USA East Music NYSB BULLETIN - SUMMER 2018 | Page 11

After the concert the band was requested to meet with hundreds of concertgoers for pictures and autographs. It was a wonderfully joyous atmosphere and the crowd was extremely appreciative of the band’s fine playing and singing. Standout moments—singing in Japanese (one of the verses to Psalm 23) and being told how impactful that was to the audience. It was an important and meaningful night and one that got this tour started properly. High quality music with a Message. Wednesday’s journey for the band begins with a Japanese breakfast at the KKR Hotel in Osaka and an incredible view overlooking the Osaka Castle. We make our way to the bus and on to the Tenma Corps in Osaka (also known as Osaka Central Corps), the largest corps in Japan’s second most populous city. We are warmly greeted by the Salvationists in Osaka. Together in one spirit, though we speak different languages, we gather to worship the Lord through music. Young Salvationist musicians from the area sit in with the band to play some classics of Salvation Army repertoire. We then transition to a worship service, and despite the fact that it is a Wednesday morning, a sizable crowd is able to share in worship with us due to the Spring Equinox holiday. Following selections from the Staff Band, including Be Still, a special composition from Dr. Dorothy Gates, and Ray Steadman-Allen’s In Quiet Pastures, Lt. Colonel James LaBossiere brings the message based on John 10—The Good Shepherd and His Sheep. We then take to the streets on a march of witness. The Corps is adjacent to a long, narrow passageway of shops and stores T H E S A LVAT I O N A R M Y U S A E A S T under a vaulted covering. We take off in one direction, drawing the attention of the hundreds of people shopping, with the bold and powerful sounds of the band. As we reach an area with room to congregate and a crowd, we play Amazing Grace (Richard Phillips) and the message of Christ is shared with all who will listen. This time, we start back toward the corps in the opposite direction. Once the march has ended, we head to the train station as we depart for Tokyo on the Bullet Train (Shinkansen), a much anticipated part of our trip for many of the band members. As we see the Osaka sunset coasting by at speeds up to 200 mph, we turn a 6-hour bus trip into a train ride of under 3 hours. At the end of an exciting yet exhausting day, we reach the infamous Tokyo Dome Hotel, where we are thankful to be able to settle in for the remainder of our time in Japan. After what has seemed like several days of nonstop traveling, the band is happy to settle in Tokyo for the remaining days of the tour. A slightly later start to the day meant a chance to experience a full Japanese breakfast in the hotel with many of the band members becoming expert chopstick users by now! Thursday the band boarded the bus to the Tokyo City Opera Hall. Along the way, we took in views of an absolutely pristine city and caught glimpses of cherry blossoms beginning to bloom. One of the several local leaders that has been traveling with the band, Major Masataka Tateishi, commanding officer of the Kobe Corps shared some thoughts with us and asked if he could sing to us. The band hummed along as Major Tateishi sang To be like Jesus in Japanese, with the band joining in a second verse in English. A powerful moment! Entering the main hall of Tokyo Opera City was no less than mind blowing. A masterpiece of architecture and acoustics. Over the next S U M M E R 2 0 1 8   N Y S B B U L L E T I N   ‡   11