Already five minutes late by the time I arrived… I’d resigned myself to waiting it out in the lobby, when a staff member’s incredible kindness got me into the theater after all. The warmth of a hand extended just when you’re in a pinch. As always, today was the best (tears).
What is the Saruwaka Festival?
Held every February at the Kabukiza, the “Saruwakasai” (Saruwaka Festival) is a celebratory run celebrating the first Nakamura Kanzaburo, regarded as the founding father of Edo kabuki. This year happened to mark its 50th anniversary. I watched at a leisurely pace, mindful of all that history.
A late arrival, and a staff member to the rescue
I’d flown into Tokyo on an early-morning flight. Normally that leaves me plenty of time, but of all days, the train from the airport into the city had some kind of suspicious-smoke incident… We were told to evacuate to the platform, and when I went to switch to the monorail — of course, that was suspended too! In the end I cobbled together a bus and a JR train and somehow made it to the theater.
Even so, five minutes late. Going in mid-performance felt rude, so I had almost decided to wait in the lobby. Then a staff member checked my ticket. Because my seat was hanayoko, I would not need to cross in front of anyone. The hanamichi would not be used for a while, so she could show me in. She told me it would be such a shame to come all this way and not see it, and I nearly teared up. She even asked about the earphone guide. Of course I borrowed one (lol). From start to finish, truly, thank you so much.
Ganjiro-san and Shikan-san in Oedo Miyage
Thanks to that staff member’s thoughtfulness, what I got to see was “Oedo Miyage” (A Souvenir of Edo), starring Nakamura Ganjiro-san and Nakamura Shikan-san. Set in a teahouse at Yushima Tenjin shrine, it’s a heartwarming human-interest comedy by the playwright Matsutaro Kawaguchi — and, basically, a story about oshikatsu.
A traveling peddler named Otsuji falls head over heels for a popular actor she sees on a sightseeing trip to Edo. In other words: oshikatsu, Edo-era edition! The times may be different, but that feeling of having your heart stolen by a performer and just wanting to cheer them on — I’m hardly a stranger to it… “Oh, I totally get that!” I found myself laughing the whole way through.
Intermission: an ANA sandwich
My companion for the intermission today was a sandwich from my ANA in-flight meal. I usually prep a bento before the show, but for some reason I’d taken the in-flight meal to go this time. Since being late meant I had no time to buy a bento, I was so glad I’d held onto it! After that hectic train morning, those few minutes might have been the calmest part of my whole day…
Wrapping up
Honestly, it’s the chaos of the journey that stuck with me most. But knowing I wouldn’t have seen the show at all without that staff member’s words, even the chaos became part of an unforgettable day at the theater. A hanayoko seat, it turns out, is mighty in moments like this (lol) — a dobu seat right alongside the hanamichi would have meant cutting in front of so many people, so this time it really saved me. It’s when you’re in trouble that other people’s kindness sinks in deepest. That was my Saruwaka Festival. And I even got to see a sweet, maidenly Ganjiro-san ◎
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