131st Tournament of Roses Parade (January 1, 2020) – Japan Honor Green Band

Posted on by under All, Events, Events/Other, Rose Parade, RP20

Thank You for providing information for this page: Green Band Association, J.J.-san, Emms-san and Paul Miller -san.

Video coverage around Rose Parade activities can be found at the YouTube-channels of Music213 and Music Amenities.

Drawing of Tachibana alumni travelling to Rose Parade is here.

In honor of Tokyo Olympic Year 2020 Japan Honor Green Band was composed of representatives of 21 schools around Japan and had 163 members.

You can find more details of the band members and their schedule in the US here.

Interview of 7 Tachibana alumnae who are part of Japan Honor Green Band can be found here.

Band pin button (picture by Jerry C)

Olympic year celebration concert:

Click picture to watch video

Olympic Year Celebration Concert was held on January 2, 2020 at Aratani Theater. Short video on the concert by Music213 above.

Concert program (picture by RX Bruin)

RX Bruin was among the audience and writes about his experience:

“Here is my summary after attending the Olympic Year Celebration Concert performed by the Japan Honor Green Band on January 2, 2020 at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles, California.”

“When the Aratani Theater doors opened, each member of the audience was provided an origami crane along with a concert program. After the seating lighting dimmed and the stage lighting turned up which allowed the audience to view the Japan Honor Green Band musicians with their shiny instruments, the bright overhead stage lighting also allowed the green portions of the band uniform to “pop” against the black portions. Some of the color guards who are also musicians were wearing their beautiful kimono-inspired uniforms. For an evening performance, the band looked ELEGANT and GREAT! I quickly scanned the stage hoping to recognize as much of the KT alumni as I could, and indeed I saw many of them. They, along with all the other musicians, looked fantastic and were ready to get it started.”

Click picture to watch video

“Finally, the conductor raised his baton and the first tune began. You can view the performances elsewhere on this blog. In full transparency, I have attended several live professional full orchestra symphonies in my years, but this was my first brass band concert. As many have stated in the past, attending a concert live absolutely cannot be replicated by online videos even with the audiophile-quality headphones or a full-blown home theater system. The sound produced by the Honor Green Band was loud, clean, and tight.”

“The band played each of the songs beautifully, from the delicate flute/piccolo passages to the full blown blaring of the other instruments. “Takarajima” has always been one of my favorite tunes played by many Japanese brass bands, so I was very happy to see it listed on the program. Needless to say the band absolutely nailed it, with the audience responding with a well-deserved standing ovation to the band members’ happy smiles. The time went by really quickly for the concert, and I was wishing it would last longer. Keeping in mind that the Green Band musicians are high school/college-aged, they were finally able to release their youthful energy and enthusiasm during the playing of their encore performance of “Takarajima”, and again the audience went crazy, self-included, hehe.”

“In summary, the concert was absolutely a grand performance by the Japan Honor Green Band, and I remain amazed on how the band could come together very quickly in just a few days after arriving in the U.S. in meeting other band members, learning how to play as a cohesive band for their performances at the various venues over the course of a few days, and enjoy their visit to the U.S.. WELL DONE Green Band Association, the Japan Honor Green Band, parents, and all the support staff who made these performances happen. Japan should be very, very proud.”

Pictures by GBA 3, during the Parade:

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この写真はご本人の許諾を得て公開しています。

This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
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This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
この写真はご本人の許諾を得て公開しています。

This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
この写真はご本人の許諾を得て公開しています。

This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
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131st Tournament of Roses Parade:

Click picture to watch video

Band marching down Colorado Boulevard at the 131st Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2020 (video above by Music213).

A true Japanophile was also among the spectators and he was greeted warmly by the band members (video by The Villalobos Channel):

Click picture to watch video

Coverage by KTLA Channel 5 is below, they caught the band making pirouettes (video by CriZ CroZ):

Click picture to watch video

Pictures by GBA 2, just before Rose Parade:

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This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
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This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
この写真はご本人の許諾を得て公開しています。

This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
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40th Annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Bandfest:

Click picture to watch video

Band at Bandfest on December 30, 2019 (video by Music213). At 1:00 “Kurara” gets some extra attention! Official video digest by GBA is here.

Full Bandfest shows can be seen here: Bandfest I, Bandfest II and Bandfest III.

Pictures by GBA 1:

This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
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This photo has been released with the consent of the person.
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Parade in Disneyland Park:

Click picture to watch video

We got the first glimpse of Japan Honor Green Band when they marched down Main Street, U.S.A., Disneyland Park on December 29, 2019 (video by greg lyons).

News articles on band visit:

– Article at Rafu Shimpō is here (in Japanese).
– Gifusho OBs have arrived to Anaheim Angel Stadium, click here.
– Article on Mainichi Shimbun is here (in Japanese),

References:

– News release by Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade Association (click here).
– Flyer by Green Band Association and John F. Kennedy High School Band is here.

38 thoughts on “131st Tournament of Roses Parade (January 1, 2020) – Japan Honor Green Band”

  1. Mio-san participated in the 2020 Rose Parade.
    The Class 111th Saxophone Part Leader Nickname Mio-san♬She was good friends with Mentapu.
    Participated as a flag bearer for the Green Band. (Due to work commitments, I was unable to attend rehearsals, so I actually wanted to participate in the 2018 Rose Parade, but as a first-year employee, I was too busy with work to take time off and couldn’t participate. Many members of the 111th and 112th bands were unable to participate for similar reasons.)
    Currently training as a chef in Spain, I hope your dreams come true ♬
    OrangeFairy

    https://imgur.com/a/t9E9oLZ

    https://imgur.com/a/Oiy9rkT

    https://imgur.com/a/oRpzGbx

    https://imgur.com/a/vdsAJYO

    https://imgur.com/a/J19i8TO

    https://imgur.com/a/F8oxko0

    https://imgur.com/a/SFo5S01

    https://imgur.com/a/d1WpXTE

    https://imgur.com/a/3Oi9Lb6

    https://imgur.com/a/UkSeK0s

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. I have read in some comments that KT does not win gold many times, because the judges do not like the way to leave them, but every time the GBA goes to the Tournament of Roses, they look for them so that they can show them choreographies. With this I can deduce that they do not like it for Japan, but they realize that for abroad it is a great show.

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      • I wish I was a judge. I would give them gold every time. I suspect many judges were never high school band members and cannot appreciate what those students are doing.

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  8. https://imgur.com/XMq6dVF
    Here is my summary after attending the Olympic Year Celebration Concert performed by the Japan Honor Green Band on January 2, 2020 at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles, California.

    When the Aratani Theater doors opened, each member of the audience was provided an origami crane along with a concert program. After the seating lighting dimmed and the stage lighting turned up which allowed the audience to view the Japan Honor Green Band musicians with their shiny instruments, the bright overhead stage lighting also allowed the green portions of the band uniform to “pop” against the black portions. Some of the color guards who are also musicians were wearing their beautiful kimono-inspired uniforms. For an evening performance, the band looked ELEGANT and GREAT! I quickly scanned the stage hoping to recognize as much of the KT alumni as I could, and indeed I saw many of them. They, along with all the other musicians, looked fantastic and were ready to get it started.

    Finally, the conductor raised his baton and the first tune began. You can view the performances elsewhere on this blog. In full transparency, I have attended several live professional full orchestra symphonies in my years, but this was my first brass band concert. As many have stated in the past, attending a concert live absolutely cannot be replicated by online videos even with the audiophile-quality headphones or a full-blown home theater system. The sound produced by the Honor Green Band was loud, clean, and tight.

    The band played each of the songs beautifully, from the delicate flute/piccolo passages to the full blown blaring of the other instruments. “Takarajima” has always been one of my favorite tunes played by many Japanese brass bands, so I was very happy to see it listed on the program. Needless to say the band absolutely nailed it, with the audience responding with a well-deserved standing ovation to the band members’ happy smiles. The time went by really quickly for the concert, and I was wishing it would last longer. Keeping in mind that the Green Band musicians are high school/college-aged, they were finally able to release their youthful energy and enthusiasm during the playing of their encore performance of “Takarajima”, and again the audience went crazy, self-included, hehe.

    In summary, the concert was absolutely a grand performance by the Japan Honor Green Band, and I remain amazed on how the band could come together very quickly in just a few days after arriving in the U.S. in meeting other band members, learning how to play as a cohesive band for their performances at the various venues over the course of a few days, and enjoy their visit to the U.S.. WELL DONE Green Band Association, the Japan Honor Green Band, parents, and all the support staff who made these performances happen. Japan should be very, very proud.

    p.s., I was able to meet Paul Miller in person!

    -Rx Bruin

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Paul – thank you so very kindly for your nice note and for sharing your experiences, and again it was a pleasure meeting you in person. We here on the blog are enjoying vicariously the amazing experiences you have described here.
      In all honesty and full transparency, I was so excited during the late afternoon on the day of the concert performance that I neglected to pack my smartphone with me, which I didn’t realize until my wife and I arrived at the Aratani Theater. I was so very bummed as I wanted to take pictures and perhaps some videos of the experience (my non-techie wife does not have a smartphone).
      After the performance began, I pointed out to my wife each of the KT alumni that I had recognized, and I was nearly tearful that I was actually seeing in person with my own eyeballs and listening live to the wonderful musicians from Japan that I had only been able to view living thousands of miles away via online videos. I did get to chat briefly with some very pleasant Green Band support staff (parents?) in the lobby after the performance as we wrote our donation check.
      Thank for mentioning the trumpet soloist, who was incredible. The other soloists played their tunes with a lot of joy, and I really, really enjoyed the encore performance of Takarajima where it seemed that all the musicians simply let loose and had a lot of fun, especially the folks in the very back. I was hooting and hollering so loudly that my wife had told me to knock it off, hehe.
      I would definitely wish to stay in contact with you but I don’t know how to reach you.

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      Reply

  14. Since I reside in the Southern California area, some information has been made available in the local media for the upcoming events. Here are the weather forecasts and live streaming information (if available):

    Parade at Disneyland Park in Anaheim (December 29, 2019): Weather forecast: mostly sunny, high/low of 62°/47°F (17°/8°C), wind 6mph (10km/h).

    Bandfest3 in Pasadena December 30, 2019 at 2pm: Weather forecast: rain, high/low 51°/42°F (11°/6°C), wind 8mph (13km/h); LIVE STREAMING: all three Bandfest sessions streamed live on the Pasadena Star-News website, pasadenastarnews.com, or on its Facebook page, facebook.com/pasadenastarnews. Recordings of the live broadcasts will be available in both places shortly after they end.

    Rose Parade in Pasadena January 1, 2020: Weather forecast: partly cloudy, high/low 62°/42°F (17°/6°C), wind 4mph (6km/h); LIVE STEAMING: information can be found here: (https://roseparade2020.live). In addition, local Los Angeles TV station KTLA5 will be providing live streaming on KTLA.COM starting at 6 AM Pacific on New Year’s Day, (which will be 11:00 PM in Nihon). KTLA will also provide a special Band Cam, with more coverage of marching bands, live streaming on the KTLA5 Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ktla5).

    Olympic Year Celebration Concert in Los Angeles: January 2, 2020: Weather forecast: mostly sunny, high/low 67°/49°F (19°/9°C).

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  15. Meetup at Bandfest
    Is anyone interested in KT fans getting together at Bandfest?
    I will be attending all three sessions.
    I will be wearing a tan cowboy hat and holding a small KT banner (thank you, Vincent Tracey).
    I will try to position myself near the food stand at the top of the seating area prior to the starting performances.

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  18. The complete 2020 Rose Parade lineup has been determined, and the order of appearance is shown below. I’ve only listed the top 20 of the 87 various representative parade participants to save blog space. The Japan Honor Green Band will be the 11th organization.
    1. American Honda
    2. U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard
    3. United States Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band
    4. Cal Poly Universities
    5. Arabian Horse Association
    6. General Society of Mayflower Descendants
    7. Rancho Verde Crimson Regiment, Moreno Valley, California
    8. Burbank Tournament of Roses Association
    9. Grand Marshals Rita Moreno, Gina Torres and Laurie Hernandez
    10. Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee
    11. Japan Honor Green Band, Kyoto, Japan
    12. Downey Rose Float Association
    13. Blue Shadow Mounted Drill Team
    14. Underground Service Alert (Dig Alert)
    15. The Pride of Owasso, Owasso, Oklahoma
    16. Chipotle Mexican Grill
    17. 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Army
    18. Chinese American Heritage Foundation
    19. Helsingør Pigegarde, Hornbaek, Denmark
    20. Pasadena City College Herald Trumpets
    21. – 87. Various other organizations

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  20. I hope there are video of these events posted on YouTube shortly after. It will be great to see Chippi perform again. I hope she has her own YouTube channel for her band.

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    • Music213 and MusicAmenities will both be covering Bandfest and parade activities again this year. They’re the main two channels I recommend to follow since they both cover all of the marching band events from California year-round. Both are very friendly guys if anyone has the chance to meet them at all 🙂 thank you both!

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