The "Nihonmachi" cast and crew. (Photo by Michael Palma)

LOS ANGELES — The Grateful Crane Ensemble has announced the completion of the “Nihonmachi: The Place to Be” original cast album CD featuring all 19 songs from the popular touring musical show about California’s historic Japantowns.

Since its world premiere in 2006, “Nihonmachi” has played to thousands of people across California, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Long Beach, and Torrance, as well as Salt Lake City, Utah.

Written by Soji Kashiwagi and directed by Darrell Kunitomi with musical direction by Scott Nagatani, the show takes its audience on a musical journey back some 100 years to Japantown, the way it used to be. Told through the eyes of three generations of a local manju-making family, “Nihonmachi” reminds Japanese Americans of their roots, and encourages the preservation of Japantowns for future generations.

Produced by the Los Angeles-based Grateful Crane Ensemble and Sansei musician Nagatani, the “Nihonmachi” cast album CD includes such Japanese favorites as “Oboro Zukiyo,” “Kuroda Bushi,” “Mennai Chidori,” “Sumida Gawa,” “Koko ni Sachi Ari,” and “Ue o Muite Arukou” as well as the Misora Hibari classics “Kawa no Nagare no Youni,” “Ringo Oiwake,” “Tokyo Kid,” and “Yawara.”

The CD features the nine members of the “Nihonmachi” cast: Kerry Carnahan, Yoko Ibuki, Loryce Hashimoto, Keiko Kawashima, Kurt Kuniyoshi, Darrell Kunitomi, Takuji Kuramoto, Merv Maruyama and Helen Ota. Additional vocalists include Susan Haruye Ioka and Michael Palma.

Musicians performing on the CD include Nagatani on keyboards and Danny Yamamoto (of the popular band Hiroshima) on drums, taiko and Japanese percussion.

“We’re very happy to announce the completion of our “Nihonmachi” CD,” said playwright Kashiwagi. “Just in time for the holidays, the music and memories of Japantown will make great gifts.”

CDs are available for sale at $23 each (includes tax, postage and handling). To order CDs, call the Grateful Crane hotline at (323) 769-5503 or obtain an order form from the Grateful Crane website at www.gratefulcrane.com.

Photo caption:
Front row, from left: Loryce Hashimoto, Merv Maruyama, Keiko Kawashima, Helen Ota. Second row, from left: Kerry Carnahan, Susan Haruye Ioka, Darrell Kunitomi. Third row, from left: Soji Kashiwagi, Scott Nagatani, Yoko Ibuki, Takuji Kuramoto. Not pictured: Kurt Kuniyoshi, Michael Palma, Danny Yamamoto.