Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara
September 14, 2025
Photo posted on Twitter by TOM2199
Mat Hama (fan):
When I was a child, living in Sapporo, there were never any events for Space Battleship Yamato, and I envied those in the Kanto region. Now, buried in life in the Kanto region, I head to the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara to fulfill those feelings from back then.
Photo posted on Twitter by MiyaT29442740
Setup for Chiko Miyagawa’s lobby concert
Photo posted on Twitter by Chiko Miyagawa
Pianist Chiko Miyagawa on Instagram:
Thank you for coming to the Yamato Festival in Sapporo. I wonder how many times we’ve performed Yamato & Villains? I’m so grateful to have been a part of such a beloved program. But I also feel like there needs to be some kind of change with each performance! (I mean, I want to keep growing.) This time, I performed a solo lobby concert.
Photo posted on Twitter by ezoTakatsu
See a clip of the lobby concert here
Photo posted on Twitter by Akira Miyagawa and Snk22V007
Photo posted on Twitter by organist Yuka Ishimaru
Mudani178cm (fan):
I couldn’t hold back my tears with the love theme scat. Since I’m from the remake generation, my heart was trembling throughout the second part. I love 2205 so much that even with the Cosmo Tiger theme my heart was racing. With the song Love is Still Light, tears just started flowing the moment I heard the intro.
Everyone was wonderful, but especially Yuuki-san. The gap between the crystal-clear scat in the love theme, the Yamato theme, and Love is Still Light was so amazing that I ended up falling in love with it.
Photo posted on Twitter by organist Yuka Ishimaru
Photo posted on Twitter by s_meijin
Photo posted on Twitter by sienawind2019
Pianist Chiko Miyagawa on Instagram:
At the Sapporo performance on the 14th, I was so moved by Yuuki’s voice in the love theme and then Love is Still Light that I almost cried while accompanying her. It was the first time I’d ever experienced something like that, so I was really surprised.
Voices are amazing, aren’t they? I’m sure that on that day, at that moment, Yuuki’s “Ah~” restored and activated the cells of so many people (including me). It was so beautiful.
Photo posted on Twitter by organist Yuka Ishimaru
Yuka Ishimaru:
This past week has been incredibly intense. The day after two alpine climbs (in a storm) with the Tokyo Philharmonic, I journeyed through time and space with the organ at Tokorozawa Muse, and that night, in a real storm on a wildly turbulent flight to Sapporo, I battled the enemy together with Yamato and completed the mission before returning safely.
Photo posted on Twitter by sienawind2019
Photo posted on Twitter by organist Yuka Ishimaru
The members of Glory Chorus Tokyo with Yuka Ishimaru
Photo posted on Twitter by organist Yuka Ishimaru
Left to right: vocalist Yuuki, organist Yuka Ishimaru, conductor Akira Miyagawa, pianist Chiko Miyagawa
Chiko Miyagawa:
It was me playing on the organ for the love theme, on the verge of tears during the scat section. A singing voice saves the heart, doesn’t it? Music is so much fun. Yamato Festival, thank you.
Yuuki:
I’m the one feeling grateful, embarrassed, and moved to tears after receiving those words directly from the sensitive Chiko-chan. It’s a very precious moment, so I put a lot of focus into delivering it.
Yuka Ishimaru:
The ultimate tag team of Akira Miyagawa and Siena Wind. As expected, it ended with tears. The feeling of sharing the emotion with everyone in the hall. It’s a concert where you can always experience that.
Photo posted on Twitter by organist Yuka Ishimaru
I arrived home from yesterday’s Yamato Festival Sapporo performance after 11 PM with the songs from Yamato running through my head. I walked lighter than I expected. The Sapporo Kitara performance went smoothly and I’m so happy.
As with the Niigata performance, Chiko-chan held a lobby concert before the show. I think many of the audience members were excited about the main Yamato Festival performance.
The program for this performance began with the song White Comet. The pipe organ in the hall rang out.
“It can produce such deep bass!?”
The sound creates an indescribable sense of fear. I’m overwhelmed in so many ways. What’s strange is, I can also sense beauty in the midst of fear. I was surprised at how big the pipe organ was.
At the end of that overwhelming, scary song, the a cappella scat begins. No matter how many times I’ve done it, it’s always so tense, I sweat profusely. I take many deep breaths right before singing. I think this melody is special to all Yamato fans, and so I’m cherishing it even more with this “Ah.”
This year’s Yamato Festival program is full of my favorite songs. No matter how many times I listen to them, I think they’re masterpieces. There’s something I like about each one. It’s just a constant stream of love, love, love, love.
Siena’s sound is gorgeous, too. The Cosmo Tiger theme feels more like a band than an orchestra. It feels so good! And then there’s Glory Chorus Tokyo. They add to the excitement, making me so happy! I don’t participate in this song, but I laugh so hard I want to join in on the “Wandaba” chorus.
It was the same at the recent Niigata performance. The audience’s eyes sparkled, and it made my heart flutter with excitement. I simply love Space Battleship Yamato, and while listening to the songs, I imagine they’re remembering scenes from the anime and movies, recalling the emotions they felt at the time, and connecting it to something in themselves.
Last year marked 50 years since the TV broadcast, and I’m always so grateful that there are still so many passionate and devoted fans. It’s so wonderful (and embarrassing!) to be able to close the concert by singing and playing the Yamato theme together with all those passionate fans! It’s the best thing ever!!! I want to give you a shoutout for the thunderous applause and bravos you all gave me.
This Space Battleship Yamato Festival has been going on for about four years now, I think? But I still discover new things in the same songs. The things I feel while scat singing are changing. I hope this concert continues for many more years. Thank you to everyone who came to the venue and everyone involved.