Tsucchi's "Taiko Strange Story" 26th episode | I realized... I don't know anything

Dear readers of the JPC newsletter,
Happy New Year!
The time has come for the familiar Taiko story.
Even in 2020, the second year of Reiwa, this worthless page still seems to be surviving... It's really embarrassing. This dystopia with a sense of confinementJapanSo, I'm really grateful to everyone at Komaki Musical Instruments for keeping a close eye on me while I write about stupid things in public. Everyone has a really big heart and I am humbled.
And we are even more grateful to our readers.
I would like to thank you again and wish you a happy new year.

So, I'll leave this formal greeting behind and write as usual.

As I look back on the past year, I've noticed a few things. Broadly speaking, all of this has one root, but I think this year was one in which I gained a lot of ``awareness'' to get to that point.
I don't really like looking back on the past, and I'm not really attached to it, but I guess New Year's is a good time lol
What is that realization? In short, "I don't know anything."

Why do you say you don't know?

I have been making a living in the music world for many years.
So, when I meet people outside of the music industry who know this, they sometimes say things like, ``You must be really knowledgeable about music,'' and they look up to you for the knowledge you supposedly have. But I don't know anything.
Of course, I can be talkative about the music I like. But it's the same for everyone, right?
I believe that true professionals have knowledge, experience, and self-exploration that overwhelm others, whether they like it or not. Considering that, I have to say that I don't know anything. I know everything that everyone knows about the instruments, sound, lighting, and stage equipment used in concerts, but beyond that, I don't know anything. Therefore, when a professional in that field is there, I become aware of my own ignorance and become silent.
And it seems that the greatness of this training is now not limited to the professional world.
Nowadays, thanks to the Internet, information from all over the world is at our fingertips, and it's amazing how much knowledge amateur drummers have.
I just heard the sound of the snare and couldn't tell what kind of material it was made of.
If you're not good at it, you might not even be able to tell whether it's metal or wood. The same goes for cymbals.
Ah, this is that.
There seem to be a lot of people who can tell the difference just by listening to it, and if you look at social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, you'll see a lot of people like that. I was stunned.
``Nowadays, anyone can find out about my knowledge and experience by searching the internet for an hour.''
I experienced a collapse of my self-worth.
Well, it's not like it's really worth it, so to be honest, it actually made me feel better.

However, I was fed up with the amount of information that was overflowing in this world, and I was exhausted.
From the beginning of last year until the end of summer, I was so busy that I was so busy flying around that I forgot the faces of my family. In such a rush, I realized that I was accessing SNS in a semi-morbid manner, and I was shocked.

Why do you want such a “connection” so much?

When the murderous schedule came to an end, a gap of almost two months suddenly appeared. September and October. During this time when I was hardly working, my wife took care of me and made me relax, saying, ``You should take a break. You're working too much.'' I sometimes drink heavily, watch movies, read books, and listen to music until late at night. They did housework such as tending to the plants, cleaning and washing, cooking, going for walks, and living a very human life. Eventually, I ended up temporarily freezing my Facebook account. (At first, I wasn't able to freeze it properly lol) Time flows extremely plainly, with no unnecessary information coming in.

Take what you choose into yourself.
Find expression in your daily life.
I realized my own powerlessness and ignorance.

When this happens, you don't care about the instrument, its data, or its specs. Now you can interact with the instrument in front of you with plain eyes and ears.
Above all, I was able to respond honestly to the music itself.
I've always tried to react honestly, but now I feel like I can get into the music right in front of me without any preconceived notions. This may be true not only in music but in all things.

One thing I noticed was that when people are aware that they know something, there are quite a lot of people who unconsciously look down on people they don't know and lose their manners.

"Huh? You don't even know about this?"
"Oh, if you don't know, don't touch me."
“I mean, I used to work a lot without even knowing about this.”

Miemie's attitude makes me feel like I can hear that kind of voice, and it makes me angry. (And the fact that most of them are younger lol)
He knows what he's saying, and he has a sense of style and is able to express himself smartly. I think it's only when we get to that point that we can start... Well, okay. If you know, please do so. I'll withdraw. If you have any requests, we will do as you request. I quietly watch over the place.
There's no emotion there. In the past, we might have gotten into a fight, but now I don't feel like it at all. However, all I can think is that the music looks cute. To me, it just seems like the person is forcing the music to match what they already know.
It's like they're grabbing the music by the neck and dragging it around, saying, "Come here!" I don't understand how you can give in to music that you write and compose yourself, but it's something you do to the music created by the bands and singer-songwriters who employ you. To me, it just seems like an abuse of music. That's why I want to be honest, honest, and passionate about music. Those who have truly studied and trained know to the very core how difficult it is.
Such people would never act like that. No matter where you are in the world, the people who are at the top of their game are the ones who approach you in a casual, humble, and gentle manner.
I wanted to be like this. The road is still long and difficult. It's probably not possible in my lifetime.
I've written about this in Taiko Kidan before, but in today's world, it's so unreasonable that if you just take a mounted position and shout out loud, most of your desires will be granted, but I don't want to live in that kind of world.
I would like to be excused.
I'm very fortunate that there are almost no people like that around me. That's a blessing.
Many thanks.

Quiet talk.

So, rehearsals for the tour started at the end of October when I had a lot of free time.
I took the metro and went to the studio diligently for two weeks. The area around my studio in Tokyo is a so-called quiet high-class residential area, and I had to buy lunch on the way from the station to the studio.The lunch boxes served by the restaurants near the station were rich in variety, and I looked forward to thinking about it every day on the train: today I'd have meat, tomorrow I'd have grilled fish.
When I buy a lunch box, I stop by a convenience store to buy barley tea or yogurt, but one day, on a sunny day, I happened to stop by that store that you can find everywhere...

``Welcome~'' I didn't feel strange, but I thought that the intonation must be from a foreigner, so I turned to the cash register and saw a white female part-time worker there. I often see people from Asian countries working there, but I thought there were also white people working there, so when I got in line at the register, there was a white man in front of me. There are a lot of foreigners working around here, so I just stood there waiting for my turn. In front of me, the man called out to the woman at the cash register, and I thought to myself, ``Ah, I guess we're friends,'' as I stared blankly at the sweets lined up in the store, waiting for the white woman in front of me to finish paying.
Then, when I put my shopping on the counter and suddenly looked at her, she was looking down lol.
The expression on his face doesn't even look like a crying face.
He seemed to have complex and deep emotions that I couldn't describe.
It looked like he was crying a little.
I said, "Eh, what happened...? Are you okay?"
I was patiently waiting.
However, that time was about ten seconds. It wasn't that long of a wait. But to me it felt like minutes.
What did that man say to her during the short time she was paying at the cash register at the convenience store? I wonder what kind of feelings were exchanged. Indeed, the two were exchanging words in front of me. I didn't really pay any attention to it, and I couldn't even make out whether the words were in English. Then she took a deep breath and started checking out my account.
The emotion disappeared from his face, replaced by the same businesslike, inorganic look he always had.
That change felt strangely lonely to me.
At the same time as I felt lonely, I felt a tingling pain in my chest, as if someone had somehow hit me in a painful place.
I picked up the things I bought, and as I was leaving, I said, "Thank you, have a good day."
Then her face suddenly brightened and she responded with a daisy-like smile and a small wave.
I like that businesslike expression on her face.JapanI thought it would be very lonely if it was just a way to survive.

I'm sure I have no idea how he was feeling, but he may have wanted the rich expressions and ups and downs of emotions that he showed at that moment to last just a little longer.
The city of Tokyo has everything, and you can feel the latest trends, both good and bad, and you can also feel the history and culture that has continued since the Edo period. It's not just TokyoJapanThis applies to the whole thing.
and that isJapanThis is true not only in many countries around the world.JapanA unique subculture has been disseminated to the world, and other countries have taken the trouble toJapanI hear that the number of people coming here is increasing every year. From the outside, it looks like a country with a rich culture.JapanWhen I see people waiting in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, I wonder why I feel so unconcerned. Sometimes I think.
It seems like he lives his life trying not to interact with others as much as possible, but on the other hand, he wants to be recognized for who he is... Contradictory emotions are fraying inside me, and the stress explodes in unexpected ways. When that happens, it involves others in a way that can only be described as tragic.

When the new era name was decided, and I didn't know the characters, I heard from my wife on the phone, ``'Reiwa' is the new era name. I guess I'm not used to 'Reiwa' lol,'' and the first thing that came to my mind was ``Reiwa.'' ``Respect harmony with respect.'' I thought it was a good wording, although it was a bit formal, and then I watched TV and learned that it was ``Reiwa'' and thought, ``Ah, that's it.''
But first impressions leave a lasting impression.
I pray that the new era, with its soft sound of "reiwa", will be a warm one.
We live in a digital world, but as hyperdigital continues to evolve, what lies ahead can be said to be the "ultimate analog." The Reiwa era has entered a period of growth since the Heisei era, when the digital redefinition of warmth began.
It's not just AI or robots, it's more organic, simpler, and warmer. The time may come when such technology will emerge.
As someone who loves new things, I'm looking forward to it.

In any case, the important thing is the heart.
In 2020, I think I'll live with the theme of "the world of the heart."
As I started to feel like that, I started getting hungry.
I'm going to go grab some motsuyaki at a local pub with my wife.
We wish all our readers and everyone at Komaki Musical Instruments an even happier new year.
And I pray every day that the world would be filled with peace and love.
See you then,
See you on this page in spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
Good luck.