Record Day 10th Anniversary Festival, Featuring Music and Fine 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" event at the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama, and since I had the time free, I decided to attend.

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

"If you like, please play a song!" I was told, and the atmosphere was so good that I played Falla's "Dance of the Fallas." The beautiful quartet I had been listening to just before the meal was playing a very pleasant piece, and the acoustics were wonderful, so 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, and it felt like I was transported to a different world from my everyday life.

And the meal was really delicious! I enjoyed everything from the appetizer to the dessert. When the dessert was served, the lights were dimmed and I was excited to see the ice cream burning with liqueur. The flowers and candles on the table, and the smiles of the hotel staff made me feel kind and happy.

Returning to the topic of records, I basically love old recordings and records. Hearing people talking, the voices of musicians, and the atmosphere of the place being transmitted along with the sound of the needle soothes the soul. I remember going around old record stores in London as a student, searching for records of my favorite musicians. This time, beautiful picture records (records decorated with illustrations or photographs) from the Kitahara Collection were on display, and once again, the records seemed to shine like works of art. Seeing colorful records makes me feel brighter than black records. I wanted to listen to the rich sounds of the piano on record at the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama!!