VietNamNet Bridge – Living far from his home of Okinawa Island in Japan, Dai Muyaguni tempers his homesickness and obvious pride for his hometown’s culture by performing sanshin, a traditional Japanese musical instrument, at cultural festivities in HCM City.

Dai Muyaguni performs his sanshin at a Japanese cultural event at Youth Cultural House in District 1.

Dai was born in 1985 in Okinawa, the largest of the Japanese Ryukyu islands and located south of Japan on the East China Sea coast. The island is sometimes called the small Japanese Hawaii due to its warm climate and stunning landscapes.

Meanwhile, sanshin has a long tradition stretching back 15 centuries in Okinawa. Likened to a banjo, the wood instrument consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings. “Everybody in Okinawa knows about sanshin and I am really proud of my hometown and with that profound love, I started to study sanshin professionally when I was 20 instead of focusing on the piano.”

Coming to HCMC on November, 2012 to work as an account executive in Dentsu Vietnam Company, Dai takes every chance he can get to promote Okinawa culture via his free sanshin gigs.

“Music is the perfect language to bring people closer and understand together. When I play sanshin and sing traditional songs of Okinawa people, I believe guests know more about my hometown and they feel it,” said Dai.

Dai often plays in cultural exchange events in Japan and Vietnam, in bars, cafes, restaurants as well as at company events.

“The interesting thing is when I play people sing and dance together, I feely cozy and happy like I am at home,” Dai added.

From 2005 to 2010, Dai has performed together with his friends from Okinawa in sanshin concerts in Tokyo, the Philippines and Canada, bringing a glimpse of Okinawa to some places around the world.

“That is the reason I decided to learn sanshin, the traditional culture and I want to let more people from many places learn more about the beauty of our native land,” said Dai, adding that he wants to preserve the old culture as not many people in Japan know how to play the instrument.

Dai hopes he can open a sanshin club in HCMC where he can teach Vietnamese people to play the instrument and find a sanshin music troupe to perform for Vietnamese and foreign tourists in HCMC.

“I would be happy to play sanshin and a Vietnamese person sings Vietnamese songs along to my music. When the culture is exchanged, the traditional features become in vogue and music becomes exquisite, bringing people of different nationalities closer and that is meaningful in all aspects,” said Dai.

Dai tries to engross himself in Vietnamese culture. Now he lives in HCMC, he chooses to live in a Vietnamese community in downtown HCMC, instead of living in expat areas in districts 7 or 2. Dai drives a motorbike, learns the Vietnamese language and enjoys Vietnamese food.

“I love Vietnam and I will hope to show many people the traditions of my homeland via the sanshin,” said Dai.

Source: SGT