Talent Norika Fujiwara will appear on NHK's music program "Utacon" (General) broadcasting from 8 pm on March 11th. This will be Fujiwara's first appearance on the program.
Fujiwara, whose hometown of Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, suffered major damage in the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, will perform "Shiawase Hakoberu Youni," a reconstruction song that was born in Kobe and has now spread across the country, in collaboration with a choir that continues to sing the song in Fukushima Prefecture and young people from Kobe City.
On this day, "Utacon" will be broadcast live under the title "Songs of Hope for Hometowns" to mark the 14th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Singers who care about the disaster-stricken areas will gather and perform songs filled with their own thoughts, such as their feelings for their hometowns, encouragement for recovery, and the importance of passing on memories of the disaster.
In addition to Fujiwara, Kohei Otomo, Yoko Kanno, Fuyumi Sakamoto, Masao Sen, Akihiro Nakagawa, Leon Shinhama, and Kaori Mizumori will also appear. A video of a mini live concert that Masatoshi Nakamura held for the local people in his hometown of Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the tsunami, will be shown.
