![[Held on Saturday, December 27] Soja City Children’s Cafeteria Charity Piano Concert ～ Bringing Real Music to Children](https://media.kuratoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/03225033/S__98418697_0-1.jpg)
Children’s cafeterias, welcoming community spaces, continue to increase year after year.
In Soja City, nine children’s cafeterias are active with the support of the Social Welfare Council.
Children’s cafeterias carry out a variety of initiatives. As one such initiative, a charity piano concert will be held for the first time, with the aim of giving children the chance to experience live music.
This article introduces the concert and the thoughts behind it from its organizers.
The information presented was current when this article was published in December 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What Is the Soja City Children’s Cafeteria Charity Piano Concert?
The “Soja City Children’s Cafeteria Charity Piano Concert” will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at Chuppy Hall inside Soja City Hall.
The concert was planned with the hope that music will nurture children’s hearts and inspire them as they look toward the future.
Admission is free, and all seats are unreserved.
A donation box will be set up at reception. All donations collected will be used to support the activities of children’s cafeterias in Soja City through the “Soja City Children’s Cafeteria Liaison Council, Soja City Social Welfare Council, Social Welfare Corporation.”
Pianist Yamanaka Asuna
Yamanaka Asuna, who will perform at the concert, is a pianist who has won and placed in competitions in Japan and abroad, and has also received the Okayama Prefecture Arts Encouragement Award.
She has also been recognized as “a great talent” by renowned pianists Klaus Schilde and Gabriel Tacchino, who served as visiting professors at Tokyo University of the Arts.
She has performed overseas in countries including France, Italy, and Luxembourg, and has been invited to an Italian music festival two years in a row. Audiences look forward to her graceful, refined musicality.
She has released two CDs and currently devotes herself to teaching the next generation alongside her performing career.
About the Organizers
The concert is organized by Tetsuya Morikawa, representative of the voluntary group Kuu Neru Asobu.
On the fourth or fifth Sunday of each month, Morikawa holds “Soja Shokudo Kuu Neru Asobu” at the Soja Branch of the Soja Central Community Center.
There, they distribute boxed meals and bags of donated goods, and create opportunities for children to spend time with student and community volunteers, working to build a welcoming place for local residents.
We asked Morikawa what inspired him to hold a charity piano concert and what he hopes to achieve.
Interview with Organizer Tetsuya Morikawa
We spoke with Morikawa about the background to the concert and the thoughts behind it.
What Inspired Him to Organize the Charity Piano Concert
What inspired you to start this charity piano concert?
Morikawa
I hold a children’s cafeteria once a month in the Soja area with the help of local residents.
Through those connections, someone suggested, “Why not give children the chance to listen to live music?” and I was introduced to pianist Yamanaka.
From there, various people offered their help, and the idea gradually moved toward becoming a reality.
When I asked if anyone could help make a flyer, I was introduced to someone who had actually designed the logo for Soja Shokudo Kuu Neru Asobu.
Connections kept coming together in unexpected ways, and I felt that this must be a project we were meant to do.
Bringing Children the Sound of Live Music
Who would you like to attend?
Morikawa
More than anything, I hope children will come.
As you can see from the program, this is not so much a performance for children as a highly accomplished concert.
That’s exactly why I hope children who are interested in music and children who would like to hear a live performance at least once will come.
They can come with their parents, or with their grandparents. I hope the whole family can enjoy time together experiencing live music.
Listening to world-class classical music may lead to new interests or future dreams. I sincerely hope this concert will help broaden children’s worlds, even just a little.
Introducing Soja City’s Children’s Cafeterias in the Gallery Space Next to the Venue
Will there be anything else happening on the day?
Morikawa
In the gallery space next to the venue, we plan to display panels introducing children’s cafeterias in Soja City. We hope people will learn a little about what activities are taking place in each area and become interested.
The space is limited, but we’ll do our best to make it a warm, handmade space.
A Message to Children
Finally, do you have a message for the children?
Morikawa
The wonder you feel when you experience something genuine stays with you even as an adult.
A fleeting moment of brilliance can have a meaningful influence on your later interests and future choices.
Children’s cafeterias offer more than meals: they provide a place where children can feel safe and an opportunity to discover a new world. I’d be happy if adding music as another experience could light a small spark in children’s hearts.
I hope this concert will plant the seed of a desire to try starting something new.
From the Writer
We want to support children.
That is the same wish behind both the children’s cafeterias and this charity piano concert.
Music lights up hearts, while food gives us strength each day. Together, they help nurture children’s futures.
Another initiative to support children in Soja City through music is getting underway.
We hope you’ll join us in enjoying a moment with live music in the streets of Soja.
Soja City Children’s Cafeteria Charity Piano Concert Information
| Name | Soja City Children’s Cafeteria Charity Piano Concert |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, December 27, 2025 Doors open: 10:30 a.m. Concert begins: 11 a.m. |
| Location | 1-1-1 Chuo, Soja City |
| Admission (tax included) | Free admission; all seats unreserved |
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