Watch NCBF Goodwill Ambassador Mallory Vaughan as she transforms into Mari Ohara!

Let’s play! Learn how to make musical instruments using things you can find at home in the video below. Print out the directions (opens in new tab) to follow along.

Taiko is an ancient style of Japanese drumming that is still popular today. Taiko drums are traditionally large, but actually come in all sizes. They are played with drumsticks, known as “bachi.” Learn to make your own version at home! (opens in new tab)

Watch a Kyogen play performed by the Shigeyama Kyogen Troupe in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium. Kyogen is a genre of traditional Japanese theater, more than 500 years old, that offers brief comic plays that are often performed as interludes between Noh dramas.

This interactive lesson in simple taiko rhythms is meant to get kids up and moving in the fun tradition of festival music. No taiko (drum) required!