Tossup

A composer from this country combined a Western orchestra with its traditional instruments in his November Steps. Syllables such as “don” and “ka” are part of a “mouth-writing” system used to notate drum music from this country. A folk song from this (10[1])country asks “Is it mist, or clouds?” while describing its title flowers, and is often (10[1])given to beginner players of a 13-stringed zither from this country, the koto. Traditional instruments from this country such as the biwa and the shakuhachi are frequently played in its gagaku ensembles. For 10 points, name this home country of Tōru Takemitsu and Koji Kondo, the latter of whom writes video game music for Nintendo. ■END■

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