{"id":202705,"date":"2026-02-27T00:32:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=202705"},"modified":"2026-02-27T00:32:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:32:22","slug":"from-piano-to-accordion-and-japan-to-serbia-fumiko-moved-here-because-of-music-then-became-a-serbian-bride-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/from-piano-to-accordion-and-japan-to-serbia-fumiko-moved-here-because-of-music-then-became-a-serbian-bride-video\/","title":{"rendered":"FROM PIANO TO ACCORDION, AND JAPAN TO SERBIA: Fumiko moved here because of music, then became a Serbian bride! (VIDEO)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Fumiko, a Japanese woman, plays the accordion \u2013 in Serbia! It was her love for Serbian music that brought her here in 2003. And then she fell in love with a Serb as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before she met him, her surname was Takeshita. Now it is Kne\u017eevi\u0107. She is an example of how two completely different cultures can merge in harmony, and her story is a testament to how much music can connect us across all borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning Serbian kolo in Japan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>She first came to Serbia in the summer of 2000. In Japan, she was a member of a folklore society that nurtures dances from Eastern Europe, including our kolo\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSerbian music brought me to Serbia. In Japan I played the piano. When I told an acquaintance that I loved Serbian music, she introduced me to a man who plays the accordion and I started taking lessons,\u201d Fumiko told Kurir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She later studied with the famous master Slavko Mitrovi\u0107 Cale. Asked why the accordion, she says that the right side of the accordion has the same keyboard layout as a piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@japanka_u_srbiji\/video\/7542944828594670854\" data-video-id=\"7542944828594670854\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;\" > <section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@japanka_u_srbiji\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@japanka_u_srbiji?refer=embed\">@japanka_u_srbiji<\/a> <a title=\"capcut\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/capcut?refer=embed\">#CapCut<\/a> <a title=\"japanka\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/japanka?refer=embed\">#japanka<\/a> <a title=\"japanka_u_srbiji\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/japanka_u_srbiji?refer=embed\">#japanka_u_srbiji<\/a> <a title=\"harmonika\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/harmonika?refer=embed\">#harmonika<\/a> <a title=\"srbija\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/srbija?refer=embed\">#srbija<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c \u30aa\u30ea\u30b8\u30ca\u30eb\u697d\u66f2 - Japanka u Srbiji\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/\u30aa\u30ea\u30b8\u30ca\u30eb\u697d\u66f2-7542944866699905848?refer=embed\">\u266c \u30aa\u30ea\u30b8\u30ca\u30eb\u697d\u66f2 &#8211; Japanka u Srbiji<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cIt was difficult to master the accordion\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was easy to play it because I had played the piano in Japan. Besides that, I like playing the accordion because it covers everything \u2013 melody, chords and bass \u2013 and I can carry it anywhere. Still, it was difficult to master the accordion. Only four years ago, when I successfully played \u2018Tanino oro\u2019 by Bata Kanda, a song I had wanted to play ever since I started learning the accordion, did I allow myself to say that I am an accordionist,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between 2000 and 2003, she visited our country as a tourist whenever she managed to save enough money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moving to Serbia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDuring that period, I talked a lot about Serbia to my family, so they had a picture of what it looks like here and were not so worried. The decision to move came from my desire to continue playing the accordion and to learn from masters of the instrument.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The songs she loves to perform are \u201cKada padne prvi sneg\u201d by Zvonko Bogdan and Bala\u0161evi\u0107\u2019s \u201cRingi\u0161pil,\u201d while the first piece she learned was something more traditional \u2013 \u201cMoravac.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She met her husband at the wedding of a mutual friend in Belgrade, and learning the Serbian language, she says, was not difficult for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI love Serbian music and culture, and I wanted to learn as much as possible about Serbia. That\u2019s why it wasn\u2019t so hard. Also, it\u2019s obvious that I\u2019m a foreigner, so I thought people could accept me even if I made mistakes, and I wasn\u2019t afraid of that,\u201d Fumiko says, adding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSerbs are a hospitable people, and that helped me when I started living here. For further communication, music and the friendship between Serbia and Japan open many doors for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">MORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/interview-melissa-luburich-serbian-woman-from-chicago-three-times-congresswoman-how-i-fought-for-the-serbian-cause-in-washington-with-my-homemade-greens-pie-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">INTERVIEW, MELISSA LUBURICH, SERBIAN WOMAN FROM CHICAGO \u2013 THREE TIMES CONGRESSWOMAN: \u201eHow I fought for the Serbian cause in Washington with my homemade greens pie!\u201c (VIDEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/anger-grows-at-the-blockades-police-summoned-more-than-10-farmers-for-informative-talks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">ANGER GROWS AT THE BLOCKADES: Police summoned more than 10 farmers for informative talks!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/horror-in-north-macedonia-serial-killer-arrested-suspected-of-murdering-as-many-as-five-women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">HORROR IN NORTH MACEDONIA: Serial killer arrested, suspected of murdering as many as five women!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/fantastic-news-for-serbia-european-commission-proposed-the-abolition-of-roaming-between-the-western-balkans-and-the-eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">FANTASTIC NEWS FOR SERBIA: European Commission proposed the abolition of roaming between the Western Balkans and the EU!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/he-is-my-brother-from-today-ivica-saw-an-overturned-car-and-immediately-rushed-to-help-saved-a-person-with-a-disability-from-certain-death-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">\u201eHE IS MY BROTHER FROM TODAY\u201c: Ivica saw an overturned car and immediately rushed to help, saved a person with a disability from certain death! (VIDEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>:<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kurir.rs\/vesti\/drustvo\/9923216\/japanka-svira-harmoniku-u-srbiji\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Kurir<\/a>, <strong>Foto:<\/strong> Privatna arhiva<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fumiko, a Japanese woman, plays the accordion \u2013 in Serbia! It was her love for Serbian music that brought her here in 2003. And then she fell in love with a Serb as well. Before she met him, her surname was Takeshita. Now it is Kne\u017eevi\u0107. She is an example of how two completely different [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":202706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2531,11518,2317,5918,541,4275,113,4914,15],"class_list":["post-202705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-serbia","tag-brak","tag-fumiko-knezevic","tag-japan","tag-klavir","tag-ljubav","tag-selidba","tag-srbija","tag-srpska-snajka","tag-video","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Serbiantimes.info EN","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202705"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202723,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202705\/revisions\/202723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}