Lianne, her family and her Japanese friends visited us in our tiny apartment in Kyoto. photos/yurika/Asano-daiko_Kanazawa/thumbs/00190039.jpg The beautifully crafted iron frames, handles and studs. We could try some of the taiko in the museum. The sound was unbelievably amazing. But my budget only allowed me to get some sticks and a tiny hand-held drum. photos/yurika/Asano-daiko_Kanazawa/thumbs/DSC01656.jpg The little Asano museum was by the shop/factory of Asano and has extensive collection of the beautiful taiko, big and small.This is the inside of a typical taiko. photos/yurika/Asano-daiko_Kanazawa/thumbs/DSC01654.jpg The inside of a smaller taiko. They even had the beautiful calligraphy inside and at the back of the skin. photos/yurika/Asano-daiko_Kanazawa/thumbs/DSC01655.jpg I went to Asano-daiko (one of the biggest and best taiko shops in Japan) Museum with the Kyoto taiko group, Gun-daiko, and had a huge fun with them.The guy is Mitchie san, one of the best in Gun-daiko.I loved his strong, precise and pokerfaced performance! photos/yurika/Asano-daiko_Kanazawa/thumbs/DSC01652.jpg Yes! I went to the 3-day outdoor concert, Earth Celebration (2005), by the greatest group, Kodo. It's held in Sado Island and the whole atmosphere was incredible. This is the drummers from Miyake Island on the fringe stage, singing the Kiyari song for the Miyake-daiko. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00838.jpg The entrance of the Kisaki shrine which leads to the concert venue. People have to queue for hours to get better seats here. A friend of mine got up at 3:00am to get the front seat! photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00857.jpg But when you get up that early and queue for that long, taiko gods and goddess descend from heaven and reward you with the funky rhythm and style. They're Kodo members who kindly console the tired little mortals in the queue. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00871.jpg A young Miyake islander and The Master who taught this great song to Kodo. He was divine. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00840.jpg Younger members of Miyake islanders. Oh, the muscle! photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00849.jpg This is me in taiko-heaven, which is, the practice studio of Kodo's and we could even try their taiko!! photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00897.jpg The Kodo Village. The members live and practice here. Looks like a self-sufficient commune. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00901.jpg The local Sado islanders perform their own festival dance and taiko, called "Ondeko" (goblin-drum). They dance and drum all through the town and people will give them donation. You can learn their dance a bit in one of the daytime workshops. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00919.jpg My daughter and the amazing tap dancer, Tamango (French-African based in NY), the special guest for 2006. When we were hunging out after the Kodo concert, we found him just strolling around the park! We got his autograph, too:) :) :) photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01628.jpg The stage for the Kodo concert.The special guest for 2005 was a Japanese calligrapher who made the huge thing with the huge brush on the stage.Kodo invites a special guest for this concert every year, normally from overseas. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00958.jpg Me (in heaven again), my daughter and a Kodo. Kodo members come and see us (I mean all the concert-goers, not just me and my family, of course) off at the port. When we were waiting for the ship, we saw the Kodo just out there and went to say hello and thank you. And asked for the photo taking and autograph, too, of course. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01640.jpg I loved the EC so much I went back to Sado Island in 2006 again! This is the same Miyake master with one of Kodo members. It was one of the most memorable duets. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01581.jpg A joint gig by Kodo and a local dance group in the park just by the sea. Very very hot. I don't know how we survived the heat and humidity. Yep, the globe is being heated up. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01587.jpg Me and my daughter trying to imitate a local folk dancer. This is almost midnight, after the Kodo concert. We learnt the dance in the workshop and it wasn't very complicated but we still didn't get the movement right. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01591.jpg During daytime, they have various workshops and performances on the fringe stage in the shrine. This is a Mongolian singer on the fringe stage. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01576.jpg My son, daughter and the amazing stilt walker. He was a miracle! I'd never seen a human being doing handstand or bridge with stilts on. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01632.jpg Chieko san, a Kodo member and one of the best folk dancers in Japan. It's just a tremendous joy to watch her dance! photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01633.jpg Local Sado Islanders showing their very unusual dancing and drumming. I've never seen anything like this. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC00956.jpg See, they really did see us off. The gorgeous tap-dancer was there, too! They sang, danced and drummed for us. It was really moving. That was the best trip we'd ever had. photos/yurika/EC-0506/thumbs/DSC01641.jpg A giant drum and this was not the only one in the procession. Wonder how they made it. photos/yurika/Neputa-fes_Aomori/thumbs/DSC00787.jpg Having said that, this is from one of another "best" trips. I went to Aomori (north end of the main island of Japan) with Gun-daiko people to see the grand "Neputa" festival. This is one of the biggest taiko they use for the festival. photos/yurika/Neputa-fes_Aomori/thumbs/DSC00638.jpg We went to see the folk dance and music performance at a local pub in Aomori. The girls' (looked like 10 or 11) movement was really nice, fluent, sharp and speedy. photos/yurika/Neputa-fes_Aomori/thumbs/DSC00734.jpg Another group in the Neputa procession. I gave up counting how many drums there were. photos/yurika/Neputa-fes_Aomori/thumbs/DSC00758.jpg One of many, many "Neputa" festival floats. photos/yurika/Neputa-fes_Aomori/thumbs/DSC00673.jpg Some of the drummers in the festival procession. photos/yurika/Neputa-fes_Aomori/thumbs/DSC00679.jpg One of the gigantic floats. The width is from one side to the other of the main street of the city. photos/yurika/Neputa-fes_Aomori/thumbs/DSC00720.jpg A kindy group at Sansa Fest. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/sansa01.jpg A university group at Sansa Fest. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/sansa02.jpg I like your hat! photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/sansa03.jpg Local folk dance group at Sansa Fest. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/sansa04.jpg Miss Sansa-dance and Miss Taiko at Sansa Fest, Morioka. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/sansa05.jpg Sansa Festival, Morioka '06. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/sansa06.jpg Traditional Sansa dance by a famous group. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/sansa07.jpg University group at Sansa Fest. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/sansa08.jpg A small train station in countryside in Fukushima. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/misc01.jpg Yokohama at night '06. photos/yurika/SansaFest/thumbs/misc02.jpg