New Year's in Japan is a period when Japanese suddenly seem to "rediscover" their traditional music. Radio and television stations, which, except for NHK, practically ignore traditional music for most of the year, get into the seasonal spirit and air programs of the classical performing and theatrical arts. Old koto recordings are taken out of the closet, dusted off and played on the ubiquitous speakers along the city's shopping streets, and the well-known koto-shakuhachi duet "Haru no Umi (Spring Sea)" by Michio Miyagi is heard an endless number of times.

This sudden interest in the traditional performing arts is quite temporary, as the usual pop, enka or Western music programs gradually return to the airways and it is business as usual. One realizes that for many Japanese, like the seasonal kadomatsu pine and bamboo settings adorning doorways, the traditional performing arts are mere stage effects which create an atmosphere and introduce an important cultural reference point appropriate for the occasion. The sounds of traditional Japanese instruments issuing from the television and speakers become a kind of aural symbol which reinforces the sense of ethnic and cultural identity.

In a culture which puts a great deal of importance on form and style, this perhaps is to be expected, and maintains its inner logic. However, it also means that the traditional performing arts are elevated, for good or bad, to a position far from the lives of ordinary citizens.

This is not true in other parts of Asia. India, for example, has a rich tradition of the performing arts which permeate modern society and the consciousness of most educated Indians. All of the numerous national English language newspapers carry some kind of daily article (review, analysis or announcement) on the traditional performing arts, and live concerts are almost always packed with an audience familiar with the music, which often sings or counts along. These people hold a great pride in and extensive knowledge of their music and often insist that it is superior to any other in the world.

That is, of course, a matter of preference and conditioning, but it does mean the awareness and appreciation of traditional music is widespread.

In contemporary India how long that will last is anyone's guess. Unfortunately, the recent advent of satellite television with its commercialization of entertainment does not portend well for the live performing arts. On a recent trip to Southern India, many musicians and scholars expressed concern to me that their audiences, especially the youth, will be lost to the tube.

On the other hand, Japan contains a whole generation who has grown into adulthood watching TV, and the commercialism of music in Japan has gentrified to the point where the traditional arts are actually preserved and disseminated through the electronic media. Though hogaku presentations as seen during the New Year holidays might remain somewhat formal, media in Japan has become an important aspect of the traditional performing arts.

One of the leaders of electronic media, Sony, created a state-of-the-art live house in Odaiba to present world and hogaku music (see Hogaku Today, June 17, 2000). The venue, A Tribute to the Love Generation (mercifully shortened to TLG), has become known for quality of its artists and presentations. This month they will be presenting a variety of hogaku.

Takeharu Kunimoto is a young shamisen player in the rokyoku tradition, a popular style of singing, shamisen and narration which uses improvisation and topical subjects as well as set pieces. The roots of Japanese narrative music stretch back to the dawn of recorded history here, and Kunimoto, whose parents are both rokyoku artists, recently received critical acclaim as the lead in Amon Miyamoto's adaptation of the musical "Pacific Overtures." At TLG he will be accompanied by guitarist Shingo Nakamura.

Later in the month, Oedo Sukeroku Taiko will perform at TLG. This music and drum group, over 40 years old, is one of Japan's best, especially for traditional Edo matsuri pieces.

"Kunimoto Takeharu Shogatsu Live" 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14 at TLG in Odaiba. Admission 4,500 yen, 5,500 yen (500 yen off for advance purchases). "Oedo Sukeroku Taiko," 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20. Admission 5,500 yen 7,500 yen (500 yen off for advance purchases). For more information or reservations call TLG ticket reservations (03) 5531-2025. TLG is on the 6th floor of Mediage, a three-minute walk from Daiba Station, Yurikamome Line.

An upcoming dinner show at the Nakano Sun Plaza will feature some of Japan's top shakuhachi players: Teruo Furuya, Kazushi Matama and Kaoru Kakisakai will perform both traditional and contemporary music, accompanied by Michiko Onari on the koto. The dinner will include both Western and Japanese delicacies, with unlimited drinks included in the price.

Special New Years Dinner Show Jan. 17, dinner from 6:15 p.m., performance from 7:45. Restaurant Sun, 20th floor, Nakano Sun Plaza (one minute's walk from JR Nakano Station). Admission 10,000 yen. For reservations call Restaurant Sun, (03) 3388-1151.

Issui Minegishi, master of the ichigenkin (single-string koto) about which I wrote in the Nov. 4 Hogaku Today, will be accompanying American Indian poetry from a text compiled by the late Hisao Kanaseki. As she describes in her own words, "The American Indians placed great importance on the spiritual, and I believe the ichigenkin does so as well." She will also perform contemporary pieces by Yuji Takahashi and a classic ichigenkin ensemble piece.

"Ichigenkin no Yuube" 7 p.m. Jan. 16 at Tiara Koto (03) 3635-5500, four-minute walk from Sumiyoshi subway station on the Shinjuku Line). Admission 2,500 yen. For reservations or more information call Seikyodo Ichigenkin Office, (03) 3704-6090.

Christopher Yohmei Blasdel can be reached through his Web site, www2.gol.com/users/yohmei