Rakuten Hosts Musical Event,
“Rakuten Children’s Music Festival, Ein Fukushima

Tokyo, October 30, 2013 – Rakuten, Inc. announced the holding of “Rakuten Children’s Music Festival” on December 26 this year, backed by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education and Fukushima City Board of Education.

Rakuten has been promoting education and music among children in Fukushima prefecture. A mobile library mainly for children, called the “Rakuten Mobile Library” (*1) has been traveling around the prefecture since the end of last year. In addition, Rakuten has been running a project since June this year called, “Japan Children’s Orchestra” (*2) as an initiative to promote music. Fukushima Prefecture is renowned for its lively music scene, with Koriyama City known as the Vienna of Tohoku. Evidence of Fukushima’s enthusiasm for musical education was apparent even as the mobile library traveled around, deepening ties with the people of the region, and it was decided to hold the “Rakuten Children’s Music Festival” to coincide with the first anniversary of the “Rakuten Mobile Library” initiative.

The “Rakuten Children’s Music Festival” targets elementary, junior high, and high school students living in Fukushima Prefecture, and participants from all music genres including choruses, instrument ensembles, dancers, and any other school or group involved in activities associated with music are invited to apply. Applications can be sent in through Rakuten’s CSR page (https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/csr/children-festival) from today through November 15. In addition to the children of Soma City who are taking part in “Japan Children’s Orchestra,” Rakuten will be spreading the word far and wide to children living throughout the prefecture through the mobile library and the education boards of Fukushima Prefecture and Fukushima City.

Since 2011, Rakuten has been actively promoting music as the official supplier of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and it is hoped that the “Rakuten Children’s Music Festival,” will contribute to the promotion of music in Fukushima Prefecture. To contribute even more to the promotion of music in the future, Rakuten will continue hosting events that will give children the opportunity to perform in public.

Time and Date : 12:30 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. Thursday, December 26, 2013
Place                : Fukushima Prefectural Culture Center
                          5-54 Kasuga-cho, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima
Outline              : A music festival aiming to promote education and music among the children of Fukushima
Organizer           : Rakuten, Inc.
Supported by      : Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education, Fukushima City Board of Education

Deadline for Applications : Friday, November 15, 2013 (Successful applicants will be notified by Nov. 20)
Requirements for Applying : Elementary school, junior high school or high school children living in Fukushima Prefecture. Schools and other groups are also welcome to apply.
Musical Genre : Any choruses, groups (orchestras, wind instrument ensembles, bands, etc.), dancers, etc.
Performance Time : Approximately 10 minutes per group, including entry, exit, and preparation time.
Entry Fee: Free (costs incurred in transportation and delivery of instruments are to be paid for by the participants)
To apply, or for details and inquiries: https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/csr/children-festival

*1 About the “Rakuten Mobile Library”

In the year since December 21, 2012, Rakuten has loaded around 1,200 books and “kobo Touch” eReaders onto vehicles known as “Rakuten Mobile Libraries,” and traveled around Fukushima as part of efforts to promote education and assist in recovery for the children of Fukushima. This unique library - designed to be a place where children can learn and play through books, and where new moving experiences can be conceived - is the result of a series of new experiments involving the coordination of a variety of Rakuten Group services (https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/csr/mobile-library/)

*2 About “Japan Children’s Orchestra”

Rakuten believes that music has universal cultural and artistic value. Since 2011, Rakuten has been the official supplier of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, offering assistance for promoting Japan’s presence in the world through music. With the desire to support the empowering of and cultivation of the social nature and creativity of the children who will be our future leaders through the power of music, Rakuten agrees with the principles of El Sistema’s educational programs using music. This is why the company decided to implement music education support activities jointly with El Sistema Japan. As a part of this activity, Rakuten has been providing a venue for the children’s chorus, and collecting musical instruments for the children since June 2013. (https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/csr/el-sistema/)