By all accounts, the Space Battleship Yamato Strings Concert, performed as part of the Mt. Fuji Kawaguchiko Music Festival, was something very special, even among Yamato concerts. It was the first of its kiind, an open air experience that allowed nature itself in on the act…and nature obliged.

The public story of this concert started a month earlier, when pianist/producer Tomoko “Chiko” Miyagawa started posting about preparation on social media. You can find that content in Report 8 here; this account picks up where that one left off.

August 4: Chiko Miyagawa posted an utterly charming vlog on Youtube discussing her preparation process, which can be seen here. Turn on closed-captions and auto translate to get the gist.

August 18 (left): I’ve written the parts! I’ve copied them! Now it’s time to bind them!

August 20 (right): Today I went to rehearsal. The sound…cool, cool, cool! it’s full of love.

August 21: The concert is just three days away. Sadness played on string instruments…I’m at a loss for words. (See a rehearsal video clip here.)

August 21 post by guitarist Jun Sumida: It was truly amazing to see the orchestra members gradually come together in spirit as they prepared for the performance. Even the sudden downpour on the way home from rehearsal was “no problem.”

August 22: Concert merchandise information (1) – sheet music clear file. On the back is printed the vocal score that Isao Sasaki received 50 years ago. It is no exaggeration to say that this is where the song began. Limited to 200 copies, available for 500 yen on the day!

Concert merchandise information (2) – sheet music. It’s finally completed! This can also be purchased online. Piano solo / Two pianos

With just one day left, Chiko Miyagawa posted another preparation video on Youtube, which can be seen here. This one included physical setup on location the rehearsal video for Sadness.

August 24 post by Satomi Furuya, viola player: Rehearsals and BBQ started the day before, and today we even had curry for lunch. We got a taste of summer vacation and were immersed in the world of Space Battleship Yamato!

Photos posted on Twitter by Ari Miyacawa and Jun Sumida

Great performance and singing, of course. At the end, Tomoko Miyagawa was so moved by the warm audience that she was in tears. I was happy to sing together with them. – Hiromu Yamaguchi, vocalist

Under the direction of Akira Miyagawa, I sang Space Battleship Yamato on stage with Isao Sasaki as a member of the choir. My heart trembled with The Scarlet Scarf. The most exciting summer memories. – Yamanashi apricot, vocalist

Photos posted on Twitter by Masashi Kimura and Daisuke Kitaguchi

The deep emotions of the Miyagawa family and the enthusiasm of the audience were incredible. There was plenty of electric bass, I enthusiastically performed with BBQ Takasugi on double bass, including Dessler Attack. – Masashi Kimura, bassist

Has there ever been a concert filled with so much love? Isao Sasaki’s singing was divine and the Miyagawa family’s music was full of love. And the audience was united in spirit with Orchestra Yamato. It was an infinitely expanding universe! – Daisuke Kitaguchi, cellist

Photos posted on Twitter by Ari Miyacawa and kotori2co

The venue is a covered outdoor music hall where you can hear the sounds of insects and thunder. It feels like you are in natural surroundings. The Yamato theme played on strings and piano was amazing. I was also enchanted by Isao Sasaki’s singing voice. it became a wonderful summer memory. – abricotonlapin

Photos posted on Twitter by S Meijin and Yamahiromu

It’s been five hours since the show ended, but the afterglow hasn’t worn off at all. I will never forget those two miraculous hours, when even thunder and lightning were added to the music. – chun78

Photos posted on Twitter by Hyperion Fleet and Dencyu

The excitement hasn’t died down and I still feel like I’m in a dream! What a great concert. I am filled with joy at being able to witness the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Yamato music. – Hiro1963

Display of music production artifacts. Photo posted on Twitter by Yamato Music FE

It was such a rich and meaningful moment that I didn’t have time to tweet about it. I truly felt that this once-in-a-lifetime music would stay with me for the rest of my life. It was more satisfying than I expected. – Yamato Music FE

Photos posted on Twitter by The Udoneeds and Daisuke Kitaguchi

King Isao Sasaki’s singing, Ari Miyacawa’s scat, Tomoko’s producing skills and the final tears, Akira’s conducting, and the performance of the chorus and orchestra were all amazing! Thunder was also performed with lightning and sounds. – Ayaka

I got home safely in the heavy rain. I say this every time, but today’s concert was also amazing. I was especially glad to hear Isao Sasaki’s Pendant of Stars, Yamato! The New Journey, and Sadness (Okita’s death). – Miyuki 0107

Photos posted on Twitter by The Udoneeds and ninotendo

A newspaper clipping titled The Hated Pilot “Nishizaki Yamato” from Hiroshi Miyagawa’s Sound Anatomy was on display at the theater (photo at right). It was a very interesting article that conveyed Miyagawa’s feelings toward Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki at the time. – ninotendo

Read the text of the article here

Photos posted on Twitter by darakuzu and Daisuke Kitaguchi

While listening to Chiko Miyagawa’s retrospective, I was once again deeply moved by what an amazing concert I had been to. Not only the music, but also the gentle lettering and star design on the clear file. The design of the grand piano resembles Yamato on the sheet music cover. This is also wonderful. – darukazu

Photos posted on Twitter by Yamanashi apricot and Daisuke Kitaguchi

During the second part of the concert, thunder roared and lightning flashed during White Comet/Ark of Destruction, just like the mental image of Zordar in Yamato 2202, who had inherited generations of despair. Even bad weather can be turned to his advantage. Is this the power of the Miyagawa family? – TOM2199

One of my friends went home saying, “I don’t want to hear any other sounds today.” I feel the same way. – TOM2199

Photos posted on Twitter by Isao Sasaki info

I was moved to tears when I heard King Isao Sasaki’s Pendant of Stars for the first time live. Also by the sight of Tomoko Miyagawa, who was overcome with emotion after successfully completing the concert. Thank you for a wonderful concert, it was like a midsummer night’s dream!! – S Meijin

Isao Sasaki was absolutely amazing. I was in tears at the second verse, “Someone has to do this.” Even when I’m singing alone in the car, I always get emotional at this part. I was so happy to be able to sing with him. – lmbgnmur400

Photo posted on Twitter by Isao Sasaki info

The Yamato Strings Concert at Kawaguchiko Stellar Theater was amazing. The approach of the White Comet began amid thunderclaps, and the performance was a perfect natural production. Tomoko’s arrangement and Isao Sasaki’s live singing were wonderful. I was happy to hear Pendant of Stars. – Hiko

Congratulations on the 50th anniversary of Space Battleship Yamato. I was moved to tears from the first song. Isao Sasaki’s singing voice was powerful and amazing. Please stay healthy and keep up the good work. At the end, everyone in the venue sang together and it was a really fun time. – Sugichin

Photo posted on Twitter by Akira Miyagawa

Akira Miyagawa: Thanks to everyone, this was not just a Yamato music event, but a concert that we can be proud of. Thank you to all the musicians in the photo, the people at the music festival who were involved in the planning, and the customers who came to the event. (And to everyone in the heavens, the thunder was the best.)

Photo at left posted on Twitter by Chiko Miyagawa

Chiko Miyagawa, post-concert: Thank you for the concert! It was raining really hard, did everyone get home safely? Here is Akira-san, who has nothing left. Everyone did a great job. Good night for now.

Jun Sumida, guitarist: The concert was a huge success! It was like a rock festival. The collaboration with distant thunder was thrilling, which is rare for a classical concert. On the way home, there was a sudden downpour. Last night was a wonderful memory of summer vacation. Producer and pianist Tomoko Miyagawa was shining.

Ari Miyacawa, singer: It wasn’t a dream…yesterday was a day that made me feel like it was a dream until the heavy rain on my way home. I was truly honored to have the opportunity to perform for the first time in such a wonderful project.

August 25: the day after the event, Chiko Miyagawa did a 45-minute livestream on Youtube, describing the experience and answering questions from viewers. See it here (turn on captions and auto-translate to follow along).

Program book commentary by Fumi Fukukou

“Farewell, Earth…” The song is like a powerful echo from the bottom of the ocean. Isao Sasaki and the chorus (Musical Academy) and its slow tempo bass in unison was an unforgettable shock. The opening song Space Battleship Yamato captivated the audience. The date was October 6, 1974.

The TV series Space Battleship Yamato is a 26-episode SF anime that aired from 1974 to 1975. It gained explosive popularity in reruns, and when a movie version was released in theaters in 1977, it caused a social phenomenon called the “Yamato boom,” with people lining up all night before the release.

Space Battleship Yamato is set in the year 2199, when the mysterious alien “Gamilas” have invaded with planet bombs, and there are only 365 days left until the extinction of humanity. The story is about a group of people aboard the Space Battleship Yamato, heading for the planet Iscandar, 148,000 light years away from Earth (168,000 light years in the remake). They hope to save the Earth while fighting a deadly battle.

The ensemble drama with its charming characters, centered around Captain Okita, the detailed and powerful mechanics and direction despite being hand-drawn, the celestial depictions and settings that stimulate the imagination, and the numerous sounds (music, sound effects, dialogue) that capture the heart of the work, have all fascinated many people.

As the work progresses, it welcomes new composers. In the Yamato remake series, starting with Yamato 2199 in 2012, Akira Miyagawa took over from his father, Hiroshi Miyagawa. And even now, the music of Yamato continues to expand like the universe. From Space Battleship Yamato to the newest remake REBEL 3199 which is currently being released and in production, the total number of tracks amounts to more than 1500.

The appeal of the music of the Yamato series is, above all, the “melody” that you never forget once you hear it. (Akira Miyagawa calls it a “dense melody.”) Because the melody is so solid, various arrangements have been made, and a variety of tones can be created, sometimes sad and sometimes brave. You will surely feel that at today’s concert.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the broadcast and the 50th anniversary of the birth of the music, this one-day-only concert features “strings” (instruments such as violin, viola, cello, contrabasse) and “piano” produced by Tomoko Miyagawa.

Let’s enjoy Yamato music together in the wonderful, relaxed acoustics that can only be experienced at Kawaguchiko Stellar Theater.