The first concert in Germany at Eifel

 Huppenbroich was a beautiful village located near the three-point border of Germany, Belgium and Holland. It is famous for beautiful scenery and fresh air. It's like Hokkaido I think. The sky was high and far. Sometimes I practiced singing in the backyard of my friend's house. When I did, I felt like my voice melted and spreaded into the air. 

 Actually, when I first told my friend Junko that I wanted to visit her, she was thinking of inviting her neibors to her house and having a home concert. But one of her friends said " If I were Sayaka, I would like to sing at a church."  And that another neibour happned to be the reopresentative of the perish of that area. Junko didn't know that but thought it was a great idea. When she told me, I couldn't believe it first because I had always wished to sing at a church someday. And it came true.

 The concept of the concert Junko came up with to "Introduce German folk songs sung in Japanese." I didn't know any German except like " I'm Sayaka" or some greeting words. So I couldn't sing in German back then.

 Junko felt that German people had tried to look away from their history since WW2. Telling them that our Japanese ancestors learnd a lot of things from Germany, for example, Medicine and Music and that some folk songs were translated and are still loved in Japan would help them appreciate that history once again. I thought it was a wounderful idea.

 I also thought it would be happy for me to see people feeling close to Japan. 

I didn't quite remember the concert . I was nervas. It was my first concert abroad and biggest one at that time. I felt like I was dreaming. When the audience applaused and stood up, I realised I had finished the concert. I cried with emotion moved by the heartful applause. But I dindn't know I would be able to sing again next year.