solo outing

MET Live in HD: Eugene Onegin (September 2026)

Eugene Onegin at Togeki, through MET Live in HD. Grigorian's Letter Scene blew me away, while Onegin left me feeling absolutely nothing. An emotional opera day, with a few words for a man who falls for a title.

2026.09.23

Others

Shinjuku Suehirotei Early-September Program: Evening Show (September 2026)

My first visit to Shinjuku Suehirotei: I slipped in after the intermission and took a seat near the back. Nana Hitomi's magic act had me laughing, and headliner Yujaku Sanyutei's "Yodogoro" left me hooked. Yose is going to be a habit.

2026.09.02

Others

MET Live in HD: Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci (September 2026)

A double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at Togeki. A dark, beautiful first opera, a second that never let go from "Vesti la giubba" onward, and one tenor who looked like two different people. A day at a gloriously retro Tokyo cinema.

2026.09.02

Others

NEW Cinema Kabuki “Yotsuya Kaidan” (August 2026)

A morning of ghost stories at MOVIX Kyoto with NEW Cinema Kabuki "Yotsuya Kaidan". Tsurumatsu back on screen, a terrifying Oiwa, a stylish stage, and my comfortable AirPods Pro 3 earphone-guide setup.

2026.08.10

Kabuki

Summer Vacation Bunraku Performance: Part 2 (August 2026)

Part 2 of the Summer Vacation Bunraku Performance, seen from a special seat right in front of the musicians' platform. My first Gempei Nunobiki no Taki left me in awe of how dead a puppet can be, plus a bunraku bento and an adorable program.

2026.08.08

Bunraku

Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya (August 2026)

My very first Chiikawa turned out to be the movie. Lulled by the cuteness, I was not ready for the chills of the second half: a solo cinema report with a Premium Box Seat and FOD points.

2026.08.02

Others

Cinema Kabuki: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Part 2 (July 2026)

A 9:10 a.m. start and over 200 minutes of Cinema Kabuki Nausicaä, Part 2, at MOVIX Kyoto. Kikugoro's beautiful Nausicaä, an epic hair-swinging finale, crystal-clear sound and camera work.

2026.07.25

Kabuki

YBA & BEYOND: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection (July 2026)

A midsummer visit to the YBA exhibition at the KYOCERA Museum in Kyoto. Lubaina Himid's vivid colours, Wolfgang Tillmans, a reunion with Derek Jarman — and Martin Creed, of all artists.

2026.07.25

Museums

Castle Hopping: Kumamoto Castle (June 2026, Day 2)

Numbered stones awaiting their turn, a crane finally in motion, the aerial privy, old photos laid over the now, and signing up as a reconstruction castle lord.

2026.06.15

Castle Hopping

June Program at the Kabukiza Theatre: Matinee (June 2026)

The matinee of June Program at the Kabukiza Theatre, seen from a dobu seat by the hanamichi. Yukihime’s cherry-blossom snowstorm reached my hands, the new kabuki Lone Wolf and Cub was full of beauties, plus Hayato’s masking tape, a Kabukiza-only tenmusu bento and a long-awaited taiyaki.

2026.06.08

Kabuki