The Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan, houses a 15-meter-tall brass Buddha sculpture sitting atop an intricately engraved lotus blossom, all in the world's largest wooden building. Wild deer, regarded in the Shinto religion as messengers of God, freely roam the grounds. Nara is filled with such cultural and natural elements that constantly pull humans into specific physical space while simultaneously projecting them into the spirit world; this balance between the here-and-now and the way-out-there is reflected in the music of Oorutaichi. Born and raised in Nara, he aims to transcend national identity by channeling universal energy, but does so rooted in a distinctly Japanese landscape. Oorutaichi appears on Open End to share music and thoughts from this unique perspective. Frosty rounds out the episode with a mix of other otherworldly music from Japan.
