When Japanese-born Shoko arrived on Welsh soil for university, little did she know then that her musical journey would lead her right back home 20 years later to perform with a Welsh brass band she now calls home too.
Shoko, who now runs a leading UK English language centre helping people around the world learn English, will be playing homecoming shows as part of the Tongwynlais Temperance Band – a brass band from a hilltop village with a fairytale castle on the outskirts of Welsh capital, Cardiff.
The shows, which will see her perform alongside Tokyo's Meiji Primary School and the Utsunomiya Brass Society and Saitama Premier Brass bands, is one of many musical links being developed between Wales and Japan, like the Welsh National Opera’s current cultural exchange to foster creative collaboration between the countries.
Having played the euphonium from the age of nine, it was watching British comedy film Brassed Off that introduced Shoko to brass bands and inspired her to pursue a professional career within them. Eager to travel overseas for the best education in brass music, she researched university options with Cardiff's Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama coming out on top.
Playing with various brass bands after moving to Wales, she then joined the Tongwynlais Temperence Band in 2021, quickly becoming a central part. So much so she's now the driving force behind the 30-strong band travelling across the world to play in Japan, breaking new ground for Welsh brass bands. A brand-new chapter in the band’s 137 year history.
The band will take part in a week-long tour of the Tokyo area between 14th-21st April 2025, performing in community performances with bands including the Saitama Premier Brass band. Shoko and her fellow musicians will perform Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ for the first time, a world-renowned piece designed for classical orchestras, not brass bands.
As part of the celebrations, the band will also visit Meiji Primary School in Tokyo, one of the best primary school brass bands in Japan, to perform ‘The song of Wales’, a piece commissioned by Shoko and written by Philip Harper. It will be accompanied by Welsh poetry and visuals of Wales - an innovative and creative way to showcase Wales to the world.
The tour has been funded by Taith (“Journey” in Welsh) - the Welsh Government’s international exchange programme, after Shoko applied for funding. The visit will be an educational experience, sharing best practice between both nations, as well as celebrating links and strengthening bonds by creating new connections.
“I loved brass bands from the minute I watched Brassed Off as a child. I love how Welsh brass bands have roots in mining communities - my grandfather and uncle were miners in Japan. I feel so at home with brass bands. It’s also so nice continuing something I started whilst in Japan, bringing both homes closer together.
“UK brass bands have a long history but they were not common in Japan when I was growing up. However, the number of brass bands and culture surrounding them has grown significantly in Japan over the past 20 years. It will be a privilege to play with different bands and bring new ideas back to Wales. The Japanese brass band community has always looked to Wales and the UK for inspiration and learning.
“On a personal note, it’s amazing to perform in front of my friends and family and to do so in a way that tells a story about Wales, my new home”.
Knowing a language barrier would need to be overcome when she moved to Wales, Shoko enrolled at the Celtic English Academy, ahead of her four-year music degree.
Following the degree, Shoko embarked on an internship in London, but quickly found herself longing for the warm Welsh welcome from her time in Wales. She returned to the capital and Celtic English Academy, wanting to ensure those coming to Wales from Japan and other places around the world had the same fantastic experience she’d been fortunate to have. This led to Shoko working for the school and, seven years later, she took over as Chief Executive Officer .
“Moving to Wales was great, Welsh people are so welcoming and kind. Cardiff is vibrant capital city yet everything is so relaxed. It's also only two hours from London, so you don’t feel you’re missing out on anything.”
“I’ve always felt at home here. It’s got to the point that my family in Japan say I’m now a Welsh woman who speaks Japanese like a native!”
Shoko’s story is only one of countless classical music links between Wales and Japan including world-famous baritone Bryn Terfel’s many visits to the country and Tadaaki Otaka’s conducting journey from the BBC National Opera of Wales to the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra.
