The line from a Rudyard Kipling poem,” East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet,” is often quoted when people think there can never be a bridge between cultures. The truth is however, that cultures are meeting and mixing all the time. I’d like to tell you about two of my intercultural experiences in Japan which relate to learning a foreign language and playing music.
When I first came to Japan, I was captivated by the sound of the instrument called the koto. I knew I wanted to learn how to play it, but my Japanese language skills were just in their infancy. After I finally found a teacher and began studying, I realized that although the language was important, my teacher could communicate so much just by playing and watching me practice. I wanted to know more and more about the music, the history behind it and the players. This made me study Japanese harder. I was motivated to use Japanese every time I went to a lesson. By learning the language, I could really understand and participate in a Japanese tradition.
The other example of intercultural exchange I encountered in Japan was in Oita Prefecture. I joined a group of Japanese musicians who were really into playing ‘bluegrass’ music. This musical genre developed about 60 years ago in the U.S. It is a kind of country or folk music. Usually all the instruments are stringed instruments; banjo, guitar, mandolin, violin and bass. Here were Japanese musicians very passionate about learning and playing bluegrass music. All the songs were in English! They knew so much about the music and the musicians connected to bluegrass.
I learned that some of the earliest broadcasts of bluegrass and country music in Japan were on Armed Services radio during the 1950’s and 60’s. Eventually, many college-aged kids got excited about this music, learned the songs and style from listening to records and the radio and started lots of bands. Another tradition similar to the U.S. which then became popular in Japan was to hold bluegrass festivals. Bands and players, both amateur and professional gather from various parts of Japan. They camp out and play music together. There is usually a stage where performers can play for the audience for 10 or 15 minutes each. It’s a real celebration of a part of American culture. There are still bluegrass ‘circles’ at several universities today.
When people are passionate about something, they find a way to pursue their interest and enjoyment of it. For many people, ‘East’ and ‘West’ are only two sides of the same coin.