Hibari Misora apology letter discovered after 39 years

A 39-year-old apology letter written by the legendary singer Hibari Misora has been discovered and will be newly exhibited at Hibari no Sono in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture.

In November 1987, Misora was scheduled to visit Iwaki as part of a campaign for her comeback song ‘Midaregami,’ which features the Shioyasaki Lighthouse in Iwaki as its setting. Due to health reasons, she had to cancel the visit and sent an apology letter to the then-mayor of Iwaki, Takeo Nakata. The letter was recently recovered from the Iwaki City Hall by local volunteers.

An opening ceremony for the new exhibition is scheduled for the 12th. The event will feature musical performances by Fuyumi Sakamoto, who will sing ‘Midaregami,’ as well as Kokoa Umeya and Riku Nishiyama. The ceremony will be hosted by Kazuo Tokumitsu. The exhibition was made possible through donations from local volunteers and fans nationwide, coordinated by Hibari Production to preserve the connection between the singer and the city.