Being a 40-something non-Japanese leaving a job in Tokyo to move to the countryside seems to make me a little bit different from your average person in this part of the world. I've been receiving a number of invitations to interesting and exciting activities and events. On Sunday, November 6th, I was invited to a talk event at the opening of a facility for the study of Japanese traditional culture in Himeji. Along with the Hyogo Prefectural Governor, Toshizo Ido; a professor of music and shakuhachi expert, Satoshi Shimura; and an arts and culture producer, Masako Hamada, we discussed questions surrounding the importance of the provinces in disseminating culture, and how to share Japanese traditional culture overseas. I was asked to give the view from gaikoku on Japanese traditional culture.