The summer of 1990 was the occasion for the first of what was eventually seven summer tours of Japan by the Eastman Wind Ensemble. These tours were sponsored by Sony Music Foundation, which provided funding for the costs, and by Eastman Kodak Company, which provided funding for publicity. About a month before the Wind Ensemble's departure for Japan in 1990, Freeman received the following gracious message from Tai Ohnisi, president of CBS/Sony Communications:

The Eastman Wind Ensemble and their conductor, Donald Hunsberger, left Rochester on Monday, May 28, 1990, arriving in Narita (Japan) the following day. The tour involved fifteen concerts in thirteen Japanese cities: Chiba, Fukushima, Seitoku Gakuen, Ichinomiya, Sagamihara, Kohchi, Hiroshima, Osaka, Izumo, Wakayama, Tokyo, Urawa, and Akita. Hunsberger had prepared two programs for the tour. “Program A” consisted of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Hunsberger), the First Suite in E-flat by Gustav Holst, Music for Prague by Karel Husa, Lads of Wamphray by Percy Grainer, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Renshaw), The Flight of the Bumblebee by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (arr. Hunsberger), Country Band March by Charles Ives, and Star Wars Trilogy by John Williams (arr. Hunsberger). There were also five encore selections, including two marches by John Philip Sousa.

“Program B” included Festive Overture by Dimitri Shostakovich (arr. Hunsberger), Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger, “… and the mountains rising nowhere” by Joseph Schwantner, “The Dance of the Seven Veils” from Salome by Richard Strauss (arr. Hunsberger), Crown Imperial by William Walton (arr. Renshaw), Concerto for Trombone by Launy Grøndahl, and “When You Wish Upon a Star” arranged by Schmidt. In addition, there were four prepared encores.