Random YouTube: Japanese girls playing accordion

Japan is known for (among many other things) random-ass shit, and as I am half-Japanese by birth, I occasionally feel a need to visit in on some of these random combinations of things. I feel that YouTube provides a great medium through which to introduce this particular random assortment of Japanese-European admixture: Japanese girls playing accordion!













Related: Japanese girls playing accordion with others








You might have noticed that the same girl shows up in several of the videos (both by herself, and with a group). Her name is Koharu, and the band is called Minority Orchestra. Their stuff really makes me want to buy a plane ticket back to Japan just to watch them play!

Thinking about this for a bit, some of the pieces played by these women (and by other Japanese in other YouTube videos) seem to have a very strong Russian/Slavic influence. I think this might be of some significance (but it could just be that the accordian songs that are played in Japan are Slavic/Russian). According to "Accordion History in Japan":

It is widely thought that the accordion was probably introduced to Japan by Sensuke Asahi, who gifted one to the Miho Shinto Temple in the Simone region in 1850. Syokichi Mazkichimaru did the same in 1867.

In 1887, the Japanese imported German diatonic accordions for the women of high society to play. In 1905, Russian war prisoners returned home, without their accordions. The Tanabe firm began manufacturing them, and travelling medical salesmen used the accordion to advertise their wares.

In 1931, the French film 'Sous les foits de Paris' was a huge success in Japan, and caused a demand for the Parisian accordion as heard on the soundtrack. Tambo created an accordion model with a piano keyboard named "Paris", and other models were made with names such as "Bolero" and "Scala". These were later replaced by Japanese names such as "Chyasahima" (divine island) and "Daitoa" (great Asia). Many instrument workshops were converted into propeller factories during the war, and many pre-war instruments were destroyed by bombs.

In 1932, the Tambo firm began manufacturing diatonic accordions, followed three years later by Yamaha. Yamaha also produced chromatic accordions with piano keyboards, which were not widely imported.

The accordion became popular again after WWII and lasted until the mid 1950s. Cabarets, ballrooms and nightclubs flourished throughout the country, and numerous orchestras included the accordion. In Nagoya, there were many professional accordionists.

Today, Japanese are still fond of folk music, represented by the musette style and have arranged for French accordionists to tour their country.

Yeah, not much. And this from "the largest accordion resource on the web." I can't say that I ever witnessed anyone playing accordion when I was living in Japan. However, I left Japan when I was in 10th grade, so isn't a representative recollection. However, the juxtaposition of the funky Japanese cosplay-like get-ups with the Western contextualization of the accordion as a folk-music instrument (complete with the trappings of what that means in terms of costume) makes for an interesting sight - along with the dancing of the accordionistas.