Earlier this week, Cajun Radio got what looked like a regular old letter in the mail.  It seemed to have a lot of stamps on it, but I didn't pay close attention.  I opened it up, and some pictures fell out.  At first, I thought a local child had sent us some drawings.  But then I looked closer.  Not all the words were in English.  Then I looked at the address and it said "Matuhoki, Suginami-ku, Tokyo, Japan."  We've gone international, baby!

The letter was from Masahiko Tamura, a listener who apparently has been catching us through the internet on our streaming player.  Masahiko is learning French and has fallen in love with Cajun music and classic country.

We've scanned Masahiko's letter and drawings for you to look at -- a very talented person.  You might not be able to tell this by the pictures (we had to scan them in with our printer) but you can tell Masahiko took great care with this project.  All the letters were written in pencil and then traced over in ink, which is probably what I would do if I were learning a foreign alphabet, too!  Look how beautiful this is:

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So what does Masahiko like to listen to?  Here's a list of favorites -- and we couldn't agree more!  Put this on your iPod!  This is Masahiko's Cajun Radio playlist:

  • "Rip It Up," by Travis Matte
  • "Walking Down the Aisle," by Cookie and the Cupcakes
  • "Rockin' Sidney," by Jean Shirley
  • "24-7-365," by Wayne Toups
  • "They Stole My Chicken," by Keith Frank
  • "Bachelor's Life," by Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys
  • "Let's Do the Cajun Twist," by Randy and the Rockets
  • "Whatcha Doin' To Me," by Damon Troy
  • "Prisoner's Song," by Warren Storm
  • "Just Remember," by Johnnie Allan
  • "Zydeco Est Pas Sale," by Kevin Naquin
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"Chers Messieurs" -- looks like the French is coming along, more or less.  On top of all this, Masahiko also sent me a certificate to send mail back to Japan!  We might have to send some Cajun CDs overseas!

Masahiko Tamura
And finally, here's the full letter Masahiko wrote (click on it to get a slightly larger version to read):  
Masahiko Tamura
And finally, here's the full letter Masahiko wrote (click on it to get a slightly larger version to read):  
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So when we say here at Cajun Radio that we're the world's authority on Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop music, we've got the letter to back it up!  Coming in loud and clear in Tokyo, Japan!  Thanks, Masahiko -- or should we say, "Domo arigato!"

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