A whole new world!

The last two weeks have been so wonderfully different from all my other experiences in Japan. I followed my friend up north to Aomori and the shamisen tournaments that took place in Hirosaki. I've been hanging with my friend and his shamisen sensei, trying to get as much knowledge as possible in this new field.
It was really interesting to go to the two day long tournament in Hirosaki and see what makes the difference between a beginner and a experienced shamisen player. The sounds of the shamisen is really cool, there is the sounds of the three strings, the sounds of the bachi hitting the skin or the wood, a klicking noise from the strings against the bachi and then also the whole spectrum of loudness. The shamisen sure can be loud! :D

Lot's of shamisen players, practising for their performance.

I've also had the opportunity to start taking lessons from my friend and his sensei. I really enjoy playing this instrument and it seems I have some kind of talent for it. I've decided to keep playing and I'm going to buy my self one before I leave Japan. Next year I'll be participating in the tournaments! That's so exciting!

The tournament took place in Hirosaki koen, a beatiful park surrounding a small castle. Luckily the cherry blossoms had just started blooming here in the north, so I've had my second hanami experience!

Hanami in Hirosaki koen.

The drive to Hirosaki from Misawa was also an adventure. We took the mountain route and really had some beautiful views on the way. Northern Japan is so different from the southern parts I've visited so far. So much nature, I love it!

On our way to Hirosaki

The last four days have been full of shamisen practice, the making of new videos for my friends website www.bachido.com and also going through the curriculum that my friends dojo uses for their kyugrades, since I'm planning to make use of that curriculum for my own dojo. So a good deal of Bujinkan training has been done too! A perfect match, both musical and martial rhythms in my life!

Ja ne!