The Tokyo Traveler

School is back in session, improv school that is!  Have you always been fascinated with improv theater and thought that maybe someday you’d like to give it a try?  Now you can!
All native-level English speakers are welcome to attend a weekly two hour improv workshop hosted by Chris Wells, director of the Tokyo Comedy Store  for the past 13 years and an improv performer himself.  Workshops are held every Tuesday night, from 7 to 9PM, in Azabu-juban and are reasonably priced at 2,100 Yen.   Each workshop starts with exercises based around a theme for the evening which are followed by …read more

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The theme of the 24th annual Tokyo Summer Festival is Forest Echoes/Desert Voices. This year’s Tokyo Summer Festival takes you on a musical journey through noisy forests and silent deserts. The event takes place from July 3 to 31 at various venues throughout the city.
Some of the events at this years festival include:

Performances by pianist and guitarist, Egberto Gismonti, a Brazilian who was classically trained in Paris,
A body painting and dance Workshop with Karajá Indians,
Traditional Tuareg musical performances from the Amazon,
Shinto Theatrical Dance, Toshita Kagura, will present ancient folk tales from Japan that date back more that 200 years, …read more

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October 1, 2008, marks the grand opening of “Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo,” an establishment dedicated to the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil and to bringing Japanese audiences a whole new form of entertainment not seen elsewhere.
The first show in the new theater will be Zed.  Promoted as “A living poem at the heart of the human adventure” Zed is sure to be yet another must see show from Cirque Du Soliel.
The central larger-than-life character Zed represents all of humanity in all its guises, from wisdom to folly, from discovery to adventure. Zed grows as he discovers the world on …read more

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Kabuki is a 400 year old traditional Japanese art form.  It is considered classical theater but watching Kabuki is rarely a staid affair.  Originally created by women, since 1629 men have played all of the major roles in a Kabuki drama.  They wear elaborate makeup and costumes and utilize skills taught to them by their fathers and Grandfathers. One of the most recognizable parts of a Kabuki play is the mie, where an actor gyrates his head abruptly, stops completely, and faces the audience, freezing in position for just a moment.  At this point the audience will cheer and …read more

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