Pat's Blog

On assignment for Art in Takamatsu this summer, we 3 bloggers for the City’s offices visited the Folk House Open-air Museum and Gallery aka Shikoku Mura.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5402.html
http://www.shikokumura.or.jp/english/index.html




Located in Yashima and a 10 minute walk from Yashima Station the facilities are open year-round with and adult fee of 800 yen and
As the brochure given us at the entrance says, this is a step back in time to scenes of traditional Japan and an encounter with a bygone era.



Most of the thirty-three traditional buildings have been relocated and the Shodoshima Farmers’ Kabuki Theater is s splendid example of Japanese architecture from more than 200 years ago.



Once these theaters were in many places in the countryside in Shikoku to provide entertainment for the farmers and countryside people in much the same way as TV does now I suppose.



The Soy Sauce warehouse and malt house/brewery was of great interest with its traditional implements for brewing soy. I could easily imagine the toil and effort needed to make the things we now take for granted as commodities.



So to see how the people lived in the past, this is a great place to visit and there are brochures in other languages including English for visitors.





I’ll be back for a few blogs in December. As the seasons change, please keep warm and until then ..
  

As the intro to our site says, Takamatsu is a city full of art and this time I’d like to introduce you to a creative group calling themselves ‘Theater Tank’ working out of Shikoku University which isn’t quite in Takamatsu, but not very far away in the small town of Zentsuji, Kagawa.


Maya Sakamoto is on the staff of the university and kindly gave me some photos (and aren’t they remarkable?) to post for our blog.



‘Theater Tank’ is as the name implies, a collective body of both staff & students using choreography, lighting, dance and theater as the stage for their interesting projects. Well perhaps they’re more than just ‘intersting’ they look quite exiting, frankly. Walking on eggs has always been an image I can relate to with my occasional stumbles through this vast tapestry we call ‘life’s journey.’



Maya is working with other staff and majors to perform Hamlet in 15 minutes (sic) this will be interestin’ indeed. But I digress, as the troupe are seasoned and dedicated to performance-as-art and if the quality of the photos she sent me are anything to judge by, we’re in for a good show.



More information in Japanese is available here.
http://www.sg-u.ac.jp/view.rbz?cd=1119
Hamlet is tentatively on the list for this show. The other acts/performances will be, ‘My Laughing Voice Glowed up with Naked Feet’ Direction. Nami Akiyama
‘Theater Improvisation’
Direction: Sengoku Keiko

‘Tamago-Egg’
Choreograph: Maya Sakamoto
The shows are running from 1012 December 13thThur. (7 pm) 14th Fri. (7 pm) Sat. 15th (2:00 pm)
*Notos Studio in Shikoku Gakuin (university)
3-2-1 Bunko cho
Zentsuji
Kagawa.
The admission is free but please make a reservation by phone or email.
sokyoken@sg-u.ac.jp
Tel: 0877-62-2455
*I’ll be back and looking at more art in the city and also at some alternative life-style people who are making their way to the prefecture to develop their art & lives here in the unique environment that we have. See you then and stay warm.
  

タグ ：kagawaZentsuji

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