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A live Afro-Raga reinterpretation of the Japanese song Kako Kara, performed on the mystical island of Yakushima by YoYo Sitar and HOZU.
'Kako Kara' — 過去から — means 'from the past' in Japanese. On Yakushima, the ancient island of towering cedar forests and mist-covered mountains, the song becomes something else entirely: a conversation between a sitar, a kora, and the room that surrounds them.
Yakushima is one of Japan's most sacred landscapes, home to trees that have stood for thousands of years. A performance here carries weight simply by happening here. This live session brings together YoYo Sitar and HOZU — a Japanese musician whose journey with the kora, guitar, and djembe has taken him across Japan and beyond.
What unfolds is a musical bridge that the performers did not plan in advance: Japanese melody carried through Indian raga expression and West African rhythmic pulse, all meeting in a single unrepeatable moment. The room comes alive as the music unfolds. The audience begins to move. One elder dancer in particular carries the spirit of the evening with a presence that is joyful, free, and unforgettable.
