November 30, 2023

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One of the works that will be performed at Kyoto Experiment is “The Window of Spaceship ‘In-Between’” by the Chelfitsch theater company. The play questions what the Japanese language is today from a plurality of perspectives.

CULTURE / Stage

Sep 29, 2023

Kyoto Experiment explores fluidity of culture with performance works

By Andrew Eglinton and Mika Eglinton

The lineup for the international performing arts festival features 11 works from countries such as Brazil, Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong.

The cast of Chelfitsch’s play “The Window of Spaceship ‘In-Between’” includes individuals with different levels of Japanese-language proficiency. They participated in workshops hosted by the theater company to promote more inclusivity in Japanese theater.

CULTURE / Stage

Sep 29, 2023

Chelfitsch challenges Japanese theater's language barriers

By Andrew Eglinton and Mika Eglinton

The theater company questions the status quo of the Japanese stage by casting non-native speakers in new project, 'The Window of Spaceship "In-Between."'

Ichikawa Eno and his son Ichikawa Chusha, the actor now known as Teruyuki Kagawa, attend a news conference in Tokyo in 2011.

CULTURE / Stage

Sep 16, 2023

Ichikawa Eno, founder of 'Super Kabuki,' dies at 83

Ichikawa Eno, who combined Kabuki traditional elements with modern theater technology, has died of arrhythmia in Tokyo. He was 83.

Cuban American soprano Lisette Oropesa stars as Violetta in a restaging of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” directed by Sofia Coppola in her opera directing debut in 2016

CULTURE / Stage

Sep 8, 2023

Rome Opera's tragic heroes resonate in modern times

By Kris Kosaka

For its Japan tour, the company will perform lavish productions of "La Traviata," directed by Sofia Coppola, and "Tosca," by Franco Zeffirelli.

Non-Japanese residents make up over 8% of the population of Kani, Gifu Prefecture, making it one of the country's most multicultural cities.

CULTURE / Stage

Sep 7, 2023

Kani residents take to the stage to promote cultural empathy

By Mihoko Fukuoka

One of the most multicultural cities in Japan is using the theater to try and address common cultural misconceptions.

Director Dean Johnson wanted to strip back the staging of “Once – In Concert” in a way that honored the film. The production had a limited run at the London Palladium earlier this year and Johnson notes the Tokyu Orb Theater has a similar set up.

CULTURE / Stage

Jul 31, 2023

'Once' speaks the universal languages of music and love

By David McElhinney

Award-winning Irish theatrical production brings its dry wit and catchy songs to Tokyo for a midsummer musical experience.

Cincinnati Opera’s new production of “Madame Butterfly,” directed by Matthew Ozawa, frames the action as a virtual-reality fantasy of Japan.

CULTURE / Stage

Jul 27, 2023

Reimagining ‘Madame Butterfly,’ with Asian creators at the helm

By Javier C. Hernandez

As opera houses rework Puccini’s classic, criticized for stereotypes about women and Japanese culture, artists of Asian descent are playing a central role.

An official shot for this year’s lineup for NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen.”

Things get warmer with Xi; Johnny’s get the cold shoulder

Yoshiko Koide sits in a classroom at Nagoya College where she teaches a Japanese-language observation seminar.

How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku

By Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Italian cuisine that conveys appeal of Hachinohe

Italian cuisine that conveys appeal of Hachinohe

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