When it comes to Japan, most of us would immediately think of glamorous Tokyo, historic Kyoto, picturesque Hokkaido or gastronomic Osaka. But, mention Kyushu, and you most likely would draw a blank. Unknown to many, Kyushu is synonymous with Japan’s foremost taiko troupe Drum Tao.
I first got to know Drum Tao when they performed at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore back in 2012. Earlier this year, they returned to Singapore and I managed to catch them a second time. Drum Tao’s performances are worthy of the numerous awards they have garnered, including four Tony awards. During a recent trip to Japan, not only was I able to witness the performance at Oka Castle at TaketaCity, Oita Prefecture, I also caught a special performance at Grandioso, Drum Tao’s training facility at Aso Kuju National Park.
The Journey to Oka Castle
But first, it is a quick trip to Yufuin from Fukuoka International Airport. Unlike some airports, the subway is located next to the domestic air terminal and the international terminal is separated from the domestic terminal by the airport’s runway. You can quite easily catch the airport shuttle bus to get to domestic terminal which has its subway entrance next to the shuttle bus stop.
The place to be to get to anywhere in Kyushu is to be at Hakata Station where the regional trains and the Shinkansen or bullet trains stop and end. I took Yufuin No Mori, a special express train that takes you to the town of Yufuin. Yufuin is actually a very popular onsen or hot spring town. When I first stepped out of the train, the first thing I saw was a small onsen pool with a table for people to soak their weary legs while waiting for the train to arrive.
All aboard the Yufuin No Mori special express train.
The attendant on the train passed me this sign and asked me to pose. Basically, this train is catered to tourists so you have such nice perks. Do look out for them if you are on this train.
I always like such small touches that the Japanese are famous for. Just right next to the train station and the train track is this small hut with a soaking pool for weary feet!
Being surrounded by mountains, Yufuin is reminiscent of some small town in Switzerland. It has small cafes, art museum, and boutiques. Yes, it is very well developed as a tourist attraction and there was really a crowd at the station. I didn’t linger around much as I have to catch the Drum Tao performance at Oka Castle.
At Drum Tao’s Performance at Oka Castle
Oka-jo, or Oka Castle, was built by Minamoto No Yoshitsune in 1885. The castle was later occupied by various Lords such as Shiga Sadamoto and ended with Nakagawa Hideshige and his descendants until the Meiji Restoration. The buildings were then dismantled and are left as ruins to this day. As this is a mountain-top castle, having a good view of the land surrounding the castle should be very easy and thus would make this a perfect place to shoot sunrises and sunsets. Perhaps even the milky way on a clear moonless night.
Somehow, the fact that Drum Tao used this castle as a backdrop for their performance reminded me of the three tenors performance in Rome. With the historic setting, the castle set the tone for the performance as the audience got into the mood despite the heavy autumn rain. The musical instruments matched perfectly with the dance choreography on stage. True to Drum Tao’s style, the performance was a mix of traditional drum performance, part musical and part dance. It was a visual treat and rightfully Drum Tao got a huge, positive response from the audience that night.
You can only see the walls of Oka Castle on a hillside from the car park.
Power and Energy are always in Drum Tao’s performances and forever a visual treat.
An explosive end to an awesome show.
After the show, the Taketa city officials hosted us at the Kokumin Syukusya Kuji Kogenso, a three-star ryokan at the foot of the Kuju mountain. Taketa City and its environs may not have swanky malls like Fukuoka, but what it has in abundance is its natural beauty, a treat for photographers, and onsen facilities such as Kuju’s own Kogenso and Nagayu’s Lamune Onsen-Kan will make the visit all the more worthwhile.
Our Ryokan for the night. There is a public onsen you can enjoy at ¥500 or about S$7.
The interior reflects the typical Japanese room. I really enjoyed sleeping on the tatami!
The breakfast may look simple but is very delicious.
After checking out of the hotel, our next destination is Grandioso, Drum Tao’s training facility at the foot of the Kuju Mountain. We paid a visit to the local vineyard, Kuju Winery before heading to Grandioso.
There is a full range of red and white wines to try and buy. You can buy grape juice from this vineyard if you are not into alcoholic drinks.
Even during the wet autumn season, the place is magical.
Drum Tao certainly has a knack for naming their training ground — ‘Grandioso’ is a tempo mark directing the player to play the passage in a grand and noble style. Grand and noble, that is exactly the way the Drum Tao troupe performs and that is the image you would get when you visit this place. Too bad it was shrouded in the fog, if not we could have witnessed the full beauty of Grandioso.
It is always easy for us to watch in awe whenever Drum Tao performs. Drumming is actually demanding physically and the performers train as hard as if not harder than your typical Olympic athletes. Waking up at 5am and training until 10pm, the daily routine includes a 20km run, calisthenics and hours of drum and dance.
In terms of music instruments, they not only include drums in their practice but also shinobue or Japanese flute, bamboo marimba, koto or Japanese harp and gongs. The training regime is so hard that some past trainees have chosen to bow out of it. I guess in order to bask in the glory of rapturous applause, the sacrifices demanded by the members is huge and I appreciate them for it. Despite the demanding performance in the previous night, it didn’t stop them from doing a special one-off performance for us when we visited them. That’s true professionalism and dedication.
Concentration at its peak brings about the combination of spirit and body with the music
The ferocity of drums and the grace of dance, Drum Tao has it all.
The performance is so intense we can sense the reverberation from the drums through the floor we sat on.
What a performance!
If you are a fan of Drum Tao and would like to visit Grandioso, Drum Tao’s Summer Festival is held every summer in August welcomes fans from Japan and all over the world. You can watch their performance at Aka-Kabuto, their outdoor theatre surrounded by the beauty of nature. It will be a great treat for all visitors.
A Post-Performance Tour
As we bid Drum Tao farewell, we hopped by a few more stops before making our way back to Fukuoka. One of the stops is Kuju’s Hanakoen or Flower Park. Over 49 acres large, the park has enough flowers to represent all hues of the rainbow. While we are there, the foggy air couldn’t hide the beauty of the place and a walk through the cool weather is certainly a treat.
On a clear summer day, you would be able to see the whole mountain range in the background.
Even though Kyushu is at the South of Japan, some trees has put on their autumn clothes, much to our delight.
We all know about the rich and creamy Hokkaido pure milk ice cream. Taketa Guernsey Farm’s version is just as good! A treat after the visit to the Hana Koen.
As Taketa is essentially an onsen heaven, we headed to the area’s most famous onsen, Lamune Onsen at Nagayu. Most spring water we have in hot spring are water with mineral content. Nagayu’s specialty is their carbonated hot spring water and Lamune Onsen’s claim to fame is its blackened wooden panels lining the exterior of the whole complex. Essentially the wood has become charcoal and it helps to regulate the temperature and humidity in the complex’s interior. This has got to be the best place to dip yourself into.
Lamune Onsen with its picturesque garden.
Watch the bubble formed on your hands and body.
There are definitely a lot of places to visit in Japan and Kyushu is also a land of discoveries waiting to be explored. After the tour of Taketa, I would be continuing my trip to Fukuoka and Nagasaki and filled my stomach with good food and eyes with beautiful scenery!
Till we meet again Taketa!
