IWAKI, Fukushima Pref. (Kyodo) A three-day annual junior high and high school choir contest began Friday without any audience after organizers decided it was the best way to prevent the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus.
According to the Fukushima Choral Association, the decision came as some students among several participating schools were reportedly infected with the new flu.
Some 3,700 participants are expected to take part in the three-day event held at the Alios Iwaki Performing Arts Center, but only the members of the choir and their teachers are allowed to enter the hall during their performance, they said.
"Both the performers and audience are indispensable to a choir. So it was really weird singing without the audience," said Ena Yasuda, 18, the leader of the choir team of Koriyama East High School, which finished its performance Friday morning before the empty hall, which seats 1,700.
"Listening to the choir of other schools is part of the experience, but it's going to be a very cheerless event. It's a shame," an official from the association said.
Results of the competition will be announced on the association Web site Sunday, the organizer said.
According to Japan Choral Association in Tokyo, some schools decided to withdraw from the choir competition in Hyogo Prefecture because students were infected with the new flu. In Yamaguchi Prefecture, the local organizer of the contest may consider asking the competitors to submit recorded versions of their performance.