DJEMBES AND A DIDGERIDOO

On Saturday, November 3rd, I went to the final day of the Uryuyamasai festival at the university. Without a doubt, the highlight was of a trio of two djembe players and a didgeridoo player (digeridooer?). They only played for about forty-five minutes, but it was a really neat show. For the second half of the show, one of the musicians played a cajon box – which, basically is a hollowed out wooden box. The cajon box has a surprisingly strong sound to it. Below are a few videos from it.

Tomorrow morning, I am, sadly, leaving Kyoto. I will be back for a few days in December; and I already look forward to my return here. Kyoto is a very special city and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend almost a month here. Although I am sad to leave, my next month in Japan will be extremely exciting. Tomorrow, I am going to the Ishikawa Prefecture, to visit the Asano (taiko) drum workshop. Professor Tagaki is (very graciously) accompanying me; and, we will have lunch with the head executive of Asano. It going to be a remarkably unique opportunity: remember that Asano is the premier taiko company in Japan.

I will spend the night in Ishikawa and then take a train to Naoetsu, a port town where I will catch a ferry to Ogi, on Sado Island. I will stay in Ogi for four to six days; Kodo Village, home of the Kodo Drummers, is about 10 kilometers from Ogi. I will be on Sado Island for about a week; and I anticipate that I will not have internet connection. I will update as soon as possible, but it might not be for ten days or so.

Lastly, today I purchased tickets for the Kodo “One Earth Tour:” I will attending shows in Hiroshima, Okayama and Osaka, all in mid-December. I am really excited for those shows, as the Kodo drummers are the most accomplished taiko players in the world. Oddly enough, in Japan, for any concert/sporting event/movie, you can buy tickets at any convenience store, such as Seven-Eleven or AM-PM…