November 25, 2020

Arts Council Tokyo

Tokyo Metropolitan Foundationfor History and Culture

Arts Council Tokyo: outline of the traditional culture programs in FY2020.

Five programs to be implemented including first online
exclusive video distribution programs.
Based on the theme “Approaching Tokyo Tradition”, Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundationfor History and Culture) offers diverse projects and programs for people who are not familiar with traditionalarts and culture, as well as for people overseas and children to enjoy Japan’s authentic traditional arts andculture. Many scheduled programs, however, had to be cancelled or postponed due to the novel
coronavirus (COVID-19). Arts Council Tokyo has decided to implement five programs of traditional
Japanese culture, part of which has started from this fall, to transmit the appeal of arts and culture of Tokyo
to both in and out of Japan, taking measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Our project consists of four categories of Festivals, Traditional Performing Arts Program, Programs for
Foreign Visitors, and Kids program.
“Kagurazaka Street Stage O-edo Tour 2020 - Japanese Traditional Culture Festival”, which was scheduled
to take place in May as one of Festivals programs, and “Noh online: Funa Benkei, Legendary Hero, Riding
the Wave from Tokyo to the World” a program for people overseas who cannot come to Japan due toCOVID-19 will be visualized and released online.
In “Kagurazaka Street Stage O-edo Tour 2020 - Japanese Traditional Culture Festival”, the videos provide
the sound and performances unique to Kagurazaka area including interviews with local people and artists
in a city-walking style. The videos of two versions of Japanese and English are scheduled to be released
after December. “Noh Online: Funa Benkei” with English subtitles, scheduled to be released at the end ofJanuary, utilizes a variety of camera work, including filming from close proximity to the performers on stage.
This provides a dynamic Noh experience, which is different from the usual Noh play viewing. Both of themwill be posted on the official YouTube channels, where people overseas would enjoy.
As Traditional Performing Arts Program, the popular program “Oedo Vaudeville Show and Traditional
Geisha Dances X” which celebrates its 10th year will be held at Meijiza Theater in March 28, 2021. This isan entertaining performance that allows you to simultaneously enjoy the dance and music by geisha andthe yose vaudeville show including rakugo the traditional storytelling performance that blossomed in theheight of the townspeople’s culture in the Edo Period.
“Traditional Performing Arts for Kids”, the program that children receive the direct lessons from professional
performers for months to make a final public performance in a formal way on stage, has started in
November. As we eventually have up to nearly 1,400 applicants, we really feel the high level of interest in
this program due to lack of children’s activities under the COVID-19 crisis.
“Traditional Culture and Performing Arts Experience Program for Kids”, which sends young performers toschools to provide children the opportunity to contact with Japanese traditional culture and performing artsand to learn diversity of cultures, has started in September. This program is planned to be implemented at
40 schools this fiscal year.
We take measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in each project.
Details of each event/program are introduced in following pages. More details will be informed on the website below.
All programs are subject to change without notice.

The latest information for programs in the future will be updated on the following official website (in Japanese and English).
webwww.tokyo-tradition.jp

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Contact for this release and interviews

Arts Council Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture
Tokyo Tradition Public Relations Office［Togashi/Ohara］
TEL 03-3237-3124 / FAX 03-3237-3122 / email info@annex-inc.jp

■ Festivals
Festivals for numerous people to casually enjoy traditional cultures, transmitting the charm of traditional cultures
seeking the uniqueness and variety of Tokyo.

Program Name

Kagurazaka Street Stage O-edo Tour 2020 - Japanese Traditional
Culture FestivalDates/How to watch

Japanese version: To be released in December, 2020
English version: To be released in January, 2021
Four videos will be available on the official YouTube channel. They will be archived so thatanyone can watch them at any time, free of charge.
https://kaguramachi.jp/

Contents

In the Kagurazaka area, where tradition meets modernity, we have been holding a number ofchic and stylish live performances of traditional performing arts, and this program will beintroduced in a city-walking style videos this year.
Videos include interviews with local people and artists to show the appeal of this programthat combines the town of Kagurazaka with traditional arts and culture. You can enjoy thehistory of the area, Ozashiki- Asobi games with Geisha, the sounds and performances ofKagurazaka such as Shin-nai nagashi, the strolling with Shamisen.

Organized byArts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), NPO Ikimachi
Club

Supported by and incooperation withTokyo Metropolitan Government

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■ Program for Foreign Visitors
Programs which provides people overseas the opportunity to enjoy traditional performing arts.

Experience and Appreciation Program
Program NameNoh Online: Funa Benkei, Legendary Hero, Riding the Wave from
Tokyo to the World

Period/How to watch

End of January – March, 2021
You can watch it on official website by free of charge
http://www.tokyo-tradition.jp/2020/eng/

Contents

Noh “Funa Benkei (Benkei in a boat)”, well-known Noh play, at Kita Noh Theatre filmed as
visual artwork will be distributed online with English subtitles and commentary. Cameras
installed on the Noh stage to film each scene make dynamic digital experience which is very
different from the usual audience view.
A special bilingual webpage of “Noh Online: Funa Benkei" will be opened on the official
website to introduce the story, the characters and such in an easy-to-understand manner for
first-time overseas viewers to render the appreciation of Noh play.

Title/Performers

Noh “Funa Benkei” Shinnoden
Takehito Tomoeda, Kinya Hosyo, Mansai Nomura, and others

Organized byArts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)

Supported by and incooperation with

Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Produced by

Roppeita XIV Commemorative Foundation

Noh “Funa Benkei” Photo: Yutaka Ishida

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■ Traditional Performing Arts Programs
Programs with contents that implement authentic traditional performances in easy to understand formats for those
who are unfamiliar with Japanese traditional culture and arts.

Program Name
Venue／Dates

Contents

Performers
Admission(Tax included)
Ticket sales

Contact

Oedo Vaudeville Show and Traditional Geisha Dances X
Meijiza Theater ＜2-31-1, Nihonbashi Hamacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo＞
March 28 (Sun), 2021 starts at 3:30 pm
This traditional performing arts show provides “Yose”, a traditional vaudeville show including“Rakugo” (a traditional comical storytelling art) flourished in the townspeople’s culture of Edo
period, along with the beautiful traditional geisha dances and music performed by geishasfrom Tokyo’s six districts namely Akasaka, Asakusa, Kagurazaka, Mukojima, Shimbashi andYoshicho, and performances by "Hokan", a male entertainer.
Oedo Vaudeville Show / YANAGIYA Gontaro (Rakugo), KAGAMI Michiyo (Daikagura),
SAKAMOTO Masayuki (Wadaiko)
Traditional Geisha Dances / Dancers and musicians from 6 entertainment districts of Tokyo,
namely Akasaka, Asakusa, Kagurazaka, Mukojima, Shimbashi and Yoshicho.
SAKURAGAWA Yoneshichi (Hokan) Guide / Seiji Kasai
S (1st, 2nd-floor): 5,000 yen, A (3rd-floor): 4,000 yen, A (3rd-floor/Students): 2,000 yen＊No entry for children under 5 years old.
On sale from February 13 (Sat) at 10:00am[FAX] Download the ticket reservation form from the official website and fill in and send it to 033660-1657 *It will be able to downloaded from February 13 (Sat). [The box office] Meijiza
Theater Box Office (10am-5pm) 03-3660-3941 [E-mail] Fill in your name, phone number, seattype, number of tickets, and send it to oedo@meijiza.co.jp
Vaudeville Show and Geisha Dances administration office
TEL：03-3660-3941 (10:00am – 6:00pm) FAX: 03-3660-1657
E-mail：oedo@meijiza.co.jp Official Website: https://geisha-dance2020.jp/

Organized byArts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)

Supported by and incooperation with

Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Produced by

Meijiza Theater

YANAGIYA Gontaro

KAGAMI Michiyo

SAKAMOTO Masayuki

Geisha dancers and musicians from 6 entertainment districts

Seiji Kasai

SAKURAGAWA
Yoneshichi

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■ Kids Programs
Experiential programs at schools and programs that combine coaching at Noh theater, etc. for several months andachievement presentations, for children to learn Japanese traditional culture and performing arts.

Program Name

Traditional Performing Arts for Kids

Venue

Lessons: Umewaka Noh Theatre, Kine-ie Kaikan, Shizan Kaikan, Shinjuku Bunka Center,Geino-Kadensha, Higashimurayama City Central Community Center, Tamashin RISURU
Hall
Public performance: Hosho Noh Theatre, National Theatre (Large Theatre)

PeriodNovember, 2020 – March, 2021

Contents

This program aims to develop the aesthetic sensibilities and minds of the next generation
through the traditional performing arts that Japanese people have cherished over thecenturies. Over several months, participating children will receive direct lessons from leading
performers culminating in a public performance showcasing what they have learned.
Standard program for students from elementary school to high school offers 14 lessons ineach field of Utai/Shimai, Kyogen, Shamisen, Hayashi (Shinobue), Hayashi(Kotsuzumi/Taiko), Sokyoku (Koto), Shakuhachi and Nihon buyo. Youth program for students
from junior high and high school offers 10 lessons of Shamisen, Sokyoku and Nihon buyo.

Organized byTokyo Metropolitan Government, Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation forHistory and Culture), Japan Council of Performers Rights & Performing Arts Organizations(Geidankyo)

Program Name

Traditional Culture and Performing Arts Experience Program for Kids

Venue

Elementary, Junior High, and High Schools, Compulsory Education Schools, Secondary
Schools, Special Needs Schools, and International Schools that are accredited as schools,
within the metropolis of Tokyo

PeriodSeptember, 2020 – February, 2021

Contents

As part of school education, we will provide hands-on programs taught by young performersand practitioners that bring children into contact with Japanese traditional culture andperforming arts, thereby providing them with an accurate understanding of both the value ofJapanese culture and a diversity of cultures.

＊Application has been closed.

＊Application has been closed.

Organized byArts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)

Supported by and incooperation with

Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Traditional Performing Arts for Kids

Photo: Kota Sugawara

Traditional Culture and Performing Arts Experience
Program for Kids

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