Tag Archives: jazz

Life In Japan: Western Arts – Pt 2

Posted on April 9, 2018 by johnrachel

I find it a fascinating question why Japan is so enamored with Western art forms, not that I’ve made any progress coming up with a definitive answer. My very Japanese wife serves as an example. She sings opera, plays classical piano, and teaches Western-style music to elementary students as part of the official school curriculum. But there are other things which remain intractably Japanese. Why Western music? Continue reading →

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Life In Japan: Western Arts – Pt 1

Posted on March 25, 2018 by johnrachel

Japan has an interesting, kind of bizarre romance with Western culture. This has been going on for some time. It’s fascinating to see the juxtaposition and fusion of two such diametrically different cultural milieus, especially what emerges in both the popular and classical arts. It works because regardless of what’s imported into the culture here, the people remain at core so essentially Japanese, respecting and honoring a long, unique heritage and an unparalleled work ethic. Continue reading →

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