・How was the music video “Egret Castle” born?

On November 23, 2023, the music video “Egret Castle” was released to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Heritage registration of Himeji Castle.

The music video was created in collaboration with Harima Living Newspaper Company, which runs a variety of local media including “REAL HIMEJI,” Himeji City, and Lay, a young singer-songwriter from the local Harima area. This project was planned to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Heritage registration.

The lyrics and photographs in video were taken from the newapaper readers survey entitled “My Memories of Himeji Castle. Inspired by about 70 episodes, the Living editorial department and Ms. Lay created a song.

Another music video, written entirely in English, was produced by Ms. Rey and is full of her charm. Please take a moment to view Himeji Castle’s music video!

・Who is the singer? What does Himeji Castle mean to her?

Lay, who was 15 years old at the time, cooperated in the creation of the song. She was fascinated by the sight of her older sister playing the guitar, and at the age of 7, she started to play the acoustic guitar herself.

In September 2022, she released “Wanna be Breakin'” and began her music career in earnest, and in February 2023, she released “Sandelia,” which was on the power play on all 14 radio stations in Japan. She is currently an active high school student and a remarkable songstress who performs at various music events.

Ms. Lay’s appeal is not limited to her powerful voice and acoustic guitar playing. When listening to her released songs, English lyrics stand out even in the Japanese version. In fact, she says that she writes most of the lyrics herself, and she usually studies English as well. Her trademark English lyrics are also fully utilized in “Egret Castle”.

Ms. Lay says she is familiar with Himeji Castle and feels close to it. “When I see Himeji Castle, I feel a sense of security that I have returned to my hometown,” she says. Although she has written lyrics before, this is the first time she has composed music. While working hard on her studies, she also worked hard on the music for Himeji Castle.

The up-tempo tone of the song as it progresses is a warm reminder to “Never forget that Himeji Castle is watching over you no matter how hard you are going through. ” Listen carefully to the song, which gives a sense of the majesty of Himeji Castle while encouraging those who hear it.

・We asked the tourists how they like the music video!

This time, the writer of REAL HIMEJI asked tourists who came to Himeji from overseas what they thought of the music video. The photo shows Kari from Brazil and Ryan from Scotland, whom we met in front of JR Himeji Station.

When we showed them the music video for “Egret Castle,” they said, “I saw it at the tourist information center at Himeji Station! She has a very fresh voice,” said Ryan. Kari said, “You guys did a really cool thing making a song about Himeji Castle. Ryan said he would listen to the song again in bed before going to sleep.

Whether you are going to visit Himeji Castle or have fond memories of the castle, “Egret Castle” is sure to make you fall in love with the castle even more!

Check out the article below for more interviews with foreign tourists about their memories of Himeji.

What are you doing in Himeji?｜Street interviews with 13 groups of foreign tourists traveling in Himeji!

Note: For inquiries about the music video, please contact Harima Living Newspaper Co.
The website of Harima Living Newspaper Co (Japanese only) >>