A composer from this country combined a Western orchestra with its traditional instruments in his November Steps. Syllables such as “don” and “ka” are part of a “mouth-writing” system used to notate drum music from this country. (10[1])A folk song from this country asks “Is it mist, or clouds?” while describing its title flowers, (10[1])and (-5[1])is often given to beginner players of a 13-stringed zither from this country, the (-5[1])koto. Traditional instruments (10[1])from this country such as the biwa and the shakuhachi (10[1]-5[1])are frequently played in its gagaku ensembles. For 10 points, name this home country of Tōru Takemitsu (10[1])and Koji Kondo, (10[1])the latter of whom writes video game music for Nintendo. ■END■ (10[2])