The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is a research center for ethnology and cultural anthropology.

Ethnic Cultures Crossing Borders: People Moving, Cultures Mixing

Music
Music is distributed globally through mass media, but it also crosses boundaries with immigrants and regugees as they relocate.  They play music to ascertain their cultural roots and a sense of belonging which might be threatened in the newly adopted homelands, whereas for their descendents, involvement in music based on their ancestral origin helps them to create an identity which reflects their own unique multicultural background.  University programs have also introduced various musical forms to Japan and western countries where they find new performers and audiences.  Displayed in the exhibition are three examples of music that have crossed boundaries:
taiko music in north America, Okinawan performing arts in Osaka, and Indonesian gamelan music in Japan. 

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