kabuki

March Program at the Minamiza Theatre: Pre-Curtain Notes (March 2026)

Minamiza's "Hanagata Kabuki Special Performance" features a role-swapping production. I cheerfully bought tickets to both the Matsu and Sakura casts — only to find myself nervous about Kazutaro in a male role… A pre-show notebook of the jitters before opening day.

2026.03.01

Kabuki

Single Act Tickets: February Program at the Kabukiza Theatre, Matinee (February 2026)

After a movie at Meguro Cinema, with time to spare before my flight, I slipped into the single-act gallery at the Kabukiza for a quick 18 minutes of the festive Iyasakae Shibai no Nigiwai. A little record of going solo, light on its feet.

2026.02.11

Kabuki

Saruwaka Festival: February Program at the Kabukiza Theatre, Matinee (February 2026)

A train mishap left me five minutes late, but a staff member's kindness got me in after all. Ganjiro and Shikan's Oedo Miyage turned out to be an Edo-era tale of oshikatsu. A solo kabuki day that taught me the quiet power of a hanayoko seat.

2026.02.10

Kabuki

Saruwaka Festival: February Program at the Kabukiza Theatre, Evening Show (February 2026)

I'd come for Tsurumatsu Nakamura's rain-praying fox dance-but it was Kankuro and Shichinosuke who took the stage instead, and oh, what a treat. A solo night at the Saruwaka Festival's evening program, savored from a dobu seat, with a celebratory medetai-yaki at the interval.

2026.02.10

Kabuki

After Senshuraku, Before Shonichi: A Dark Day at the Kabukiza (Jan-Feb 2026)

A business trip to Tokyo, a quick stop at the Kabukiza - and a dark day, so no play after all. Instead, a one-person photo session in front of an empty theater, soaking up the quiet getting-ready scenery during the short gap after one run ended and before the next began.

2026.01.29

Kabuki

Tamasaburo Bando New Year Special: An Afternoon of Talk and Cinema Kabuki (January 2026)

A New Year special at the Minamiza, with Tamasaburo Bando and Nizaemon Kataoka simply talking, up on stage. Their ease with each other and their warmth were almost too much. A record of a solo afternoon in the box seats -- a little gift of a moment.

2026.01.17

Kabuki

New Year Asakusa Kabuki: Part 1 (January 2026)

Part 1 of the New Year kabuki at Asakusa Public Hall. Hunting down actor handprints and tapestries, hearing the stage cues in Aioi-jishi from a front seat, a Maisen pocket sandwich, and a hotel three minutes away—a solo day out, traveling light.

2026.01.06

Kabuki

New Year Asakusa Kabuki: Part 2 (January 2026)

With time to spare before the afternoon show, I wandered around Asakusa, had the Danjuro statue all to myself for a photo spree, and caught the Otoshidama greeting — given, once again, by Sakon Onoe, who once again talked about Somegoro. A solo travelogue of New Year Asakusa Kabuki, Part 2.

2026.01.05

Kabuki

Kokuho (Dir. Lee Sang-il)

Six months after its release, I finally saw "Kokuho" from a premium seat I booked through sheer persistence. The story was a little predictable, but the music and visuals had me in tears. Three hours well spent at the cinema.

2025.12.29

Others

Ichikawa Danko’s Shinsho Shunjukai, 2nd Edition (November 2025)

The second edition of Shinsho Shunjukai, Ichikawa Danko's training-stage series. From Kyoto's Shunjuza: Fujimusume's charm, Ryusei's aerial flight, and the festive venue.

2025.11.03

Kabuki