Hava Nagila Around the World: In a Kyoto Cafe Called Goblin

In the city of Kyoto, Japan, there is a club called Goblin, probably because of the legends about goblins living in the nearby mountains.

If you happened to be sitting in the Goblin Cafe last week, you would have seen Japanese accordionist Tomoharu Tomaru playing (what else?) an extended version of Hava Nagila.

Starting with a minute and a half introduction which doesn't give a clue where he is heading, Tomaru, who belongs to a band called "Zahatorte" that is active mainly in Kyoto, launches into a zesty version of Hava Nagila. He plays the traditional melody for a couple of minutes, and then goes into a long riff before retuning to the basic melody.

This is the 27th Hava Nagila version that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central. The first 26 versions, from Texas to Thailand, from India to Iran, and from Buenos Aires to British Columbia, are all included in our book Jewish Humor on Your Desktop, Volume 4: Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places with links to the videos and backstories.

And now we take you to Kyoto. Enjoy!

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