Our last day in Japan turned out to be a long one, and full of spontaneity and surprise.
A late-morning walk into Asakusa to pick up some last minute souvenirs and soak up what we could of the heat and Tokyo vibe resulted in me standing in the Miyamoto store talking to Neil Mackie of Mugenkyo. Although it was surprising, we did end up saying that IF two taiko groups from the same island happened to be visiting the same city, it’s no great shock that they both end up in a taiko store.
After a quick chat, we went on our separate ways, and (after a disappointing defeat at a taiko arcade game, 
Jonathan, you’re lucky we don’t have these in the UK otherwise you’d be on for a re-match) it wasn’t long until we turned the corner to Miyamoto studios to see who coming out? Again, put 2 taiko groups in one city, and you’re bound to see eachother in these places: a taiko store, and a taiko studio. It was really nice to have another chance to talk about where we’d been, revel in the luxury of being surrounded by so many groups who can teach us so much, and share stories before we really did go our separate ways.
Amanojaku – inspiration, perspiration, adoration!
We’d been invited by Watanabe-sensei to attend Amanjaku’s rehearsal and were looking forward to observing so close to their 25th anniversary concert that we were missing by only a couple of days. It was phenomenal. It was like seeing taiko for the first time. They played the piece we had started to learn with them, and although I was speechless, Watanabe-sensei wanted to hear what we thought and wouldn’t let us get off lightly by saying ‘it was great’…he really wanted us to talk to him.
Throughout the next few pieces they played I was again struck by the fact we had just met him, and that he was willing to spend so much of his time with us, really interested in our comments and reactions. At one point he asked (through Chris) if I was alright, because I looked like I was in shock. And the truth was, I was in shock…the images that came through his compositions, the strong identities that beat through me as I watched, the physical commitment of the players – real power, which in my mind is strength combined with grace, and the mental unity that was so apparent…it was utterly compelling. And so you can understand my reluctance when we were asked to “switch” and play the intro to ‘Tsunami’. No kidding. Just “switch” in. Right. With a very kind coach, in the end, we did kind of manage to play it…again, the desire for us to really understand where they were coming from, which I suppose is really only achievable by walking the walk, and the patience needed on their behalf for us to get there was astounding and inspiring.
If that wasn’t enough, we were then included in the next 60 minutes of Odaiko drills. Me, having never played Odaiko more than a couple of times, took a bit of persuasion to get involved, but I’m so glad I did. What an experience. Endurance was a key player here, as was a keen spirit, not to be disheartened or paralysed by your inexperience…the group dynamic was a living thing…every player was a necessary part of the process, and no one less than another…shouts of encouragement were given by all to all, and an increasing euphoria arose as the minutes were beat out and the sweat poured. To think we were just there to observe. I have many more thoughts about Amanojaku (and of course everything else) but I will leave them for me until I make some sense of it all…. What a privilege to be involved in that, for that to be our last day in Tokyo, and it wasn’t over yet.
Last Meal with the person who encouraged me to do this in the first place – Yoshi Miyamoto
Although I won’t go into details, somehow Jonathan and I ended up in a Japanese/French cuisine restaurant with Yoshihiko Miyamoto, drinking wine, eating exquisite food and talking taiko until 2.30am. It was so great that I could finish my trip to Japan with a conversation that came full circle to the one I had had back in August…it was Yoshihiko that had expressed passionately that I should experience Japanese matsuri and encouraged me to go for it, and here I was, hours from getting on the plane home, talking to him about how seeing what I had seen has made a connection somewhere for me, that has deepened feeling for taiko. I will never know how to thank him for that, or the people who have shared so honestly, so openly, their hearts and minds to us, two taiko players from the UK. I can only hope that I find some useful way of conveying what I have experienced to the UK Taiko Community and inspire others.
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