Happy, proud kids, yet so sad that it is all over. They have had soooo much fun, made new friends, been encouraged to do their very best. It has been awesome.

Lots of violin players...! Just had an announcement: "if you are taking photos, please sit down, as standing up and taking photos is very dangerous"!!

We made it to Matsumoto! It is fun being part of what feels like a huge festival. The town has really been taken over by the conference - street banners, shops welcoming us, volunteers on every corner waiting to escort us to wherever we need to go. Amazing! The city put on a great welcoming party at the Matsumoto castle. Was a lovely chance to see some different aspects of Japanese culture, and check out the 400 year old castle. Exhausted now - off to sleep aft...