Kamiyamori Concert: Rakugo
Artist: Mr. Yanagiya
Date: November 9, 2008
Time: 2pm
The Kamiyamori Concerts usually involve music, but this time we are going to enjoy a rakugo performance by Mr. Yanagiya. Rakugo can be thought of as a kind of “sit down comedy”, with one performer sitting on a zabuton (Japanese style pillow seat) recounting silly stories of human interaction. The performer usually uses several different voices and actions to indicate which character is talking at the time, but no props or sets are used other than what the actor has on stage: him/herself, the costume (usually traditional dress), possibly a fan, and the zabuton.
Mr. Yanagiya has a great deal of experience performing rakugo for audiences who do not have perfect Japanese skills. If you have never seen a rakugo performance before, this is one not to miss!
The Kamiyamori Cultural Foundation has hosted 29 events since 2002, including vocal performances, rakugo, and musical ensembles featuring instruments and artists from around the world. The site of the events, Kamiyamori Log House, has been turned into classrooms for Tsukuba International School, but the Foundation continues to host its world-class events here. We hope that you will come and enjoy the events while taking in the rich atmosphere of the Finnish log house set in the middle of a forest.
All of these events are FREE, but since the log house can only comfortably seat around 60 people, you are encouraged to register your attendance by email (kamiyamori[AT]gmail.com) or fax (029-848－2239) as early as possible. Also, since the log house is home to four dogs, we kindly ask all attendees to arrive at least 30 minutes before the concerts start to give the dogs time to settle down.
