My first experience with taiko was as an audience member at the Portland Obon Festival and Seattle’s Folklife Festival. I joined Portland Taiko in 1997, as a member of Portland Youth Taiko, which later became Tanuki Taiko, and I am currently a performer and instructor. Practicing taiko provides a creative outlet, physical and mental exercise, and a spiritual focus akin to meditation. Best memories include drinking vending-machine beer in Tokyo at midnight on my birthday, playing in front on 10,000+ people in Salt Lake City, and dancing and partying with taiko players from all over the country at the North American Taiko Conference. < Back