This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
In the following article from 2021, we provided a detailed explanation of the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School, which is the longest school song in Japan
As a graduate of Omagari Junior High School, I recently participated in an event where we sang the school song together with students on a school trip, held on the outdoor stage in Ueno Park, Tokyo on August 30, 2023, so I would like to share a detailed account of what happened
What is the event where we sing the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School?
The event to sing the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School is held as part of local studies. It was first held in 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was held for the first time in four years in August 2023
Specifically, the event involves third-year students from Daisen City Omagari Junior High School singing the school song "Live Well, Young People" and the "Akita Prefectural Song" together with graduates on the outdoor stage at Ueno Park, which they visit on their school trip
I had seen an article online about the first time this event was held in 2019, so when I happened to come across the announcement for the 2023 event, I was able to attend
The reason why I wanted to sing the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School
When I was a student at Daisen City Omagari Junior High School, we recorded the school song that we sang ourselves on cassette tapes and distributed them to graduating students as a commemorative gift every year
After the graduation ceremony, I immediately played back the cassette tape I had been given, and discovered that the school song recorded was not the one sung by my class, the Ryōun class, but the one sung by the class above me, the Ginrei class
At the time, the internet was not as widespread as it is today, and there was no easy-to-use recording equipment, so it is likely that the school song sung by the Ryoun grade could not be properly recorded, but as a child, it was a shock and left me with the feeling that something had been left undone regarding the school song
Scenes from the event where students sang the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School
On August 30, 2023, I arrived at the venue early and sat in the front center, greeting graduates of all ages who had gathered in the guest seats prepared in front of the stage, while waiting for the show to begin
Then, 244 students on the school trip entered one after another and took their seats behind the guest seats
I later learned that the students on their school trip had come straight to the stage in Ueno Park without doing any sightseeing after arriving at Ueno Station, and I was touched by the passion the school had for this event
We will introduce you to the event, from rehearsals to the actual event and after it was over
rehearsal
The PA (sound equipment) staff had already set up the microphones and keyboards, so the school song soloists gathered at the front and the rehearsal began immediately
The moment the school trip students started singing the opening chorus of "Live Well" from behind me, for some reason tears just started flowing and wouldn't stop
I never thought I'd cry during rehearsal, and was surprised by my own emotions, but I remember that this made me determined to sing confidently during the actual performance, without looking at the lyric sheet, and instead looking directly at the conductor, even though I still hadn't fully remembered the lyrics
The real thing
I stood straight facing the conductor and sang the first phrase while only watching him conduct. My voice was much louder and stronger than when I had been practicing the previous day by watching a YouTube video. I felt like a completely different person from when I was singing unsurely in my uniform
All the soloists have very refined voices and expressiveness, and the synergy with the choir really lifts the spirits
The interpretation of the song was completely different from when we were singing it, and the tempo and singing style were new to us, but it was a wonderful performance that made us understand what it means when they say a song evolves as it is passed down through the generations
After the show
After the performance, I wondered why I had cried during the rehearsal, but while I am able to live as well as I can, I am not able to "live well" as powerfully as the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School says
I think she saw that part of herself in the lyrics, and felt herself struggling to somehow "live a good life," which is what made her cry
However, as I walked off the stage in Ueno Park, I felt a sense of accomplishment, and I don't think I'll ever sing the school song with these feelings again
By participating in the event, I feel like I can finally put my feelings at rest and move forward again
summary
On August 30, 2023, an event was held at the outdoor stage in Ueno Park, Tokyo, where school trip students and graduates sang the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School
If you are a graduate who has read this article and feels even a little bit like singing the school song again, please come to next year's event
Daisen City Omagari Junior High School School Song Lyrics
Poetry: Takashi Hongo
Song: Chotaro Sato
Live well, live well. It may be a wish that cannot be expressed in the words of your parents and teachers in your hometown. That voice calls out. It is too bright, too dazzling, too bright to see. Live well.
The voice is like the faint, dimly lit center of a flower bud just beginning to open, or like the back of a fish flashing and disappearing in the depths of a newly awakened spring sea, yet it is a voice that cannot be heard.
The sound spread rapidly, like the rustling of sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees
The rich soil is filled with towering mountain ranges, and now it becomes a transparent and colossal chorus, Live well, Live well
By the Omono River, spring is in full bloom and joy blossoms open; even at Himegami Spring, where clusters of flowers gush forth , there is the lovely fragrance of trees. Ah, in this fragrant hometown, the clear spring and autumn cycles call out to the cheerful cheeks of the young people nurtured here.
Live your lives with goodwill and beauty in your hearts, young people of Omagari Junior High School
Live well, live well, yes, these words have been heard by chosen wise men since the time of the Greeks and Confucius and Mencius, and they have dedicated their lives to understanding their meaning. They are the first and greatest words of humankind
Humankind surpasses other creatures in that it possesses countless words, but we do not know very well the first words that made us human, because they are words too great for our ears to grasp .
In the bright, shining light, let us listen to our own voices within ourselves. Though difficult to grasp, let us hear the proud and powerful voice calling out to us.
Let us listen to humanity's eternal hymn, live well on this blessed day.
A single dot on the chessboard. White clouds rise and fall, flocks of birds return. May our school flourish, overlooking this Senboku. The gentle breeze that blows across the lush green fields and mountains of our hometown calls out to the healthy shoulders of the young people gathered here
Live well, young people of Omagari Junior High School , with intelligence and determination in your eyes
Hi, I'm Sakihime. I'm a web writer born in Akita who loves sake, so I'll be introducing delicious sake from Akita, snacks that Akita residents secretly enjoy, and tourist spots where you can enjoy beautiful scenery
![Akita Catch](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/979a38324ff45520e274bdc0cee6df5e-150x150.jpg "The pride of the six Tohoku prefectures: "Constructed in peacetime, yet with a sturdy structure!" Kubota Castle, located in a prime location in front of the station [Akita City, Akita Prefecture]")
