simon hutchinson

Hoping everyone is having a wonderful holiday.

Over the past couple months, I’ve received a number of generous iTunes gift certificates. I hadn’t really used the iTunes store until last summer, but I guess I seem like the kind of guy who deserves more music.

Exploring some of the functions of my account I found this gadget for posting on blogs and whatnot:

Of course it’s just advertising for iTunes, but I thought it was pretty neat.

Today, I met my senior English Class, and for an end-of-year treat we enjoyed homemade cake and tea. At their request, I also brought in my shamisen and played some folk music for them.

After I finished playing, one of the women said that a poem had just come to her:

あざやかなばちさばきにてアメリカの青年は弾くジョンガラ節を

With deft bachi strikes,
the young American plays
Jonkara-Bushi.

She wrote it down for me, and from now on I’ll keep it in my shamisen case.

Onikembai (American World), Kitakami, Iwate, Japan
Admission: Free

I will join Sato Choei and the Choei-Kai shamisen group for an evening of folk-songs from Tsugaru, the Northern Peninsula of Honshu.

Fukushu Center, Towa, Iwate, Japan

I will join Sato Choei and the Towa Sangenkai for a performance of Jonkara Bushi and Hanakasa Ondo.