】国、言葉、文化を超えて繋ぐよさこいの縁。
The Yosakoi connecting people across countries, languages, and cultures.

初のカナダ公演はよさこいとの縁で叶える事が出来ました🎸

◼︎APPAREとの出会い

バンクーバーで活動する多国籍よさこいチーム「APPARE Yosakoi Vancouver」
約3年前にチームの代表の裕平君と、
奥様のあづきちゃん夫妻から、
チーム初のオリジナル曲の依頼を頂きました。
この時はまさか私達がVancouverに行く事になるとは思っていませんでした！

◼︎大阪関西万博2025

昨年、大阪関西万博への田川の出演が決まったとき、APPARE の皆さんと国際共演ができたらと、
ダメ元で相談してみたところ、
万博の為に駆けつけて下さ✈️
姉妹チームの馬関奇兵隊、
菊川よさこい連合の皆さんとのコラボレーションが実現。
そして今回、その御礼を込めてVancouverで演奏させて頂くことに🎸

◼︎Okinawa Taiko

更には、裕平君の提案で、Vancouverで、
20年以上に渡って沖縄太鼓の文化普及活動をされている「Vancouver Okinawa Taiko」とのコラボレーションも‼︎

◼︎本番に向けて

裕平君、ギタリストのCharlie、奥様のソフィーと日々、打ち合わせを重ねる中、
日本に居ては出来ることは限られてしまうので、
開催にあたっての苦労は想像を超えるものだったと思います。
皆さんと一緒に過ごす時間は、本当に宝物のようでした。
言葉を文化を超えて、本当に皆さんフレンドリーでウェルカムであったかい。
そして、皆さん、本当に活き活きしていました。

◼︎感謝

そして次回🎸
こんな機会を作ってくれたこと、
ここから繋がり広がるご縁、
素敵な仲間がたくさん出来たことにも、
心から感謝しています。

次は6月6日にWest Vancouverでのコラボレーションが残っています🎸

毎日、色々な発見、経験をして身体いっぱいに吸収しています🇨🇦✨✨

◼︎ひとつだけ困ったこと
夜の9時でも外が明るいのでこちらに居ると寝不足になってしまうことかな😱😵笑

*********************************

Hiroaki's very first performance in Vancouver became a reality all because of our special connection with Yosakoi.

◼︎Meeting APPARE
About three years ago, Yuhei and his wife Azuki, the leaders of "APPARE Yosakoi Vancouver" a multi-national Yosakoi team active right here in Vancouver approached Hiroaki with a request to compose the team’s very first original song.
At that time, we never could have imagined that we would actually travel to Vancouver ourselves‼︎

◼︎Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025
Last year, when His stage performance at the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 was officially confirmed, I reached out to APPARE Yosakoi on the off chance to see if He could collaborate. To our absolute delight, they flew all the way out just to perform with Hiroaki on that special day✈️
A collaboration with our sister teams, Bakan Kiheitai and Kikugawa Yosakoi Rengo, has become a reality‼︎
And now, this trip to perform in Vancouver was born from our desire to return that beautiful gesture and express our heartfelt gratitude!

◼︎Okinawa Taiko
Furthermore, thanks to Yuhei’s wonderful suggestion, we were also able to collaborate with "Vancouver Okinawa Taiko," a group that has dedicated over 20 years to promoting and sharing the culture of Okinawan drumming in Vancouver!
Leading up to the concert, we spent days in continuous meetings and preparations, working closely with the team leader Yuhei, Hiroaki's fellow guitarist Charlie, and his wife Sophie. Since there is only so much we could do while back in Japan, the sheer amount of hard work and challenges they faced to organize this event must have been beyond imagination.
From the rehearsals to the actual performance, every single moment spent with everyone felt like an absolute treasure.

◼︎Thank You & Next Up 🎸

Beyond language and culture, everyone was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and warm. Above all, everyone was so full of life and vibrant energy.
We are deeply, truly grateful to Yuhei and Azuki for creating this opportunity, for the beautiful circle of connections that has expanded from them, and for the chance to make wonderful friends.

◼︎One Small Issue
Next up, we still have one more performance coming up in West Vancouver on June 6th🙌

◼︎
Every single day, We are making new discoveries, gaining invaluable experiences, and absorbing it all with our whole body and soul.
The only little problem is that it’s still bright outside even at 9:00 PM, so we are a bit short on sleep😱😵😄

Photo by Nina Hayes