Despite a day of torrential downpour to kick off Japan's rainy season, Junnosuke Uehara is grinning from ear to ear. He's got his shamisen with him and he says he's excited to introduce a new person to the instrument. In fact, his love for the shamisen is so strong, he clings to it as if it were his child — barely putting it down to discuss his new album, "Wa Kafe: Wagakki ni yoru Natsu no Uta" ("Japanese Cafe Music: Summer Songs"), which is a collection of J-pop songs played using traditional Japanese instruments. Any chance he gets, he starts plucking the strings. I'm tempted to ask to have a go myself, but then his manager informs me his shamisen cost around ¥2 million. So I decide to pass.
Uehara and his band, Waraku Ensemble, are on a mission, one that Uehara feels few have accomplished: He wants to make the shamisen "cool" for younger audiences. The instrument itself resembles a guitar — the symbol of youth rebellion. However, it has a slimmer shape, no frets and is played with a distinctive heavy white plectrum instead of a pick. More importantly, the instrument is simpler and thus does not lend itself to the speed of modern pop songs.
Some Western artists have tried experimenting with traditional Japanese instruments. Heavy-metal guitarist Marty Friedman played the shamisen himself on his track "Nastymachine" from the 2003 album "Music for Speeding." While not particularly mainstream, the album got rave reviews and fans reportedly liked the track's "Oriental flavor."