Karakui

It doesn’t get any better than this folks. Misako Koja (known as a member of the 1st generation Nenes and for the hit song “Warabigami”) is in Hawaii now and let me tell you, she and her husband (composer, arranger) Kazuya Sahara are two of the most down-to-earth people you may ever meet. It’s a given that she sounds even better live than on her CDs but seeing her in person (my second time — first was during her stint with the Nenes) and finding that she’s still so nice in person is well, priceless. Not to mention that she’s a fellow Kadena-nchu, makes it even cooler (for me). Here’s one thing I’ll have to share with you: she has the lowdown on the DS. Well, it shouldn’t be too surprising as she is an obaa and the DS is a pretty big thing in Japan but it was still pretty cool to hear her talk about it. 🙂

I urge all of you Karakui readers to pick-up her CDs — whether online or when you’re in Okinawa (or Japan) — because she just has such a positive outlook on the world (given her rather difficult life makes it even more impressive) and is definitely one of the greatest singers in Okinawa. Visit her official website for more info or feel free to email me at karakuipress[at]gmail[dot]com if you want to learn more about her.