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. (-5[2])A folk song from this country asks “Is it mist, or clouds?” while describing its title flowers, and is often given to beginner players of a 13-stringed zither from this (-5[1])country, the koto. (-5[1])Traditional (10[1])instruments from this country such as the biwa (10[1])and the (10[1])shakuhachi are frequently played in its gagaku ensembles. For 10 points, name this home country of Tōru Takemitsu (10[2])and Koji Kondo, the latter of whom writes video game music for Nintendo. (10[1])■END■ (10[3])

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