TOKYO TUESDAY : KABUKI / TOKYO MARDI : KABUKI

As we had walked a lot on Monday, and as the weather was rainy, we went to see the Kabuki theatre.  Maisako (Keiko's friend who had come for dinner with us the previous night) had managed to get us  sits on internet so we did not need to queue up. We saw 3 plays from 11.30 in the morning to 3pm.

Comme nous avions pas mal marche le Lundi etque le temps etait a la pluie, nous allames voir du theatre Kabuki. Maisako (l'amie de Keiko venue diner avec nous la veille) avait reussi a nous avoir 3 places par internet, nous evitant de faire la queue le lendemain. Nous vimes 3 pieces de 11h30 du matin a 15h de l'apres-midi.

We bought O-Bento (the Japanese pic-nic) to eat during one of the intervals. Under the theatre, just outside the underground there were many shops and delicatessen selling delicious looking ready to eat food and  o-bentos, we had a lot of choice . As usual, it took us very long to choose more or less Kosher O-bento so that Mark had some vegetables and Kosher fish to eat and he could eat almost all he had in his box except for an unexpected shrimp that should not have been there but was...

Nous achetames des O-Bento (Pic-nic japonais) pour le dejeuner pendant un des entr'actes. Sous le theatre, a la sortie du metro, il y avait plein de boutiques vendant des plats tout prepares et des O-Bentos, nous avions enormement de choix. Comme d'habitude, ca nous pris tres longtemps pour choisir des O-Bentos plus ou moins Cacher afin que Mark ait quelques legumes et poissons Cacher qu'il pourrait manger et il put manger presque tout ce qu'il avait dans sa boite a part une crevette inattendue, qui n'avait aucune raison d'etre la mais qui etait la quand meme...

Then we went to get  some machine with earphones to get a partial translation and some historical explanations in English, of the plays we were going to see. That was most welcome and very helpful, so we could enjoy the plays because we understood what was happening.

Puis nous allames chercher des ecouteurs en Anglais, donnant une traduction globale de l'action et des explications historiques en Anglais sur les pieces  que nous allions voir. 

At the Kabuki, the "connoisseurs" shout the name of the famous actors when they think they have played well or acted well a particularly difficult passage. Next to us was a young student who came for the first time to Kabuki and was as happy as we were.

Spectators in front of us eating their O-Bento / Spectateurs devant nous mangeant leur O-Bento

Au Kabuki, les habitues crient le nom des acteurs connus lorsqu'ils ont bien joue dans un passage difficile. A cote de nous il y avait un jeune etudiant qui assistait pour la premiere fois a ces pieces et qui etait aussi heureux que nous.

Keiko's O-Bento / O-Bento de Keiko

Kabuki Theatre / Theatre Kabuki Ginza Doori (grande avenue de Tokyo)

 

Mark's O-Bento / O-Bento de Mark

We had also bought some Kabuki special cookies in the theatre shop, shaped as Kabuki actors..We saw 3 plays, the first one was a lovely danse in Heian period costumes. i really loved that play. Then the story called II Tairo about a samourai who wanted to open Japan to foreigners in the 19th century and was killed by nationalists oposed to the opening. The third play was very sad a samourai killed his own son instead of his master's son to protect the clan.

Then we came back to Keiko's house and had dinner there. We prepared our trip to Kyoto early the following morning. 

Nous avons aussi achete des biscuits speciaux Kabuki dans le magasin du theatre, e forme d'acteurs de Kabuki. Nous vimes 3 pieces, la premiere etait une jolie danse en costunes de l'epoque Heian (moyen-age) la seconde l'histoire d'un samourai favorable a l'ouverture du Japon aux Occidentaux, qui se fait assassiner par des nationalistes hostiles a cette ouverture. La troisieme etait tres triste, sur un Samourai qui tue son propre fils a la place de celui de son maitre pour proteger le clan.

Puis retour et diner chez Keiko . Nous preparames notre voyage a Kyoto tot le lendemain matin.