a new week, a new book of adventures

I've had a good week so far and it seems like it will only get better!

Sunday I had the opportunity to go to a kabuki play with waka chan and my host mom. The performance was held in the famous Kabuki Za theater tucked in the middle of the bustling streets of Ginza. It was sooo awesome! I love everything about kabuki but if you don:t know what that is..here's a brief run down.

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese theater where the actors are extravegantly dressed, decorated and painted (make up) and preform stories in 3 different genres...historic, domestic, and dance. The historical stories usually involve ...suprise..historical events but usually involves some sort of romance to stir things up a bit. Domestic plays are usually about peasants, robbers, lovers or something of the like..think Edo Soap Opera. ("I would rather die by your sword than have you leave for ever. kill me now if you never plan on returning" kind of thing) Dance performances are still a narative but it involves more symbolism, the use of song and set and costume change/transformation. When I went on sunday I saw the most famous dance play's that involve the actor to wear the costume of a budhist lion diety (long read hair) that he swings around in circles in the air for like 5 minutes. its really long hair so would take a lot of skill.

all roles are played by men, which isn:t too unusual for traditional drama (the greeks and even shakespear had male only actors) but when you watch kabuki, the women characters really seem like women. each movement is increadibly delicate, sophisticated, and sometimes sensual creating an illusion that you are watching a woman, when in fact that "woman" in real life is an old man who is called a woman specialist. (or something like that) The actors speak in extravagant voices with increadibly dramatic pauses and verses making each moment epic.

The three plays I saw each had all star casts making the performances even more increadible. the plays i saw were
(descriptions from Kabuki Za website)

HONCHO NIJUSHIKO -Jusshuko, Kitsunebi- (The Japanese Examples of Filial Piety - The Incense Burning, Foxfires) Princess Yaegaki is mourning the death of her fiance Katsuyori, but as she burns incense in his memory, she notices the resemblance between the new gardener and her fiance's portrait. The gardener is in fact Katsuyori, who has entered the household in disguise to regain possession of a stolen family treasure, a famous battle helmet, with the aid of an accomplice, Nureginu, a woman who also mourns for the man that died in the place of the real Katsuyori. Unfortunately, Yaegaki's father has also seen through the disguise and plans to kill Katsuyori and Yaegaki decides that she must save the man she loves. Taking the helmet, she runs after Katsuyori while surrounded by mysterious fox fires caused by the fox spirit closely associated with the helmet. As she takes on superpowers with the magic of the fox, she begins moving like a Bunraku puppet with an actor as the puppeteer (Onoe Ukon). The role of Princess Yaegaki is one of the most important onnagata female role specialist roles and this month will be played by onnagata superstar Tamasaburo.

YUKI NO YUBE IRIYA NO AZEMICHI (Naozamurai and Michitose) The thief Naozamurai has been betrayed and is on the run. He risks one last meeting with his lover, the courtesan Michitose, but he has never revealed his true identity to her and as far as she knows, he is a wealthy merchant. On a freezing, snow-bound night, in a romantic scene accompanied by the lush and erotic singing of Kiyomoto narrative music, the two lovers Naozamurai and Michitose meet and part forever. Starring Kikugoro as Naozamurai and the popular young star Kikunosuke as Michitose.

HANABUSA SHUJAKU JISHI (Courtesan Lion Dance) Lion dances show a vigorous masculine spirit that is the guardian of a sacred mountain in China. But the kabuki tradition transforms this fierce dance into a showpiece for an elegant female role specialist. Fukusuke stars as a top-ranking courtesan dancing elegantly in a banquet parlor who is then transformed into a feminine version of the spirit of the lion.

check flickr for more pictures of the inside of the kabuki za theater.

On monday morning, I slipped into my shoes, grabbed my umberella and set off for my morning commute. It was rainy and rather windy, making it a bit difficult to hold onto my umbrella. But with ratatat "ratatat-ta-tat-ing" in my ears I kept a positive head up and a swift stroll to the train station. When I was walking, a friend from my hippo club (her nick name is Mamo) was riding her bike in the opposite direction. she stopped and said hello. it was such an amazing feeling to see someone I knew on the street so unexpectadly. I greeted her with a huge smile and said good morning and asked where she was going and so on but explained that i needed to get to shibuya and was running a little late (as usual). we said "see you later" and went on our way.

At work I mostly worked on a couple collages that need to be done by wednesday. I ate lunch with my coworker Kasumin and she invited me to go to an international fair later this month and also told me about some awsome used clothes stores in tokyo that she wants to take me to. After lunch I had a meeting about the year long students staying in japan and we talked about some of the students issues and at the end of the meeting Kasumin and Yunkeru (with whom i had the meeting) complimented me by saying that I was very knowlegable about home stays and i had offered a lot of good comments and they look forward to having me help through out the year saying that I had so much experience and all that jazz.

I was able to finish all the collages that night since i stayed late. I made reservations last week for a table for 4 on monday night at a near by egyptian food place called Luxor that also serves you a hookah after your meal. Me and 3 of my coworkers strolled out of the office together at 6:50 since its so close to our office. We had such an awesome time. Ot was really expensive, but i really feel like it was worth it. I miss smoking hookah but also it felt like I could bring part of boston right into the heart of tokyo to share with my new friends. They also mentioned that they have heard of hookah bars in tokyo and said "kinoko chan, we will make you a Tokyo Hookah Map so that you can enjoy many different kinds of hookah bars in tokyo" everyone is soooo kind here.

Yesterday I finished a survey project I've been working on since I got here, cleaned my desk and kind of got to relax a bit. I went shopping in shibuya for a couple hours. I found a store that is exactly like mexicali blues on the other side of Tokyu Hands not far from my office. I plan on going back there when I have money. I went into a couple stores just to pass the time before heading back to the office to attend Chack's hippo family club.

I had a couple mishapps with my train ride home again since I wasn:t paying attention (reading and listening to music) so I didn:t get home until 11 and didn:t get to bed until 1:30.

Tomorrow I will go with my hippo fellow Waka chan to Karuizawa, north of tokyo. It is going to be a lot of fun and most of all, really relaxing (access to a hot springs bath for 24 hours straight)

send me some comments! they brighten my day!

ja ne

xoxo
jess
aka
kinoko chan