Deep Kyoto

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A Traditional Live Music Show at Ran Theatre Kyoto

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A couple of months ago Mewby and I were invited to attend a traditional live music show at “Ran Theater Kyoto”. During the show we were entertained by a large number of talented and enthusiastic musicians playing a variety of traditional instruments from all over the Japanese archipelago. I found the show highly enjoyable, but the audience was a little sparse when we went and it seemed a shame that these hard-working musicians didn’t have more people to see their performance. They definitely deserve to be seen by more people – so of course I want to recommend them on Deep Kyoto!

The show begins with a rousing and passionate performance from two taiko drummers.

After that different instruments from across Japan are introduced in turn and the music and culture they are a part of is explained by an English speaking guide.

A shinobue bamboo flute and koto.

Each instrument is given a chance to show its own merits before the musicians come together for ensemble performances.

Shamisen from Aomori.

You will probably recognize some of the classic tunes: predictably they play Sakura, and Shima-Uta but also the theme from Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, “Zankoku no Tenshi no Teze” from Evangelion, and a sweet rendition of My Favorite Things on the koto and shinobue flute!

Soulful songs from Okinawa sung alone…
…and with backing.

There are plenty of other regional tunes and songs I didn’t know though, some heart-rending ballads from Okinawa, minyo folk songs from Toyama and Hokkaido, and plenty of upbeat tunes and sing-along sessions too.

A sing-along session (often accompanied by the waving of hands in the air)

Be warned though that you might find yourself pulled up on stage too for a short taiko drumming lesson!

Ran Kyoto Japanese Music Theatre is performed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the theatre space of the theme restaurant Ninja Kyoto Restaurant & Labyrinth. This restaurant is very central being located a little north of Shijo in the little warren of streets between Shinkyogoku Shopping Street and Urateramachi Dori. Here is a MAP of the location.

The location.

Doors open for the first show at 18.00, and the show starts at 18.30. Doors open for the second show at 20.00 and the show starts at 20.30.

An ensemble performance.

Tickets for the show are a bit pricey at 3,000 yen (plus tax) for advance tickets, and 3,500 yen (plus tax) on the door. And the show does not include any food or drink for which you will have to pay extra. However, it is a very good show, the musicians are super friendly, and you will certainly enjoy this introduction to Japanese traditional music. For more details and to make a booking check out the Ran Theatre official website here: https://www.rankyoto.com/

Full text and original photographs by Michael Lambe – All rights reserved.

Maiko Dinner Show at Kyoto Restaurant Yasakadori Enraku

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Many thanks to Anna Kase for sending in the following information.

At Yasakadori Enraku Kyoto’s famous apprentice geisha will both entertain you and chat with you during your meal.

Much has been written about Kyoto’s maiko, the famous apprentice geisha (properly called geiko in Kyoto) who entertain wealthy guests with traditional music, dance, songs, games and good conversation. In the past it was quite difficult for overseas visitors to gain access to the traditional tea houses where maiko and geiko entertained guests. In fact even today local people cannot gain access to such establishments without a personal introduction from one of their regular guests. Partly because of this, the image of the maiko has acquired a kind of romantic mystique. However, in recent years a number of other venues in Kyoto have been offering tourists the opportunity to enjoy maiko entertainment and to talk with these young ladies over dinner. One such venue is the Higashiyama restaurant, Yasadori Enraku.

Yasakadori Enraku is a traditional restaurant a short walk from the heart of Kyoto’s Gion district.

Yasakadori Enraku began to hold special maiko dinner shows for foreign visitors this April. The aim is to help people understand better this important aspect of Kyoto culture. During the show guests will enjoy the following:

1. An introduction to maiko and geiko culture from an English speaking guide.
2. A traditional maiko dance performance.
3. Conversation with a maiko.
4. Traditional “ozashiki” games.
5. A photo session.
6. A full course meal of traditional Kyoto cuisine.
7. An all-you-can-drink free beverage service.

A traditional maiko dance performance.

The dinner show at Yasakadori Enraku is very popular and so naturally you do need to book it in advance. Guests have a choice between two courses:

Main Tour Course (Group Tour)
Date: Every Tuesday & Thursday (and Sundays from January 2018)
Time: 18.00 – 20.00
Price: 19,000 yen per person
Location: Dining Hall

VIP Tour Course (Private Tour)
Date: Choose any date (but please make a reservation at least three days in advance)
Time:  Any two hour period between 11:00 and 22.00
Price: 2 guests: 39,000 yen per person
3 guests: 35,000 yen per person
4 or more guests: 25,000 yen per person
Location: Private Room

Dinner includes obanzai side dishes, oden, sashimi, tempura, steak, rice, and dessert. A vegetarian menu is also available if you book it in advance.

Yasakadori Enraku is located in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto on Yasaka Dori Street and is not far from Kiyomizu Dera Temple, or the south gate of Kenninji Temple. Here is a MAP of the location. For more details please visit the official booking website: http://www.travel-kyoto-maiko.com/

Thanks to Yasakadori Enraku for all images used in this post.

Text and original photographs by Michael Lambe – All rights reserved.

A Close Encounter with Butoh Dance at the Kyoto Butoh-kan

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Today we have a special guest post from Florentyna Leow on the world’s first theatre expressly devoted to regular Butoh performances.

Butoh is an avant-garde dance style originating in Japan. First developed by Kazuo Ono and Hijikata Tatsumi in the 1960s, one of the central features of Butoh is its very indefinability – it is difficult to attach a definition or set of ‘rules’ to the dance form. There are at once rules and no rules. It is characterized by its exploration of taboo topics, the absurd, and grotesqueness. At the same time, it’s often hard to agree on what Butoh is or isn’t. What is clear, however, is that its emergence irrevocably changed the world of dance from that point onwards.

Given the international acclaim that Butoh enjoys, the lack of a national Butoh theatre or spaces where one can experience Butoh performances, strikes one as odd. This what Art Complex seeks to rectify by establishing Kyoto Butoh-kan, a permanent space in central Kyoto hosting regular professional performances. Here, veteran Butoh dancer and former core member of Byakkosha, Ima Tenko, performs her routine ‘Hisoku’ weekly. The two women who make up Okaeri Shimai – translated roughly as the ‘Homeward Sisters’ or ‘Returning Sisters’ – provide musical accompaniment to her performance on the shamisen. The all-female cast here is somewhat unusual for Butoh, but appropriate as they carry on the long tradition of female performers in Kyoto.

Ima Tenko

What’s particularly interesting about the Kyoto Butoh-kan is the space itself. Performances take place in a late-Edo period ‘kura’ or earthenware storehouse. According to the staff, it is around two centuries old. Amazingly, though much of Kyoto was set on fire during the skirmish between the rebels and shogunate forces during the Hamaguri Rebellion of 1864, this particular storehouse escaped unscathed. Instead of being demolished, the storehouse has now been reimagined as a space where visitors can experience the magic of Butoh at close quarters.

Walking into the storeroom, one is greeted by the pentatonic melodies of shamisen. The space is slightly larger than the average shoebox apartment in Tokyo, with a perilously steep wooden staircase leading to the upper floor, where the shamisen musicians are stationed. The Butoh-kan only accommodates 8 audience members, though as a preview that day there were 11 of us seated there. It felt quite intimate huddling against the wall together, to say the least.

Kyoto Butoh-kan – Photograph by Florentyna Leow

It is precisely the intimacy of the space which makes the Butoh performance more powerful. Sitting in close proximity to Ima Tenko makes you feel as though you are a part of this performance – you are so close to the energy radiating from her movements that you feel yourself being drawn into the dance. It also makes the impact of her performance that much more visceral: to the initiate, Butoh is not conventionally beautiful or graceful, and the expressions and explorations of the human body by Ima can come across as slightly shocking or grotesque. (A note to the uninitiated: her performance doesn’t shy away from partial nudity, either.) The handmade plaster walls of this small space also seem to make the shamisen melodies resonate more richly than they would in a more conventional space.

Each session is around 50 minutes – just right for the intensity of the performance. Any longer and one might be overwhelmed or bored! I’ll be the first to say that I don’t have a deep understanding of Butoh. But I enjoyed the performance nonetheless, and especially the experience of Butoh in such a special space and atmosphere – watching a video of a Butoh dance just isn’t the same. If you’ve always been curious about Butoh, this is a perfect place to experience it.

Kyoto Butoh-kan is located just north of the intersection of Koromonotana Street and Sanjo Street at Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8202. Here is a MAP of the location. For more information on showtimes and ticket prices, please visit: http://www.butohkan.jp/

Florentyna Leow is a writer and photographer based in Kyoto who has written for outlets such as Lucky Peach, Roads & Kingdoms, and ZenVita. Her interests include food, doors and Thomassons. Her blog is updated at furochan.wordpress.com. She Instagrams regularly at @furochan_eats.

 Text and original images by Florentyna Leow – All rights reserved.

A First View of Kabuki

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"A Scene from A Play" by Masanobu Okumura (1686–1764), depicting Edo Ichimura-za theater in the early 1740s - public domain.
“A Scene from A Play” by Masanobu Okumura (1686–1764), depicting Edo Ichimura-za theater in the early 1740s – public domain.

My latest article for Inside Kyoto is about a visit to Kyoto’s Minamiza Theater to see a kabuki show. Going to see kabuki is one of those things I have long wanted to do, but somehow I had never gotten around to – until now. I had strong doubts before going about whether I could enjoy it, as I knew that the language would be archaic and difficult to understand. In the event I couldn’t understand a lot of what was going on in the show, but nonetheless I enjoyed it immensely. Find out why by clicking on the link!

Kabuki At Kyoto’s Minamiza Theater

The refreshment stand in Kyoto's Minamiza Theater.
The refreshment stand in Kyoto’s Minamiza Theater.

鸚鵡小町 – Ōmu Komachi at the Ōe Noh Theatre on Sept 15th

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Today we have a guest post from Itsuko Nakamura,

Noh flyer (Medium)
Meet Ono-no-Komachi, one of the Six Poetic Geniuses who lived in 8th century Kyoto, brought back to life by the most highly acclaimed Noh actors of today on Kyoto’s oldest Noh stage!

Noh, the oldest musical drama of Japan, has been continuously performed for over 650 years (and has been designated as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO.) Enjoy its sophisticated aesthetics, stunning masks, gorgeous costumes, lyric dance and breathtakingly intense musical accompaniment.

Ōmu Komachi (Komachi’s Parrot-Answer Poem)

September 15th, 2014 at the Ōe Noh Stage
(on Oshikoji street between Tominokoji and Yanaginobanba streets)
Doors: 1:30 p.m.
Show: 2:00 p.m. ~ 5:00 p.m. (approximately 3 hours)

Tickets: 8,000 yen (B-seats); 7,000 (C-seats); 6,000 (D-seats, non-reserved seats)
For the seating diagram, please refer to:
www.senuhima.com/senuhima/zuo_xi_biao915_reserved.html
For reservations and more information contact: 5th[at]senuhima.com

Description:
In her old age, the famous Heian poet Ono no Komachi lives in Sekidera, a temple at the border-pass between the capital and Otsu on Lake Biwa. Emperor Yōzei sends Major Counselor Yukiie to enquire sympathetically how she is. His poem ends: “mishi tamadare no uchi ya yukashisa” (Was not life enchanting there / within the jewelled curtains?). Yukiie delivers the Emperor’s poem, but Komachi tells him that she will answer with just one word. To the courtier’s astonishment, she explains how this is possible by changing “ya” to “zo,” so that the answer reads: “How enchanting life was there!” [Roy E. Teele translation]. This, she explains is an “ōmu-gaeshi” (“parrot-answer poem”). The rest of the play touches on the comments made about Komachi’s poetry in the preface to the Kokinwakashū. She describes a dance by the poet Ariwara no Narihira, then dances herself. Yukiie takes his leave and Komachi returns to her simple brushwood dwelling by the temple, her sleeves wet with tears.
Global Performing Arts Database, Cornell University
http://www.glopad.org/pi/en/record/piece/1000345

Noh by Torchlight – Takigi Noh

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I just got tickets for the torchlight Takigi Noh performance at Heian Jingu this Sunday. Since March Mewby and I have been occasionally attending Noh performances at the Kanze Kaikan. Noh is of course notorious for sending people off to sleep, but our experience is that if you have a script to read along then it can be enthralling. Fortunately I was able to find the scripts for three of Sunday’s plays, Takasago, Matsukaze, and Shakkyō on the能.com. This will be our first time to try Takigi Noh so I’m quite excited!

kyoto-takiginoh65
Here’s what John Dougill wrote about Takigi Noh on this very blog back in 2010:

For many people Noh is a turn-off. The plays have no conflict, no humour and no facial expression. Actors move at a snail’s pace, the language is arcane and the music archaic. To its detractors it’s simply an outmoded relic of medieval times. Noh way, Noh thank you.

There are regular performances in Kyoto, and if you attend you’ll find a good number of the audience asleep. One top performer told me he would do the same if he were watching rather than on stage! It’s very much an acquired taste, for knowledge is needed of the crafts and skills to truly appreciate them. The types of play and their ethereal nature, for example. The stately movement of the actors. The exquisite quality of the costumes. The almost sacred nature of the masks. The musical form. It’s an art form for connoisseurs.

Once a year, however, Kyoto offers an opportunity to enjoy Noh in a different light, when an outdoor show in the atmospheric surrounds of the Heian Shrine brings the plays to life in spectacular style. With over 3000 expectant people packed into the courtyard, the event begins in daylight with robed figures gliding towards an open stage accompanied by the peculiar ‘ya-oh’ chants of a drummer and the piercing sound of a flute.

At 6.30 priests emerge to light the braziers and as darkness descends, the illuminated shrine buildings provide a decorative backdrop. A rustling of the curtain and a masked figure enters, dressed in the most gorgeous of robes. In the deepening darkness the effect is eerie. The visual splendour, the ethereal music, the rising moon over the eastern hills combine to produce a sense of theatrical wonder.

With its masks, chorus, music and all-male cast, Noh is sometimes compared to the drama of ancient Greece. Viewed at the Heian Shrine, however, it has something of the great religious dramas of South-east Asia, such as the Balinese beach performances of the Ramayana. The event started as a revival of an older tradition and has been held every year since 1949. It proved such a success that it spawned some two hundred similar events around Japan. Why not give it a go? You might have thought you weren’t the type to go to Noh, but I can guarantee this is one performance you won’t be sleeping through.

Location: Heian Jingu Shrine (may be postponed in case of rain)
Dates: June 1 (Sun), June 2 (Mon) from 5.30 to around 8:45 (Gate opens at 4.30)
Cost: Y4000 at the gate (Y3000 in advance)
Recommended to take a sweater or light jacket for later in the evening
Schedule: Different plays are scheduled for each day – you can see the schedule here: http://www.kyoto-kanze.jp/takiginoh/takiginh65-program.htm
Inquiries (in Japanese): The Kyoto Takigi-noh Office 075-771-6114

Diego Pellechia has some more details about the performances up on his site The Noh Diaries.

John Dougill is professor of British Studies at Kyoto’s Ryukoku University and the author of Kyoto: A Cultural History, In Search of the Hidden Christians, and Japan’s World Heritage Sites. He is also a contributor to our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks.

Learn more:
Japanese Noh: Performances for the Gods
the 能.com probably has pretty much everything you need to get started with Noh drama…

Charity Noh Performance for Tohoku Disaster Relief at Kyoto Kanze Kaikan 3/11

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Next week Kyoto Kanze Kaikan is holding two charity Noh performances to raise funds for victims of the 2011 Tohoku Disaster. They will be held on the morning and evening of March 11th – the anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami.

猩々乱
猩々乱

If you aren’t familiar with Noh, it’s best to take a script with you. There is a lot of talking in Noh plays, they are speaking medieval Japanese, and the speech patterns are very stylized, so even for native Japanese they can be hard to understand. Mewby and I went to see a couple of Noh plays at the Kanze Kaikan last weekend, but we only had a script for one of the plays. Let me tell you it makes a big difference when watching Noh, if you have a script with you to follow along with. Fortunately, translations of the scripts for both of the plays next week are available on the excellent the能.com site, with both English and modern Japanese.

Date and Times: Tuesday March 11th

10:30-12:30: The main performance  is of the Noh play Tsunemasa. You can download a translated script here: 経正

18:30-20:30: The main performance is of the Noh play Shōjō Midare. You can download a translated script here: 猩々乱

Location: Kyoto Kanze Kaikan is on the south side of Niomon Street between Higashioji and Jingu-michi. It is a 10 minute walk north from from Higashiyama Subway Station. Here is a map.

IMG_7847 (Medium)Both performances cost 1,500. They can be booked in advance at this number: 075-771-6114075-771-6114 (Japanese). However, specific seats cannot be reserved.

More details of the performances can be seen here (Japanese): http://www.kyoto-kanze.jp/performanceguide/gien-noh.htm

the能.com probably has pretty much everything you need to get started with Noh drama…

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Noh masks

I have been following Diego Pellecchia’s facinating Noh blog for a couple of months now. Diego is training with the Kongō school of Noh, here in Kyoto and his blog offers a kind of portal into that world. Wanting to learn more, last week I asked him if he could recommend any beginner’s texts as an introduction to the world of Noh. Rather than a text he recommended this website, and I have to say it’s amazing! Not only do they have a wealth of instructional materials and essays on there, not only do they have performance schedules for all of Japan, not only do they have printable texts of the plays in both English & Japanese (new ones added each month!) which you can bring to performances, not only do they have a database of the masks used in performances, but (!) as I have just discovered, they also have photo-stories. Photo-Stories!
I have to say a big thank you, Diego! the能.com is a treasure!

Noh photostories

See also:
Japanese Noh Theater – An introductory essay by Ian Ropke
Takigi Noh (Noh by Firelight) – An annual June event at Heian Jingu Shrine

Learn More:

The Secrets of Noh Masks
Amazon
Amazon.co.jp		 Kissing the Mask
Amazon
Amazon.co.jp
Japanese No Dramas
Amazon
Amazon.co.jp		 Five Modern No Plays
Amazon
Amazon.co.jp
Noh Masks – The Bernard Le Dauphin Collection
Amazon
Amazon.co.jp		 The Spirit of Noh
Amazon
Amazon.co.jp
A History of Japanese Theater
Amazon
Amazon.co.jp		 Japanese Plays
Amazon
Amazon.co.jp

Sailing Without the Wind: A Performance by Peter Golightly & Bruno the Bad Boy

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Billed as a “evening of music, dance and life”, this show looks to be amazing and it bears a very important message…

Peter vs Bruno Flyer

Peter Golightly has kindly written to tell us more about it:

“I’m a long time Kyoto resident and I’ve been doing the dance singing theater thing for better than 30 years here. Bruno has been around for about 18 years. He’s a performance artist who started as a go-go boy with Japan’s first western style drag show “Diamond Night” before turning activist in the late 90’s.

We’ve been working with a group called “It Gets Better” a support group that uses video testimonials to reach out to at risk youth to let them know that even though things may seem hopeless,　”It gets better”. Our target group is LGBT youth, but the program reaches out to anyone who may be thinking that life isn’t worth suffering through.

This performance is kind of a pre-performance to a project that I’m working on with the US Consulate (I’ve recently met with the Embassy staff as well). I’ve written a play called “Medea’s Daughter” and we’re working to have it performed at the Consulate later this year. Bruno will be performing several of my songs as a part of this coming project which we are calling “Conversations With Sappho”. “Sappho” being the protagonist in my play. “Conversations”, because we are proposing a panel discussion as part of the event.

“Sailing Without the Wind” is a two part performance, with both Bruno and I singing songs of pain, hope, love and triumph. Our song lists range from standards (Wonderful World, Close Your Eyes), to Japanese Pops (Makka na Taiyou, Tsubasa Kudasai), to Modern Pop music (Adele’s Someone Like You), to my original songs. Bruno will be singing primarily in Japanese, and I in English, but we each cross over quite a bit.

Accompanying both of our sets is my long time collaborator Kaoru Nakanishi on the piano (though most people may know his face from the DJ booth at various Kansai club events including Diamond Night at the Metro), and Junji Ishida on the violin. Junji is an even older friend who I am happy to be reconnecting with.

In addition to the two 30+minute sets, Junji will do a one man mini-set using his violin and an elotronic looping system. Bruno will conduct one of his notorious “Kamishibai Sing-a-longs”, and Peter will perform his latest performance art piece, “Sailing With out the Wind”, a tri-lingual (Swedish, Japanese, and English) song, dance and marionette piece.

There are two shows 2:00pm and 6:30pm. Each performance lasts about two hours. There will be a 20 minute break between Bruno’s show and mine, and drinks and “T” shirts and copies of my children’s book/play “Monster Time” will be sold.”

Thank you Peter! I’m very much looking forward to catching your show!

Peter vs Bruno Flyer reversePerformance Details:
Date: Sunday July 21st
1st Stage Opens: 1.30 / Starts: 2.00
2nd Stage Opens: 18.00 / Starts: 18.30
Location: Rokkaku N Building 6F (Between Tominokoji and Yanaginobanba on the south side of Rokkaku St. Here is a map.)
Advance Tickets: 2300 yen / On the Door: 2500 yen (Grade schoolers ¥1000, JR. high~ high school students: ¥1500, College students & Seniors: ¥2300)
Contact: petergolightly[at]hotmail.com

SONORIA by Hanna Preuss December 1st & 2nd @ Atelier Gekken

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Thanks to Micah Gampel for the following event information:

Please come for live performance art from Europe and special event
this Saturday and Sunday December 1st & 2nd. Celebrating the anniversary of 20 years of friendship between Slovenia and Japan. With a short film of a Bunraku collaboration performed last Saturday in Wachi, Kyoto. You will enjoy a performance of Sonorous Theatre presented by Hanna Preuss, a well known composer and director based in Ljubljana Slovenia. Her company are once again in Kyoto at Atelier GEKKEN with SONORIA. Natasha Burger a well known film actress from Prague and Slovenia will perform in a sonorous soundscape of light and image in abstract choreographed movement. A solo performance employing powerful surround sound to tell a story with deep existential meaning but in a very gentle way.

Details:
SONORIA by Hanna Preuss Saturday December 1st & Sunday 2nd, at Atelier Gekken

Saturday from 4pm
Sunday from 2pm
1,500 yen each day

Location: Atelier GEKKEN (アトリエ劇研)
Three blocks east of Shimogamohondori at the intersection with Kitaojidori, on the north side you`ll see the Atelier Gekken building on the left. Here is a map: http://gekken.net/atelier/access.html
Address: 1 Shimogamo Tsukamoto cho Sakyo-ku Kyoto (京都左京区下鴨塚本町1)

Tel: 075-791-1966
Mail: info@gekken.net

Read about SONORIA at
http://gekken.net/atelier/pg628.html

TEDxKyoto 2012

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Congratulations to Jay Klaphake and his team for successfully organizing the very first TEDxKyoto last Sunday! I attended this event with a good deal of curiosity. I have never attended a TED event before. However, having seen a number of inspiring talks online from the main TED event, my expectations were naturally set high. How would TEDxKyoto match up?

Naturally, there were both high points and some low points too. A number of presentations impressed me so much that I was EXTREMELY glad to have attended and overall, I think the event was a worthwhile venture. I’ll be interested to see how it develops over the coming years, for they clearly plan to continue it.

High points:
I don’t know when they’ll have videos of the event up online, but when they do here are the speakers you should look out for.

Shinya Senmatsu – Deer hunter.
I don’t eat meat myself but this gentleman had a purity of purpose that I could respect. He talked about his experiences as a volunteer in East Timor and the disillusionment he felt then for modern society and its money-based economy. Rejecting this world and determined to be self-sufficient and self-reliant, he took to living the traditional life of the hunter. In support of his lifestyle he offered the following very valid point. Japanese deer having no natural predators (the last wolf died in 1905) have become a pest and must necessarily be culled. The numbers culled are roughly equivalent to those hunted, however, all that culled meat is simply treated as garbage and burnt. Isn’t this a waste of a precious natural resource? Certainly, I believe a diet based on nature’s bounty must be healthier than eating the meat from factory farmed cattle pumped full of drugs and anti-biotics, and force fed grain or worse even than that, force fed same species meat.

Tomas Mach – Violinist
There were a number of musical acts during the course of the event, but violinist, Tomas Mach gave an incomparable performance. The short speech he gave before playing was profound. The music touched me deeply. Watch the video when it goes up, and if you ever get the chance to see him play live, grab it.

Jeffrey Jousan and Ivan Kovac – Filmmakers
These two cheery chaps introduced a wonderful and moving video about life in Ishinomaki, Miyagi after the disaster. At turns heartbreaking and inspiring these are the true stories of the survivors. It’s a short movie and it is freely viewable online, so take a look and be inspired: Then and Now

Angelica Lim – Roboticist
With infectious enthusiasm this lady introduced us to the world of robotics, how robots can help us in the near future and how researchers are attempting to make them more socially acceptable by giving them more empathetic, human characteristics. Her little robot companion also treated us to a little dance which went down a storm.

Eri Itoh – Scientist
Eri itoh works in the area of air traffic control and she told us all about current developments that will lead to more efficient, and much, much safer flight management systems. I think anyone who has ever flown has a vested interest in this subject – you know, staying alive, –  so everyone in the hall was sitting forward, intent, listening very, very carefully to her every word.

Garr Reynolds – Presentation Guru
This guy was superb. As my friend Shaheed put it afterwards, “I felt comfortable with him”. It’s true. As soon as he was on stage he had us up and standing, doing stretches and high-fiving our neighbours. I’m British and I don’t normally go for that sort of thing, but on this occasion I participated happily. Mr. Reynolds had us in the palm of his hand from the word go. With energy, and gentle humour, he introduced us to the emotional power of multi-media presentations, which he demonstrated with some touching stories from his own family history. His standing ovation was richly deserved.

Honourable mentions:
The first speaker, the scientist Hiroshi Matsumoto was a charming fellow, who spoke on the noble topic of taking the long view in terms of human progress. A worthy message. However, his field of research is in the science of extra-terrestrial energy generation. I would have liked to have heard more about that. The last image he showed of a future world powered by space energy and orbited by space farms and space cities, was just too tantalizing! Why didn’t he talk more about that?

The journalist, Jake Adelstein gave a talk on life lessons he has learned from encounters with yakuza and the cops that bust them. There was one thing he said that stuck in my mind. It was something like the injustices that we encounter in life, are those we are meant to correct. I liked that a lot and I think I will carry it with me.

Creativity & design leader, Catherine Courage, may have been good, (she did get a standing ovation) but unfortunately she was the last speaker, and I was too burned out on speeches to take anything in anymore. Sorry about that.

Teething troubles:
This was an all-volunteer organized and staffed event and I imagine many of those participating haven’t done anything like this before. Undoubtedly, future events will run smoother. However, as the T in TED stands for “technology,” I was a little surprised at the recurring technical difficulties they had on the day with both sound and images. It wasn’t a huge problem, and there was enough good will in the hall to overlook it, but they definitely need to have that area down pat for the next event.

A few suggestions –

  • The screen, used to project images and video onto, needs to be smoother, as the one used made some videos hard to distinguish. That was a pity.
  • With the exception of the first guy (who was excellent), the simultaneous interpretation (from Japanese to English at least) was pretty poor. I found it easier to listen directly to the Japanese (which thankfully wasn’t as technical as I had feared). I’m not sure what to suggest for this, other than preparing and translating a rough script of the talk before the event…?
  • Not to single anyone out, but a bit less of the whooping and hollering in between the talks please.
  • Apparently sustainability is a matter of some importance to the  TEDxKyoto organizers. The mail I received with my ticket asked me not to print it out so as not kill trees. I believe they also employed someone to study the event as it progressed and suggest ways they could make it more sustainable in future. These are commendable aims! I have two tiny wee suggestions. Don’t cater the event with throwaway paper plates and cups, and don’t give each guest a “gift bag” full of throwaway advertising leaflets.

Those tiny gripes aside, organizing an event of this scale is a massive undertaking and for the most part they pulled it off very well indeed. I think everyone who attended found it a valuable and entertaining experience and I’ll be keen to go again, for I am sure it will only get better. Congratulations again to all involved in producing TEDxKyoto. You can be proud of what you have achieved so far, and our wonderful city, Kyoto, really deserves an event like this, so a big thank you for making it happen.

The Flame @ Papa John’s Eatery

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Charles Roche says,

On Sunday, May 27th ” The Flame”, an evening of true, personal, experience stories told by suspect individuals will debut at Papa Jon’s Eatery. Stories (all in English) begin at 7:00PM. No translations provided.

Inspired by the famous New York storytelling NPO, The Moth, Kyoto’s The Flame has the potential to be an exciting new regular get-together for our community. With some familiar names listed for the opening night, there will also be an open mic session. The first story theme is, “On and off the Road, traveler’s tales of the UNEXPECTED.” For further details, left click on the flyer below and then click again.

Date and time: Sunday May 27th, 7:00 – 9:30 pm.
Entry: 500 yen.
Location: Papa John’s Eatery is on the 3rd floor of the Shimpukan Building, just south of Oike, on the east side of Karasuma.

“Avenue Q” Performance Benefit for Tohoku a Great Success!

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Rob Mangold gave a short presentation before the show on IDRO Japan's work in Tohoku.

A very big congratulations to director John Gorman and the very brave students of Ryukoku University for their sterling production of the comedy musical Avenue Q. Praise should also go to Mika Matsumoto McLoughlin for her musical direction. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the show was and impressed by the students gutsy attitude in putting on a big song and dance performance entirely in English! Whoever designed and built the set deserves several pats on the back too. Of all the student performers though, Moe Wada, as Kate Monster, stood out for her very fine singing voice. Her performance of There’s A Fine Fine Line was amazing. However, when you consider that this was an amateur student production and that none of the performers were acting in their native tongue, I think everyone involved should be very, very proud of their achievement.

What’s more, the big news from Rob Mangold is that the performances raised a grand total of 120,395 yen to help IDRO Japan continue its fine work helping tsunami victims in Tohoku. Before the show Rob gave a brief talk detailing IDRO’s achievements thus far and its ongoing work helping people in northern Japan rebuild their lives. Here’s a summary of IDRO’s work so far from their website:

IDRO Japan has sponsored over 8 relief trips from Kyoto. During these trips IDRO Japan:

  • distributed immediate relief supplies;
  • distributed carpentry tools;
  • distributed electrical appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators and microwave ovens;
  • replaced glass windows in Funakoshi Elementary School,
  • supplied 28 hot water heaters (another 22 on order);
  • supplied 30 kerosene room heaters;
  • supplied poly-tanks for kerosene;
  • supplied kotatsu to those living in temporary housing units;
  • supplied numerous power tools and equipment for volunteers to use;
  • participated in local volunteer relief activities.

In addition to the water heater project and “tools for Tohoku” project, recently, IDRO has also helped renovate a unique Minka building in the town of Ohara that is over a hundred years old, to be used as a restaurant and hopefully help revitalize the local community. They have also given financial support to Elf Tree providing contamination (and fear) free vegetables from Kyushu for expectant mothers and babies in Fukushima. This is the kind of work that the money raised by this weekend’s production is going to support. If you would like to add your own support to this ongoing work then please visit the IDRO Japan website or contact them directly here: idrojapan@gmail.com