Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Japan: Sumo or Kabuki?

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Japan: Sumo or Kabuki?

Thinking of visiting Japan for first time this spring. Has anyone ever used the tour company Adventures Abroad? Would like some feedback on the quality of the tours, hotels they use, etc. Also, if I had to choose between Sumo or Kabuki, what should I choose?

Sumo, of course. There is a tournament in Osaka in March that would be ending as Spring arrives. Next grand tournament would be Tokyo in May, then Nagoya in July.

Bonjour Aljo, Sumo or Kabuki ? Wrestling or opera ? ;-) Osaka is famous for its puppets kabuki performances, it would be a shame not to give it a try in between two sumo matches if you go in March. Next sumo tournament is in Tokyo in May. The Kabuki theater in Ginza (Kabukiza) holds performance almost all day long, and you can go to see part of a play for 1 hour or so for a reasonnable fee, so why not enjoy both ? (I must say that I prefer sumo on the whole, for all my love of Japan I haven't found the part of my hearing that could make me enjoy kabuki music)

I'd just have to go for sumo, cause I've never seen it live, but I'm really posting to praise kabuki. We were taken to kabuki in Tokyo by business associates. We thought it would be interesting for the first hour, but excruciating because it was such a long performance. We were given headphones and someone was doing a simultaneous translation as the play was performed. It was fabulous! We were able to laugh at the jokes in the same time frame as the rest of the audience, and we really enjoyed it. I think you can't lose either way.

I think the 'puppets kabuki' Florence refers to above must be the art form known as bunraku, and the National Bunraku Theatre is indeed in Osaka. Many of the 18 key works for kabuki and even many noh plays began life as bunraku performances, and many of Japan's greatest writers wrote for this medium. If you tend to connect puppets with children's theatre, think again. Three men manipulate each puppet, lifetimes of training are involved, and the stories told are sometimes comic, sometimes bloodcurdlingly savage, and sometimes heartrending. I've seen a theatre full of Westerners in tears at the climax of a bunraku performance of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's Sonezaki Shinju ("Double Suicide at Sonezaki"). And the suicides were, after all, only pieces of wood... There are rarely bunraku performances outside Osaka, let alone outside Japan, so if the chance came up, I'd see one of those. Of course, kabuki is usually very colourful and entertaining. If you're in Tokyo, try to catch performances by Bando Tamasaburo or Nakamura Kankuro (a personal favourite) two of the art form's greatest stars. Sumo is also very theatrical, mind you, and the ceremonial surrounding it is as much fun as the bouts themselves. I once had the privilege of watching part of the Osaka basho from the NHK TV box, and I'd love to go again. But sumo tickets are not easy to come by... Sorry, this is a completely unhelpful post. Peter N-H http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Bonjour Peter, I'd like to see a useful post from you, if this wasn't one ;-)

I have nothing against the arts, mind you, but I will note that Peter N-H mentioned "a theatre full of Westerners". The sumo was on TV. Sumo is modern and traditional, sport and theater (both drama & comedy). Sumo tickets can be had on the day of the tournament for chairs in the upper level. The advance purchase box seat tickets are mats on the floor and may be obtained by phone but in Japanese only. After the sumo, I would be headed to a beisboru game.

So: www.sumo.or.jp

A little more careful reading of the post necessary, perhaps. No comparison or recommendation of one event over another was made, which was why I described the post (despite Florence's kindness) as "completely unhelpful". The sumo was not watched on TV but "from the NHK TV box", sitting next to the commentators, just out of camera shot , in fact, and thus with an excellent view of the action. And just to clarify, the theatre was "full of Westerners", by which I really meant "there were a lot of Westerners", because the performance was part of a rare visit by a bunraku troupe to London. Bunraku being so little known (sadly), I imagine it very likely that anyone visiting the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka would find themselves the only foreigner. I've been there, but only for a meeting, so I can't say for sure. Personally, if I had to choose between kabuki and sumo, I'd choose sumo because I've seen less of it. And if I had to choose between bunraku, kabuki, and sumo, I'd choose bunraku for the same reason. But this isn't helpful, because I'm not aljo (the original poster), although I am, at least, in a position to compare all three forms. To the non-theatregoer I imagine sumo would have the most instant appeal. But at the Ginza kabuki-za the earphone guide, as Marilyn points out, makes kabuki entertaining for everyone. Even most Japanese have to use one (in Japanese) since the language of the performances is archaic, and the manner of speaking extremely stylized. Incidentally, if you time your visit for spring, it's worth trying to get to see an updated form called Super Kabuki, put on by the Ichikawa kabuki family, which takes its inspiration from daytime Samurai soap operas, moves at a faster pace, and has sets performing Miss Saigon-style coups de thèâtre. In the performance I saw, a ship broke in half and sank into the stage, in a clear reference to "Titanic", which was hugely popular at the time. Incidentally, since we're on the topic (or I am, at least) it's worth seeing Tokyo as every bit the theatre destination to match Broadway, or even London's West End. Major Western musicals can be seen in lavish productions, and it doesn't really matter that they are in Japanese. There are regular performances of Shakespeare in a concrete copy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. And there are bizarre only-in-Japan productions, such as the epic dramas and musicals by the all-female Takarazuka Review company. Go to those and you'll not only be the only Westerner, but if male, the only male. Sorry... off-topic again. Peter N-H http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

On my previous visits, my main interests were sumo, baseball, and horse racing. The show at Gion Corner sufficed for a performing arts activity. After reading Peter's post, I will have to consider broadening my interests to include Japanese theater. I think I'll start with the Takarazuka Review company. Sounds like the place for me.