World Shakuhachi Discussion / Go to Live Shakuhachi Chat
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皆さん始めまして、
My name is Nicholas and am currently living in the west side of Japan.
To be absolutely honest every single person who I have come in contact with within the Shakuhachi community, be it in Australia or in Japan are the most sincere, down to earth people I have met. The connections are just so close it's unbelievable. I was able to purchase a Shakuhachi Yuu from Andrew MacGregor's website, who then very kindly referred a teacher to me in the Canberra region (G.Ranft). Mr. Ranft was able to help me build the fundamentals in Shakuhachi playing, fingering, tone, and some sweet Honkyoku!
Later on I decided that I wanted to go to Japan on exchange at the end of my degree, and for some inspiration I went to the Nara/Canberra candle festival where I had a quick chat to Riley Lee who was able to get me in touch with a teacher here in Japan through K. Kakizakai. I am planning to go see this teacher this weekend!
Also the people in the traditional instruments club at university are all very nice, and the teacher there has also helped me out an absolute heap. I just feel that everybody in the Shakuhachi community never seems to put themselves first, which has left me with a very positive impression of the Shakuhachi community.
I hope that by introducing myself in a hopefully polite manner, I can say "thank you" to all of the people who have helped me dive into the world of Shakuhachi.
Nice to meet you all!
よろしくお願いします。
以上です。
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Welcome niconicoNicholas
Let's hope your shakuhachi forum experience will continue to be as positive as the way so far.
Where in West Japan are you and what are you doing?
Good luck with the teacher.
Are you also seeing a local teacher?
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Hi Niko, welcome to the forum. Glad to hear you are having fun in Japan and had nice experiences in Tasmania's northern suburb.
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Hi Nicholas, welcome to the forum. What part of Japan are you in. I live in Kumamoto and would be happy to meet up with you should the opportunity arise. Drop me a line if you're planning on coming to the area.
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Kiku Day: At the moment I am in Yamaguchi City. Within my university club I am studying Tozan-ryu with my teacher Shibasaki sensei. Tomorrow I am going to Iwakuni to see a Kinko-ryu teacher Kawaoka Shigemi.
As for what I'm doing, I finished (but have not graduated from) my Landscape Architecture degree in Australia. I enrolled in a Diploma of Japanese so I had enough credit points remaining to come here on exchange. So I "think" I am studying Japanese. But really while I'm here I have probably concentrated a little bit more on Shakuhachi.
(^o^; )
Jeff Cairns: Kumamoto, I went there to dance with the university Yosakoi team! I would be more than happy to meet up some time.
Tairaku: I think when I get back to Australia I'll need to pop down to Tasmania. It is one place in Australia that I have really wanted to go to but never have.
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Place is teeming with Deranged Gunmen, mate, so LOOK SHARP:
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Sometimes I tell them, "I am an American and I have a gun."
They don't like that very much.
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Thanks for the heads up Edosan, I may rethink my travel plans to Tasmania!
The lesson went well and I think I will be going back there over the 6 months I have left. But who knows I may just end up staying for a bit longer. I also invested in one of those small mp3 recording devices. Probably one of the best things I have done in a while. All the vocab that passes over my head during the lesson I can now just go back and review.
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niko.niko wrote:
Thanks for the heads up Edosan, I may rethink my travel plans to Tasmania!
The lesson went well and I think I will be going back there over the 6 months I have left. But who knows I may just end up staying for a bit longer. I also invested in one of those small mp3 recording devices. Probably one of the best things I have done in a while. All the vocab that passes over my head during the lesson I can now just go back and review.
Well, Tairaku does have a Tea Shop, so it's not ALL scary.
And watch out...some of my best friends have ended up staying there 20 years
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Hello niko niko, and welcome to the forum. If you danced Yosakoi in Kumamoto you should surely come down and dance it in Kochi as that is where the dance originates; our Yosakoi festival is in August. If you want to check out our annual shakuhachi saraikai (Kinko), it's on the 19th of December at a place called Okoh Cominkan. Free katsuo no tataki/sashimi dinner with plenty of beer and sake for anyone watching the show; the bribe/reward for enduring the half day enso. All koten pieces this year...
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Welcome to the forum. As a former resident of Chiba I recommend never leaving Japan.
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Daniel- I have penciled in H22.12.19, sounds like quite an event. It's unfortunate that our university team didn't dance at Kochi this year, I am not too sure why. But maybe next year (even though I will probably be back in Australia). If you have even the slightest interest here is a video of our team, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt2uY-n8b1c
Mark- I'll take your word for it. Don't know whether I will feel at home at either Australia or Japan when I get back.
Also for the guys who did study Shakuhachi (full-time) in Japan, how did you do it? I know that some may have done a JET Program, some may have entered a performing arts university, some studying music/composition/history, the list goes on and on...
But I was just wondering whether anyone had any tips. Because I will graduate from university when I return to Australia (because it's a rule that you cannot graduate while overseas). Then I would like to plan to come back to Japan to further my studies in Shakuhachi.
Just some short experiences would be great, from people who had no money but stayed and studied, to people who had grants and were very comfortable. I'm really just trying to scope out the opportunities (pros/cons). But I also have a feeling that I will enter the JET program and study Shakuhachi during that time.
I will move this reply to another area as well if need be...
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I came back to Japan on the JET programme after I graduated, if you have any questions let me know.
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I came to Japan in '86 with few prospects for work, a family of four and a couple of friends who lived here. Ran the gamut of visa qualifications, improved my work capabilities , studied shakuhachi all along, re-married and expanded my family by two, bought a beautiful house in the mountains, have a work reputation that keeps me employed and now teach shakuhachi...in a nutshell. I never joined the JET program though.
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Thanks for the responses guys! I think that I will have to do some thinking on what I really want to do.
Jam - I will probably get in contact with you in regards to the JET program.
Jeff - Sounds like it would be quite nice to hear your story one day, I hope that our journeys cross sometime while I am in Japan.
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Like Jeff,I also came to Japan in 1986 in the pre-JET era, taught high school/jr high full time for two years at a private high school, then went free lance as an English teacher for six years - part-time teaching for companies, eikaiwa, kindergarten, university... before luckily landing a full time university position, which has helped support my shakuhachi addiction. I discovered shakuhachi in Kyoto after being here half a year in Japan, found a teacher half a year later, and started studying Kinko ryu pieces. I didn't give up my pvc plastic flute until after another year or so; got married along the way, have been raising two children.... Was introduced to the Bisei Int'l Shakuhachi festival by another Kinko player here in Kochi back in 1994, and discovered the 1998 Colorado Fest on the Internet. Since then have tried to attend the occasional international shakuhachi event... Joined ICTM (International Council for Traditional Music), also after discovering the organization on the Net. And then I found the Shakuhachi BBQ...
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Thanks for the response Daniel, it's interesting how many of the people here work to fuel the Shakuhachi study. I really admire that mindset and chasing your dreams. I hope to one day attend a Shakuhachi festival I really think it would be a great source of information gathering/sharing with people in the Shakuhachi community.
Well, I think I will have some time to think about my decisions upon returning to Australia. I really have enjoyed the fact that coming the Japan as a foreigner it allows me a "free pass" to taste different ryu-ha's. I have a feeling that not many Japanese people get to do this.
Anyways, thank you all for you help!
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