On March 19th, 2023, the “Uji City x Keihan Railway Sound! Euphonium Collaboration Festa 2023” was held centered around Uji City’s tea place and Uji Town Historical Park.
A major event held in Uji city, the sacred place of “Sound! Euphonium.” This year, we were blessed with good weather and it was a great success.

Outside the Tea and Uji Town Historical Park, brass bands from high schools and local junior high schools connected to the work performed an outdoor concert. The bright spring sunshine and pleasant March sky echo the performances from Kyoto Tachibana High School, Kitauji Junior High School, and Uji Junior High School.

The event location is the Tea to Uji Historical Park, which is situated near Keihan Uji Station.

In the activity room in Chazuna Hall, located in the Tea and Uji Town Exchange Center in the park, the “Sound! Euphonium Original Tea Caddy Making Experience with Limited Designs” event was being held on this day only.

The activity room was packed with fans! The lively atmosphere inside the activity room resembles a fan meeting….

Here, the tea caddy has illustrations of “Sound! Euphonium”. We will use Washi paper to create a handmade tea caddy with an illustration.
Chazuna’s chief curator, Nakahata San, said that “A tea canister is a container that can store tea leaves in good condition to prevent them from fermenting. It protects important things from air, water, and humidity. Storing tea leaves Of course, it’s also perfect for storing important goods. The illustrations on the tea caddy are printed on Washi paper using 8K technology, so the beauty of the illustrations from “Sound! Euphonium” can be made into a tea caddy. This brings smiles from the participants.

Materials for tea caddy making activity

Attaching Washi to a tea caddy requires a surprising amount of strength. Because we work together as a team of two to create, interaction between fans naturally occurs. The activity room became even more lively, with lively conversations such as “Where are you from?” and “Who do you recommend?” The tea caddy experience was held in a warm atmosphere, with other participants applauding those who successfully pasted the Washi paper.

Collaborate in pairs to accomplish it!

It’s up to the person to decide which character to bring to the front of the tea caddy!
The tea caddy of the two participants who support Rena Kousaka has Rena Kousaka in the front. Now you have completed your one and only original tea caddy in the world.

A special exhibition called “Sound! Euphonium Uji Exploration ” was being held inside Chazuna Hall. Scenes that appear in the story and photos of actual landscapes are displayed throughout the museum.

『“Sound! Euphonium” features various locations centered around the city of Uji, and many fans visit Uji for pilgrimages to sacred places. Not only can you enjoy comparing scenes from the anime with photos, but it’s even more exciting when you realize that the location actually exists around the venue.

Kyoto in the story and the actual Kyoto. Comparing them makes me want to visit sacred places. (On display until March 26, 2023)

Original collaboration goods were on sale in the Chazuna building. Keihan Railway and Kyoto Tower’s “Sound!” Euphonium” original collaboration goods were lined up.

A talk show was held with Ayano Takeda, the original author of “Sound! Euphonium. ” This is a conversation-style talk show between Ayano Takeda and Takuhide Uki, editor-in-chief of Takarajimasha, which publishes the work.

The photo shows Takarajima-sha editor-in-chief Takuhide Uki and the original author Ayano Takeda from left to right.

When asked about the reason for starting the “Sound! Euphonium” series, Takeda answered, “I made my debut as a writer when I was a university student. I was already in discussions with my editor about my second work, “Today, I Breathe with You.” I was a member of a brass band club when I was in elementary and junior high school, so I wanted to write a story about wind bands while my memories were still fresh, which led me to write this work. “It was an opportunity,” she said.

In response to a question about the city of Uji, where the work is set, Takeda said, “Uji is where I was born and raised. I’m really happy to be able to hold an event about my work in Uji. There was a tea picking experience event at school, and I thought it was normal for Uji tea to come out of the school taps.After going to high school in Kyoto, I realized that these were special events that only existed in Uji. I realized this. Even now, every time I come back to Uji City, I feel at ease, and I gulp down tea while writing.” she said, expressing her feelings for her hometown.

As for why he chose Uji as the setting for his work, Takeda said, “Because it’s a place I like. I also chose Mt. Daikichi is the setting for my work because it is a place I like.” “I still can’t believe that the day will come when everyone will climb Mt. Daikichi on the day of the Agata Festival!”

Regarding the reason for choosing the euphonium as the main character’s instrument, Takeda said, “I played the euphonium when I was in the brass band, but when I talked about it to the people around me, no one knew about it. I remember that at a meeting before I wrote “Sound! Euphonium”, I was advised that it would be better to have the trombone or trumpet as the main character (lol). However, as I grew up, I realized the appeal of the euphonium. I’ve always wanted to spread the word. When I received a fan letter saying, “The euphonium is now one of the most popular musical instruments, and it’s even being competed for in brass bands,” I wondered if it was true.” She was surprised by the impact of her work.

When asked to tell us what’s great about Takeda from an editor’s perspective, Uki said, “She writes about the relationships between the characters from the perspective of that generation.” Takeda said, “When I write a novel, I think about the characters. I often think about what kind of characters would be fun to have around this main character. I focus on the relationships between the characters.”

“Takeda-san’s works are amazing at foreshadowing!” said Uki. When asked about the foreshadowing of the work’s title in Volume 3, Takeda said, “At the stage of Volume 1, there was no plan to make it into a series.After Volume 1 was published, Kyoto Animation approached us about making it into an anime. So, it was suddenly decided to write up to volume 3. The foreshadowing of the title in volume 3 was not something I had planned from the beginning, but was an idea that came to me after it was decided that it would be made into a series.” I revealed it.

In the summer of 2023, “Special Edition Sound! Euphonium ~Ensemble Contest~” has been decided to be screened in theaters. Takeda said, “I never expected that the story I wrote as a short story collection would be made into a film. I am very excited to see how Kyoto Animation would depict the story of how the representative team for the small ensemble contest is decided.” She expressed her expectations.

Takeda currently serves as Uji City Tourism Ambassador. When asked about his dreams for Uji City in the future, she said, “I would be happy if we could open a museum someday. Sound! Euphonium is a work that is cherished by the locals. I hope it will continue to be loved.”, she expressed her gratitude for the support so far and her thoughts on the future.

Inside Chazuna Hall, life-size panels of characters from the work were lined up in rows.

At the event in the sacred city of Uji, many fans who love “Sound! Euphonium” gathered together from all over the country. At the event venue, fans interacted with each other, and time passed peacefully.
“Sound! Euphonium” is a work that is loved locally and still supported by many fans. It was an event where you could really feel how the warm support supports the work.

©Ayano Takeda / Takarajima-sha / “Sound! ” Production Committee

翻訳者：Mei G.