We woke up early in the morning and prepared to head to Taipei where the capital of Taiwan is. Before we left, I ate a special morning dish—a kind of rice porridge typically served in Taiwan. It was good for my tired stomach.
On our way to Taipei, the beautiful rural scenery gradually changed into the urban one. I felt like we went to the capital freeway in Tokyo. I saw many tall buildings. There was a stark difference between the rural areas in Taiwan with that of Taipei.
We arrived at the Songshan Chui Temple in Taipei around 1 pm and after a delicious lunch, we prepared for our performance. It was our first performance as one whole group. In Taipei, we finally got reunited with Team A which has been in that area a lot earlier than Team B. It was a big performance—composed of 160 dancers and musicians!
Our performance started at around 3 pm I was delighted to play with my fellow band members because it gave us the opportunity to produce a bigger, more enjoyable sound! The spectators truly warm, welcoming, and just overall excited to watch our performance.
My Taiwan trip was definitely one for the books. But among the things that I experienced while in Taiwan, the greatest for me was to finally see one of my close friends and her daughter again. It’s been a while since I last saw her. She currently works at a Japanese company in Kaoshun and traveled to meet me and see the event!
We had our final performance in front of the Songshan Chui Temple in the evening. The lit-up temple was extremely beautiful! The Taiwanese people welcomed and cheered for us this time, too. I will not forget their warm hospitality.
Before we played, the Mayor of Suginami delivered a heartfelt speech to express gratitude towards the Taiwanese government.
Finally, the performance started with the sound of the flute. I played with my whole heart to show how thankful I was for the Taiwanese people especially for those who supported this event. I felt everyone tried to do their best because it was our final performance there. Afterwards ,we started marching down the big street. Honestly, I enjoy participating in this kind of parade because it allows us to be very close to the audience—so close that I could actually see their face so clearly. Though I enjoyed it, I also felt some loneliness and it was because I knew it was already the end of our trip. It was a comfortable, beautiful, and unforgettable night.
Reflecting upon this experience, I realized a couple of things—first, I should practice playing the flute more often. I think my flute sounded flat and would need a little bit of improvement. It would have been so much better if I could make the tone seem more vibrant and interesting rather than flat. Second, I need to learn Chinese again and talk to more people. I had several Chinese language lessons prior to the trip but it was not enough at all! The next performance tour is going to be on 2021. I have a plenty of time to prepare for it!
the Songshan Chui Temple
After the performance
All Suiren members
On our way to Taipei, the beautiful rural scenery gradually changed into the urban one. I felt like we went to the capital freeway in Tokyo. I saw many tall buildings. There was a stark difference between the rural areas in Taiwan with that of Taipei.
We arrived at the Songshan Chui Temple in Taipei around 1 pm and after a delicious lunch, we prepared for our performance. It was our first performance as one whole group. In Taipei, we finally got reunited with Team A which has been in that area a lot earlier than Team B. It was a big performance—composed of 160 dancers and musicians!
Our performance started at around 3 pm I was delighted to play with my fellow band members because it gave us the opportunity to produce a bigger, more enjoyable sound! The spectators truly warm, welcoming, and just overall excited to watch our performance.
My Taiwan trip was definitely one for the books. But among the things that I experienced while in Taiwan, the greatest for me was to finally see one of my close friends and her daughter again. It’s been a while since I last saw her. She currently works at a Japanese company in Kaoshun and traveled to meet me and see the event!
We had our final performance in front of the Songshan Chui Temple in the evening. The lit-up temple was extremely beautiful! The Taiwanese people welcomed and cheered for us this time, too. I will not forget their warm hospitality.
Before we played, the Mayor of Suginami delivered a heartfelt speech to express gratitude towards the Taiwanese government.
Finally, the performance started with the sound of the flute. I played with my whole heart to show how thankful I was for the Taiwanese people especially for those who supported this event. I felt everyone tried to do their best because it was our final performance there. Afterwards ,we started marching down the big street. Honestly, I enjoy participating in this kind of parade because it allows us to be very close to the audience—so close that I could actually see their face so clearly. Though I enjoyed it, I also felt some loneliness and it was because I knew it was already the end of our trip. It was a comfortable, beautiful, and unforgettable night.
Reflecting upon this experience, I realized a couple of things—first, I should practice playing the flute more often. I think my flute sounded flat and would need a little bit of improvement. It would have been so much better if I could make the tone seem more vibrant and interesting rather than flat. Second, I need to learn Chinese again and talk to more people. I had several Chinese language lessons prior to the trip but it was not enough at all! The next performance tour is going to be on 2021. I have a plenty of time to prepare for it!
the Songshan Chui Temple
After the performance
All Suiren members
