Lee wandered around the Ginza area today in search of (a) evening entertainment and (b) a scarf to complement his new coat. He hoped for tickets to Takarazuka, the all-female musical drama troupe (familiar to older Americans from the Marlon Brando film "Sayonara"), but they don't have Monday performances.
His second choice was a Kabuki performance. They do selections from the "Chushingura" (The Forty-Seven Ronin) saga every April; unfortunately, the old Kabuki theater he spent so many happy hours in has been torn down to make way for a new, bigger building and more modern performance space, and he wasn't sure if he'd like the borrowed theater they are currently performing in while awaiting the completion of their new structure. Tickets were available for the evening performance (which actually ran from 4:00 pm - 8:40 pm), however, so he opted to take his chances and bought a balcony seat on the side closest to the hanamichi walkway from the rear of the theater that major actors use to enter and exit the stage proper.
To wile away the time before the performance began, he shopped diligently for a loose weave scarf (like many commonly worn in India and currently quite fashionable through-out Japan for both men and women). He looked and looked, growing more and more discouraged at every stop. The price tag on anything he found was seldom below the yen equivalent of two hundred dollars! All for a piece of woven material likely imported from India at a fraction of that. Even just "window shopping" at prices like this can be frustrating. One doesn't dare find something one might like because one just couldn't afford to purchase it anyway.
Much of the rest of the day was spent, not shopping, but sitting quietly in various outdoor locations, sipping orange soda or a cup of coffee and people-watching instead.
The Kabuki experience turned out to be somewhat frustrating as well. The view of the stage and the hanamichi was obscured by railings and, although a HD monitor was provided for the entrances and exits, the picture quality was bad, whiting out the faces. Much of the action, unfortunately, also took place at the far left of the stage, meaning I had to sit far forward and crane to see what was (not) happening. The available audio guide, however, proved essential; I doubt I would have understood what was going on, except in broad outline, without it.,
At any rate, there were two very fine performances, one a cameo by the villain of the piece; the second, by the brother of the heroine, a master of broad comedy put to wonderful effect. The final act depicting the assassination attack of the forty-seven ronin (masterless samurai) to avenge the earlier death of their lord was also beautifully staged. So the theater disappointed; the performance, less so.
And, tomorrow's another day (before I cach an early evening flight homeward bound).
The day's collage features a Seiko clock with gnomes pounding out a song every hour on tuned pipes, the under-construction "new" Kabuki theater; the current theater being used for performances; and some cherry trees blooming in midtown Tokyo.
His second choice was a Kabuki performance. They do selections from the "Chushingura" (The Forty-Seven Ronin) saga every April; unfortunately, the old Kabuki theater he spent so many happy hours in has been torn down to make way for a new, bigger building and more modern performance space, and he wasn't sure if he'd like the borrowed theater they are currently performing in while awaiting the completion of their new structure. Tickets were available for the evening performance (which actually ran from 4:00 pm - 8:40 pm), however, so he opted to take his chances and bought a balcony seat on the side closest to the hanamichi walkway from the rear of the theater that major actors use to enter and exit the stage proper.
To wile away the time before the performance began, he shopped diligently for a loose weave scarf (like many commonly worn in India and currently quite fashionable through-out Japan for both men and women). He looked and looked, growing more and more discouraged at every stop. The price tag on anything he found was seldom below the yen equivalent of two hundred dollars! All for a piece of woven material likely imported from India at a fraction of that. Even just "window shopping" at prices like this can be frustrating. One doesn't dare find something one might like because one just couldn't afford to purchase it anyway.
Much of the rest of the day was spent, not shopping, but sitting quietly in various outdoor locations, sipping orange soda or a cup of coffee and people-watching instead.
The Kabuki experience turned out to be somewhat frustrating as well. The view of the stage and the hanamichi was obscured by railings and, although a HD monitor was provided for the entrances and exits, the picture quality was bad, whiting out the faces. Much of the action, unfortunately, also took place at the far left of the stage, meaning I had to sit far forward and crane to see what was (not) happening. The available audio guide, however, proved essential; I doubt I would have understood what was going on, except in broad outline, without it.,
At any rate, there were two very fine performances, one a cameo by the villain of the piece; the second, by the brother of the heroine, a master of broad comedy put to wonderful effect. The final act depicting the assassination attack of the forty-seven ronin (masterless samurai) to avenge the earlier death of their lord was also beautifully staged. So the theater disappointed; the performance, less so.
And, tomorrow's another day (before I cach an early evening flight homeward bound).
The day's collage features a Seiko clock with gnomes pounding out a song every hour on tuned pipes, the under-construction "new" Kabuki theater; the current theater being used for performances; and some cherry trees blooming in midtown Tokyo.
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