40% of the pianos that exist today were made in Japan, and 40% of the Japanese population has learned to play the piano at some point. Sviatoslav Richter, often called the greatest pianist of the 20th century, loved Japanese pianos, and he is just on... (more)e of many world-class artists who have praised them. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is the piano. We'll see how a piano-playing culture developed in Japan, and explore the latest developments in the piano business