Luciano Japa, or simply 'Japa' as everybody calls him, took his first steps in Samba in 1995 on his first instrument - the tamborim at Vai-Vai Samba School in São Paulo. In 2006, he began joining Samba schools in Rio de Janeiro on their parades. His first schools were Vila Isabel, Salgueiro and Portela while also visiting Tijuca, Viradouro and União da Ilha. In 2013 he became director of the tamborim section at Curicica School in Rio de Janeiro which had just risen to the high competing Samba leagues. In July 2013 he took over the board of tamborins at Salgueiro until recently in 2020. With Salgueiro, they won the award for the best ala and best design in 2016 and the best ala in 2017 and 2018. Japa has traveled to Europe, Argentina and all over Brazil to teach and give workshops. In 2020/2021, he became the coordenador de Bateria at Bloco Baqueta de Fortaleza which can best be translated at the manager of the bateria, training new ritmistas (samba-percussionists) as well as teaching individual and group classes.

In 2006 he started making tamborim beaters. All his tam sticks are entirely handcrafted. Today, his beaters are internationally known and very popular amongst the Samba pros in Argentina, Uruguay, in schools in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and in all Brazilian states.