One of wonderful things about studying abroad is that I can not only learn about the host country, but also being able to know people from other countries as well. At Rikkyo University, we have students coming from all around the world, and it was an eye-opening experience for me to talk with people from countries which I have only heard of their names until then. However, I can tell that all of us share a same interest in Japan and we are so eager to immerse ourselves in the Japanese culture.
One of my new friends, Fred, came to Japan to learn Taiko – Japanese style drumming. He is such a wonderful friend, and an enthusiastic taiko learner. Around more than one month ago, he kept telling us about the taiko concert performed by the taiko group that he was studying with, and asked if we were interested to come see. Of course, I would not want to miss this chance to see a professional Taiko performance in Japan, and I know other international students share my thought too because I could see many familiar faces at the concert (^^).
Sadly, we were not allowed to take photos or video during the performance, so I can’t show you how good the show was. I could not take my eyes of the stage during the whole time. My favorite song was the one which was introduced to be used in Japanese festivals. The powerful drumming sounds, the shouting, and the flute did take me away from the reality to an ancient Japanese festival. The only minus thing about the concert was the size of the performance hall. Because the drumming was very loud, so sometimes I wished the hall would have been bigger so the sounds wouldn’t hurt my ears too much.
I don’t know much about music or taiko, but I feel so glad that I was able to see such a great performance. I also felt happy for my friend, Fred, who was performing at this event. This was his first participation as a drummer in a taiko concert in Japan, and he kept telling me how nervous he was during the previous few days. Of course, the concert was a success. Seeing his calm and powerful performance on the stage gave me a strange thought that it was not the same guy who had lunches with me everyday. I hope that he could success on his dream to become a professional taiko drummer. Good luck, Fred!!!
