Tuesday March 7- Japan went back to work today after the ‘golden week’ which was actually 10 days of celebrations for the beginning of the reign of the new Emperor. Travelling in peak hour on the JR Line was less crowded than I experienced last week and I was able to people watch at Tokyo Station. I’m booked on The bullet train, the Shinkansen, to Shizuoka.
Journey was quick, 150 kilometres in barely 50 minutes. Train left dead on time without announcements or whistles. Passengers are asked to be ready to alight before
pulling into stations so timetables can be kept to.
My first day at Shizuoka was a great experience. After being met and welcomed at the station by the Principal, Mr Sueyoshi, in no time I had toured the school, been shown my accommodation, had a place in the staff room, sat in on classes and met some students.
Overwhelming in sheer size, but also in the generosity, friendliness and demeanour of the people. It’s also been a place of contrasts, A pictorial representation of these contrasts follows –
Friday May 3 – Discovered that the new season at Kabukiza, Toyoko’s Kabuki Company was opening today. It’s sold out months in advance, but there are seats and standing room in the gods held for sale if you queue before the performance. I’m here, I can’t miss the opportunity.
Found a new train line, Asakusa, the red train, to get there. The matinee performance is at 11am and goes for several hours. Arrived at 9.30am. Queue is about 100. Looks like it’s standing room. There are 3 plays in this session, with 1/2 hour breaks in between each, but you can’t leave, or you lose your spot.
First 2 plays were quite traditional. Costuming and sets were stunning, vivid colours, striking make up, highly stylised movement and vocals. It’s more chanted rather than sung, with instrumental accompaniment on the three-stringed Sanxian, with Taiko drums. Whole effect is wonderful. Photography was not allowed. I’ll include some photos from the Edo-Tokoyo Museum I visited yesterday. Final play, interestingly has contemporary content, and staging, but still used the stylised movement, chanting and traditional costuming. Audience often shouted encouragement at particular moments and to barrack for favoured actors. None of the plays ended with a curtain call.
Kabuki and Shakespeare were both performed in the early 16 hundreds and they both share similar theatrical elements – a chorus, men playing women’s roles, purpose built building to house the performance, food breaks, and audience arranged by social divisions.
The performance ended at 3.30 pm. I was quite tired, bearing in mind the day involved standing for 5 hours, (I managed a seat for the last play!) In spite of all that, and the words being in formal Japanese, it was totally engaging. Theatre is intrinsic to Japanese cultural tradition. It was exciting to be part of the audience.
Wednesday May 1 – Managed to negotiate Narita airport and the intricate train system, but didn’t anticipate getting from Gotanda Station in Tokyo to my hotel with a back pack, one hand pushing two suitcases and the other juggling google maps and the umbrella in constant rain. Streets are the most crowded a Tasmanian could imagine. Felt a bit like the cityscape in the opening scene of Bladerunner.
In a short time, checked in and was sitting in a local food haunt enjoying ramen noodles with pork, cabbage and sesame chilli drenched in a beautiful broth. Had an Asahi beer – tasted beer-like, but flat and served with ice. Will reserve my judgement.
Thursday May 2- Decided to try the Yamanote line and went to the Meiji Jingu, a large Shinto shrine built in 1920. Was fortunate to witness one of the ceremonies marking the beginning of the reign of the new emperor. The shrine is set in stunning gardens, which, in the continual rain, was quite beautiful.
Ventured onto the yellow train line and spent the rest of the day in the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Edo was the original name of the settlement that became Tokyo. Usually, after 45 minutes, ‘museum back’ kicks in with me, but not in this case. Life size reconstructions of wooden homes, a to-scale model of a Kabuki theatre from 1603, with costumes and the main hall dominated with a replica of the bridge that was the original entrance to the city, were a few of the exhibits that kept me there for 4 hours. One of the first Subaru ‘people’s car’ was featured.
On the return journey, passed the Sumo Museum, closed for the holiday. Also came across the Japanese solution to having no room for Hill’s Hoists.
Shizuoka Salesio Exchange 2019 