First Ever - Bachido Summer Tokyo Gathering (2012)

Events
#1

Ladies and Gentlemen

Allow me to start by apologizing for the announcement overkill on this topic!
I recently started a thread called “For anyone in the Tokyo area” to get things rolling, but wish to use this as the official announcement thread!

I am proud to announce that the First Ever Bachido Summer Tokyo Gathering 2012 is coming soon!

And what’s more… is it’s FREE!!!

As members have been signing up, I wanted to put a forum post up so that we would have an area to share and talk about it and even share our thoughts, videos, pictures, stories, etc after it ends~

And so here we go:

About the Event

I would like to start by encouraging anyone who is interested, to check out the events page at http://bachido.com/events/2

The page contains the event details, and even an update on what the Mystery Activity will be!

A Small Request

As I will need to make reservations for the restaurant (and potentially the Karaoke room), as well as give a rough number heads up to the Shamisen Shop, I would like to have any members who are able to commit to going please RSVP with a “yes” so that I can include you in the counts.
Addition to this point, although I cannot yet promise this will pan out, I am thinking of putting together small gift bags for everyone who is able to attend, so knowing how many are coming would be a great help!

I really look forward to meeting many of you at our first ever Bachido gathering, and I hope that we can set the bar high and perhaps even create an annual event!!

Once again to anyone in the Tokyo area on July 14th, please check out the event page - http://bachido.com/events/2

All the best, and see you there!

-Norm Nakamura

#2

announcement overkill on this topic!

Announcement overkill?? For the very first Bachido meetup? Hell, I just made it a sticky!

Man I sure wish I was going… :frowning: Perhaps I can send freshly roasted bags of coffee beans as gifts. :slight_smile:

#3

Damn! I hope I can make it. I can’t say for sure yet. When do you need to know by Norm?

#4

Coming up with fellow member’s Yubi kake present that I knit. I think already got enough. More than 10. Just tell me your hand is super big!

#5

Kevin, it would be fantastic if you could make it down~
That would mean that we have people coming from areas spanning Aichi to Northern Japan!
Now THAT is a gathering!

If possible It would be helpful if you could let me know by this friday at the very latest. I need to prep the restaurant staff, karaoke, shamisen shop, etc… for our arrival, and they all want numbers lol

Kyoko!
That is fantastic!! Thank you so much~
This is turning into a soon-to-be-legendary first gathering!!

#6

I wish I could be there with you guys! It is going to be so much fun! Perhaps we can also do something in spring? That is when the national tournaments are held up in Hirosaki and I ( along with Penny, Kyle, and Kmetz) all get together. Damn that would be awesome!
Thank you for being such an great member of the Bachido community and being so active! WOOT!

#7

Grant! What a wonderful idea. I really would like to go up to Hirosaki and meet you all there.
I am still wondering how you all Californians met, must have been a long dramatic episodes, all the Californian shami players met and related.
My relation to California goes back to 1970’ to San Jose stay for 32 days including a few days in san Francisco and Los angels. At that time most of you were not even born.I was a college student then and eager to learn real American English. Now I am so happy to learn shamisen and up to date English. Double learning, is it? And so enjoyable talking to you all!
カイルの代行ご苦労様です。

#8

Thanks Kyoko San,
You were around the bay area in California ? Close to Santa Cruz?
Yes that is where many crazy episodes created the story and way for us California Shamisen players (even though I live in Japan now my identity was Definately left in California.)
But we were lucky that so many great players from Japan visited us many years back in the early to mid 2000s. Masahiro Nitta visited us twice as well as seshami street dudes Ryo Hagiwara and Pierre ohno and later Takemi Hirohara.
Basically i remember booking the coffee house gig with Ryo and Pierre. That show brought Grant Reimer into the picture. I think both Grant and Kyle Abbott showed up to the Shamisen workshop I put together also with Ryo and Pierre at the Santa Cruz music school. I am pretty sure that was back when Kyle was still taking measurements. Mike Penny had moved up earlier to take Shamisen lessons from me. Then later he moved back to LA.
Then it was when Masahiro Nitta came to California when we all got really excited. I really think Masahiro Nitta was a big part of the California story. He did shows in Santa Cruz which Featured all of us, Grant, Kyle, Mike Penny, me and a host of local musicians. We all played on stage together With Masahiro and other times we did street performing together as well.
Anyway it is a long story and there is much more to tell but I think the result of the story of California Shamisen is most significantly bachido itself. Through Bachido we are connecting to the rest of earth so this is really the next chapter of the story. It’s still a pretty young (new) story and still has a long way to go.

#9

It was definitely that show with Ryo and Pierre where I first was shown the true power of Tsugaru Shamisen.
I really doubt that the community would have grown the way it did without Masahiro Nitta directly influencing and encouraging us out of Japan as the amazing player he is.
It’s been wonderful, and it’s only getting better.

#10

Thank you so much for answering my question. The story impressed me greatly and I would like to continue to watch TSugaru shamisen history in the making!

#11

I would have loved to meet up with you! But my employer won’t let me go (only been home for 1,5 months since my last trip… :stuck_out_tongue: )
Hope you have an awesome time together!

Yeah, we should have a gathering in the spring 2013 too! I’m going for the Hirosaki tournaments, so it would be awesome to meet up with you!
I’ve been thinking it would be cool if we could rent a bus and go around for the tournaments together, maybe travel up to Sapporo too!

So cool! I look forward to the spring 2013! :smiley:

#12

And the schedule is born…

AM 10:30
First Meeting Point: Ueno Station JR Central Gate.

  • meet & greet
  • head to Ueno park for live shamisen performance

AM 11:00 - PM 12:00
Live Tsugaru Jamisen performance by Ki&Ki in Ueno Park

PM 12:45 - PM 1:00
Meet at Asakusa Station (Ginza Line - Exit 1 - Outside)

PM 1:15 - Arrive at Restaurant

PM 1:30 - Lunch Tsugaru Shamisen Performance Begins

PM 2:30/3:00 (ish)
Go to Shamisen shop in Asakusa for supplies!

~
Go to Karaoke for ShamiJam session
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Anyone who is interested in hanging out after the Jam session is more than welcome to stick around asakusa for some additional Shamisen Fun~

#13

Nakamura san,does Ueno JR central gate mean JR CHUO EXIT facing to Ueno Park?

#14

そうだよね～(^_^;) I forgot about Park Entrance
No it means JR 上野駅中央改札
公園改札の方がよかったかな～
Would you like me to change the info so we meet at the Park Ticket Gate?

Plus, did you receive my email?
and if you did, would you please be so kind as to email the address I have provided so that I can keep track of your contact details?

Thank you (^-^)

#15

Thanks Nakamura san. Ueno chuuou kaisatsu is fine. Changing the gathering place now may be confusing at this point.
And I have emailed to your cell phone all right.(^O^)
I am taking this iPad with me to Tokyo, by the way.

#16

It’s a little bit funny that you guys are meeting the same day as me and Anne for the first time. Wish we had a teleporter so we could join you…

I hope to see many great photos!

#17

lol wow thats neat

yea man I really wish you had a teleporter too (>_

#18

lol. Wow that is a misterious coincidence!
I am going to leave here tomorrow headed for Tokyo!

#19

I wish I could go Tokyo. I’m in Seoul, Korea right now and heading to Busan… Not that far away from japan.

#20

Sorry,unfortunately I got urgent job tomorrow, so I can’t go, maybe next time!

© 2020 Kyle Abbott