“Taiko Workshops in New Zealand” by Yoshikazu Fujimoto

Taiko Workshops in New Zealand

My taiko workshops at IPC Tertiary Institute in Palmerston North, New Zealand, went very well. The workshops were hosted by the members of IPC’s taiko group, Kodama. They gathered participants for the workshops by spreading the word around other taiko teams in New Zealand. On the first day I led workshops for Kodama, and then on Days 2 & 3 I gave open workshops for taiko players from all over NZ.

Kodama was formed 25 years ago and is the oldest of all the 13 taiko groups in NZ. It was set up by Japanese students studying in NZ who formerly played taiko in Japan, so even now many of their members are Japanese students. They held my workshops at their dojo on the university campus.

At the dojo

There is a wonderful building next to their dojo that has a dining hall and guest accommodations, so it was the perfect set-up for a live-in taiko workshop.

I was so happy to have the chance to come to NZ by myself. Kodo has never been there, so I was really lucky. I really want to develop our connection with their taiko community, so I did my best, as always, to lead passionate, fun workshops. It was a real pleasure to see that the participants were delighted with the workshops I led.

On my arrival, I went sightseeing in Auckland. I heard that Sky Tower in Auckland is about the same height as Tokyo Tower.