Bengaluru: Interview with Ryutaro Kaneko, Japanese taiko drum player, special guest at the Habba
One’s cultural roots are the strongest in rural areas, believes Ryutaro Kaneko, taiko drum player and a special guest at the Japan Habba.
“I grew up away from the villages in Tokyo and I never got to experience the sweetness of tradition in its usual form. As I grew up I took interest in it and found my roots in music. The drum that I play is made with two leather sheets with a hollow in between, and that is who we are without our culture,” he said.
His debut performance in the country was nothing short of a jaw dropping experience. Kaneko along with Shinobue flute player Yaukazu Kano took the audiences through emotions of anguish, excitement and happiness building to the mood of festivity, which he said is an integral part of his culture.
Speaking on the differences in culture between the two countries, he said that it boils down to people at the end of the day. “The audience and I spoke to each other through reactions and I saw their faces and they saw mine, we connected. Now that I am going back, every time I hear something about the city on the news, I will remember the faces. I will always send good wishes. Seeing it that way, how different are we, really?”
