Japanese traditional performing arts have attracted global attention in recent years. So, what do we know about our own culture as Japanese? It is an important thing to know our own culture, especially in an era when the world is growing smaller. Also the best way to do this is to actually experience that by ownselves.

Our activities are to play and practice “Japanese traditional music,” which is the traditional performing arts. We use Japanese instruments, such as “shinobue (flute)” “tsuzumi (drum)” and “shime-daiko (drum)”. We start our practice by learning how to read the music and how to hold instruments. It may sound a little painstaking to deal with Japanese instruments. When you are familiar with a series of movements, although you might feel there is something different from the common Western instruments, there are too many trifling matters.

We play lots of kinds of music numbers. “Nagauta music” is a traditional one. The modern music like the series of the theme songs of “Studio Ghibli” and rock music, which leads to collaboration with such instruments as the bass guitar and synthesizer. This should be the collaboration of “the Classic and Modern” or “the East and the West.”

We practice in the Japanese-style room in the Student Union basically twice a week. The quiet atmosphere of Japanese-style room allows us to practice very naturally. We sometimes feel easy, but we also keen in practicing for our twice-annual concerts. Someone got an inflammation of a tendon and its sheath. Someone suffered from the shortage of oxygen because of the craze to improve his performance. We can choose any music freely in this performance, so the performance becomes unique mixed with personalities. Incidentally, most of our members are beginners at the point of joining our club, but it is certain that their performance improves through practicing. (Applicants can receive instruction from professional teachers.)

There have been more performance requests from outside, for example, we performed at Roppongi Hills. Also we joined “Japan Fair” which was held in Salamanca, Spain. If you are interested in Hideki Togi or Yoshida Kyodai, or if you are interested in Japanese culture, please feel free to come to visit us anytime. You are warmly welcomed. We are also giving a performance at the “Waseda Festival” and will have a subscription concert in November, so please check them out, too.