The L.A. Kansai Club presented the Spring Singing Festival on April 13 at Nishi Hongwanji Betsuin in Little Tokyo.
Co-presented by Karin Creations, the concert featured 24 local singers performing popular songs of the past. The event was supported by Keiro and Nippon Kashu Kyoukai USA Tomonokai.
Tak Nishi served as emcee. Opening remarks were made by L.A. Kansai Club President Shinichi Hirokawa, Naoshige Aoshima from the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, and Janie Toshiba of Keiro.
The opening act was the Umeboshi Band performing “Oroshi.” During intermission, the band played three Obon songs, “Tanko Bushi,” “Eijanaika” and “Tokyo Ondo.”
At the end of the program, the audience was invited to sing “Furusato” and “Ue o Muite Arukou” (known in the U.S. as “Sukiyaki”) with Nobuki Hirai on guitar.
Planning and direction by Noriko Yonami; sound by Ken Harada; sound editing by Ryoko Kobori.
Singers and song titles with original artist in parentheses:
1. Kazumi Tasaka, “Omatsuri Mambo” (Hibari Misora)
2. Toshio Kamei, “Futari Shizuka” (Hiroshi Itsuki)
3. Takako Suzuki, “Koi no Kisetsu” (Pinky & Killers)
4. Akira Fujimoto, “Umi o Watatta Jinsei” (Yuji Kitagawa)
5. Ayame Dance Club, “Otemoyan” (Kumamoto folk song)
6. Fake Mikawa, “Sasoriza no Onna” (Kenichi Mikawa)
7. Keiko Hashimoto, “Dancing Hero” (Yoko Oginome)
8. Keiko Suginome, “Yukinaki Tsugaru” (Mariko Shimizu)
9. Nobuki Hanai, “YMCA Young Man” (Hideki Saijo)
10. Allie Takehana, “The Sound of Music” (Julie Andrews)
11. Etsuko Chinen, “Hyosetsu no Umi” (Kaori Kozai)
12. Yoshikuni Okita, “Matsuri” (Saburo Kitajima)
13. Marisa Kosugi and Matsutoyo Kai, “Sanosa” and “Otemoyan”
14. Shinichi HIrokawa, “Chanchiki Okesa” (Haruo Minami)
15. Hideo Imai, “My Memory” (“Fuyu no Sonata” soundtrack)
16. L.A. Dreams, “American Feeling” (Circus)
17. Kao Kogetsu (dancer), “Kanto Harusame Kasa” (Hibari Misora)
18. Shoko Helm, “Hanabira no Yuki” (Goro Kagami)
19. Chihiro Onogi, “Bokyo Shin Soma” (Shinobu Hanakyoin)
20. Niwatori Sisters (Kimi and Tomi), “Shamisen Shimai” (Komadori Shimai)
21. Koji Kuninaga, “Dancing All Night” (Monta & Brothers)
22. Maaya Ota, “Tegami” (Ryoichi Higuchi)
23. Junichi Araki, “Muhomatsu no Issho” (Hideo Murata)
24. Noriko Yonami, “Seto no Hanayome” (Rumiko Koyanagi)