Japanese Traditional Music

lone hero cares for abandoned animals of Fukushima The untold human suffering and property damage left in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan has been well-documented, but there’s another population that suffered greatly that few have discussed – the animals left behind in the radioactive exclusion zone. One man, however, hasn’t forgotten – 55-year-old Naoto Matsumura, a former construction worker who lives in the zone to care for its four-legged survivors. He is known as the ‘guardian of Fukushima’s animals’ because of the work he does to feed the animals left behind by people in their rush to evacuate the government’s 12.5-mile exclusion zone. He is aware of the radiation he is subject to on a daily basis, but says that he “refuses to worry about it.” He does take steps, however, by only eating food imported into the zone. See more about his work and what he has seen in the exclusion zone below!

Wabi Sabi: An Unusual Children’s Book Based on the Japanese Philosophy of Finding Beauty in Imperfection and Impermanence Wabi sabi is a beautiful Japanese concept that has no direct translation in English. Both an aesthetic and a worldview, it connotes a way of living that finds beauty in imperfection and accepts the natural cycle of growth and decay. Wabi Sabi is also the title of a fantastic 2008 picture-book by Mark Reibstein, with original artwork by acclaimed Chinese children’s book illustrator Ed Young, exploring this wonderful sensibility through the story of a cat who gets lost in her hometown of Kyoto only to find herself in the process.

Sruli & Lisa - About Klezmer Music Introduction Klezmer is Jewish folk music. It is the music that the Jewish people sang, played and danced to throughout the hundreds of years that they lived in Eastern Europe: in the countries of Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Bulgaria and Rumania. It is also the music that the Jewish people brought with them when they emigrated to America, mostly beginning in the 1880's. Almost all of America's Jewish families emigrated from Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1950. The history and origins of traditional Irish music Trace the evolution of Irish music. Ireland may produce big names such as U2 and the Script that tour popular music all over the world but we also know how to keep in touch with our traditions. Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (the Music Festival of Ireland), the world’s biggest traditional Irish music celebration, still sees over 400,000 attendees each year with dozens of nationalities arriving in Ireland to celebrate our 2,000 year old traditions.

Traditional Music of Japan — Encyclopedia of Japan Ancient Japanese MusicAlmost nothing is known about music in Japan's prehistory, through the Jomon and Yayoi periods, but there are ritual figures of musicians, suggesting the early importance of music. The late Yayoi period is marked by the building of immense tombs, and there were probably many powerful clans that gradually culminated in the dominance of the Yamato clan. The state that they built used language, religion and legal systems from the Asian continent and resulted in the high development of the imperial court as a political and cultural center in the Nara (645 - 710) and Heian (794 - 1185) periods. Even when the political power of the imperial court declined after this time, the court retained its cultural traditions, many which continue to this day. The little that remains from the prehistoric period seems to be some songs, legends and rituals recorded in the "Kojiki" and "Nihon Shoki," the first chronicles of the new state.

Japan, South Korea settle wartime sex slave dispute By Associated Press December 28 at 7:46 AM TOKYO — Japan and South Korea have reached an agreement to resolve their decades-long dispute over Korean victims of Japan’s World War II-era military prostitution system, with an apology by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a pledge to set up a 1 billion yen ($8 million) fund for the victims, euphemistically called “comfort women.” Here are statements Monday by Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, released by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

In Praise of Shadows: Ancient Japanese Aesthetics and Why Every Technology Is a Technology of Thought – Brain Pickings By Maria Popova At least since Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, we’ve seen shadows as a metaphor for the illusory and wicked aspects of life, for that which we must eradicate in order to illuminate the truth and inherent goodness of existence. And yet we forget that the darkness they cast evidences the light — palpable proof without which we might not appreciate or even notice the radiance itself. The 1933 gem In Praise of Shadows (public library) by Japanese literary titan Junichiro Tanizaki (July 24, 1886–July 30, 1965) belongs to that special order of slim, enormously powerful books that enchant the lay reader with an esoteric subject, leaving a lifelong imprint on the imagination — rare masterpieces like Robin Wall Kimmerer’s love letter to moss and Glenn Kurtz’s paean to the pleasures of playing guitar.

Tibetan Singing Bowl History LLL: "Yes, they have a lot of . . . each people they will get in each different sound. Also some very high being lamas coming to listen to this singing bowl, and really they, sound is giving teaching, you know, about broadness and emptiness, many different teachings . . . Four Noble Truth teachings. Each they wanted to have that teaching gives by . . ." Music Traditions in Indonesia More than 17,000 islands make up the Indonesian archipelago, and the nation has a cultural diversity that reflects this enormous size. Although the gamelan is the most recognized musical style in Indonesia, there are literally hundreds of distinct musical traditions, some kept alive by only a handful of people. In addition to traditional musical modes, Indonesia also has a vibrant popular music scene, integrating aspects of traditional arrangements with styles borrowed from the West and Asia. History The gamelan is a large collection of percussion instruments played as an ensemble.

japan Article MT088 An overview of solo and ensemble development [Introduction] [Aesthetics] [Teaching] [Historical Background] [The Biwa] [The Koto] [The Shakuhachi] [The Shamisen] [Ensemble Music] [Conclusion] [CDs of Japanese Music] [References] Introduction 11 Beautiful Japanese Words That Don't Exist In English Once, when I asked my friend from a small tribe in Burma how they would say “breakfast” there, she told me that they didn’t have a word for it because they only ate twice a day--lunch and dinner. I happen to have a lot of friends who speak English as their second language and that made me realize that a language has a lot to do with its culture’s uniqueness. Because of that there are some untranslatable words. In Japanese culture, people have a lot of appreciation towards nature and it is very important to be polite towards others. That politeness and the nature appreciation reflected on to its language and created some beautiful words that are not translatable to English. いただきます Itadakimasu