Doko doko don don

Last Saturday morning, we attended a Taiko (Japanese drums) workshop, organised by the Takatsuki Daiko group, one of the groups we saw perform a few weeks ago. First, they performed for us, with great flair and skill.

Then they got us all in a circle with a drum each, and we learnt some of the basic rhythms of taiko. After a bit of practice, they split us into two groups, and we took turns beating out the rhythm, then did different rhythms at the same time. By the end of the couple of hours, we were able to do a fairly complex series repeating and alternating between 4 different rhythms, at times alternating between the two groups, at times working together, and at times working on contrasting rhythms. With a couple of skilled drummers keeping an fancy beat rhythm going, and another overlaying a bit of fancy drum-work, we made some wonderful noise. We certainly didn't look the part, and we made mistakes, but still, the sound was great.

It was some of the best fun I've had in Japan, and had me wishing all over again that it wasn't almost time to go home, I wanted to learn more.