CHEN MINSHENG

The Mysterious Charm of Bamboo

On November 2nd, I participated in the Beppu Bamboo Club. The Bamboo Club is a group that makes things from bamboo and plays together. Since I wanted to try something new, I joined.

We took a train to Nakayamaga, a really small town about 30 minutes by train from Beppu. At that time, Nakayamaga was holding the Katasumi Art Festival, where there was a workshop to make bamboo instruments.

For lunch, I ate deer curry at a cafeteria that only opens once a month. Before eating, I wondered, "Is curry made with deer meat strange?" But after eating, it was very delicious. I hardly noticed a difference from curry made with pork or beef. Using the instruments we made at the workshop, we played music together. The sound of the instruments was very beautiful!

Later, we played with large bamboo instruments made by the teacher who taught us how to make the instruments at various places in town. It felt like we had returned to our childhood. I thought bamboo is a mysterious thing. Depending on the length and thickness of the bamboo, the sound when struck is different. Using this feature, various instruments can be made. Also, when bamboo is stood upright and holes are made on its surface, if you bring your ear close to the holes when the wind is blowing, you can hear beautiful sounds.

At the Katasumi Art Festival, my teacher's paintings were also exhibited; they depicted things the teacher ate and people the teacher met. My teacher is amazing!

During the first activity, I discovered many mysterious characteristics of bamboo. I am looking forward to the second activity as well.