Japan high school marching band arrives in Taiwan for performances

Taipei, Dec. 18 (CNA) Members of Japan's Kyoto Tachibana Senior High School marching band, nicknamed the Orange Devils, arrived in Taiwan Thursday for a series of performances across the island.

According to the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), the Kyoto band will be joined by Tokyo University of Agriculture Second High School's marching band, known as the Emerald Knights, which arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday.

The GACC, which invited the two bands totaling more than 250 members, said it is rare for top schools from western and eastern Japan to perform together in Taiwan.

GACC Secretary-General Lee Hou-ching (李厚慶) said bringing the two bands together was made possible in large part by the close friendship between Taiwan and Japan, adding that each had previously performed separately during Taiwan's National Day celebrations in 2022 and 2023.

Lee said the aim is to promote musical exchanges with students in Taiwan, which he described as the GACC's primary objective.

On Thursday night, the Orange Devils and the Emerald Knights will kick off their tour with a parade in Taipei's Ximending before ending at the Taipei Zhongshan Hall for a performance, he said.

Lee said the two bands will also hold a joint performance in the city's Heping Basketball Gymnasium on Friday before they each separately give performances in Chiayi, Kaohsiung and Pingtung.

During the Kyoto band's arrival in Taiwan on Thursday afternoon, one of its members told reporters that they had prepared five new pieces specifically for their Taiwan tour and invited the public to look forward to their performances.