Caution Big Sound

Day 6

Back on the subway this morning along with the other 10 million daily riders we headed to a Taiko Studio. Taiko is a traditional Japanese drum. The performance studio was down a steep dark staircase and we removed our shoes to enter. The studio is heavily soundproofed and we were closed in with thick sound deadening double doors. Really the only thing missing were the straight jackets. Our guide warned us of the upcoming loud drums with “ Caution, Big Sound”.

The drum master performed, gave us a history of Taiko, did a Q&A session, and finally handed out our drumsticks. Once equipped with drumsticks with the diameter of broom handles we formed a semi-circle and picked our drum. By the end of our lesson and jam session we were performing well enough for the next Olympic Opening Ceremony.

With our ears still ringing we walked a short 15 minutes to Asakusa Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo. After a quick walk around we cabbed it back to the hotel and met back up with the group for a beautiful welcome dinner.

Note: The golden colored building shown is the Asahi Brewery HQ and is designed to mimic a mug of beer with foam on the top. The “Golden Pooh” is also part of their complex and is supposed to be a flame but the locals all call it The Golden Pooh.Read more