One of the most perplexing riddles posed by Japan is the nature of its own origins. A dazzlingly modern nation, many of the most important questions about Japan's beginnings remain unanswered. Where did Yamato culture first find expression, and through which people? How far back can we trace the...
During the great Bon Festival, held across Japan in August to honor the spirits of the dead, O-Bon dancing is performed throughout the country. There are many local variants on the dance, but perhaps the best known is Tokushima’s Awa Odori, the “Great Dance of Awa.”
The most widely told story of...
Aomori is the northernmost city on Japan’s main island of Honshu. In fairness to the city, it’s never made more than halfhearted attempts at becoming a tourist center. Around the city, there are some fascinating Jomon era archaeological sites, a good food market, and several regional museums that mi...
Bugaku is the ancient repertoire of dances of the Japanese Imperial court. Derived originally from dance forms imported from China, India and Korea, they quickly became thoroughly Japanese in mood and effect. The dances are divided into “dances of the left” and “dances of the right.” Each set of dan...
The Japanese dances collectively called kagura were originally performed at shrines for the pleasure of the Shinto gods. In the 19th century, it began to be seen more as a sort of folk entertainment than strictly a religious ritual. The dances reenact well known scenes from myth and legend, with d...
Chiyoda is located in northwestern Hiroshima prefecture, about one and a half hours from the city by car. The town, though small, is famous for its preservation of local performing arts, including kagura dance, the hanadaue rice-planting event, and hanagasa.
In the hanagasa dance male dancers dre...
