Mt. Fuji-san

We have had just one incredible experience after another.  We have been blessed from the very beginning of this journey.  We spent two days with Janet, Hiroshi and Kiana Ohuchi at Lake Yamanaka, in their sweet home that overlooks Mt. Fuji.  We watched the sun rise on Mt. Fuji this morning...

Cultural Exchange

Backstage at The Bunraku

We had a once in a lifetime opportunity in Tokyo at The National Theatre. We were invited backstage after a performance of the Bunraku, who were performing away from their Osaka home base.  We met many of the legendary puppeteers and their masters and were allowed to manipulate an original Bunraku puppet!   Thanks to our gracious host Kanroku-san who is an incredible performer, one of the only 38 authorized puppeteers of The National Bunraku Theatre of Osaka.   I am humbled by his generosity to my company.

Goodbye Tokushima!

Celebrating

At a scrumptious local tokushima eatery,  where our food was literally hunted and collected for us before our eyes;  we celebrated the wonderful Mr. Seki- our sage and savy technical director who taught us the meaning of  the phrase " ikimas",  Yumeko's Birthday!,  and Jessica's clinching of the regional title of Awa Dori Dance Champion- she spontaneously demonstrates this for us frequently.

Awa Puppet Museum

Awaji Puppet Theatre

Thank you so much to the Matsuyama-san and Bando-san from the Awaji puppet theatre.  They attended the show in Tokushima, rounding out these very special performances.  Awaji is where I first went to research dogugaeshi with awaji puppet theatre scholar Jane Marie Law.   They were my original hosts and assisted a great deal in my local investigations into Kawamata, Sakashu and Tokushima.

Tokushima Foundation for Arts and Culture is the Best!

Our experience here in Tokushima has truly been like a homecoming.  Isawa and his staff at the foundation are very dedicated and attentive,  have taken great care of us and have made sure that the show is presented in the best conditions.

The Ladies from Kawamata

At our first performance in Tokushima, we were incredibly blessed to have a group of very special people from Kawamata.  I met these amazing ladies and men when I visited here in 2004 researching and collecting any clues about the original dogugaeshi.  I was taken to an outdoor theatre, a Noson Butai,  way way up in the mountains where the dogugaeshi was performed and shown the original screens.  The group of women were remembering the performances they saw when they were younger and were describing their experiences to me.  I was videotaping them at the time, so a little bit of their stories are in my show.  They were able to see my completed Dogugaeshi and meet the company which was very special.

Inukai Visit

It is incredible to be in Tokushima because there is great local relevance to the dogugaeshi and many elements of my show.  Before the show premiered, we were taken on a very magical visit to Inukai, far up into the mountains to a traditional outdoor theatre.  Inukai is enormously important to us as it is the only place in the world where the original doguageshi is still performed and it is only performed once a year.  This visit was arranged by one of our sponsors here, Mr. Sato Kenji of the Cultural and International Affairs Division of Tokushima Prefecture Government.  We wound our way up the mountain through the tiny mountain roads and were greeted with a bushel of freshly picked local citrus by the generous caretaker of this rare theatre, whose puppeteers, screens and buildings are designated as significant Cultural Assets to Japan, a ranking under National Treasure.

Tokushima Kyodo Bunka Kaikan

This is the theatre where we are performing in Tokushima, it is a part of the Tokushima Foundation for Art and Culture, who is our presenter.   We are a featured show in the 10th Annual Awa Ningyojoruri Shibai Festival.  This video snippet is from the opening show of the festival, which was special because it was a group of students performing a traditional pupet play.   The festival lasts two days and the shows are around the clock practically, we will perform in the evenings.

Mountain View

When we first arrived into Tokushima,  we took a cool cable car ride HIGH up the mountain-side to an observatory where you can look over the whole city, the Naruto Bridge and the island of Awaji.  We arrived at the top just as the sun was setting,  and the night lights were really beautiful, it was a sweet and gentle landing into our final city.

VIDEO - traditional Dogugaeshi stage

VIDEO of puppeteers visiting traditional Dogugaeshi stage in Inukai

Billboards

Welcome to Tokushima

We arrived in Tokushima and joined  the warm and fantastic Yumeko, our tour manager for the rest of our time here.

Flying to Tokushima

Mount Fuji from our airplane as we were leaving Yokohama, flying to our next venue

Thank you Yokohama Arts Foundation

The performances in Yokohama were unique because so many presenters, artists,  and other members of the Tokyo performance community were able to attend.  Thank you to Ishino Katsuhiko and the Yokohama Arts Foundation for making the performances possible!

'Round The Swarovski Christmas Tree

Uncanny coincidences with Swarovski in Japan.  There is a partnership here, I am sure of it.

Yumiko, special guests and her Mom!

Yumiko had many fans and friends at our final performance in Yokohama, but the biggest vip that night was her Mom!

World's Fastest Strike

The company and crew struck one of my shows tonight in 2 hours.  This is unprecedented.  Seki, Cara and Greg especially rock.