A real rebetissa … from faraway Japan. She is Nobuka Sunohara and lives in Kobe, Japan.
Her love is bouzouki and rebetika music. Nobuka met her Greek husband in Japan when he was still a student. Today, more than 30 years later, they live with their two children in the small town of Kobe, where Nobuka has set up its own Greek restaurant and shop selling Greek products.
Nobuka’s teacher, however, Atsushi Tukaya, is proud of his student, as is their band Filiakis.
The exclusive interview with Korina Georgiou and SK Company.
It is really impressive for us here in Greece to learn that a woman from Japan loves this musical genre that is connected to Greek history and our tradition. When and how did you learn about rebetiko and how difficult was learning bouzouki for you?
I started learning bouzouki two years ago. I bought my bouzouki when I was in Athens, but I did not know how to play at all. There was no one in Japan playing the bouzouki, but it looked so beautiful and I wanted to play. I tried to watch videos on Youtube, but it was very difficult. But I met an awesome man who plays the bouzouki and is from Japan. He is a very good organ player and I asked him to teach me to play and he accepted and we practiced again and again and so we decided to take regular bouzouki lessons. Then I was the first student in the class, only I in the class, but now we are 17 in the class.
Both men and women or just men and you are the only woman in the class?
Basically we are just women, and a man.
Oh, interesting! Very interesting! Do you think that the Japanese people understand Greek music and especially rebetiko? Do you think that there is a common ground between your music and ours?
Yes, I think there is a common feeling. When I play bouzouki here in my shop no one knows about it and Greek music, but I think they really like the sound and the emotions and everything.
I know you have a favorite Greek composer. This is Vassilis Tsitsanis.
I love him, as well as his music. Cloudy Sunday is my favorite song.
Cloudy Sunday?
Yes, it’s such a nice song. But it’s hard to play. I try to practice to play it well!
We really enjoy playing, that’s all. Then we drink our wine, we talk about different things. The food is of course Greek, the drinks are Greek and all the products are the same. Everything is Greek. Traditional cheese, feta or salad or rustic, moussaka, souvlaki. Drinks of course include wine, ouzo, tsipouro.
What parts of your soul activates, awakens the bouzouki and especially the rebetika music?
When I listen to rebetika music I feel something special. It inspires me with a kind of nostalgia.
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