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Taiko group/lessons in Tokyo? 2017/9/10 22:07
I did taiko all throughout my college years (I was the president of the taiko club my senior year), and I'm looking to continue doing it while I'm living here in Tokyo. I would like to take some lessons, as I've never actually had what I would consider "formal" lessons (I mean, senior club members who had done taiko in Japan gave me lessons, but I'm not sure if that counts) and my repertoire isn't all that broad.

I can speak Japanese, but I think it would be nice to find people who are used to working with foreigners and speaking English, too.

I am living in Koganei-shi, and someplace not too far away is best. Any help would be appreciated!
by emiriimo  

Re: Taiko group/lessons in Tokyo? 2017/9/11 22:08
Well I guess it depends if it is more important for you to practice taiko or to meet other foreigners while practicing taiko.

If the former, just do a search like 太鼓教室小金井 or 東京 and you will get results like this one:
http://www.miyajimusic.com/school/courselist.php?b=%98a%91%BE%8C%DB

(Those guys seem to have classes in Tachikawa which should be reasonably close from koganei)

If the focus is more on meeting other foreigners a search in English might yield better results.

Enjoy your life in Japan!
by LikeBike rate this post as useful

Re: Taiko group/lessons in Tokyo? 2017/9/12 10:07
Glad to hear you're wanting to continue studying taiko! It's very popular, so in Tokyo you'll have a huge variety of different groups to choose from. One big thing is to decide how much of a time and monetary commitment you want to make to it. Music can get pretty expensive and involved here, especially if they do things like nomikai, annual or semiannual trips, travel for performances, rent out really large venues for concerts, etc. etc., but of course there are also more casual groups. And you can always just tell the teacher when you first go to the trial lesson how much you want to be involved, and see if that will work with their group style.

If you're looking for a place that specifically seeks out foreigners, you may get the best results searching in English (some examples:
http://www.taiko-center.co.jp/english/class/tokyo-class.html
http://miyaketaiko.com/school-guide/
http://www.wakon.biz/english/kyositsu.html)
However, you may also be treated a bit like a tourist in those situations. And even if your Japanese language abilities are really top-level, I recommend joining lessons that aren't held in English. Being a full, regular member of the team may feel a bit stressful at first, but it's also a great chance to make close friends and get more used to the Japanese style of doing things. And, of course, it's good language practice too.

Good luck!
by Gigi (guest) rate this post as useful

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