couldn’t be booked until three months before the concert. 

Joint concert with UCC and Seiyukai in Ageo City

Explorations 

Considering the long journey from Canada and our busy concert schedule, I picked the Nikko Hotel Nara to be our very comfortable, and elegant, base for five days. It worked out very well, and Nara’s proximity to Kyoto and Osaka made it easy to schedule day-long visits on our two free days. 

Another “must-do” on Laurie and Jacqui’s list was a visit to Hiroshima, since it is one of humankind’s most iconic reasons for world peace. Logistically this was the most challenging day to organize as Hiroshima is 363 km west of Nara, and we needed to be in Tokyo, over 800 km to the east, by the end of the day! I finally figured out that if we made an early start, we could travel by our bus to Kyoto railway station and then take the Bullet Train to Hiroshima. We would arrive early enough to visit the highlights before flying on to Tokyo that evening.  

What next?

I returned to Toronto in August 2018, with an abundance of information and suggestions as I knew there would be lengthy discussions with Laurie and Jacquie, and with our Board, on the many possibilities. Eventually, the Peace Through Music Tour turned from a dream into a very definite plan. We found a tour company to oversee the travel arrangements and began to sign up choristers for the trip.

When I returned to Japan, in January 2019, I reviewed the details for every concert, visited all the venues in Nara City, met with Haru from the Tanoshiku! Chorus, and had another long conversation by phone with Mr. Tomokiyo.

Were there any “surprises” during the tour?

Oh yes! The visit to Hiroshima pivoted on some very tight travel arrangements, beginning with the early morning coach from Nara City to Kyoto. However, our Nara tour guide did not turn up at the hotel. Fortunately, the bus was waiting, as was Haru, who had come to say goodbye. We decided that we couldn’t wait for our guide and set off for Kyoto.

Half-way there, we realized that nobody had the train tickets! I called the hotel and learnt that the tickets were at the front desk. I then called Haru, who very kindly agreed to pick up the tickets and drive to meet us halfway, so we turned back promptly. The tickets were handed over, and we hurried on to Kyoto. 

Despite our best efforts, we missed the Bullet Train, but we were able to switch our tickets to a train leaving two hours later. The last-minute change meant there were no seats available… so we had to stand until Osaka, when many passengers disembarked. 

Our Hiroshima tour guide was very relaxed, despite the late start. As it turned out, a little too relaxed. At the end of our day-long tour, our coach became snarled up in rush-hour traffic en route to the airport, and so... we missed our flight!

It quickly became clear that our tour guide was not having any luck with rebooking our flight, but happily for us, a new “saint” –  Willy, the partner of one of our choristers – stepped in. Amazingly, he negotiated with the airline for the entire group to fly together on to Tokyo only one hour later. 

What was it like to introduce your Canadian “family” to Japan?

It was, and still is, very emotional for me. As I’ve been part of UCC since 1998, being able to introduce my Canadian family to my Japanese family and friends was very very special. 

Flash mob at Toronto Pearson airport

What were some personal highlights for you?

The first was our impromptu flash mob at Toronto Pearson International. I’d spotted this amazing sculpture in Terminal 1, close to my departure gate for flights to Tokyo, and had been thinking for years that it would be a great place for a concert. I’d even checked the sound by clapping my hands and there was a lovely echo. So, after we’d checked in, we just set ourselves up and sang!

Another was a glorious visit to Kyoto with Laurie and Jacqui. I had invited my paediatric mentor, Professor Kobayashi, and two other friends, Satoko Koga (a paediatrician) and Hitomi Yamada (another choral singer) to join us. We finished with lunch at a very fancy Kaiseki restaurant, where dishes are served tapas-style. 

And finally, our joint concert with the Tanoshiku! Chorus at Hotoku-ji-Buddhist Temple. The concert went exceptionally well, and having my brother and sister-in-law, and some of my high school choir mates there made it even more special!

These are memories that I will always treasure.

From left to right: Satoko Koga, Ayako Ochi, Professor Kobayashi, Laurie Evan Fraser, Jacqui Atkin and Hitomi Yamada.