Tsurumatsu in Aioi-jishi. I was close enough to catch the little call he gave to his kōken (the black-robed stage assistant), and it was those small, unguarded moments that took my breath away. A clear post-New-Year morning in Asakusa, Part 1 starting at 11 a.m. As always, today too was the best.
What is Shinshun Asakusa Kabuki?
Held every New Year at Asakusa Public Hall, “Shinshun Asakusa Kabuki” is a bright, festive run carried mainly by young rising actors. It’s split into Part 1 and Part 2, and each opens with a much-loved feature called the Otoshidama (“New Year’s gift”) greeting—the actor on duty that day steps out to wish the audience a happy new year in their own words.
On this day (January 6), the Part 1 greeting was given by Hashinosuke. Congratulations on your marriage! It put me in a warm mood heading into the curtain. The pressure of helping anchor the whole troupe must be real—but of course he carried it off. That’s Hashinosuke for you.
Pre-show treasure hunt
At Asakusa, the New Year kabuki keeps you busy before the curtain even goes up.
The street by Asakusa Public Hall is lined with actors’ handprints set into plaques, and I spotted Shichinosuke’s and got way too excited. (That’s a whole other story, lol.)
(Now for the main event…) Inside, there’s a hunt for each actor’s individual tapestry. Wait—they’re scattered THAT far apart? And so I went combing every corner. People line up beside the tapestries to make an “A” pose for photos—but here I am, fully solo. No “A” to be formed… though isn’t that a uniquely solo kind of lament? (…wait, is it? lol)
Same at the photo spot: amid everyone queuing to take pictures, I got in line and snapped mine too 📷 A people-free shot only, naturally! That clean, gloriously empty frame only a solo visitor ends up with—but hey, it’s fine, because they all look so cool. Right? Genuinely cool.
The Part 1 program
The piece that stayed with me most was Aioi-jishi, a classical lion dance. The first half—Tsurumatsu and Sakon as two princesses—was lovely, but the second half, in which the princess becomes the spirit of the lion and whips its long mane around (a move called kebari), was the showstopper. From my seat up front I could even hear the voice cues traded with the kōken as they timed their movements together, and it got me right in the chest. It’s exactly those tiny touches I quietly love.
Still—swinging that mane in a full kimono looks brutally hard. No hakama trousers to brace against. Not that I’ve tried it in hakama either, but just picturing it makes my hips ache (lol).
Intermission: a Maisen pocket sandwich
For the break, I polished off a Maisen pocket sandwich (a tidy little pork-cutlet sando).
A portion this size is perfect—you can roam around the hall during intermission. With a proper bento box, you end up spending the whole break just… eating. On days with two intermissions, it’s basically Bento Act One, Bento Act Two. Which has its own kind of happiness, I’ll grant you 🍱
The hotel was too close
This time I booked somewhere nearby—turns out, way too nearby (lol).
Under three minutes on foot, probably. Step out of the room and you’re practically at the hall. Gloriously easy. I lucked into a cheap rate this time; next year likely won’t be so kind. This kind of lightness is the solo traveler’s privilege.
Wrap-up
Like the day before, Part 1 left me soaking up all that young-actor energy on a perfectly New-Year’s afternoon! Tsurumatsu’s Aioi-jishi especially—I was so happy to catch it from a seat up front ❤️
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