11 MICHIAKI UENO Born in Paraguay and raised in Spain during his early years, Ueno was captivated at the age of four by a video of Yo-Yo Ma. He received his first cello as a Christmas gift when he was five— marking the beginning of his musical journey. For someone like Ueno, Japan was both his homeland and a distant, unfamiliar place. “I never really thought deeply about Japanese culture,” he reflects. “When Europeans spoke kindly about Japan, I was embarrassed to realize how little I actually knew.” As he matured, Ueno found himself increasingly compelled to confront and contemplate his cultural identity. Unlike those who grow up immersed in Japan and take its environment for granted, Ueno approached it as something external—something to be consciously examined, understood, and deliberately chosen. It is perhaps through the very act of performing works by Japanese composers that he engages in this thoughtful process of selection.
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