EXCLUSIVE: Kashiwabara to sing Song of Memory for Crown Prince Naruhito

February 11, 2019

Tokyo--Singer Yoshie Kashiwabara is set to sing a song that she has never performed at a public event for the past 33 years, ahead of the May 1 enthronement of Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito, Jiji Press has learned.

The tune, "Yume Ijo, Koi Ijo" (More Than Dream, More Than Love), will be performed at dinner shows to be held in Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Monday.

Kashiwabara sang the song at the openings of concerts in 1986, when she was 21 years old.

Crown Prince Naruhito, a big fan of Kashiwabara, went to her recital held in Tokyo in October the same year, before he became the first heir to the throne. Cherishing the memory of the show, Kashiwabara has since refrained from singing the song, according to informed sources.

A bunch of roses the Crown Prince presented to Kashiwabara at the time of the Tokyo concert was made into dried flowers and has been treasured by the singer, the sources said.

Kashiwabara decided to perform the song of memory in the run-up to the Crown Prince's accession to the throne, according to the sources.

The sources quoted Kashiwabara as saying after the 1986 Tokyo recital that Crown Prince Naruhito had "a powerful aura."

On Monday, Kashiwabara will offer two dinner shows at a hotel in Mito.