Intercultural Exchange through Music and Peace!

From Monday, January 19, to Wednesday, January 21, Gregory Charles—a leading Canadian musician, artist, educator, and host who is active internationally—and the Girls’ Choir he directs (College Vocal du Canada) visited the Honorary Consul of Canada in Hiroshima and our university.

This visit was organized with the aim of promoting international cultural exchange through music and deepening mutual understanding among the younger generation, and was made possible because our university’s President, Yuko Ishida, who serves as the Honorary Consul of Canada in Hiroshima.

On Monday, January 19, the first day of their visit to Hiroshima, the group visited the Honorary Consul on campus and participated in a tea ceremony demonstration by the university’s Tea Ceremony Club. Thereafter, the group listened to a lecture on Itsukushima (Miyajima) by Professor Toshihiko Hamada. Gregory Charles and the Canadian Girls’ Choir gave a special performance in front of students and guests invited from the local community. A welcome reception was held with all the guests. Everyone had a wonderful time exchanging conversations on Hiroshima’s history, culture, and peace.

As part of the Japanese cultural experience, the group participated in a tea ceremony in the university’s tearoom. While receiving instruction on the movements of the Ueda Soko school and an explanation of the spiritual essence of the tea ceremony, the group had servings of traditional matcha and Japanese sweets, spending a precious moment experiencing Japan’s “spirit of hospitality.”

Thereafter, Professor Hamada delivered a short lecture on the theme of “Hiroshima and Itsukushima (more familiarly known as Miyajima),” deepening the participants’ understanding of Hiroshima’s historical background, culture, and the relationship between faith and nature. The choir members listened intently to the explanation. The group asked so many questions that the session ran over the scheduled time.

In the evening, a special musical performance by Gregory Charles and the Canadian Girls’ Choir was held on the fifth floor of Meitokukan, with residents of the local community invited to attend. Gregory Charles’ performance and the choir’s crystal-clear voices filled the venue, while the students, faculty, staff, and public in attendance listened attentively. It was an evening where everyone (local residents, students, faculty and staff) was impressed by the beautiful music.

Following the performance, a welcome reception was held, featuring mini-events and social activities organized by the students, allowing participants to exchange words and deepen their friendships. During the reception, singing could be heard rising from the circle of interaction between the Canadian Girls’ Choir and the students, making it a wonderful evening where music connected people’s hearts across cultural and linguistic differences.

On the second day, Tuesday, January 20, students from the university’s intercultural communication group “ViVA” guided the Canadian delegation through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Memorial Park in English.

At the Peace memorial Museum, they viewed exhibits detailing the devastation caused by the atomic bombing and the city’s path to recover. The serious expressions on the students’ faces showed the understanding of the “preciousness of peace.”

The ViVA students provided explanations in English as they toured the Memorial Monument to the Atomic Bomb Victims, the Statue of the A-bombed Child, and the Peace Bell.

At the Peace Bell, the three youngest members of the Girls’ Choir rang the bell, and following an explanation by Gregory Charles, they sang a song.
Many of the students could not hold back their tears, perhaps as they reflected on the fact that 81 years ago, many children of their own generation were exposed to radiation under the skies of Hiroshima on the day the atomic bomb was dropped.

They also sang songs of peace in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome.
Since the music sung by the Girls’ Choir promotes world peace, the peace education program in Hiroshima appears to have been a deeply meaningful experience.

For lunch, everyone enjoyed okonomiyaki—the “soul food” of Hiroshima’s culinary culture—at the long-established restaurant, “Michan.”

Thereafter, ViVA guided the group for a visit to Miyajima and strolled around Itsukushima Shrine, Daisho-in Temple, Sejokaku, and the shopping area.

Walking through one of Japan’s most scenic spots, surrounded by the sea and mountains, provided an opportunity for everyone to experience firsthand the cultural landscape where Japan’s nature and history harmoniously coexist.

For dinner, ViVA students accompanied the group to Aeon Mall in Gion, Hiroshima. Everyone enjoyed shopping and picking out souvenirs together. It was a day that allowed everyone to deepen intercultural exchange.

On the third day, Wednesday, January 21, President Yuko Ishida, the Honorary Consul of Canada in Hiroshima, acted as a liaison for Gregory Charles and the Canadian Girls’ Choir during their courtesy visit to Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui.

During the courtesy visit, Gregory Charles spoke about the significance of his visit to Hiroshima and the importance of international exchange through music. The girls’ choir also performed, and their beautiful, clear harmonies—filled with hopes of peace—echoed throughout the mayor’s office.

These three days of exchange provided the students with a valuable opportunity to broaden their horizons. We hope that cultural exchange between Canada and Hiroshima will continue to deepen, and that the message of peace conveyed through music will be passed on to future generations.