Ryuichi Sakamoto
Yesterday I felt that I should listen to some of Sakamoto’s music. So I did, for quite a while. Today I hear that the great man died. Some people are great musicians, others are great people, few are both. Ryuichi Sakamoto was one of those few.
You may remember something I posted here less than two weeks ago, called 1,000 Trees
Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has written to Tokyo’s governor, Yuriko Koike, in order to protest the city’s Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan. Led by major real-estate developer Mitsui Fudosan in conjunction with the Meiji Shrine, the project will demolish the city’s beloved Meiji Jingu baseball stadium and chop down almost 1,000 trees, many of which are more than 100 years old.
Tuesday 21 March 2023 – Monocle Minute | Monocle
Sakamoto, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, wrote that “trees benefit everyone without discrimination but a development will only benefit those with vested interests and rich people”.
The city of Tokyo should keep those trees and call the area Sakamoto Park.
DMT32 was a wonderful piece by Sakamoto.
