京都 琴（箏）だより（皆と仲良く）

 昨年末、アメリカから来られたパキスタン人の彼からの写真です。２年前からお友達になっています。今回彼は東大の講義等、勉強で来日しましたが1週間だけバカンスがありました。「温泉に是非行きたいのです！」と相談がありましたので娘が調べて有馬温泉を薦めました。日帰りのバスがあり、温泉施設での割引もありでしたので。早速行かれて大変楽しまれたそう。良かった！今朝は以前の体験の方が感想を書いて下さったとのこと、皆さんと仲良しになれて嬉しいです。

It's taken me months to write this review simply because I'm not sure how to put into words the amazing experience we had.
My little sister and I were traveling the golden road and got to Kyoto after about a week of traveling. We're both musically gifted (trained classically on piano and violin and had many experiences with instruments from around the world) and the idea of learning the koto piqued both of our interests.
I can speak Japanese at a child's level but my sister doesn't speak at all, so I was determined to help her understand to the best of my ability, but it was a relief Harumi-sensei could explain in English.
Our frantic arrival in Kyoto meant we couldn't drop off our bags at our ryokan so our host graciously allowed us to leave our bags in the front room.
Not only did we get to learn the main song, Sakura, but she also taught us a song called 夕やけ小やけ (Sunset Glow) in a new tuning style.
Since my sister and I are equally gifted, we played well together and we surprised our teacher (which was our main goal!) and so it turned out to be a joy.
After our lesson, she offered us some quintessential Japanese snacks and played her arrangement of Sakura. Each verse had us dropping our jaws in awe and I tried my best not to make too much noise with the wrappings on the snacks. (It was almost impossible haha)
She then joined us for some chats and we talked about culture and tourism and her review of our lesson.
I'd love to go back, and I personally plan to, even if I can't bring my sister again, because I'd love to learn more songs and get some practice in.
I can't stress enough the importance of a basic cultural understanding before you come to Japan, because even if you only understand the foundations, you'll truly understand the weight of Harumi-sensei's hospitality. It was a wonderful experience and I urge anyone with a sense of musical ability to try your hand at a beautiful instrument.