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.