Categories
Circus Contemporary dance Live Music

Sancha de Daidougei – Sangenjaya street festival

During the week end of October 17 and 18, a number of free shows will be featured in Sangenjaya, for their yearly street festival. In particular, there will be circus, mime, brass bands and dance performances – we can particularly recommend Yosuke Meguro (juggling), Sivouplait (Mime), Dairakudakan (Butoh), The Vessel (acrobatics) among many other artists and companies.
In general, the performances are free.

Program and info in English is here.
And timetable and map in Japanese is here and in English there.

Categories
Theater

Cyrano in Meiji era, a Suzuki signature works

Suzuki’s direction and scenography of Cyrano de Bergerac are famous and representative of his works. In this version, Cyrano, a member of Scot, is in love with the heroin, a Russian, who is mistakenly in love with a Chinese actor, all being set in 19th century Japan. Tadashi Suzuki has been presenting his works abroad, including at the Avignon festival, and the Suzuki method is famous for training actors, from the United States to China. Coming all the way down from Toga, Tokyoites will have a chance to feel the director’s touch in Kichijoji, Tokyo, from December 11 to December 20. As Tadashi Suzuki has made history in Japan theater, having directed the most famous public theaters, and created the first international theater festival, the play is a must for people interested in Japanese contemporary theater. To be noted, it will be performed in Japanese (mostly, as we might suspect that there will be some Chinese and Russian too – did not Suzuki join the concert of Miyuki Ishibashi too ?).
A director talk will take place after the plays, it is always great to listen and exchange with such a personality – last year, patient people even brought back home white pumpkins from Toga, let us hope 2026 harvest will be good.

For other plays and shows in 2026

For more information on the director and some late performances.

Categories
Butoh 舞踏

Butoh & wrestling, from Fukushima to Tokyo

Exploring relationships between people, and between people and their environment, through Butoh, pro wrestling, and music, in Fukushima area.
Creating a new stage work from the bodies, words, and memories encountered there. This is the project of Emi Agatsuma and Agaxart. After a first successful attempt at putting catch and butoh on stage, the butoh dancer and choregrapher pursues her quest, sharing a work in progress on December 5 and 6, before a final performance in February 2027.

For more shows and plays in 2026

For more on butoh

Categories
Butoh Contemporary dance

Awai / Faint / butoh

Dairakudakan which restarted full size the production of new choregraphers from Japan longest active Butoh company, will feature choregrapher and dancer Misako Taniguchi in her new (and first ?) long piece, あわい. As usual, we know very little about what we are going to see, we just have a very faint idea, which is the title translation, by the way. And colors will be pale, no doubt, another meaning of Awai. This is always a bit frustrating, not to know what we will see, but a chance to discover and be surprised. After the great Rite of spring, the intriguing Book of death, just embark on this new trip in Kochuten, the underground and packed company theater in Kichijoji area.

For more on butoh
For other performances in 2026

Categories
Butoh 舞踏

Gal Shaman 2.0

Kana Kitty French figured works, Sacred rythms, will be part of a butoh program on October 24, in Higashi Koenji. A member of Wozme, regular butoh performer of Wakaba Coffee’s works, Kana Kitty is emerging on the Tokyo butoh scene.

More details here.
For other butoh, dance and theater plays in the last quarter of 2026.
For more on butoh in Tokyo

Categories
Angura Theater

Angura revival – Kara Juro and Shuji Terayama in Tokyo

The Red Tent is settling in Kanda (October 3-11), Mito (October 17-18) and Zoshigaya (October 24-November 2nd) for  performances of the play Rainbow miniature house, a work from Kara Juro. The works of Angura most famous master, with connections throughout the Japanese scene from 21st century theater to butoh, are perpetuated, and offer insights in some of the roots of the current Tokyo performing arts scene.
Booking here http://eplus.jp/karagumi/

Similarly, Banyuinryoku keeps on performing Shuji Terayama work. Following Ships of fool (June 2024), the latest performance to take place is set up in 18th century Japan. It is a theater play derived from a story written by Terayama, Shinshaku Inazuma Soushi, which has also been screened in the television, and will be playing from November 20 to 29, with music and direction from the author old accomplice, J.A. Cesar.

Both plays will be in Japanese only, not always easy to understand, but offering glimpses in the Japanese theater culture of the sixties.

For other plays and shows in the last quarter of 2026 : here

Categories
Circus

Contemporary circus from Sweden and Japan in Tokyo

October is the month for circus in Tokyo : Setagaya Public Theater invites as usual an overseas circus company. Vessel is the name of the performance brought from Sweden, to raise moods and spirits with their acrobatics, juggling, tightroping, wheeling, and other balance challenges from October 23 to 25. To be noted, there will be workshops for adults (October 21st, evening) and youngsters (October 24, afternoon). The fare is very reasonable, and I have never been disappointed by STP invited performances.

In Odaiba, free circus experience on October 10 and 11 (at 1pm and 3pm), from the Setouchi Circus Company, which transforms the verticals of the city. There will be a number of performances until November with Arte Tokyo Circus project.

For more dance and theater performances from October to December, check here.

Categories
Contemporary dance

Morimur – Noism Dance Company is dying for a rebirth

“Morimur” – Latin for “We are dying”. Loss and prayer are concealed within J.S. Bach’s “Chaconne”, as well as a yearning for rebirth. This work, born of choreographer Jo Kanamori’s long engagement with the music piece, carries within it “solo for 2”, created in 2012, and now takes shape as a new work of dance. To gaze upon death is to gaze upon life, and Noism continues exploration of body and spirit.
After performing in home theater Ryutopia in Niigata, the company will be in Tokyo Geigeki on December 26 and 27.

For more performances from October to December

Categories
Theater

Noda’s Bee stings back

20 years after its creation, The Bee will be performed in November at Honda Theater (Tokyo). This provocative play, where the would-be victim becomes the agressor, has been very successful. Dark, ironic, repulsive, twisted… The atmosphere is quite different from the more consensual Fahrenheit -320. Noda is one of the few directors who book a theater for a month and sell out. If you want to try to see a play, written jointy with Colin Teevan, you shall book quickly (normal sales start on October 18). It will be in Japanese only, but the plot is pretty simple, and if you know your yakuza / cop movie vocabulary, it shall be all right.
From November 2 to December 6.

Categories
Theater

Minority report ? Japanese one woman show, when you feel lonely at midnight. With subtility and (English) subtitles

Through her work with Kegawazoku in the 2000s—a group described as creating frenetic, chaotic stages—Junko Emoto, a devoted entertainer who continually reinvents herself, bringing a festive energy and humor, challenged conventions surrounding femininity and bodily representation. From October 16 to 18, we can experience her performance, “A Play to Watch When You Feel Lonely at Midnight”.

In this work, Emoto weaves words and humor that resonate from one lesbian to another into the theatrical landscape. This is an attempt to invert the structure of empathy, which is often centered on the majority. As highlighted by TMT, Lesbian audience members may find themselves connected to the work, while non-lesbian audience members may experience a sense of discomfort. Yet beyond any theoretical framework, what matters most is the visceral experience this play leaves behind—the feeling that it is a powerful form of entertainment.

As a devoted entertainer who continually reinvents herself, she brings a festive energy and humor that feels unmistakably alive, expanding the possibilities of performance and entertainment.

An unusual and challenging experience, with English subtitles.

Booking is slightly complicated, there is one option in English for foreign credit cards, with an additionnal booking fee. As usual for TMT, I recommend to give a phone call, but you can also book on-line.