Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Fukushima Taiko drummers Japan's newest stateside export

Wed, 03/14/2012 - 11:17 — Anonymous by Lisa JardineA cool 540 meters above
sea level sits the Yamakiya district of Kawamata in Fukushima Prefecture.
Prior to March 11, 2011, the mountainous region was known for its silk
products and wintertime rice-paddy ice-skating rinks. No one is skating there
this winter -- in fact, no one is living there at all. In May 2011, it was
evacuated when high levels of radiation were found after the nuclear disaster
at the Daiichi nuclear plant in Fukushima. All of its residents were
evacuated to lower ground, scattered and displaced, including the members of
the Yamakiya Taiko Club, an award-winning drumming group consisting of
children from elementary school through high school that has been around for
more than 10 years. But displacement didn't stop these kids from banging on
their mammoth drums, the largest of which measures 3.5 meters in diameter.
And on April 7, they're leaving Japan and taking the show on the road ...
to the United States.read more

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