On Saturday, May 26, Ebara-san, Rodney's manager at Honda, invited us to attend the Minori Dulcimer & Autoharp Festival, an annual event in Ibaraki Prefecture, about 1.5 hours away from Tokyo, by car. Ebara-san was also Rodney's manager during his five-year assignment in Ohio.
Ebara-san, along with six other members called The Front Porch Players, performed at the outdoor concert. Prior to this day, I had no idea what a dulcimer or an autoharp looked like. It was interesting to observe the uniqueness, as well as to hear the sounds that these instruments produced. One of my students, Meiri Kondo, whom I assist with English, is also a member of the group. Meiri-san plays the strum stick.
In this photo, Meiri-san is holding a strum stick. It is a three-string instrument. If I had to compare, I would have to say the sound resembles that of a ukulele, with a sharper tone.
Here Ebara-san (in white USA T-shirt) and Toyama-san are practicing their numbers on their dulcimers. A traditional way to play the instrument is to lay it flat on the lap and pluck or strum the strings with one hand, while fretting with the other.
Before the concert began, we had a delicious BBQ lunch complete with yaki-soba noodles, steak, chicken, sausages, potatoes, corn, and so much more. There's typically an abudance of food at most BBQs we've attended while here in Japan...and all of it tasty!
The Front Porch Players performed seven songs. The genre of most music played was country, folk and bluegrass. I was remarkably impressed.
Rodney was a special guest singer for their final number, "Sweet Jenny Lee". For the impromptu request (upon arrival that morning), I think he did a fairly decent job.
Group photo time with The Front Porch Players
Niichi Toyama, Saburo Sasaki,
(Front row, L-R): AikoToyama, Rodelyn, Markus, Katsumi Ebara
This is an autoharp instrument, which sounds similar to a harp, but not a harp at all despite its name. It is a zither instrument. As you can see, it's very portable, unlike a regular harp. I really enjoyed the graceful melody that this instrument resonates. This gentleman and his partner played a song called Pachelbel's Canon in D, which was the song played when my father walked me down the aisle at my wedding. Feelings of happiness rushed over me as I reminisced.
Watching the all talented performers made me want to try my hand at strumming the guitar. Here Kenta Ebara (Ebara-san's son) and Ryoko 
are trying to teach me some basic chords. Perhaps this new hobby awaits me. Hmmm...
Aside from being members of this group, both Kenta Ebara (in green T-shirt) and Ryoko (on right) are acoustic musicians who compose their own music. Rodney has attended one of Kenta's live concerts in Akihabara. We would describe his groovy style of music as sort of mellow acoustic rock. His vocals are impressive.
Markus enjoying apples at snack time and keeping hydrated in the hot sun.
are trying to teach me some basic chords. Perhaps this new hobby awaits me. Hmmm...Aside from being members of this group, both Kenta Ebara (in green T-shirt) and Ryoko (on right) are acoustic musicians who compose their own music. Rodney has attended one of Kenta's live concerts in Akihabara. We would describe his groovy style of music as sort of mellow acoustic rock. His vocals are impressive.
Markus enjoying apples at snack time and keeping hydrated in the hot sun.
The festival was a two-day event. Many families set up camp in the spacious field nearby.
Below is a short video of The Front Porch Players in a practice jam session, prior to the concert.
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