Nishi-Hachioji: Noa-Ya party

Last night the banjo rang out strong in the little local "Noa-Ya" restaurant in Nishi-Hachioji! to the thunderous applause of all half dozen or so patrons.

Then began a great exchange in a variety of Englishes and Japaneses. It was a bohemian moment in many ways.

We had found a group of locals who know a great deal about Jim Kweskin and his jugband, and Geoff Mauldour, Fairport Convention and Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas, Pete Seeger and Peter Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, the third Newport Folk Festival of 1963, and all sorts of other folk trivia.


We met Yasuo Yagi an artist who is famous for his record covers (including one for a Geoff Mauldour LP)

What a strange world we inhabit. We also listened to a CD of Okinawa traditional songs one of the patrons had brought in. It was like a Sydney of Melbourne folk club or party of the 1960s.



We even sang a verse of We Shall Overcome and the landlady started to learn the beginning of frailing, double thumbing and hammering on on the banjo which she is eager to take up!!!