This month, we present a special talk-show series called Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in Japan. For so many people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, life still hasn't returned to normal. One man making an effort to keep spirits up among disaster refugees is American shakuhachi player Bruce Huebner. The shakuhachi is a Japanese woodwind instrument with over 1,000 years of history. Huebner, who grew up playing the flute and saxophone, came to Japan when he was 23 and began his study of the shakuhachi. He eventually became a shakuhachi teacher and has been a pioneer in incorporating the shakuhachi into Western musical genres, including jazz and blues. For several years, Huebner lived in Fukushima, an area severely affected by this year's disaster. After the disaster, Huebner began performing free shakuhachi concerts at the area's evacuation centers and temporary housing complexes.
