Society

Japanese cellist Michiaki Ueno wins Geneva music competition

Oct 30 (Japan Times) - GENEVA – Michiaki Ueno won the top prize in the cello division of the Geneva International Music Competition on Thursday, the organizers said, becoming the first Japanese cellist to receive the award.

The 25-year-old was awarded 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) for claiming first prize, while Bryan Cheng of Canada, 24, and Jaemin Han of South Korea, 15, ranked second and third in the competition, respectively.

“I was happy enough I was able to play a piece I love, but it is great the result turned out to be good,” said Ueno, who currently studies at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Dusseldorf, a music university in Germany.

He was formerly a student of Japanese cellist Hakuro Mori, professor at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo. The Geneva competition, founded in 1939, discovers, supports and promotes talented classical musicians up to 30 years of age and is considered a springboard to an international career.

In 2019, Japan’s Hinako Takagi, 32, won the first prize in the composition division.

Ueno performed Witold Lutoslawski’s “Concerto for Cello and Orchestra” in the final. He said this piece was one of the reasons why he decided to enroll in the competition as “the occasions to play this concerto are rare.”

Source: ANNnewsCH

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.