大象传媒

Ochanomizu means 'tea water' because of its proximity to the Kanda River, which in the Edo period provided water for the Shogun's tea. Now it is a university area - Meiji University, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and Juntendo University all have campuses in Ochanomizu. Phoebe Amoroso reports on the way teahouses have given way to ski and snow-board stores and, especially, musical instrument shops. There are more than 70 in Ochanomizu's 'Guitar Street' selling, mostly, electric quitars. But could you buy a shuchkachu flute, the Japanese bamboo end-blown flute, or a koto, a traditional zither here? What does a whole street selling predominantly western instruments reveal about music in Japan today, and the country's wider culture?

Presenter: Phoebe Amoroso
Producer: Julian May