Showcasing a repertoire blending traditional British military tunes, global orchestral classics and West End show tunes, each performance at prefectures across Japan has been designed to enthral new audiences and entertain. The tour of what is being dubbed in Japan as ‘one of the best military bands in the world’, aims to strengthen ties between our two nations through cultural diplomacy. Japan is a cornerstone of the UK’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific, a region of increasing global significance. The two nations share robust defence ties, recently exemplified by joint military exercises and the signing of the UK-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement earlier this year.
“It’s an honour to bring the sound of Britain to our friends in Japan. Music transcends borders and is a universal language, and we’re thrilled to represent the UK on this incredible tour.”
All military musicians are special, but this band is extraordinary. The Band of the Coldstream Guards is one of the British Army’s oldest bands having been formed in the mid 18th century. As members of His Majesty the King’s Household Division, they routinely accompany The King’s Guards on state ceremonial public duties at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Their other role, in defence engagement, dispensing carefully curated musical programmes at events across the globe, or training our allies overseas, makes them a powerful tool for exerting soft power. Because when British Army musicians perform, they don’t just play music, they are active ambassadors for the UK, engaging at all levels, promoting the nation and improving our reputation to the world.
With considerable defence operational training activities planned for the Indo Pacific region in 2025, the new UK-Japan CEPA free trade deal, and just five months after the State Visit of the Emperor and Empress of Japan to the UK, the Band of the Coldstream Guards’ Japan Tour is yet another signal of the increasing importance of British links to Japan and the wider East Asian region.
Yasuo Imase, a Music Professor in Tokyo who helped organise the British Army Band visit to Japan, is convinced that the Band of the Coldstream Guards is one of “the greatest bands in the world” and says it holds huge appeal for Japanese people who are attracted by its shared values of discipline, tradition, operational honour and of course those very special Royal connections.
“For Japan, The UK amongst all European countries seems the most similar culture to our own in these respects,” he explained. “Japanese people are fascinated by your Royal Family and the Guards. And when they see the Guards’ bands’ uniforms with the red tunic and bearskin they are very excited. There is nothing like it in Japan, it is so bright and distinctive – unlike Samurai armour which is usually black.”
This partnership of nations has a firm foundation. In 2018 it was British Troops in the form of the Honourable Artillery Company who became the first troops of any western country to deploy to Japan to train alongside Japanese soldiers. The host army was eager to benefit from the HAC’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance expertise, and their influence remains today.
Today that inaugural exercise, Vigilant Isles, is now an annual event, enabling both nations to build on their joint capabilities and learn from each other.
“Japan and the United Kingdom are both island nations. We share the same values of democracy, an open society, and hard work so it’s great to be working more closely together,” said Defence Attaché for the British Embassy in Tokyo, Captain Colin Williams RN.
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This tour underscores the British Armed Forces’ commitment to maintaining a persistent presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Soft power initiatives, such as this concert series, complement the UK’s operational training exercises and defence partnerships, highlighting the strength of UK-Japan collaboration, celebrates the friendship between the two nations and highlights the importance of collaboration in building a prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific.
It’s a serious business, but for the musicians taking part, the tour has also proved personally rewarding as they made memories to last a lifetime performing in some of the world’s finest concert halls to rapturous audiences, and then got to enjoy the very best of Japanese culture in each location they visit.
It was a significant logistical operation for the band to cross the globe for this complex tour. Within days of performing at the Festival of Remembrance at the Albert Hall and supporting HM The King in leading the National Act of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, the musicians were busy in Sandhurst packing 22 custom made boxes of freight.
The boxes, each engraved with the Coldstream Guards’ cap star, held everything they needed for a three week concert tour, from bearskins to base drums, brass polish to piccolos, uniforms to Euphoniums. The Coldstream Guards musicians did not travel alone. Accompanying them were Pipers from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and singer Sgt John Scott from the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, so there were kilts and bagpipes to pack too. For Band Sergeant Major Glen Little keeping the overall weight down was the biggest challenge. A cunning hack was protecting the iconic bearskin caps with ultra strong hairnet bags in transit instead of the traditional heavy tins.
The Band of the Coldstream Guards landed in Fukuoka, Japan on 21st November. After concerts at Iichiko Cultural Centre in Oita, the Prefectural Theatre in Kumamoto, Feniche Sakai Hall in Osaka, Act City in Hamamatsu, and Minatomirai Hall in Yokohama.
A surprising highlight for everyone was performing at the imposing Kimitsu Shimin Bunka Hall in Chibo Prefecture. There the professional musicians had the great pleasure of playing alongside Japan’s most talented school pupils from Kouryou High School. Making a sound superior in quality to that of most national professional orchestras, this was no ordinary high school band. When the Coldstream and the Kouryou performed Elgar’s ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ as one, it was clear that the UK and Japan were two countries who can not only work in perfect harmony, but seriously impress!
Kyoto Shimozasaki, Musical Director of the school explained: “It was a great privilege for the pupils to perform with the Band of the Coldstream Guards, for them it is everything, it is lifechanging. They can barely believe they could be so lucky. It is life itself!”
This tour has given me so much musical satisfaction - in London we’re famous for our military marches as we change the King’s Guards at Buckingham Palace, but here we’ve been able to play lots of symphonic and popular music too in magnificent concert hall settings. Seeing how much the audiences appreciate what we do and how much they love music is such a contrast to audiences at home. They are so very happy and grateful to see us, I’ve never felt like such a celebrity or signed so many autographs. As soon as they see the uniforms they get excited and start waving, even from their cars as they drive past!
The food is brilliant, you can’t go anywhere where you can't get a good, good meal and some good, good food. It’s fantastic!
Surprising moments
It’s been a fast paced and intense itinerary, everyday a new location, a new hotel, a new means of transport through stunning countryside and immaculate cities, but the highlight for many has been the opportunity to try the thrilling range of exciting Japanese food. It’s very different to anything they’ve experienced at home, and very high quality, but there have been some surprising moments.
I’ve quite enjoyed trying all the different foods in Japan, from sushi to teppanyaki, but if I’m honest, for me, there’s nothing to beat a pie from the Wakefield Pie Shop at home.
Bassoonist Liv Watts had an unfortunate experience when she ordered what she thought were mini doughnuts only to discover when she bit into them that they were her nemesis, octopus balls. But on the whole the band has loved the adventure.
As November gave way to December, the band travelled to their final destination, Tokyo. While their performance schedule has been intense, the sponsor made sure the Coldstream musicians stayed in excellent hotels, travelled as smoothly and efficiently as possible (this has meant the use of several bullet trains during the course of the tour), and that they got to enjoy the cultural highlights where they could. Fancy dress Karaoke proved a firm favourite!
As soon as the band arrived at the Japanese capital, some musicians headed for the famed Shibuya Crossing which is a maze of zebra crossings surrounded by skyscrapers and neon signs. Others visited shrines and parks, resplendent at this time of year when the leaves of the gingko, Japan’s national tree, turn to gold.
In the heart of this, the most densely populated city on earth, the Band enjoyed a career pinnacle: performing at the exquisite Tokyo Opera City, Japan’s most prestigious concert hall, and one of the best musical venues in the world.
“The acoustics are phenomenal in that building and allow everyone to be their very best,” said Lance Sergeant Liv Watts, Bassoonist from the Band of the Coldstream Guards. “For any musician performing in that space, you feel incredible, making the most beautiful sound, it’s so rewarding.” Former freelance musician Liv joined the Army for stability and regular pay and could never have imagined that her job would become so much more than that. She has taken part in some of the most important moments of recent history, from recording the music for the beloved ‘Paddington Bear meets The Queen’ film for the Platinum Jubilee Concert, to performing in HM The Late Queen’s funeral and on The King’s Coronation, but the Japan tour has been equally special.
Can reach a maximum speed of 59 km/h (37 mph) on road, 40 km/h (25 mph) off-road
Perkins CV12-6A V12 diesel 26.1 litres, 1,200 bhp (890 kW)
1,592 litres (350 imp gal; 421 US gal)
550 km (340 mi) on road, 250 km (160 mi) off-road on internal fuel
62.5 tonnes (61.5 long tons; 68.9 short tons), with a combat-ready weight of 75.0 tonnes (73.8 long tons; 82.7 short tons) with add-on armour modules.
We’ve played world class venues where we’ve been massively appreciated and very well looked after.
Trumpet player Colour Sergeant Dan Evans from Bodmin, Cornwall, has really enjoyed the experience of touring Japan with the Band. “It’s been a really good tour,” he said. “We’ve played world class venues where we’ve been massively appreciated and very well looked after. Japan has just blown us all away as a country. It’s clean, friendly, respectful, polite and everything works! I particularly enjoyed the bullet train. It’s such a smooth fast ride. So smooth however that I quickly fell asleep so missed seeing Mount Fuji as we sped by!
“The food has been a bit of an adjustment in that there are times when it’s pretty unfamiliar: raw fish isn’t for everyone, but it’s been an incredibly important trip for defence engagement, and diplomacy, strengthening relationships between our two countries.
“And it’s also been a successful retention tool for our band members. Everyone is going to be talking about this trip for years to come and remembering how much fun they had and the friends they made. Who wouldn’t want to do this for a living?! You don’t get to do this in an average 9-5 job.
For percussion soloist Musician Ashley Clegg, the Tokyo Opera was a very personal highlight. His friend from his student days at Manchester University, Yasuaki Fukuhara, was in the audience. It was the first time the two had seen each other since they graduated. Yasuaki Fukuhara, who is Japanese, is now a Buddhist Priest of Rinzai Zen in Kencho-ji Temple in Kamakara of Kanagawa prefecture just outside Tokyo. As soon as he heard that the Band of the Coldstream Guards were coming to Japan, he rushed to book a ticket so that he could see his old friend play.
Illustrating the variety of experiences this trip has offered, the next day the military musicians were once more inspiring students with a marching band and concert performance at Seitoku University. No matter how remote the destination, everywhere the musicians went in Japan they were greeted with cries of “King Charles III’s Guards!” and the university was no exception. Enthusiastic waving, spontaneous applause and respectful queues of selfie hopefuls ensued. For a country well known for its polite restraint, it has been remarkable to witness how Japanese audiences have been genuinely moved by hearing the British soldiers perform.
Finally, the Band supported an important reception at the British Embassy in Tokyo, for defence, civic and business leaders from Japan and nearby allied countries.
“Having the band here has been excellent” said Captain Colin Williams RN, Defence Attaché for the British Embassy in Tokyo. “It has put a glitter on the end of what has been a very, very busy year here in Japan and it’s signposting another busy year ahead of us in 2025. We’re hosting Expo 25, the Carrier Strike Group and we’ve got another Exercise Vigilant Isles to look forward to; some significant hard power events. The Coldstream Guards give us that soft power edge, and the Japanese love the similarities between what they do and what we do.”
Japan might seem far from home but its importance for the UK’s future economic success is as vital today as our partnerships with our European neighbours. Japan is the world’s 4th richest economy and one of the UK’s closest strategic partners. As a nation, the UK relies on Japan for optical, photographic, technical and medical equipment, nuclear technology, electronics and electricals, generators, vehicles, non-ferrous metals and precious stones. Trade between the UK and Japan in the first half of 2024 equated to £27.2 billion and that figure is estimated to rise by a further £15 billion thanks to the new free trade agreement between our two nations.
As the world becomes more reliant on technology (and the stability of the economies of nations that supply that technology), strong, effective, defensive partnerships must be maintained to protect those interests and markets.
The harmonies and happiness wrought by the Band’s tour of Japan this month are tangible proof of the UK’s long-term significant commitment to the region. Whether through cultural diplomacy or joint military exercises, the UK stands firmly with our Japanese allies. As the applause echoes through the concert halls of Japan, it’s clear the Band of the Coldstream Guards did not just play music—they struck a chord of unity, partnership, and mutual respect.
Drum Major WO2 Scott Fitzgerald, Colour Sergeant Dan Evans, Lance Corporal Georgia Bucknell and Musician Victor Wu at Tokyo’s famous Sensō-Ji temple.
Drum Major WO2 Scott Fitzgerald, Colour Sergeant Dan Evans, Lance Corporal Georgia Bucknell and Musician Victor Wu with a couple in traditional Japanese dress at Tokyo’s famous Sensō-Ji temple.
Drum Major WO2 Scott Fitzgerald, Colour Sergeant Dan Evans, Lance Corporal Georgia Bucknell and Musician Victor Wu walk through a Japanese shopping precinct.
Musician Ashley Clegg locks his gaze on the conductor as he plays the xylophone.
Lance Sergeant Olivia Watts (left), Lance Corporal Katie Carter (middle right), Musician Jack Beer (middle left) and Sergeant Andy Skelton (right) chat next to the hotel Christmas tree.
The band perform outside Seitoku University for the students ahead of their concert that evening.
Backstage at Kimitsu Civic Hall.
WO2 Drum Major Fitzgerald, Lance Corporal Georgia Bucknell, Musician Victor Wu and Colour Sergeant Dan Evans cross the iconic Shibuya Crossing.
