Noh theatre

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Just a brief blog to mention going to see a production of three Noh plays. I would strongly recommend it. For those who don't know what Noh is (oh dear . . . so many bad puns, so little time), check out wikipedia etc.

I have never seen anything like it. It is slow, and long, and not much happens. But it is also utterly engrossing to the point of doing something very weird to your mind. There's definitely zen in it. The woman I went with, who studies Noh dance, said that she thought it was a zen practice just to watch it, and I can really see what she means. I felt no strong emotion but a very strong sensation, my stomach felt odd, and I felt disorientated. I almost thought I was going to fly off the balcony.

We weren't allowed to take photos (which I'm glad about). The whole event lasted from 10.30am - 4pm, and consisted of 3 plays, 1 comic interlude, and a couple of song/dance interludes.

I did this in Kyoto - there's a theatre (Kanzai Kaikan No Theatre) dedicated to Noh near many of the museums and the international house. It's located on It cost 3500yen, which is the high end of the range - my friend reckoned it would never be more than about 4000yen.

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