More goodies in another great competition. Win a night at a luxury hotel, courtesy of RTE Lyric fm and Druids Glen Hotel

Answer a quiz question during 'The Music Box' with Trish Taylor (10 am-12 noon) on RTE Lyric fm on Sunday March 4th.  The prize is one night's accommodation for two people on Sunday 11th March at the five-star Druids Glen Hotel and Golf Resort, Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow; dinner and a round of golf for two; plus two free tickets to the Plum Blossom Concert.

More info about how the proceeds of the Plum Blossom Concert will help heal kids with PTSD

Midori no Tohoku Genki Fun Camps

PTSD and the Healing Power of Nature

Children in the Tohoku (NE) Region of Japan devastated by last year's Earthquake-tsunami may only now be showing signs of delayed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  They typically react in one of two ways, becoming either withdrawn or disruptive, even violent, in behaviour. Without expert help, many of them will fall irretrievably behind at school and take this behaviour with them into adulthood.

In its innovative programme, run in association with a professor in a leading Tokyo university, Midori no Tohoku Genki (loosely equivalent to 'wellbeing through Nature in the Tohoku Region') is transforming damaged young lives.

In forest fun camps children are introduced to a friendlier side of Nature than the one which produced a tsunami. They are free to climb trees, explore, make tree houses, go trekking and canoeing.  No child is pushed beyond his or her confidence limit. Those who cannot bring themselves to climb trees make furniture for the tree houses.  Those choosing to stay in camp cook for those who return after day-long treks and other activities.

Everyone learns a new skill and improves his or her confidence. Children begin to smile again for the first time in months.

Next Camp:

End of March.  Children will go into a snowy mountain forest and the plan is to make igloos and sleep in them.  The camp leaders have recently returned from a trial igloo camp.

The Midori no Tohoku Genki Programme urgently needs your help to continue its life-changing work. Go to the Plum Blossom Concert, enjoy wonderful music and support this worthy cause.

Some press response to past Mari Moriya performances

"The sumptuous-voiced Japanese soprano Mari Moriya". Opera Ireland/Opera 

"Following her Metropolitan Opera debut in the role, Mari Moriya’s Queen of the Night brought a real sense of theatrical climax." Glyndebourne on Tour/Music OMH

"Mari Moriya ... absolutely stole this show. Her first aria, 'Signore, ascolta', displayed a hair-raising control of dynamics and vibrato, her every nuance of timbre faithful to her character and to the poignant words of her aria. She is a born Puccini soprano, such is the demure effortlessness with which she conquers the highest registers." Opera Ireland /Sunday Tribune

Displays in the Pepper Canister

The audience will be given a taste of Japan inside the Pepper Canister through:

• Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangements)
• A small Japanese garden display
• Origami (Japanese folded paper modelling craft) items made by pupils of the Japanese School of Ireland and The Saturday School for Japanese Children in Dublin

Win a beautiful watercolour painting by Jimmy T. Murakami

Members of the Plum Blossom Concert audience will have the opportunity to enter a fundraising competition during the interval.  First prize is a beautiful watercolour painting donated by the artist himself, Jimmy T. Murakami, supervising director of The Snowman and director of Where the Wind Blows, a film about nuclear fallout from atomic explosion, and, most recently, director of Christmas Carol the Movie.

A few audio clips of Mari Moriya's singing

W.A.Mozart "O zittre nicht"


W.A.Mozart "Der Hölle Rache"


G.Verdi Rigoletto "Caro nome"


R. Strauss "Grossmächtige Prinzessin"

Through Aid Japan for Children, proceeds from the Plum Blossom Concert will be donated to a program helping children suffering PTSD caused by their experience of the Tsumani

Midoro no Tohuku Genki Programme has been holding retreat camps for the purpose of
treating children suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following the
multiple disasters in Japan in March 2011. Their aim is to give each child a sense of having succeeded in some way and to help children regain belief in their abilities.

Their approach is using a method of treatment known as tokeai gihou. The children are
helped to relax and learn to use this technique to help others in their families. Making
opportunities for the children to feel comfortable with one another are created through a
programme for building trust which involves experiencing nature through games and other
activities.

Children are encouraged to perform tasks such as building tree houses or cooking meals so
that they can enjoy a sense of achievement and pride through successfully gaining a skill.
With the assistance of clinical psychotherapists, parents/guardians receive treatment and are
taught how to treat children in their care.

All activities take place with staff fully qualified in managing these activities. Moreover, clinical psychologists qualified in the use of the Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) techniques are present throughout.

They have already carried out a couple of programmes with successful results. Many
children were encouraged and recognised their ability.



A Message from Masahi Ohkuma
A member of the programme

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami left its mark not only on the landscape of Japan, but has scarred the hearts and minds of many who live there. Many of these scars are not easily seen and there is a great need for professional treatment of these conditions.

“Staring death in the face” causes a variety of reactions with some losing their zest for life while others become violent. Following an event like this disaster, it is possible to treat the physical effects straightaway, however, in the case of injuries to the mind they show themselves sometimes only after three months, and in many cases only after a year. This is known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Without an understanding by surrounding people, the symptoms end up being dismissed as characteristic of individuals not being interested in getting on in life or as typical of a violent person with predictable results for their future lives. In fact, there are countless numbers of people affected in this way in our society today.

If the children affected with PTSD because of the disaster are not treated, it will have a profound effect on their future. Since we have gained a lot of knowledge and experience in the treatment of this condition, it is important tot make full use of it.

The activities we are engaged in will not only prove useful in attending the trauma people have sustained through this disaster, but in time will also be successfully applied to many other situations in which people are afflicted with PTSD.