Guests' comment 2013
Darlene (Vancouver, Canada)
December 20 at Kabuki-za theatre
We had a very good time at the kabuki play. The play is one of the highlights of our trip.
We got seats on the left hand side of the theatre. We decided to buy tickets for two parts so we were there until two thirty . We rented the English speakers. Your help was very instrumental in having an appreciation of the play. My daughter liked the attack in the pine room scene and I liked the ritual suicide scene. Later,we found Tokyu Hands and then found Muji. We really liked Muji. Thank you so much for the tour and your helpful advice about Tokyo and kabuki! If we are ever in Tokyo again we will contact you.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Thank you for joining Kabuki short tour for "One act ticket" audiences. I was happy to hear you got your seats and you liked one of my favorite shops, "Muji".
Robert (now living in Hong Kong, originally from USA)
December 22 at Kabuki-za theatre
The performance was incredible, and I absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you for going out of your way to get tickets that I had thought were all sold out. Your lecture before the performance was extremely helpful - I could follow the story more because of all the resources you had prepared beforehand, and I was able to notice a lot of details that I otherwise would have missed without your guidance. Also, the makunouchi bento was a treat! It was both authentic and convenient. I also got to enjoy the special taiyaki with mochi (even the locals sitting next to me asked me where I could buy the treat and didn't know that you had to purchase it quickly before being sold out). Again, I loved the whole package and would love to watch Kabuki again with your help at the Kabukiza next time I am in Japan.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Thank you for waiting for your ticket. I was very excited to have find out ticket for performance on your requested date. Thank you again for accepting box seat ticket, only ticket I could find for you. Yes, meal delivery service is very convenient. It is the service only for audience sititng box seat and required to order in advance. I was happy to help you.
Parthipan (New York, USA)
November 18 at Kabuki-za theatre
I wanted to let you know that I had a great time at Kabukiza last night! The view from my seat was excellent and I did not need the binoculars to see anything. The earphone guide was not intrusive in any way and also provided some interesting information such as how the final act was not part of the original play.
The story was quite interesting and far more elaborate than what I heard about the 47 ronin when I was in school. My favorite was Kampei's tale; the ending was very emotional with it being parts tragic and also uplifting in some ways. Are most kabuki plays long enough that they have to get split into multiple shows?
Also while I didn't hear anyone calling out the names of the various houses at first that changed around the midway point.
Thank you for all your help, especially with the short notice (I was initially planning to buy the ticket on my own and for my second week here but this as before I realized that there are no plays next week). The next time I come to Japan I will definitely ask for your guide again and I will recommend you to an friends that plan on visiting Japan.
=Your guide, Kazui’s comment=
Whole story of Kabuki and Bunraku puppet play is very long like “Kanadehon Chushingura” basically.
However it is common to performed only popular acts or scenes on Kabuki and puppet stage.
Jan (Philippines)
November 15 at Kabuki-za theatre
Everything was fine and if it weren't for you, it would be a Herculean task for me to fully understand Kabuki, and how to navigate through the theater. From the booking of the ticket, to the directions on how to get to the meeting point(a map was included with directions), to the delicious green tea and sweets, and the insightful introduction to Kabuki, the play(Kanadehon Chushingura), and the entire cast. Everything was great! I also feel very lucky to have witnessed two great actors who are considered as National Treasures. Your tour has made it extremely convenient for me and I will surely recommend it to anyone who would want to fully understand and experience Japanese Theater!
Mat (Quebek, Canada)
November 11 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you for the pictures we will treasure our time at the Kabuki theatre. It was extremely interesting. Once again thank you for your insight to Kabuki.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Thank you for joining my Kabuki short tour. I hope Kabuki is a piece of your wonderful stay in 2013.
Noel & Kathy (Sydney, Australia)
November 4 at Kabuki-za theatre
The performance was wonderful and definitely the cultural highlight of our holiday and was made all the more enjoyable and memorable thanks to your efforts. The background information you provided and the time you took to answer our questions and help us appreciate the very special night that lay ahead for us all.
We especially enjoyed the chance to enjoy the traditional Japanese Tea while you explained the background to the play as well as the members of the cast, including the very interesting information about the families of Kabuki actors.
Kathy and I are both looking forward to more travels in Japan and will certainly ensure we include Kabuki on our list, we’ve been telling all of our friends about the wonderful time we had and have suggested that anyone thinking of visiting Japan, and in particular Tokyo, that they include Kabuki on their list and contact you to help them enjoy the experience.
Love the Photos, we’re putting together a photo book of our trip, I’m sure that some will make it there.
Kindest Regards, and remember, if you get to Sydney sometime soon, we’d love to see you and show you some of our wonderful city.
Barry and Karen (Sydney, Australia)
November 4 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you for sending through your pictures. Yes we had a great time and enjoyed the performance. We saw the first and third acts whilst our friends saw all three.
Your guidance was excellent and certainly assisted us with understanding Kabuki culture much more. The seats were great and the bento boxes (oishi des).
We would certainly recommend your services to any of our friends who may be thinking of coming to Japan and taking in a Kabuki performance. We are also glad you found a place for the frog at home.
We wish you all the best for the future and thanks again for introducing us to yet another cultural aspect of your lovely country.
=Your guide, Kazui’s comment=
Thank you for your nice comment. To skip the second act seems a good idea for people who want to walk around Ginza area more. The first and the third act are my favorites. I am glad to know that you enjoyed these acts.
Jon (Massachusetts, USA)
October 14 at Kabuki-za theatre & October 26 at the National Theatre
We can’t tell you how much we thank you for helping make our Japan trip so wonderful. We will highly recommend your our service to anyone interested in Kabuki in Tokyo. For both Kabuki performances you did a perfect job in selecting seats for us. Not to mention obtaining them for us when they are such hot tickets to obtain, and at their face value cost to boot.
It was also very helpful how you arranged meals for us during intermission for both performances and explained to us other aspects of the theaters. We have tried to order meals on our own during intermission at Kabuki in the past with not nearly as much success. Of course, your explanation of the plot, the background of the actors, and tips on what to look for during the performances all significantly added to our enjoyment. You came very much prepared and conveyed a huge amount of useful information in a short time!
With your help we really enjoyed both performances. Parts of the National Theater performance--the first Act and the dance play at the end--were our favorites, but we loved it all. And the food was great at both theaters, even if I was too slow to buy a fish cookie.
It was a real pleasure meeting you and we hope we can meet again in the US this time.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Jon-san, It was nice for me to have chances to guide you two twice during your stay. I am glad to know that you enjoyed the meals as well as the performances. The audience seated on Box Seats can book the meal delivery service. I like the service and the Japanese style box seats at Kabuki-za theatre.
Ellen (California, USA)
October 18 at Kabuki-za theatre
It was a pleasure to meet you and you were very thorough and covered a lot in the time we were with you. Thank you also for all the photos I have forwarded the email on to my friends.
We did enjoy the Kabuki performance and found your lecture and hand outs to be very helpful. I especially found the sheet with all the actors in each act useful during the performance. Also, your recommendation to rent the English head sets was very beneficial to follow the story.
Some of liked the bento boxes better than others but it was nice to be able to eat at our seat. Our seats were great and thank you for recommending seat 7 next to the runway. Getting a close up view of the actors makeup and beautiful costumes was fun!
One of us did purchase a Taiyaki at the second intermission and enjoyed it. I think the rest of us were full from the bento box and sweet we had with tea.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Ellen-san, thank you for the opportunity of guiding you five. I had a really nice time with all of you.
Jennifer (Now living in Bangkok, originally from USA)
September 25 at Shinbashi Enbujyo Theatre
We had a wonderful time at the theatre. We really enjoyed seeing kabuki, and your lecture and the description of the story helped us to understand more about kabuki and about the plot of the story so that we could enjoy it more. Our seats were in a very good location, and we liked being able to see both parts of the stage - we also enjoyed seeing how the rotating stage was used.
We were very happy with the lecture and so glad that we were able to experience kabuki, and I think attending the last half of the first program and the dance drama was the perfect solution for us. And I think that having your description of the story made it alright that we didn't have English audio service; since we had read the story twice beforehand, we were able to follow the story very well.
Hopefully we are able to visit Japan again; it's such a beautiful country, and we found the culture and history very interesting, and the people so friendly. Thank you so much for providing us with an introduction to kabuki!
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Jennifer-san, I am glad to know that you enjoyed the performance without English audio service and that you liked your seats.
Tomislav (Zagreb, Croatia)
September 21 at Shinbashi Enbujyo Theatre
Kabuki is reallyamazing...like many things in Japan.
Domo arigato gozaimashita.
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Tomislav-san, I am happy to provide you a chance to see Kabuki and to help the performance without the English audio guide which was not available there.
Arturo (Now living in Tokyo, originally from Italy)
September 12 at Kabuki-za thea
We have to thank you for your clear exptrelanation and documentation provided. It was very useful to us for better enjoying the performance and we could follow the story from the beginning recognizing the roles of each one on the stage.
We realized that kabuki theater can be appreciated also by non-Japanese speakers thanks to headphones with English commentary and explanation.
As we are leaving in Tokyo, we are looking forward to seeing again another kabuki performance in the near future.
Marina (Mainz, Germany)
September 3 at Kabuki-za Theatre
September 8 at Yarai Noh Theatre
September 11 at Shinbashi Enbujyo Theatre
I had the chance to join the Japanese theatre-tour of Kazui Yabe four times (two Kabuki performances, one Bunraku-performance and one Nô-performance) in September 2013. Before going to Japan/Tokyo, she helped me a lot with finding the best tickets (seats) for the performances. She always answered very quickly and in an informative way. What I really appreciated was that she did send me a plan of the tour with meeting points and subway plans (which were very easy to find thanks to her good explanations!). Before each performance we had a lovely little dinner in a nice traditional coffee shop where I could enjoy Japanese meals, sweets and tea (matcha). During the dinner time in the coffee shop, she explained me in a very understandable way the characteristics of Japanese theatre. I really liked that she used a lot of pictures to underline her explanations! She also knows everything about the actors and explained me the specialities of each actor: Kazui Yabe is a real expert in Kabuki theatre!
The performances themselves were amazing! Especially Kabuki was a big and important experience for me; I have never seen such a theatre which is joining seriousness, distraction and joy in such a perfect way. Especially the music was interesting and touching, since Kazui Yabe explained me the importance of the music in Kabuki.
Thank you very much for helping me and for giving me the possibility to enjoy Japanese theatre. It was an experience that changed my point of view! If I will come back to Tokyo, I will ask you again for Japanese theatre tickets. J
Monika (Austria)
August 8 at Kabuki-za theatre
We really enjoyed the performance. It was a very interesting play and the English ear guide helped a lot to understand the dialogues on the stage.
The seats were very comfortable and the bento was delicious. Thanks for explaining us about the hot tea, so that we knew how to squeeze the paper cup.
We are very grateful for the information about taking photos of the theatre, so we had some pictures of the seats and the audience and our bento and the beautiful curtains to show at home.
The dance performance was great. The dancer was fantastic in both roles. He played the shy girl as well as he played the shishimai. We did not count the head shakings but he did it a lot. The only time we heard some men shouting the name of an actor was during the dance performance.
Thanks for mailing us the pictures. We really like them. Here are some of our pictures.
It was a great experience and we enjoyed it. We visited the Kabuki Gallery after the show and that was very interesting too. Thank you also very much for all the great information you gave us before, it made watching the show even more interesting.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Monika-san, thank you for your detailed comment. I am very glad to know that enjoy taking pictures during intermission at Kabuki-za theatre and visitng Kabuki Gallery after the performance. And it was nice for me to purchase your box seat tickets in advance. Box seats at Kabuki-za theatre are really Japanese style and I also like them.
Karen (now living in Tokyo, originally from UK.)
August 2 at Kabuki-za theatre
Many thanks for all your help to get a Kabuki ticket. I had a great time, thanks. I did enjoy your introduction first and I think that was very helpful into getting more of an insight into the whole history and traditions of the Kabuki performance. The Japanese tea was a nice touch and I am sure that many foreigners would be delighted to have a chance to sample that as well. I will definitely contact you again when I next have a chance to see Kabuki again.
Josefina (Barcelona, Spain)
July 28 at Kabuki-za theatre
Today It was a good day for us!
We had a good begining with you and your delicate lecture. Thanks.
We enjoy a lot the performance, very very beautiful!!!
We talk about you and the kabuki performance to our sons and friends!
Thank you very much, all was OK.
Linda (California, USA)
July 22 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you very much for being our Kabuki guide in Tokyo. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Your presentation really enhanced our appreciation and enjoyment of the Kabuki performance, Kabuki in general and the new Kabuki theatre. Your guided tour and the Kabuki performance were definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. I regret that I had not studied Japanese language more diligently prior to the Kabuki performance but I was still able to enjoy the performance and the English audio translation was very helpful. The seats were good seats so we had great unobstructed view of the entire performance.
We purchased the taiyaki, which was very unique with the red bean AND mochi inside. We also purchased several photographs of the Kabuki performers as very nice souvenirs of our experience. We also enjoyed the Kabuki Gallery. The logistical information that you shared made all of these things possible because I am sure we would have missed these things had you not shared the information with us.
I cherished the opportunity to share this special event with my daughter. Thank you for sharing your love of Kabuki with us.
Ellen (now living in Belgium, originally from Germany)
July 18 at Kabuki-za theatre
First of all many thanks for choosing the seats, they are really amazing! We can see the actors faces very easily.
We really enjoyed your introduction beforehand and we appreciate the effort you have made in the preparation. This has made our Kabuki experience more memorable.
Again many thanks and all the best.
Tiffani (Illinois, USA)
July 14 at the National Theatre
We appreciated your services yesterday. We really enjoyed the afternoon. My husband and I love to hear about the historical significance behind events. Your lecture was perfect (and not too long.) I played tour guide and shared with my family all that you had shown me at the visitors center. Even though we couldn't understand the movie, we did get idea behind it.
We rented the English audio guides and watched the pre-performance commentary and the performance. Since we had just been to your lecture we already knew most of what actor explained about the performance and the stage.
The performance itself was exceptional. We loved it! I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did. It even kept my 7 year old son attention until the end. We were so grateful that you had explained the play so we knew what to look for.
We were amazed at the quick changes that the actor made for Kuzunoha. I held my breath when she began writing with her left hand and then put the pen in her mouth. My 8 year old daughter said she wanted to cry when the white fox had to leave her child. When the performance was over we all sat in our chairs waiting for more before we realized it was really over. We all want to know what happens! Guess we will have to look up the ending of the story.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your time with my family and I yesterday. I would absolutely recommend your services to anyone who wants to obtain a better understanding of the art form of Kabuki.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Tiffani-san, thank you for your detailed comment. I think your comment is helpful who is planning to see Kabuki with their children. I am very happy to know that you all enjoyed the performance.
Joanna (Singapore)
June 27 at Kabuki-za theatre
The performance was truly amazing! I loved the backdrop. Being so much nearer to the stage, the backdrop of cherry blossoms was very impressive. Also, the seats you selected were absolutely worth it! It is definitely a totally different experience sitting next to the Hanamichi runway compared to sitting on second floor. I also got to appreciate the costumes better especially for this particular play where the costumes had some significance.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Joanna-san, I was glad to have a chance to guide you again and to guide about performance at new Kabuki-za theatre. Your last visit was in March this year. As for selecting seats, I always do my best becasue I want my guests to enjoy Kabuki more and more and I know which seat is the best in all available seats.
Alyson (Nelson, New Zealand)
June 23 at Kabuki-za theatre
We really enjoyed the Kabuki performances - and they were so much more interesting for us with the information you had sent us and the talk you gave us before the show. I really loved your description of the founder of Kabuki as being the Lady Gaga of her time. We understood not only the stories of the pieces, but after your talk we also knew what to look for in performance style and type of musical accompaniment - and what had influenced the different styles. It was great to understand the calling out - with the men supporting the different houses of the actors. It was good to see the videos of the different styles that illustrated your talk as well .
Christine (Nevada, USA)
June 22 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you so much for your wonderful tour. It was such a pleasure to meet you and to learn the background of Kabuki. I thoroughly enjoyed the particular show that we saw which included a brief introduction of Kabuki by the younger actors of the theater.
If I get the opportunity to visit Tokyo again, I would love to see Kabuki again and take your tour again for a refresher course. I highly recommend your tour to anyone who is interested in Kabuki. I plan on keeping all the pamphlets and information you gave me as a beautiful memento.
Thank you again and I hope you are doing well.
Ingunn(Tromso, Norway)
June 22 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you for making our kabuki day an unforgettable experience. Thanks to your introduction we had a fuller understanding of what was going on, on and around the stage. I will definitely recommend your guiding service to my friends and aquaintances.
Jordan (California, USA)
June 11 at Kabuki-za theatre
We had a wonderful time, and appreciated the show so much more because of your lecture. Plus, we loved the cookies you suggested. Thank you so much and we will recommend you to future friends traveling to Tokyo.
Anna (Now living in Tokyo, originally form USA)
June 16 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you so much for the tour and tickets!! We really enjoyed the entire experience. I particularly found the lecture and accompanying handouts extremely helpful and really made the Kabuki experience much more enjoyable. We kept them in front of us during the performance and it was so nice to be able to really understand the play and the background of all the actors. This was such a wonderful experience and one that I will highly recommend to all of my friends!! Thank you so much!!
Robert (Toronto, Canada)
June 11 at the National Theatre
My friend and I absolutely LOVED our time at the National Theatre. The performance was spectacular and the pre-show chat was a great follow-up to the lecture that we had with you at Toraya. Thank you for being such an important part of our Tokyo experience. You were a phenomenal resource and guide. This was one of the best parts of my whole two-week trip.
Chad (Indiana, USA)
June 10 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you very much for the Kabuki lecture and information. It made our Kabuki experience very pleasurable! We really enjoyed the theater and the emotions and moves made by the Kabuki actors. Even though we couldn't understand what they were saying it was very interesting and entertaining.We also enjoyed the fish waffle at intermission!
Becky (Georgia, USA)
June 10 at the National Theatre
It was good to meet you, however briefly, on June 10 for our Kabuki lecture and performance. Thank you so much for your informative lecture. The students and I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it provided helpful context for the Kabuki performance. The performance itself was wonderful!
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Becky-san, It was wonderful for me to provide 13 students and 3 teachers pre-performace lecture at a lecture room of the National Theatre. Thank you for giving me the oppotunity.
Daniel (Colorado, USA)
June 3 at Kabuki-za theatre
We really enjoyed the lecture and it allowed us to learn a lot more about kabuki, especially since my first time just had a small summary of the show and nothing else. The tea shop was also a fantastic place to do it in, my sister and I both love Japanese tea and sweets a lot.
The performances were wonderful. My sister especially enjoyed Saya-ate and even caught the subtle play on colors with the red/orange from the lightning in Banzaemon's kimono, the blue from Sanza's kimono and the purple in the tea house mistress' kimono coming between them. My favorite was Shunkan, I loved set and thought the acting was amazing. The yelling from the audience was great, we loved it every time it happened. I should really try joining in the next time I go to a performance.
Thank you for suggesting the taiyaki there. I've only ever had frozen taiyaki I can buy from the Asian market in our city, but it really did seem like the best in the world.
It was an amazing experience and probably the best highlight of our trip. When we come back to Japan or if I bring somebody else, we would definitely love to get tickets through you again.
Amy (New Mexico, USA)
May 26 at Kabuki-za theatre
It was a pleasure to meet you.
The Kabuki was stupendous! Thanks to your cleverly created grid of actors and English head set I was able to understand perfectly the whole play. I really enjoyed the dance piece-visually quite stunning and of course the 2nd act was deeply moving. Although it was a bit hectic, we did enjoy the meal during the intermission. We also, upon your wonderful suggestion, tried one of the fish shaped sweets-quite quite good.
So thank you so much for an incredibly memorable and moving Kabuki experience. We enjoyed everything thoroughly. I will definitely will be contacting you again for another Kabuki experience the next time we make it back there.
Please come to the Santa fe opera sometime. The season is only for July and August but the opera theatre is probably the most gorgeous outdoor venue I've ever seen.
Thanks again for everything. I'll be in touch.
David (Melbourne, Australia)
May 22 at Kabuki-za theatre
It was a very memorable experience . We loved it all so very much.
We will be recommending it to our relatives & friends.
Thank you again for showing us the way & obtaining tickets etc.
It was also nice to meet you in person.
Roberta (Washington DC, USA)
May 21 at Kabuki-za theatre
We had a wonderful experience with your kind explanation of Kabuki, the green tea macha and delicious confectionary. This enhanced the Kabuki experience this evening and we were all enchanted! The costumes and the superb acting and dancing were memorable events we will carry for a lifetime!
Thanks you again for everything. I have included the contact I know from JTB Washington DC that recommended your website.
Morgan (Atlanta, USA)
May 14 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you so much for all of your assistance with the Kabuki tickets and performance. It was a privilege to be able to attend the show. We enjoyed the performance and your lecture very much. In the future, I will definitely recommend your services to anyone traveling to Tokyo. I appreciate the photos and the experience. Everything was perfect!
Anisha (Now living in Yokohama, originally from India)
May 12 at Kabuki-za theatre
As for the performances, they were exceptional !! I really loved it and thoroughly enjoyed them. Your introduction on the two performances helped me understand the performances better and appreciate them even more. I can very well understand why the artists are considered "Living National Treasures".
I was especially amazed at the dance performance by the artist who was a 62 year old man... Had you not mentioned it to me before, I would have never realized it. Such grace and poise and amazing costumes !! I highly recommend a visit to the Kabuki theatre with your tour to everyone who visits Japan.
Many many thanks!
Hari (Now living in Tokyo, originally from Indnesia)
May 12 at Kabuki-za theatre
My Mother and I enjoyed the Kabuki very much, as well as your lecture session at the tea house. Your lecture and the advance material you sent me helped us very much in understanding the Kabuki performances. Thank you very much for arranging everything for us, it was very enjoyable and definitely one of the highlights of my Mom's trip in Japan. I will definitely recommend your service to any of my friends and relatives who visit Tokyo.
My Mother and I enjoyed the Kabuki very much, as well as your lecture session at the tea house. Your lecture and the advance material you sent me helped us very much in understanding the Kabuki performances. Thank you very much for arranging everything for us, it was very enjoyable and definitely one of the highlights of my Mom's trip in Japan. I will definitely recommend your service to any of my friends and relatives who visit Tokyo.
David (Tronto, Canada)
May 7 at Kabuki-za theatre
We very much enjoyed the show. We did not go to the gallery as there was not time.
The lecture was quite helpful for understanding the show. The seats were excellent.
Thanks again.
Allan (now living in Hong Kong, originally from USA)
May 4 at Kabuki-za theatre
Although my wife and I had attended a kabuki drama once before, our guests had little knowledge of kabuki or even Japanese culture in general.
Ms. Kazui Yabe’s introduction was excellent, informative for all of us, and very much enhanced our enjoyment of the plays.
Before explaining that further, I should mention Ms. Yabe’s wonderful success in getting us tickets -- great seats -- for a sold-out show only one month after Tokyo’s kabuki theater had reopened following some years of major renovation. We had opted for second tier seats, which I recommend highly if you can afford them. The view is optimal and the counter that runs along the front of the boxes is much appreciated when having dinner during intermission. Ms. Yabe had advised us to bring dinner as the bento boxes sold in the theater are often sold out. Buy a simple to eat, cold meal -- and if not in a box seat, keep in mind you will have it on your lap. You can bring a beverage or buy one at the theater.
A week or two before the performance, Ms. Yabe sent us plot summaries for our plays. When we met her before the performance, over tea and a Japanese sweet, she gave us a general history of kabuki and its traditions. She explained how the evening would progress (play, intermission, etc.),and noted the highlights that we should watch for in our plays. The information was to prove perfect for following and enjoying the plays. And enjoying them is easy. These were popular dramas, and there is an easy to enjoy exuberance in the staging, the costumes, and the acting. Ms. Yabe did assume that we had read the plot summaries she sent us. We had, and you should. She will answer any questions you have. Her presentation is clear and contains all you need to have a great evening --- which we did.
The narrative provided in the English headphone sets you can rent was valuable in understanding the specific actions as they occurred. I read others comment that they did not like them. I suggest renting them as you can always just switch them off.
My only regret is that we did not bring along binoculars.
Yes, kabuki is expensive, but so are shows on Broadway. Kabuki is well worth it, and Ms. Yabe is both well-informed and reliable.
Your guide, Kazui’s comment
Thank you for your wonderful comment. I am very glad to hear that my pre-performance lecture was helpful for you though you had seen Kabuki before. For me, it is unforgetable experience to guide in the first three months after the new Kabuki-za theatre was opened in April 2013 because getting the tickets was harder than usual. I began to recommend to bring along binoculars to my guests after I received your comment. Thank you again for informative comment.
Leni (Utah, USA)
May 4 at Kabuki-za theatre
We greatly enjoyed the Kabuki performance on May 4. Your prior explanations and information were very helpful and it made us enjoy the performance more. Thank you for your service in getting the very good tickets. Yes we were happy to see you again as we were walking down the street one day. What a nice surprise to see you!
Rosedine (Singapore)
May 4 at Kabuki-za theatre
I enjoyed the performances very much and the short lecture was helpful in understanding the performances.
Tony (Now living in Yokohama, originally from USA)
April 25 at Kabuki-za theatre
We really enjoyed Kabuki Theatre the other night. I liked the dramatic performances and especially the facial expressions of the warriors. The first play was my favorite. It had quite a twist to it. Thank you for giving us a background and history of the play so we knew what to expect and what we were watching.
Pierre (Montpellier, France)
April 23 at Kabuki-za theatre
Even if it was in April, we remember very much our afternoon and evening, and really appreciated this first kabuki experience. Your presentation was indeed very useful, as we would have been surprised otherwise to hear the audience shouting the name of the actors without understanding their behaviour for instance.
We would love to be able to see other kabuki spectacles: there is sometimes one in Paris, so we'll be watching for it. Otherwise, during our next trip to Japan, we'll come back definitely the Kabukiza Theater.
Thanks to your work, we haven't feel lost during this event. We even were lucky enough to taste the local Taiyuki during the intermission.
One more time, thanks a lot for your help. You helped us open a door we maybe wouldn't have dared to open alone.
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Pierre-san, thank you for your feedback in July. I appreciate it very much that you emailed me your comment on April performance. I don't forget my lecture in early morning. Thank you for accepting morning tour.
Tema (Washington D.C., USA)
April 21 at Kabuki-za theatre
I want to thank you so very much for your excellent service! I knew that I would enjoy Kabuki, but I must share that my husband has told everyone since we got back that Kabuki was the best part of our trip to China and Japan!
We both enjoyed the performance so much, and we spent that evening and the following day discussing the performances and stories. We loved Matusmoto-San's performance, and his grandson stole the show in the first act. He was so jouzu and kawaii! We would never have been able to appreciate Kabuki without your thorough and detailed pre-performance presentation. It was so enriching! We also enjoyed the maccha and okashi during the presentation.
I have told my Japanese friends in Tokyo what a great service you offer, and will certainly recommend you to anyone traveling to Tokyo.
My husband was able to purchase the last two Taiyakis and there were many people in line behind him so we felt very lucky. The taiyaki was delicious and so filling with the mochi inside, that we did not have dinner that night!
Lastly, the seats were exceptional! We cherish the opportunity to have seats right next to the Hanamichi. We are so grateful to you for that rare experience. It was amazing to see up-close the elaborate make-up and intricacies of the costumes and beautiful brocade.
Thank you so much for the extraordinary and magical evening that we will never forget.
Michael (Illinois, USA)
April 21 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thanks again for accommodating us at the last minute for your kabuki tour. My friend and I both agreed it was the favorite part of our trip, and your lecture was fantastic. We would have missed some of the most important features of kabuki if you didn't tell us what we should look for. All of the information about the actors was also great -- as a foreigner, it included so much we would never understand on our own. I will be sure to recommend your tour to any of my friends who go to Japan.
The one bad thing about Kabuki-za: they sold out of taiyaki. I was second in line when they ran out! One day I will return to try it.
Thank you again!
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Michael-san, I am sorry that you were not able to get Taiyaki. After I received your comment, I started telling, "If you want to taste Taiyaki, I would like to recommend you to visit the stall first and then enjoy your intermission." in my pre-performance lecture. It is good to know that you may visit Japan again in your another email. You can taste Taiyaki.
Susan (New Jersey, USA)
April 21 at Kabuki-za theatre
We enjoyed the kabuki performances. Each one was so unique that I am not certain that I could select a favorite. Your brief lesson to us provided so much background and insight that we felt we really understood the significance of what we were seeing. Thank you so much for enlightening us on the joys of kabuki.
Plus we got the next to last waffles and felt like real insiders for quickly getting on the line.
We hope you are continuing to enjoy kabuki and we will surely contact you whenever we return to Japan.
Thank you again.
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Susan-san, Thank you for sending your nice comment in September. I will never forget the moment when you gave me big smile after the show. It was nice to see you again .
Ellen (Denmark)
April 14 at Kabuki-za theatre
We thoroughly enjoyed the Kabuki performance in the beautiful, newly nestored building - we only regretted, that it was not longer. We felt very lucky that we were able to attend the performance.
We also enjoyed our meeting in the tea restaurant. Your lecture was very helpful, both the introduction to the play and the introduction to the theatre. We had no problems finding our seats, and we enjoyed the shouts from the audience.
Thank you for making a great experience possible for us.
Krzysztof (Porland)
April 11 at Kabuki-za theatre
Thank you very much for your tour! It was our great pleasure to be introduced into world of kabuki by you!
We enjoyed the spectacle very much and I am sure we could not have taken that much from it without your lecture. Thank you very much as well for all the materials which now allow us to refresh our memories!
Though Japanese traditional theatre differs so much from European stage forms, we could clearly see that the problems analysed in Europe and Japan theatre are in fact very similar! Specifically, in Kumagai Jinya we could remark similarity to famous Greek drama of Antigone, which is a base of classical European education. Both Kumagai Jinya and Antigone depict a problem without a good solution - a problem whether to obey family duties or contradicting duties towards the lord. I think this drama had in fact a political meaning and could serve to some extent as a propaganda supporting rules of shoguns in 18th century, as it showed that the main hero firstly choses obedience to his lords.
We were very surprised by the musical forms used in the play - it was so different from European concepts of musical harmony of that time!
Jasmine (Malaysia)
April 5 at Kabuki-za theatre
I am honored to be a part of this uniquely Japanese culture and I met two elderly Japanese ladies while waiting to enter the theatre who found it interesting that a young gaijin like me would watch Kabuki!
Watching kabuki was indeed one of the highlights of my trip to Tokyo and that is why the first photo from my trip to Tokyo was our photo in front of Kabukiza ^_^
I enjoyed it very much and I am looking forward to my next trip to Tokyo and watch kabuki as well. I am planning to go to Kyoto and Osaka next year, so Tokyo would be in 2 years' time.
I thank you very much for your informative lecture on the finer points of kabuki. I could follow the storyline for Kumagai Jinya cuz I did some reading up on my own prior to my trip and I am familiar with Japanese history. But for someone who doesnt do any reading up, it will be hard to follow the storyline. Perhaps in future lectures, you could give a quick synopsis of the storyline?
Other than that, I enjoyed it very much and I never regretted going for kabuki and following your tour :) I was told that even Japanese themselves couldn’t get the tickets, so for you to be able to get the ticket for me is indeed something I salute you!
I look forward to seeing you again, perhaps in 2 years' time? ^___^
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Jasmine-san, thank you for your suggestion. I woudl like to try to provide a quick synopsis of the storyline in my mext pre-performance lecture.
Thierry (Belguim)
April 4 at Kabuki-za theatre
We enjoyed a lot the Kabuki and MA even did cry during the first part. The Kabuki was impressive, with a lot of emotions, as well as beauty from sounds and visual. Thanks a lot for your lecture as well as the preparation you did, it really helped us to better understand the piece and enjoy it. The Kabuki will definitely be one of our best memory of our trip in Japan.
I hope you will have the opportunity to continue helping foreigners to enjoy this.
Maria (Philippines)
March 26 at Shinbashi-enbujyo theatre
Thank you so much for the lecture. My kids, husband and his brother including his niece, enjoyed your lecture. They learned a lot about Kabuki plays and will remember it as you have shown them memorable visuals and explained well in English. We already had some insights about the play that we understood it more even without the headphones for translation. It was nice to hear the instruments as well and to hear the differences of the two plays. The dance was short but very amusing as we could see the small movements typical of Japanese plays.
We were surprised you visited us again in the theater. Thank you for the photos. We will recommend you to our friends.
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Maria-san, thank you for giving me a chance to guide you eight on the last day of Kanbuki performance before the new Kabuki-za opens. I visited you at intermission to see if your kids enjoyed the performace. I was glad to hear that they enjoyed performance.
Joanna (Singapore)
March 18 at Shinbashi-enbujyo theatre
I am pretty impressed by your prompt response. In today's super impatient and fast-paced society where people upload information and get information while on the go, your responses within 24hours are all appreciated. While there may be areas where clarity could be enhanced in terms of directional instructions and ticket pricing, the notes were very comprehensive and well put together.
I think as a tourist, I really appreciate you putting all the actors' faces and information together. It must have taken a long time and the fact sheets were great. I actually used the story synopsis and the information quite closely during both performances. The floor plan was great too. These were superb though the audio translation also helped too.
I think your English is excellent too and that the props and notes were perfect. The tea house was perfect too. Pity that the sakura snack wasn't available though.
All in all, I would say you provided a super high level of service standards. On a scale of 1 to 10 and 10 being excellent, I would rate the whole experience a 8.
An excellent job and if I do return to Tokyo, I would definitely touch base with you again and see a performance at Kabuki-za theatre at Ginza (the one that is renovating and opening soon).
Li (Singapore)
March 18 at Shinbashi-enbuyo theatre
Yes I enjoyed very much the tour and the kabuki in fact! The seat is also not bad but I think I will pay higher to get a closer view maybe next time.:)
The information has been useful, otherwise it might be slightly difficult to understand the first play. The second one is easier to understand in my opinion. I couldn't tell Shoroku Onoe had played both shows if you haven't told me because the roles are so different! Also, it is interesting to know the idea of kabuki family.
All in all I had a great time. Thank you very much!
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Joanna-san and Li-san, thank you for your wonderful comments. It was a coincidence that I had two individual guests from Singapore for the same show on March 18. I am very glad to hear you enjoyed the performance and my tour was helpful.
Janet (Now living in Tokyo, originally from USA)
February 24 at Nissei Theatre
My friend and I had a great time. Thank you so much for explaining everything to us.
Patty (Seattle, USA)
February 24 at Nissei theatre
I wanted to let you know that I very much enjoyed your tour, even though I was feeling ill. Your insight was very helpful to my enjoyment of the show! I didn't realize people would be yelling the actor's names when they entered, so your explanation of that was helpful to my enjoyment of the show. I also very much appreciated MATSUMOTO Koshiro's performances. His craft was so great! What an artist indeed! He was soooo good! I could really tell he was a seasoned actor, and a professional at his craft.
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Janet-san and Patty-san, thank you for your nice comments. I am very happy that you two enjoyed Kabuki performance at Nissei Theatre which does not have English audio guide services.
You enjoyed Kabuki as we Japanese did!!
Tim (Virginia, USA)
January 23 at Shinbashi-enbujyo theatre
For now, though, I wanted to thank you again for preparing our 21 students for an amazing night of Kabuki. Your introduction to the history and art of Kabuki as well as the experience we were about to encounter was wonderful. Not only were we able to understand a type of theater that many westerners find difficult to penetrate, but we were able to join in with the audience in a manner that added immensely to the experience. By the third performance, several of my students were even shouting out the names of performers!
Thank you for your passion for this powerful art form and for spreading that passion to my students.
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Tim-san, thank you for the opportunity to guide your group, including 21 collage students. I really had a nice time with you at a lecture room as well as the theater. I was moved to hear some students shouting actors' names during performance. Yes, everybody enjoyed especially the third performance.
Simon (Now living in Sydney, originally from England)
January 4 at Shinbashi-enbujyo theatre
Many thanks.
All three performances were wonderful. I enjoyed them very much. I am glad I picked the mixed program.
I did take your advice. I arrived early and purchased a bento box for the first interval. I also enjoyed a sweet from the top floor, a tea and a sake. As I may have mentioned, I love japanese food, especially sashimi and sushi.
Although I did use the audio guide, I found that it ruined the performance. Much better without it! (from the synopsis you gave me and from the program I knew what was happening).
The seats were great. If you are tall you could probably sit closer without losing the view.
In my performance, nobody called out any actor's names - the audience was very quiet.
I look forward to experiencing more kabuki in future - at the new theatre!
Thank you so much for everything - you really increased my experience.
==Your guide, Kazui’s comment==
Simon-san, I am really sorry that you had no chance to hear fans calling out actor's name.
I supposed many fans calling out on January 4 becuase it's on New Year holidays. I hope you enjoyed it on movie I sent by e-mail.