On a recent trip to Kyoto I stumbled into a shamisen busker- a man standing on a crowded Gion corner, eyes closed meditatively, carving a uniquely Japanese melody into the hazy evening bustle. I gave him a cursory glance and a nod of my camera to indicate I wanted to take a few pictures and he gave me an accepting wink in return:

The shamisen is a traditional Japanese instrument, with three strings and a twangy sound. Take a look at a couple of previous blog posts about it!- Here and here.