The Izanami project: A dance group that mixes traditional dance genres with modern dances!

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Traditional Noh Meets Modern Dance!

Taking those traditional dance styles and productions such as Noh and Kabuki and putting the modern dance spin on it. This is the IZANAMI project!





The Traditional Performance Arts: What are Noh and Kabuki?
Noh and Kabuki are ancient styles of Japanese stage performance arts, with them debuting around the 14th Century and 17th Century respectively. With Noh, the idea behind it was performing a story with a supernatural being or demigod becoming human and interacting with others. Kabuki was more a display of strange (but also skilled) dancers. A slightly interesting sidenote is that Kabuki was an adult male only performance art after female and young male kabuki performers being banned early on after its inception. 

The IZANAMI project! Bringing Noh and Kabuki into the Future!

The IZANAMI project is a dance group that featured on the day of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2018 Opening Ceremony, as part of the festivities! Appearing at the Gangneung Arts Centre as part of the Cultural Olympics shows, the team of just 10 dancers and 3 musicians performed a quintessentially Japanese dance performance, showing off a taste of modern and traditional Japan in South Korea. 
Appearing the day after the North Korean delegation on the same stage, this small group of dancers brought magic and mystery to the big stage. With amazing reviews being received from those that saw, the group has continued and have since their performance grown and created something a lot bigger than before! 







The production mixes the highly stylized Noh and Kabuki traditional performances which focuses highly on masks and costumes to portray characters, with jazz and modern dance, which results in a rare blend of tradition and modern, something that after looking at cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto, you can realize Japan does exceedingly well!







Bringing [MIYABI] back to Japan
After such a successful show being held in South Korea, the IZANAMI project decided it was time to bring this blended traditional modern performance back to its cultural home, Japan. With this, they have decided to bring it for a one day only event, with two performances happening, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, held at one of the most famous auditoriums in Tokyo, Nihonbashi Koukadou (Nihonbashi Auditorium). It's also a location that is easy to get to from most places in Tokyo, which means not only Japanese people but those from overseas can go and watch and feel [Japan's beauty] on stage. 
With this show, the production has evolved and the scale of the production has increased dramatically! The number of performers has also doubled with new roles and more instruments being brought in! The IZANAMI project searched all around Japan for these talented dancers and muscians, and in doing so they have created an amazing production that shouldn't be missed.



Crowdfunding Campaign
As a way to not only help pay for costume creation and so on, but to also be able to reach the world wide stage! The Izanami project, in giving an amazing Japanese dance performance which incorporates a lot of Japanese culture, wants to be able to send this out to the world! They wish not just for people coming to Japan on a sightseeing trip to see the production but they also wish for people to come to Japan with the explicit purpose of seeing this production! With rehersals on going and constant updates on their social media, it's not hard to see how hard they are preparing to create a performance to never forget! 

You can find the crowdfunding project here: https://en.japankurufunding.com/projects/izanami-project/



Meanings behind the IZANAMI project name and the production’s name: MIYABI

The IZANAMI project's name is taken from Izanami no mikoto, one of the goddesses in Japanese mythology. One of the first goddesses in Japanese Mythology, She was the goddess of creation and death. With this original role of being the goddess of creation, the dance troupé have taken on this name and committed to created new types of dance productions! 
The name of the production that they are putting on is MIYABI. Miyabi (雅) means grace or elegance in Japanese, and is therefore is a fitting name for such a production!





Information on the event

Production Name: MIYABI 
Date & Location:
Saturday 23rd March 2019 Nihonbashi Koukaido

Afternoon Performance: Doors Open: 13:00 / Start: 13:30
Evening Performance: Doors Open: 17;30 / Start: 18:00

Performers:

[Choreography・Dancer] 
Chie Norie/ Mion Murase

[Dancer]
Miho Hikima/ Saya Watatani/ Kei Mizushima/ Nakako Kuroki/ Momoai Kojima/ Mio Kikuchi/ Asuna Ano/ Nana Watanuki/ Mai Kamiya/ Yuki Nakayama/ Marina Minami/ Runa Fujisato/ Hana Takeuchi

[Composer・Performers] 
Yua Ishizuka (Japanese Taiko drum・Hand drum) / Tomoko Takeda (Shinobue・Noh Flute) / Takuya Morikawa (Violin・Keyboard)/ Anri Noguchi (Piano)

Where to get Tickets:
You can get tickets to see the performance via the crowdfunding campaign at Japankuru Funding. GO HERE to back the project and get tickets!!

How to get there:
Tokyo Metro
Hanzomon Line [Suitengumae] Station – From Exit 6: 2 mins walk
Hibiya Line [Ningyoucho] Station – From Exit A2: 5 mins walk
Touzai Line [Kayabacho] Station – From Exit 4A: 10 mins walk

Toei Underground Line 
Asakusa Line [Ningyocho] Station – From Exit A3/A5: 7 mins walk

Chuo Ward Bus (Edo Bus)
Kitajunkan 25 [Nihonbashi Kuminkan Centre] 

Hey everyone! We hope that we can help you keep up to date with all the projects and things we have going on over at Japankuru Funding! We hope that you find the projects on the site as interesting as we do!

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A Tokyo Winter Must-See: Tokyo Mega Illumination

Event Period: November 2, 2024 ~ January 12, 2025
 *Closed Nov 4~8, Dec 1~6, Dec 25~ Jan 1. End date may be subject to change.
Hours: 16:30 – 21:00 (final admission 20:00)
 *Opening hours may vary depending on scheduled events or congestion, please check the official website for details.
Directions: 2 min. walk from Tokyo Monorail Oikeibajo-Mae Station, 12 min. walk from Keikyu Tachiaigawa Station

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A Tokyo Winter Must-See: Tokyo Mega Illumination Event Period: November 2, 2024 ~ January 12, 2025  *Closed Nov 4~8, Dec 1~6, Dec 25~ Jan 1. End date may be subject to change. Hours: 16:30 – 21:00 (final admission 20:00)  *Opening hours may vary depending on scheduled events or congestion, please check the official website for details. Directions: 2 min. walk from Tokyo Monorail Oikeibajo-Mae Station, 12 min. walk from Keikyu Tachiaigawa Station #japankuru #tokyowinter #tokyomegaillumination #megaillumination2024 #tokyocitykeiba #도쿄메가일루미네이션 #tokyotrip #oiracecourseillumination

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See Kyoto Clearly With Your New Glasses
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The First Japanese Converse Flagship: CONVERSE STORE HARAJUKU
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Japanese Makeup Shopping • A Trip to Kamakura & Enoshima With Canmake’s Cool-Toned Summer Makeup
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⚔️The Robot Restaurant is gone, but the Samurai Restaurant is here to take its place. Check it out, and don't forget your coupon!
🍣신주쿠의 명소 로봇 레스토랑이 사무라이 레스토랑으로 부활! 절찬 쿠폰 발급중
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Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is home to the famous real-size 20m-tall Unicorn Gundam, and the popular shopping center has even more Gundam on the inside! Check out the Gundam Base Tokyo on the 7th floor for shelves upon shelves of Gunpla, and the Gundam Base Tokyo Annex on the 2nd floor for cool anime merchandise. Both shops have tons of limited-edition items!
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Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is home to the famous real-size 20m-tall Unicorn Gundam, and the popular shopping center has even more Gundam on the inside! Check out the Gundam Base Tokyo on the 7th floor for shelves upon shelves of Gunpla, and the Gundam Base Tokyo Annex on the 2nd floor for cool anime merchandise. Both shops have tons of limited-edition items! #pr #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #PR #divercity #divercitytokyoplaza #tokyoshopping #gundam #unicorngundam #gundambasetokyo #anime #otaku #gunpla #japankuru #오다이바 #다이바시티도쿄 #오다이바건담 #건담 #일본건담 #건프라 #건담베이스도쿄

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      The Chugoku Region (中国地方) consists of five prefectures: Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In Chugoku you’ll find the sand dunes of Tottori, and Hiroshima’s atomic bomb site, plus centers of ancient history like Grand Shrine of Izumo.

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      On the other side of the Seto Inland Sea opposite Japan’s main island, Shikoku (四国) is a region made up of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. The area is famous for its udon (in Kagawa), and the beautiful Dogo Onsen hot springs (in Ehime).

    • Kagawa Prefecture is on the northern part of the island of Shikoku, facing Japan's main island and the Seto Inland Sea. It's known for being the smallest prefecture in Japan, by area, but at the same time Kagawa is called the "Udon Prefecture" thanks to its famous sanuki udon. Aside from Kotohiragu Shrine and Ritsurin Garden, the prefecture's small islands are popular, and Kagawa is full of unique destinations, like Angel Road. They say that if you lay eyes on Zenigata Sunae, a huge Kagawa sand painting, you'll never have money troubles ever again.

    • Located in the most southwestern part of Japan, Kyushu (九州) is an island of 7 prefectures: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima. The island's unique culture has been influenced by Chinese and Dutch trade, along with missionaries coming in through Nagasaki's port. Modern-day travelers love the lush natural scenery and fresh food, plus the natural hot springs found all throughout the area (thanks to volcanic activity)!

    • FUKUOKA

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      Fukuoka Prefecture has the highest population on the southern island of Kyushu, with two major cities: Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. Thanks to growing transportation networks, Fukuoka is more accessible than ever, and so are the many local attractions. On top of historical spots like Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, travelers shouldn't miss Fukuoka's food scene, with motsu nabe (offal hotpot), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and famous Hakata ramen―best eaten from a food stall in the Nakasu area of Hakata. Plus, it's full of all sorts of destinations for travelers, like trendy shopping centers, and the beautiful nature of Itoshima and Yanagawa.

    • KAGOSHIMA

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      Kagoshima Prefecture played a major role in Japan's modernization as a backdrop for famous historical figures like samurais Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi, who pushed Japan out of the Edo era and into the Meiji. Because of that, Sengan-en Garden is just one of many historical destinations, and when it comes to attractions Kagoshima has plenty: the active volcano of Sakurajima, popular hot springs Ibusuki Onsen and Kirishima Onsen, World Heritage Site Yakushima Island, even what Japan calls the "island closest to heaven," Amami Oshima. Kagoshima might be found on the very southernmost tip of the southern island of Kyushu, but there's plenty to see.

    • OKINAWA

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      The island chain of Okinawa (沖縄) makes up the southernmost tip of Japan, which is why it's also the most tropical area in the country. Thanks to a history of independence and totally distinct political and cultural events, Okinawa has a unique culture, and remnants of the Ryukyu Kingdom are still visible all over the islands. Food, language, traditional dress, it's all a little different! It's also said to be the birthplace of karate.

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