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There are many Seigen Onos. I’m writing about one of them here. But there are also a few different Seigens mixed in each of them. That’s why it’s complicated.

Seigen as a sound engineer, a musician, a cook, a friend, and a family man. What’s interesting is that when I first listened to the album “Olive Tree For Peace,” I felt a sense of variety, as if I was changing the radio channel. Station A, Station B, Station C, they’re actually “songs,” but they’re different, just like radio stations.

And not Japanese, but European, radio with a mix of various languages. I suddenly remembered Wim Wenders’ “Lisbon Story.” As I was traveling from Germany to Portugal, crossing the border, the radio was left on, and the music and words changed constantly. But on the other hand, I also thought that this is just one album.

The album title “Olive Tree for Peace” symbolizes Seigen Ono’s dream world. The stories of various people unfolding along the Mediterranean coast, and the fun lives of the people in the cities and countryside. Ono Seigen wants to say that peace is found in the ordinary time of everyday life.

War is boring no matter where you cut it. He wants to say that this is something that is taken for granted. Music cuts out the time of ordinary life and you come across a dreamlike world. Smiles fall naturally.

There is no story that connects each photo. It’s a series of fragments. Dreams are born there again. I suddenly think that stories might be what spin the war. But time flows. It flows in Seigen Ono’s dreams, and in the gentle time of his memories, only the laughter of people can be heard.

The music is of familiar landscapes passing by, but there is nothing to indicate a specific location. It is a fictional town, like Hayao Miyazaki’s anime. Interestingly, when he plays in Europe, he is reminded of the familiar landscapes of a strange country.

There are many wonderful musical moments in this album. The best of them all are the children’s songs. There is a child who continues to sing outside the chorus. He continues to sing because he enjoys it. Yes, the innocent dream behind that innocent voice is surprising. The child is probably a self-portrait of Seigen Ono.

Composed and Produced by Seigen Ono