Lifelong learning

I visited a university yesterday where teachers of k-12 students were taking a week-long refresher course to be re-certified. Teachers in Japan have to be re-tested every 5 years and take workshops, classes, and tests that are vigorously observed. The roll was taken after every break to make sure that no one had just punched in an left! Doji Shigeyama, of the prestigious Okura School, one of the Kyogen actors teaching at the Kyoto Art Center, introduced these teachers to some kata associated with Kyogen. Jonah Salz, the Traditional Theatre Training program director, gave them some background and understanding of the current movements in Kyogen. Then they chose stories from Aesop's fables or Japanese folk tales and rehearsed in groups to perform them using some of the techniques they had learned. They were so committed! I have friends who teach theatre who go running for the door as soon as someone says, "Move the chairs to the sides of the room." These people really worked on their fables and performed them to the best of their ability. It was interesting to me that the older teachers showed more confidence, and the yonger ones were more inhibited. The reverse is often true in the USA when it comes to non-theatre teachers taking a drama workshop. I thanked them very much for letting me be fly on the wall. I must tell Doji-san how impressed I was at his patience and generosity in giving the workshop. I hope all those schools buy tickets for his next performance.

Continue with that attitude of calm

This should have been posted a week ago, but I was having internet issues and then forgot about it.

Class is going well although it still is physically painful. Everyone complains on the way home about knees, feet,and backs. I wish I could pick up the choreography faster, but I just write it all down and then practice on my own like a madwoman. It surpises my teachers every time when I float through the stuff that I stumbled through the day before. Tamoi Sensei noted my "attitude of calm" with clear approval. So I'm making progress. Tamoi Sensei used a great teaching device yesterday. He was explaining that you can't twist your body as you turn. Every part has to turn at once. So he threaded a bamboo rod across his back and showed how it would wobble if he twisted as he turned. We all tried it, and it really helped us understand when we were moving correctly. We started to learn the chant we are going to perform too. Memorizing apparently disjointed syllables is going to be a challenge for the 2 of us who don't speak Japanese. I intend to do it with an attitude of calm.

BUNRAKU

Bunraku is the puppet theatre of Japan. It takes 3 puppeteers to operate these puppets that are 2/3 the size of a human. A chanter sits to the stage left side (house right) and does all the voices and narration as a shamisen player beside him supplies accompaniment that sets and sort of conducts the scene. I went to Osaka today to the National Bunraku Theatre - another dream come true. I started with the children's show at 11:00 where the art of Bunraku was explained, and several children were invited onto the stage to try to manipulate puppet. That demo was followed by a lovely fairy tale about a fox who falls in love with a hunter and takes human form to be with him. Even though the younger puppeteers performed this play, I marveled at the expressiveness of the puppets. Afterwards, a few of them came out to the lobby so that the children could see them up close. The 2:00 PM production, "The Summer Festival in Naniwa" was distinctly for adults, and my heart was pounding throughout the 4th act! It's a convoluted plot with several subplots, but the climax is when Danshichi is so enraged that he commits a murder during the summer festival. The music, chanting, and action took my breath away. The early acts were performed by all hooded puppeteers. Then as the tension mounted, the main characters each had a master puppeteer holding thehead and right arm who was unmasked. The chanters and shamisen players later in the piece were clearly older and more experienced as well. I was sucked right into the play. I literally gasped at some of the plot twists. I don't have the words to explain what this full day of Bunraku was like, but when the final curtain fell at 6:00 PM, I turned to the Japanese lady beside me with tears in my eyes, and she smiled and nodded emphatically. It was the same for her.

Nijo Castle

A fellow student and I toured the Imperial Palace the other day. We were melting in the sun, and no one is allowed to enter the buildings, nor walk through the gardens;so there is no escape from the heat. Still, fascinating tour, and I'm glad I went - especially since it's right across the street from the hotel. Nijo Castle, however, takes the prize. You have to take your shoes off, but they let you inside and have mannequins in period dess in some of the rooms to show how people would sit or kneel. The paintings n the walls were spectacular. My favorite part, though was the adjacent Homeru Castle because it is surrounded by a moat and has look-outs. I think my 5th graders will love these pictures.....Tomorrow I have a day off, and I'm going to Osaka to see Bunraku Theatre! Bed now!

Yum

I was pleased to discover that I am not the only one who takes pictures of the food here. Karyn, the woman I met through Journeywoman.com, takes pictures of everything, and last night I watched my classmate Num photograph his meal. The food here is not as healthy as one would think it was going to be, but it is delicious! It's a lot of starch and fat, and the strive for 5 servings of veggies and fruits is a pipe dream. At some places you'll get little plates and bowls throughout the evening each containing just a couple bites of sushi, sashimi, tempura, and other delicacies. At other places, you can order just a big bowl of thick udon noodles with a little meat and some scallions or nori in there. Yesterday, I had an Anthony Bourdain experience at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant around the corner. They had this pancake with egg, scallions, gristly mystery meat, hoisin sauce, cheese, and other stuff on it. It looked like someone barfed on the plate, but it was so yummy! I didn't eat again till after class when Num, Meyou, and I went to this Japanese fast food place where you look at these pictures on a vending machine, put in your money, push a button, and get a ticket for your order. Then the waitress picks up the tickets from your table and brings your food. I had a salty cabbage and pork dish that was very much like the street food I ate at the To-ji flea market. It was great until I noticed a really big cockroach on the wall behind Num! He flipped, and I offered to change seats with him - After all, I've been to Charleston, SC! Karyn and I attended a "Tea Ceremony Experience" at which we watched a truncated version of a tea ceremony and then imitated the process ourselves. I actually kind of liked the taste of the green tea, although it is a bit bitter. It tastes a little like the Argentine stuff you drink through a metal straw. There is a lot of non-Japanese cuisine here too : Italian, Chinese, Indian, Thai, and even McDonald's. I confess that I indulged in a Big Mac once - they put a bit of horseradish in the special sauce. Outside of many restaurants, they have displays of plastic food. If you can't pronounce the thing that looks good to you, they'll take you outside to point to it! I cracked up at the big plastic steak and noodles outside of an American restaurant in the Hanku building. Karyn said she once pointed to a display that looked like spinach, and the waitress nodded and said, "papai" Karyn asked again after identifying it indeed as spinach, and the waitress emphatically declared, "Papai!" You guessed it: 'Popeye' is what they call spinach here.

Dueling cultures

Let's see... how many cultural faux pas can I make in 27 days? Starting with the shoe thing, I think I gave the housekeeping staff in the hotel a heart attack when I didn't take off my shoes to drop off my groceries in the fridge while they were cleaning. There are these enormous yellow slippers that come with the room. They say "sanitized" on a little card near them. Usually, I put on my own slippers in the room. On my first day, I mistakenly walked upstairs onto a polished floor in a little shrine before realizing I should have bared my socks. Tatami mats are a big signal to doff your shoes too. In some establishments, they have bathroom slippers that have to stay in the bathroom. You could end up changing your footwear 4 times in the same house! I leave my shoes outside the classroom each day and change into tabi socks for class or to walk onstage.....Watches and rings are to be stowed before class and tea ceremonies. You might scratch the tea bowl or the fan, and you shouldn't be looking at the time.....Eating on the street or in front of a convenient store (konbini) is a no-no although some of the teen-aged Japanese do it at times......If one is in a calf-length or shorter skirt or dress, one wears hosiery -- even in this heat. Bare upper arms, cleavage, bra straps, etc. are not to be seen - but the school girls roll their uniform skirts just like my girls do!......Class begins each time ON TIME with kneeling before the teacher, fans placed on the same side of the tatami mat belt as one's knees, bowing low and saying, "Onegai shimas" (if you please). Class ends the same way but with the words "Arigato gozaimashita" (thank you for what you did) Everyone seems able to get the words out before I can! No water bottles on the tatami mats or wet clothes after being caught in a rainstorm (I bring an extra set now, just in case) Woe be to she who inadvertently stands on the belt of the tatami too - a major infraction of the tatami-do!.....Never face the bottoms of your feet toward the teacher when sitting - or anyone, for that matter. The most correct way to sit is "seiza" (sp?) - legs folded under you and sitting on your heels, although cross-legged with the soles facing away from the teacher is acceptable for tired foreigners....The program administrator kindly made my class a dvd of our teacher doing our dance. My e-book has no dvd player in it, but we had been told that we could use the library at the Kyoto Art Center to watch videos. So I asked the librarian if I could watch this dvd there, and she said, "Yes" which I think meant "no". After 20 minutes, the administrator came flying in and told me that this was against the rule, and only the library's videos were to be watched on the library equipment. I've since negotiated a place to watch at my hotel fortunately......No photos in National Heritage spots or Shinto shrines, but most Buddhist temples allow them. No "scribbling" (sketching?) at Nijo Castle either.....Offer and take business cards and gifts with 2 hands, and don't open a gift in front of the giver unless they urge you to do so. Even then, admire the wrapping for a long time first. The Japanese are really big on wrapping. When you purchase a fan, for instance, it may go in a special sheath that is then wrapped in tissue, then more paper stickered shut, then a bag. Then they'll ask you if you want another bag with handles!..... Chopsticks etiquette is a whole other entry!

Out and about

A big touring day included a visit to the Handicraft Center, Heian Shrine and Garden, an exhibition of traditional crafts with live and videotaped demonstrations, followed by a walk around Gion! My feet were a mess! The Handicraft Center had 7 floors of shopping ;D Kimono and yukata, damescene jewelry (gold inlay), laquerware, woodblock prints, dolls, swords, pottery, fine china, pearls and countless other items greet one at each level. On the top floor they have a hands-on area where you can make your own wookblock print, origami treasure , etc. A tour bus arrived, out of which exploded 12-15 -year-olds from the USA eastern seaboard. It was like being back at school except I wasn't responsible for them! I retreated to the calm of the Heian shrine through the largest Torii gates imaginable. The gardens were shaded and quiet, and each turn brought a perfect new vista. I loved looking through the frame of a tree branch or a bridge, and I befriended several turtles and a big white carp when I bought some fish food to throw in the water. The Furiaken (sp?) Museum was a delight. The care and skill required to make a pot, a basket, or a fan are extrordinary. The process of each art was explained in detail and one could watch a craftsman wield a brush or chisel for hours. Even the art of making sake was included! I walked to the Gion area where Kyoto is restoring and reviving the old buildings and the geisha arts. Some of the little wood houses have been converted to restaurants, but a couple have the names above the door of the geisha (or geike in Kyoto) and maiko who reside within and their schedules on chalkboards outside. I sat on the bridge where "Memoirs of a Geisha" was filmed.

I posed under the statue of Okuni - the temple maiden who created the art of kabuki by dressing as a man and galvinizing the ukio-e crowds with her 'getting freaky' dance. I recommend the book "Kabuki Dancer" if you want to understand something of the roots of this strange genre.

I need better elbows

Tonight, Tamoi-sensei worked with the students doing Hagoromo while Oe-sensei worked with the 2 who are doing Kagetsu. Hagoromo is the story of a swan-like heavenly being whose feathered robe is stolen by a fisherman. She has to dance a heavenly being dance in order to get it back. Kagetsu is a beautiful boy who dances in front of a temple and charms everybody. Heavenly being or beautiful boy? Well, you can't accuse these Noh masters of type casting, can you? Anyway, it was going SO much better than the last class I had with Tamoi-san, but toward the end of the class, I tired and started to make some mistakes. I did not "let my frustration show in my body." However, I have an elbow issue. My elbows don't go where they are supposed to go or stay where they are supposed to stay. I tell them what I want from them, and they just wander off on their own or take a little break when we're supposed to be working. I think I may last this course, but my elbows may have to be replaced!

3rd class Zen mode

The next class went much better even though it was equally physically taxing. Katayama-san is the consummate teacher. He has re-designed this class to include more performance experience because there are only 4 of us in the class. In his instruction, he combined very exacting attention to our kata (forms of movement), basics about the names for the areas of the noh stage, a little history, and best of all - the spirituality of Noh. We were all touched by his passion for his art and inspired to strive for beauty. He identified all our tension spots and explained how to release that tension without losing the form. He shows the wrong ways to move with such humor and the right ways to move with such clarity! I hope I can bring back some of his style to my students.

Try again

Not such a satisfying Noh class on my part. A blister started to form from doing the sliding step on tatami mats the day before. I made it worse with all the walking to the temple and the theatre. I didn't have as much time as I needed to rest and prepare for class. So the warm-up went fine, but when Tamoi-san started to teach us new material, I made mistake after mistake. My goofs made me flustered, and I made more mistakes. I really have to calm down. I show my emotions far too much for Japanese sensibilities. I'm going to spend a quieter day today and get moleskin to cushion my blister - then practice, practice, practice. Ken reminded me that this is supposed to be fun. I'll try to remember that and inject a little Zen into my work tonight...

To-ji and Kabuki

We got up early this morning to go to the To-ji (ji means temple) flea market. The flea market happens on the 21st of each month, and vendors sell new stuff, old stuff, traditional stuff, and modern stuff. I bought a vintage kimono (Japanese don't usually buy used clothing) for a great price. There were dried fruits, kitchen utensils, scarves, street food, etc. Many people were there to worhip in the temple, and the saffron-clad monks paraded past us and knelt in the temple to pray. Incense filled the air and people were sitting under a tent writing special prayers on wooden cards...... Next we took the subway to the river where many theatres began hundreds of years ago because that land was untaxed. We walked the river bank (where Okuni danced) and saw part of the geisha district. We went to a performance at the Minami-za that had a demonstration beforehand and then did an hour and a half performance of 2 scenes from a play by Chikamatsu. There are different forms of Kabuki male roles: Arogato is the macho man style. Wagoto is gentler, a little comic, a little effeminate. The Wagoto often ends up getting the courtesan for his girlfriend. The wagoto in this play was hard to empathize with at first. He flopped around and whined. I liked the character better in the 2nd act - he seemed more controlled and mature. Later I discovered that it was 2 different actors, which leads me to believe that there may be more individual interpretation in the Kabuki than in other theatre forms.

Noh Class 1

We had Masters Katayama and Tamoi for our first class. We learned the Noh stance (kamae). It's a whole new set of muscles. Yesterday's picture of me on the Noh stage is NOT a good example! Try this: 1) bend over from the waist. 2) Keeping your butt in the same position, straighten the rest of your back. 3) Tuck your chin back to lengthen your back but keep your tush in that same position it was when you bent over. 4) Make a circle with your arms at chest height - palms turned out. Don't bend your wrists. 5) Lower your arms to your sides keeping that circle and turn your palms in. 6) Sort of make fists, but cover your thumbs with the first joint of your forefinger. NOW you are in the kamae stance. Hold it forever. We practiced the suriashi (sliding walk) and also learned 2 ways of turning. Katayama-san said we were better than he expected. Whew! I haven't taken pictures because the class is formal and disciplined. I may ask one of the staff members to take one later.

Noh Kyogen and drums O mai!

We were permitted to tour the stage where we will perform our recital. The wife of the head of the Oe family met us, answered questions and then took us up onstage, into the back dressing rooms and into the galleries. It was inspiring and yet daunting to actually stand at the shite pillar, to sit at the waki pillar and to look out at the audience from the sumi. After returning to school, we had a very hands on and delightful workshop in kyogen, which is akin to commedia but has very strict kata (forms and conventions) that have to be followed. I think it was good preparation for my Noh training. We had an introduction to the shoulder drum and chanting after that and then bid farewell to those who signed up only for the 1st 3 days.

Celebration dinner

We had a special dinner before training begins because about half of the people are only taking the first 3 days of workshops, and the other half are staying on to do the intensive training. We went to a little restaurant where they had a pre-fixe dinner with tons of little bites of sushi, sashimi, tempura, veggies, and noodles that were delicious. The group was very convivial, and we learned a little more about each other. 3 out of the 4 of us in Noh are teachers (Yay!). One woman sells kimono and wanted to learn more about traditional arts to help her be a better salesperson. I'm going to miss her. She's in the lovely kimono above, and is so elegant. One woman is from Brazil and speaks English, Spanish, Japanese, and of course, Portuguese!

More day 2

We had a workshop with the Nihonbuyo teacher today. Nihonbuyo is an umbrella term for a bunch of dance forms. Odori dance is derived from Kabuki and Mai dance is gentler and slower. They call Mai - Kyoto style dance and Odori they refer to as the arigato (rough stuff) Tokyo style. Nihon buyo is also modern dance that draws on both as well as on Noh theatre. We had another incredible space for this workshop. I guess it's sort of a multi-purpose room with risers around a floor as big as a gym. We didn't do much hands-on with this lovely lady - She just taught us how to bow to a teacher, but she showed us an incredible film with clips from 4 versions of the story Dojo-ji (The Temple Bell)-- Noh, Odori, Mai, and her own creation in Nihonbuyo, which was so gorgeous it made me cry. The lighting, her costume, the music, the choreography, the drama, and the stage layout itself all combined to make a very powerful piece. ..... After our bowing lesson we took the subway up to the Kongo Nohgaku Theatre where we saw a beautiful exhibition of masks, fans, and costumes. We weren't allowed to take photos, but the head of the school himself was there and answered questions. It's hard to explain what a big deal it is to meet the head of a Noh family, but believe me when I say that it's a whopping big deal. He was charming in spite of his imposing figure. I asked him if one of the old woman masks was what an actor would use for one of my favorite roles from noh, Sotoba Komachi. He went into the back room to bring out 4 other masks that HE would choose from depending on what aspect of the once beautiful, now old, impoverished, and possessed woman he wished to emphasize. The head of school can interpret a role any way he wants, but others in that school have to follow HIS interpretation. More on this later.

Day 2 July 18

I bought my tabi socks today - the real ones. They are cotton and have metal clips to fasten them at the ankle. Mine are size 23.5 They cost 1000 yen a pair. (Divide by 87 to get $US) We wear them whenever we are going to be working with a teacher as opposed to listening to a lecture. We had two great lectures today. One on the MANY forms of theatre and dance drama in Japan - many of which originated in Kyoto. Why Kyoto? 1)There were/are many temples and shrines here that developed and patronized religious theatre forms; 2) there is a big river, and any entertainments done on the river banks could avoid paying taxes; 3)This was the Imperial City and where one came to be famous.
There are several walking tours of Kyoto that revolve around the theatres or the plays that take place in Kyoto.

Japanese theatre is characterized by stylized, formal conventions (You watch, you do.) Each actor is trained for a lifetime by a master of the art, and bit by bit, the master may disclose his secrets to a favored student - but never to the masses. Training is passed through the generations, and one is born into a family that specailizes in only one type of character. Each genre has its own unique space (you can't do Noh on the Kabuki stage), but the genres all borrow elements from each other. in spite of this borrowing, there is a continuous preservation of the genres from their inception.

Kwanami acted here. Okuni danced here. Chikamatsu wrote here. In many ways they still do.

First day of Class July 17

We have 3 days of orientation workshops that are open to others who don't wish to do the full 3 weeks of training. After a brief history of Traditional Theatre Training we met the Noh masters who will be my teachers during the training session. Master Katayama is the nephew of the head of the Kanze School of Noh, a National Living Treasure. It's like taking a class from a prince! Master Tamoi gave an excellent history and description of Noh and Master Oe demonstrated some techniques. They talked about the power of the stillness of Noh when it is seen in a live performance. I get that. When I saw a Noh play, I felt like I was in a state of meditation. I still carry the image of the production as if it was a composition in a shadow box. Intangible. Inexplicable. I hope to gain enough of an experience through these artists that I can transfer some sort of appreciation of Noh to my own students. Here was the sage advice from Katayama-san: "Appreciate your own lack of understanding. Copy and learn the forms at your best, knowing that you cannot completely understand. Seek out for yourself what you find fascinating in the art."

New friends more Matsuri

I bumped into a lovely Kentuckian family guided by a young Japanese man who used to be a student in Louisville. I asked if I could tag along with them if they were heading to Gion tonight. They were, and I could! Through my Kyoto contact whom I found through Journeywoman.com, I learned how to get a metro/bus/train pass (not JR) and passed along the info to my new friends. The crowds were insane, and who knew that Japanese could be so loud?! It was great to have company to get lost with - although their young son could have done without the miles of walking and Japanese kids touching his blond hair, I think! We saw a huge float all lit up and loaded with men playing bell drums. Gorgeous! We never made it to the Yasaka Shrine for the dragon dance, but we had a ball anyway. I have become very adept at asking in Japanese - where is ___? and apologizing in Japanese that I don't understand Japanese. Tomorrow's goal: Can you please help me? in Japanese.

The Gion Matsuri

What a morning! The Gion matsuri (festival) I believe was established to get Kyoto over a funk it was in due to the plague and to send prayers to the god of the Yasaka Shrine to protect them. It also became a big boost to the economy and is one of the biggest festivals in all Japan. Japanese tourists flock to this area to see the huge wooden floats, exhibits of tapestries and kimono, and to celebrate traditional culture. Many women and some men wear colorful 'yukata' (cotton robe), and museums in the area have special exhibits. It's like a carnival too with games of chance, street food, and kitsch. I'm hoping to buy a couple yukata because the prices can be exceptionally low at some shops. It was the first sunny day this week; so people came out in droves. I lasted 4 hours and then had to get back to the air conditioning. Good timing because the thunder started rumbling and the heavens ope'd after I got back! I'm hoping it will be clear enough to go back tonight for the dragon dance at the Yasaka Shrine.

Good Morning Kyoto!

By the time I got into the MK Taxi that I reserved to take me from the domestic airport in Osaka to Kyoto, it was dark. So I didn't see much last night, but I did have a very 'Bladerunner' feeling about Kyoto at first as my lovely shuttle with my very polite driver passed me to another lovely shuttle with another very polite driver who whisked me through back streets to my hotel. The Palace Side Hotel is a 'business hotel'. Conveniently located, all the necessities, but not luxurious. The nightly price goes down for extended stays; so this is a HUGE bargain at about 5000 yen per night (no more than $60) for my 26 nights! Here are views from my window of almost a Chinese 'hutong' and then the boxy apartments. Kyoto depends on tourism for more than 60% of its economy; so it now has a cap on how tall you can build a building, and it's trying to restore and retain as much of the old buildings as it can. Even the Japanese come here to experience 'true' Japanese culture. I'm going to get out there and experience some of it myself today!