Play taiko in nature with a taiko-playing couple

• #About 1 hour
• #Beginner-friendly
• #Wadaiko drums
• #Drumstick making

Takeshi Maeda and Maya Minowa A husband-and-wife wadaiko (Japanese drum) duo based in Hyogo. Takeshi grew up with taiko from childhood, inspired by recovery activities after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and joined the taiko performing arts ensemble Kodo in 2008. Over about ten years he toured in Japan and abroad with more than 100 performances a year, working not only as a drummer but in song, flute, percussion, dance, composition and stage direction. He has performed with many artists including Tamasaburo Bando, the singer AI, Fuyumi Sakamoto and Hatsune Miku, and since going independent in 2017 he has pursued his own musical expression on the theme of "everyday life." Maya, from Miyazaki, started taiko at the age of four, and in 2008 taught wadaiko in Brazil with her father. From 2011 to 2018 she was a full member of Kodo and became the first female performer to play its signature piece "Monochrome." She has performed in more than 20 countries, performed with Tamasaburo Bando, and recorded and appeared on TV with the singer AI. She went independent in 2019 and now focuses on teaching and workshops as well as performing. Living in the rich natural surroundings of Hyogo, the couple performs and runs workshops in Japan and abroad, sharing "the connection between everyday life and music" through wadaiko.