Wasshoi! Doing Something Difficult- Together

Once, way back in the time of the gods, the sun goddess Amaterasu had locked herself away in a cave. Desperate to bring the sun back to the world, other gods created the taiko drum to stoke her curiosity and draw her out so she could once again illuminate the world with sunlight.

There are many, many (many!) different versions of this story, but we do know that a form of the taiko drum has existed for 15,000 years! They come in several different sizes and shapes, and have been used for everything from keeping the beat for marching and attacking armies to music for kabuki plays. They are used in festivals to keep time and drive away evil spirits, too.

Students took on the brave task of learning how to play a taiko drum, which is so much harder than it sounds. Taiko is a workout worthy of any HIIT class or gym membership; students were taught how to brace their feet, legs, core, and back muscles in order to strike the drum with good form and strength. Then, students had to practice kiai, the shouting that taiko drummers use to encourage and inspire each other’s energy. We were taught わっしょい！or wasshoi! Wasshoi is the popular chant used when Japanese want to encourage each other when carrying or striking something heavy or difficult (like carrying a shrine or beating a taiko drum). It’s the power cheer that brings everyone together!

The taiko drummers taught the students how to play real taiko, but they were also encouraged to seek out the popular arcade game Taiko no Tatsujin on their own and see if they were any better at it after the lesson. 

Studying abroad is never without challenges. Students have had to deal with train delays and humidity, both of which are largely new challenges for them all, in addition to the expected challenges of meeting new people in a language with which they are unfamiliar. 

But, all of us are together in this, and we are stronger for the experience. Hopefully, when next we find ourselves facing difficulties like train delays and language barriers, we can remember wasshoi! and that we are all carrying the same heavy load, together. 

頑張りましょう！