I wanted to share this cool store down the street from my house that sells unique Okinawan instruments, such as taiko drums and sanshins. Whether you want to buy an instrument because you are learning to play, or just as a souvenir or gift, this is the place to go. We bought my son and daughter each a taiko drum with bachi (stick used to beat the drum) for 1,000 yen for each taiko drum/bachi set.
Yoshimori is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. They take yen and major credit cards. I’m not sure about American dollars.
Directions from Kadena: head straight out gate 3 until it dead ends into 329, turn left onto 329. Follow 329 until you reach 36 (this is where the entrance to the expressway is located, there is also a Lawson’s). Turn right onto 36. Follow this road for about 3 kilometers until you reach 75. Yoshimori is located at this intersection on the top left side (across the street from Jeans Warehouse and catty corner from the Pachinko Parlor). Do you know any good places to buy these type of instruments?
Closed on Sundays
We just went by there and apparently they are closed on Sundays. It was 1pm and the shades were drawn and the door locked. I was really looking forward to going in without my kids but I guess it will have to wait until another day.
Sorry for getting a little off topic, but this seemed like good timing to ask a question I have had for a bit. I was wondering if anyone knew of a place where we could take Taiko drumming lessons (maybe near Foster if possible)?
There is a similar shop next to the King Taco on the 330 in Futenma (out Foster Legion gate and turn right, King Taco is on your left after about 2 minutes). They have all the Okinawan instruments and accessories to go along with them. Car parking is out front.
Sorry… from the directions you gave, you’ll have to turn north on 75 from the intersection with the jeans warehouse/san-shen dealer. (They are both on the north side of that intersection… just in case someone has a broken compass. if you’re turning onto 75, just split the two and you’re headed in the right direction.)
Just past that on the left side of the road is a shop where they make the drums. On nice days you can see the guy out front hand sanding. To find it (and this is going to be a bad description, I know) there’s a large restaurant on the right, the ONLY one with parking in front of it. (I know that’s a no good description, but none of the other shops around there have parking other than on the sides of the street. The restaurant also has enormous signs and large walls on the north and south edges of the parking lot.) The drum maker’s shop is directly across the street from this restaurant and has a blue awning.