On October 14, JR Tokai held the “Sagamihara Linear Concert” at the Kanagawa Station (tentative name) of the Central Shinkansen Line.
The Chuo Shinkansen Kanagawa Station (tentative name), currently under construction in Hashimoto 2-chome, Midori-ku, Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, is the first large-scale underground structure to be constructed in the Chuo Shinkansen intermediate station construction.
Centered on the site of the relocated prefectural Aihara High School, a 3-minute walk from Hashimoto Station on the JR and Keio Lines, the new line will intersect with National Route 16 and consist of three underground levels, extending approximately 680 m with a maximum width of 50 m. Construction will finally begin in earnest in preparation for the opening of the Linear Line.
On this “Railroad Day,” a special stage was set up at the construction site, which is about 30 meters deep underground, where a brass band performance was held by the JR Tokai Music Club, Aihara High School, and Sagamihara Yaei High School. The songs included the children’s song “Senro wa nazuno yo dokodemo doko e”, the new Tokaido Shinkansen commercial song “Aini ikou”, the popular dance song “Jambori Mickey! and “Galaxy Express 999.
Although it was an outdoor stage with a vaulted ceiling, the venue, surrounded by a huge geological formation wall, looked like a music hall with an echo chamber, and the packed audience cheered and clapped.
At the excavation site, which is normally off-limits to the public, visitors were able to see the bare reinforced concrete that will form the foundation of the future station, earth retaining walls that clearly show the strata of the earth, and sandbags temporarily placed for backfilling. About 2,400 visitors, including local residents and railroad enthusiasts, came to enjoy the stage performances and hands-on experiences at the booths.
Mr. Shunsuke Niwa, President and Representative Director of Central Japan Railway Company, who delivered a speech on behalf of the organizers, said, “We hope that the concert will be an opportunity for people to enjoy the concert and deepen their understanding of the Linear Central Shinkansen project. Through music, we hope to bring a sense of unity to the neighborhood.
Mr. Niwa is the president of the JR Tokai Music Club and has a long history as a trumpet player from his junior high school days to the present. At the beginning of the planning, he said, “To be honest, I didn’t really know what the acoustics would be like. But when we actually performed, the sound was really as good as a concert hall, which was an unexpected miscalculation.
The students of the brass band said, “At first we were worried about whether the performance would be exciting or not, but when we played Jambori Mickey, the people of JR Tokai danced and the audience clapped their hands! The audience clapped their hands, and we were able to enjoy the performance to the end.
Another student commented, “I had heard that we would be performing underground, but I was surprised that it was so deep. It was a very valuable experience, and I am glad we were able to perform because we received a lot of applause and had a lot of fun until the encore.
Sagamihara Mayor Kentaro Motomura, who attended on behalf of the community, said, “This is probably the only place in Japan where a concert is held in such an extraordinary space. I would like to thank everyone for their understanding, and JR Tokai for their safety and security in carrying out the construction of the new station.
© Source travel watch
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