First days in Japan very busy, rehearsing in Tokyo for upcoming performances with dancer Hideo Arai. Always a little shocked at how the pace of work/ life here is so much faster and more intense than anywhere else I have visited. Luckily, this is balanced-out by equally intense eating and drinking late into the evening…

My off time was eventful as well: shipping cases of instruments and equipment to Mie Prefecture (I love Takkyubin!); a mandatory visit to Asakusa’s Japan Percussion Centre and the Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten store; and a full afternoon of teaching private frame drum lessons, kindly organized by Haruhi Taniguchi, madame president of the Japan Frame Drum Association.

At the Miyamoto shop, I was lucky to bump into Yoshihiko Miyamoto, who invited me to join him, his father and (by co-incidence!) visiting taiko players Kenny and Chizuko Endo for the opening of the Heisei Nakamura-za Kabuki Theatre. Very thrilling, followed by a neighbourhood visit, and lunch. Really good times- my thanks to everyone in Tokyo for their kind hospitality.

Next stop- Taki town, Mie.