musicand — making music in Kyoto
No Japanese. No reading music. Not even an instrument. Music doesn’t need perfect words.
piano pod at S-pod, Imadegawa
Saturday, November 28
musicand café / World Song Circle at Keibunsha Ichijoji (COTTAGE)
Wednesday, December 16
From January 2027
A monthly World Song Circle on Sundays
(dates to come)
To join, message us:
LINE · contact form · WhatsApp · email
Want a piano lesson?
One-to-one, in person, in central Kyoto — whether you’re returning to piano after years, or touching it for the very first time. We keep the words simple; the music does the talking. Children’s piano lessons start at age 3.
Visiting Kyoto? Come sing and play.
The heart of musicand is our gatherings, where travelers and local Kyoto families make music side by side — every age from 0 to 100, together. First time meeting, first time singing? That’s the whole point.
World Song Circle
Songs from all over the world, and Japanese songs anyone can sing along to. Rhythm and voice for every age, from babies to grown-ups.
We run musicand café and World Song Circle at Keibunsha Ichijoji Bookshop (COTTAGE), in even months on the third Wednesday.
musicand café is a small market: travelling lunch, music, and books, in an airy room with a comfortable distance between everyone. Local makers serve seasonal sweets, herbal tea and aroma hand treatments, and some days have workshops.
Where: Keibunsha Ichijoji Bookshop (COTTAGE), 10 Ichijoji Haraidono-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
piano pod
Every three to four months, people who love the piano gather at S-pod, a small space by Imadegawa Station. Some play a solo piece, some play four hands, some sing, and some just listen. Anyone can come, whether or not you take lessons at musicand. Friends also join online from Japan, the UK and Rwanda.
Bring a piece that doesn’t feel finished to you, or one you have loved for years.
Babies are welcome with a parent, and it is even better if the parent plays. You are welcome to just watch, too.
Next: Saturday, November 28. Prices & how to join →
Here for a few days, or for good?
You are welcome at World Song Circle, at piano pod, or for a single piano lesson. For short stays, lessons are single sessions only. Please message us before you travel.
Here for the long run, and want regular lessons or to join the community? You’re just as welcome, at our usual yen rates. Just ask.
About musicand
musicand is led by Yumi Fukuda — a pianist and a developmental-support specialist. Born in Australia, raised in Indonesia, she has made music with people in Rwanda, the UK, the US, Mexico, the Philippines and Ecuador. In the villages of Rwanda, she found the “circle without judgment” that shaped everything here. From babies to people in their 90s, she has shared music with over 1,000 of them. Still asking what music really is. Still on the way — no finish line.
World Song Circle: songs and cultures brought together (Rwanda edition). English subtitles available.
I learned this all over the world. In a village in Rwanda, we drummed on empty water tanks and sang together, with no shared language at all. My English is simple these days — but in a circle of song, that has never mattered.
Quick facts
Studio: Demachiyanagi / Imadegawa area, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
World Song Circle: Keibunsha Ichijoji bookstore (COTTAGE), Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, on the 3rd Wednesday of even months
Individual piano lessons: ages 3 and up
Babies and toddlers: welcome at World Song Circle and piano pod with a parent
Short stays: World Song Circle, piano pod, or a single piano lesson
Contact: contact form, WhatsApp, LINE, email, or Instagram @musicand.kyoto