Tabidachi no hi ni

Our Combined Band and Choir piece. Download from http://web.me.com/ubranbrasswerks/MWO/Concert_files/04%20旅立ちの日に（コーラスつき）.wma

Tabidachi no hi ni

Shiroi hikari no naka ni, yama nami wa moete

Harukana sora no hate made mo, kimi wa tobitatsu

Kagiri naku aoi, sora ni kokoro furuwase,

Jiyu o kakeru tori yo, furi kaeru koto mosezu

Yuki o tsubasa ni komete, kibo no kaze ni nori

Kono hiroi ozora ni, yume o takushite

Natsukashi tomo no koe, futo yomigaeru

Imi mo nai isakai ni, naita ano toki

Kokoro kayotta ureshisa ni daki atta hi yo

Minna sugi takeredo omoi de tsuyoku daite

Yuki o tsubasa ni komete, kibo no kaze ni nori

Kono hiroi ozora ni, yume o takushite

Ima, wakare no toki

Tobitato mirai shinjite

Hazumu wakai chikara shinjite

Kono hiroi, kono hiroi, ozora ni

Ima wakare no toki

Tobitato mirai shinjite

Hazumu wakai chikara shinjite

Kono hiroi, kono hiroi ozora ni

Tabidachi no hi ni (The day of departure)

In the streaming white light, tall mountains stand

Though the sky may seem endless out there, you can still fly high

In that big blue sky, my heart trembles

But birds that fly towards freedom, never look back

Let those wings of courage, ride on that wind of hope

In this vast sky, build your dreams

How I miss those days, when I could always hear voices of friends around me

When we had small, petty disputes,Which I would cry over

When our hearts were filled with happiness, we embraced each other

Although from here we will go separate ways, Our hearts will always remain close

Let those wings of courage ride on that wind of hope

In this vast sky, build your dreams

Now, it may be our time to part

But our future is just beginning to take flight, believe in this

Believe that we can make a difference

In this boundless sky above

Now, it may be our time to part

But our future is just beginning to take flight, believe in this

Believe that we can make a difference

In this boundless sky above

The song was born 14 years ago in the music classroom of a municipal junior high school in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. The then-principal, Noboru Kojima, 74, wrote the lyrics overnight and asked the music teacher to put them to music the following morning.

The song was meant as a present for the graduating students,'' explained Kojima when I saw him to hear his story. ``All the teachers got up on the platform and sang the song. This was supposed to be a one-time performance.''

Kojima reached his mandatory retirement age in March that year, but the song stayed. The following year, a music magazine printed the score just before the graduation season, and many primary, junior high and senior high schools around the nation picked it up. The simple lyrics caught the hearts of youngsters: ``The voice of my dear old friend/ Suddenly comes back/ With the memory of that time/I wept when we fought over something silly.''

n a departure from the past, many schools now let their students choose the song for the graduation ceremony. Instead of the traditional, government-approved numbers, Kojima's song, which is something of a summation of his 40-year teaching career, is being sung and heard around the nation this month.