Day 77: Bunraku

Sunday night I went to a bunraku, which is a traditional Japanese puppet theater show founded in Osaka. It was extremely interesting and beautiful to watch. And about midway through, I dozed off.

But for the part that I stayed awake for, the puppets, I swear, moved like they were alive. And it was really interesting to watch the narrator/main chanting singer guy get so into it that he was sweating and spitting, face turning red, and looking like he was about to die of a heart attack at any moment.

The pamphlets we were given at the beginning of the show had summaries of the stories in English but otherwise, I didn't understand a single thing. But in my defense, bunraku uses a very old traditional form of Japanese that even my host dad admitted that most Japanese don't understand, including himself. At the entrance of the auditorium, you can actually buy audio aids that you can listen to to help you follow the stories.

Anyways, I couldn't take any pictures since it was banned. Also, I was completely conscious for the last third of the show because my phone vibrated (I got a text), and I was so surprised by it that it shocked me wide awake for the rest of the show.

At the end of the show, you can participate in a raffle and I won. Well, the paper I drew out said, "atari," which I assumed meant that I could pick any of the prizes they had available (everyone wins something and the worst think you can win is a tissue packet). I picked this:

 

I thought it was a handkerchief at first but it turned out to be too big.

 

So now it's Bob's cape.

Yes, he knows it needs tailoring.