The Rhythm of Japan

There was a time when my sister and I were quite the rhythm machines. The random times we were maybe bored or had silence in the house were spent with rhythmic involvement. We would sometimes sing, yell (nice things), or just simply start to clap. The first person to start started the beat and then the other complemented it. ( sorry to those who are embarrassed by this). Simply we rocked out every time we were bored! Who can say no to a good rhythmic jam session? Not us! 

Then skip a few years ahead- probably around 10 or so.... The Kodo Drum concert. This was a traditional taiko drum group who uses traditional drums and outfits and the whole works to portray "the Rhythm" of Japan. There was amazing drumming, great stories told by a Japanese fan dancer, singing, to a huge drum played by a man wearing a sumo outfit. I can't even put to words what sitting in the second row of this huge auditorium, so close that I could see and almost feel the sweat of the drummers, and the excitement and wow I am just going to stop and say please check out the you tube video I found of them. This is only a bit of what they do. Imagine that little clip times 1hour and 40mins of great drumming times 10! It was so cool to see the culture like this! So you could say they were pretty good but stole some of their ideas from my family (even though this tradition is from hundreds of years ago- I should have to say in it huh?) 

Remember: When you are stared at just think of all those people who aren't staring at you but the man in the green suit behind you! 

~MOlly