#GivingTuesday might just look like another hashtag, but it’s actually a worldwide campaign to encourage everyone to donate whatever they can to their local nonprofits and community organizations. Here at the Japan-America Society of...
It kind of seems impossible to save the world with a simple rice ball, but Table for Two’s World Food Day Campaign has completely flipped this assumption. Table for Two USA (TFT), a non-profit...
On November 1, the Japan-America Society of Washington DC celebrated its 60th anniversary year with a special dedication Dinner and Silent Auction at the Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown. Approximately 420 guests attended the event,...
November: 隈取 (kumadori) Kumadori, also called kuma, is Kabuki’s most distinctive makeup technique. It is a nonrealistic makeup emphasizing the movement of the facial muscles. With this makeup, it is easy for the audience...
October: 早変わり (hayagawari) The leaflet above states the actor, Ichikawa Ennosuke, will change his costume to play 18 different characters. This is made possible by a technique called hayagawari. This word means “quick-change technique”...
August: だんまり (danmari) Danmari means to be silent or a person who rarely talks. In Kabuki, danmari is a type of wordless pantomime where a group of characters perform a battle. The word literally...
Like many others, my little DC-resident heart can’t get enough of the cherry blossom trees in this city. Not just the ones that sit along the Tidal Basin, either – the single trees growing...
Each year, the Japan-America Society of Washington DC takes part in hundreds of programs. While many of those are created and hosted by us, we also take part in and contribute to several programs...
July: 囃子 (hayashi) Hayashi. “Orchestra.” Kabuki uses musicians who play percussion and wind instruments. The four basic instruments adopted from the Noh are the flute (fue), small drum (kotsudumi), large drum (otsuzumi), and stick...
June: 揚げ幕 (agemaku) Maku are a vital part of Kabuki production. A number of different kinds of curtains, or maku, are used, including the traveler show curtain (joshiki maku or hiki maku), the drop...
