USJC Earthquake Relief Fund Report - US-Japan Council

The USJC Earthquake Relief Fund Proudly Supported:
The Yamakiya district of Kawamata, Fukushima Prefecture is home to one of the most accomplished and
celebrated musical groups in Japan – the award-winning Yamakiya Taiko Drum Troop, comprised entirely of
children, teens and 20-year-olds.
On March 11, 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, the Yamakiya District of
Kawamata Town was affected by the partial meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. In May of
2011, Yamakiya was evacuated due to high levels of radiation. All the residents, including members of
Yamakiya Taiko Club, were moved from their homes and had to quickly adjust to new environments and
schools. The town of Kawamata has permanently closed the elementary and junior high schools in Yamakiya.
The brave Taiko troop stayed together and practiced despite being uprooted and scattered across the
surrounding countryside. Some members had to travel over an hour each way to attend practices multiple
times a week. Despite these hardships, the drummers felt that their music was good for the spirit and
important to the community as a whole. After facing daily adversity, the group’s perseverance was rewarded
when they were invited to Washington, DC to perform as a part of the Cherry Blossom Centennial
Celebration.
With support from the USJC Earthquake Relief Fund, the Yamakiya Taiko Club was able to make their first
ever visit to the United States in April 2012. Sponsored by the Japan America Society of Washington, DC
(JASWDC) and organized by two former Kawamata English teachers, Michelle Spezzacatena and Darryl
Wharton-Rigby, the group spent 10 days in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC.
The group participated in homestays with students at a Baltimore-area school, visited the National
Aquarium, toured Camden Yards and attended an Orioles game. In Washington, they toured the U.S. Capitol
Building and visited the Library of Congress. The group performed at Morgan State University, the Kennedy
Center for Performing Arts and the National Cherry Blossom Festival, entertaining and inspiring thousands
of Americans in the process. The new fans of Yamakiya Taiko include Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi
Yamaguchi, who met the children during JASWDC’s sakura matsuri (street festival) and Japanese Ambassador
Ichiro Fujisaki.
Left: Yamakiya Taiko
drummers pose with
Olympic Gold Medalist
Kristi Yamaguchi.
Right: A young Yamakiya
Taiko fan shakes hands
with a performer
18