Mipso in Japan

A young bluegrass band is well loved in their home state of North Carolina. Where do they go on their first tour? Japan. On a journey that blurs the cultural divide between East and West, three young musicians travel across the world to discover a heaping helping of southern hospitality. The twang of the banjo, it turns out, needs no translation. While performing at a bluegrass festival, jamming with fiddle virtuosos, and touring by bullet train, the band finds that the traditions rooted in their home state have far-reaching branches. This short film will challenge North Carolinians to see their culture in a new light while inviting us all to reconsider our understanding of how local cultures endure in a global world.