solo outing

June Program at the Kabukiza Theatre: Evening Show (June 2026)

Shichinosuke's Koman — beautiful even as a severed head — and Matsuya's chillingly emotionless Gengobei. A solo evening at the Kabukiza, enjoyed from the famous dobu seats along the hanamichi.

2026.06.07

Kabuki

Kankurō Nakamura and Shichinosuke Nakamura: Shungyō Kabuki Special Performance, Matinee (March 2026)

The Nakamura brothers' touring Shungyō Kabuki Special Performance 2026 (matinee): a heartwarming talk corner, Shichinosuke getting his face blackened in Suminuri Onna, and a small gap I felt inside a multipurpose hall. A solo theatergoing diary.

2026.03.13

Kabuki

The Sun (dir. Aleksandr Sokurov)

The timing happened to line up, so I wandered into Meguro Cinema for the first time to watch The Sun — Sokurov's portrait of Emperor Hirohito around the end of the war. Heavy, nine-tenths of the way through, but unforgettable. A solo film outing that reminded me how good indie cinemas can be.

2026.02.11

Others

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

Kyoto National Museum, Pony Tales (January 2026)

A New Year visit to Kyoto National Museum to renew my annual pass, with a chance encounter with Ogata Korin's Bamboo and Tiger, the model for Torarin.

2026.01.03

Museums

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

Yoshiro and Yoshio Taniguchi Museum of Architecture, Kanazawa (December 2025)

A spur-of-the-moment detour to the museum of a beloved architect. I came for the recreated Yushintei rooms and ended up captivated by an unexpected water garden, a solo winter day in Kanazawa.

2025.12.20

Museums