Record Day 10th Anniversary Appreciation Festival, filled with music and delicious food

It's gotten really cold. How are you all doing?
By the way, did you know that November 3rd is Record Day? To be honest, I didn't know either.
I was invited by Kitahara Teruhisa, a collector and director of the Yokohama Tin Toy Museum, who is a friendly friend of mine.

I was invited to attend the 10th anniversary "Record Day" Thanksgiving event, which was being held at Hotel New Grand in Yokohama, and since I had the time available, I decided to attend.

I had the opportunity to perform joint concerts (concerts with multiple musicians) with Kitahara-san several times at the New Grand, a very large venue overlooking the sea, during the time of Perry's arrival.
This year's Thanksgiving event was held in the Rainbow Room of the old building. People involved in the record industry gathered from all over the country, and the space was so beautiful it felt like a scene from a movie. The interior of the room was mainly wine red, and there was even a grand piano on the stage.

"If you'd like, please play a song!" they said, and the atmosphere was so good that I decided to play Falla's "Dance of the Fallas." Just before the meal, I had been listening to a beautiful quartet playing music that was so soothing and had such a wonderful acoustic, that I wanted to play as well.
As expected, the tone of a live performance changes depending on where it is performed and the atmosphere it is performed in. The weather was fine that day, and the courtyard view from the Rainbow Room reminded me of a European garden, making me feel like I was transported to a different world from my everyday life.

The meal was absolutely delicious! I enjoyed everything from the appetizer to the dessert. When dessert was served, the lights were dimmed and I was thrilled to see the ice cream rimmed in liqueur. The flowers and candles on the table, and the smiles of the hotel staff, made me feel warm and happy.

Returning to the topic of records, I fundamentally love old recordings and records. Hearing the voices of people talking and performers, and the atmosphere of the place being conveyed along with the sound of the needle, is soothing to the soul. I remember visiting old record stores in London as a student, searching for records by my favorite performers. This time, beautiful picture records (records decorated with illustrations and photographs) from the Kitahara Collection were on display, and once again, records seemed to shine like works of art. Seeing colorful records, rather than black ones, brightens my mood. I wanted to listen to the rich tones of the piano on record at the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama!!