These traditional Japanese percussion instruments are also known to keep little kids busy and happy. To make this homemade instrument you’ll need cardboard, a wooden dowl, beads, hot glue ...

Those are some of the feelings the founders of San Jose Taiko tapped into in 1973, when a new Japanese-American cultural pride emerged decades after World War II and the hardship of internment.

Currently, six models, including string, percussion and keyboard instruments, are available for people who have lost their forearms. Weighing 800 grams or less, they can each be played with the ...