A bittersweet coming of age story about the friendship between a rebellious teenager and an older woman who was a rebel in her youth in a very different time. John Williams’ first feature was shot in Horai Cho and Nagoya in 1999 and released in cinemas in Japan in 2001. It screened in over 40 festivals and won 6 awards, including the Best Feature Award at The Hawaii International Film.  JAPANESE/NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES

 

 

 

A reading and performance of a modern Noh play based on a cycle of poems by Yasuhiro Yotsumoto, one of Japan’s leading contemporary poets. Yotsumoto is joined by electronic musician, Neji, from sofabed and contemporary dance unit, Yubusha, to bring to life the legends and stories of Kitaushima and Masragawa. 
Standing tall in the middle of the endless ocean, Sado is a node in a magnificent network open to the world and the universe. This will be an evening to explore, learn, and celebrate the "poetics of the island." Please join us.

A young girl on a remote island study abroad program crosses the ocean by ferry; an old man on the island who has been staring at the same rock his whole life; a ship decaying on a hill; the legend of the dragon that became a waterfall and Osen; young women planting rice in a cart; and more. Set on Kita-Ushima and the Masara River, this reading drama features dance, music, and poetry, showcasing the local culture and daily life of Sado. The dance is performed by the performance unit Yubusha, which has pursued the possibilities of Butoh through participation in folk performing arts and traditional events such as the Toyama Kagura dance in Tono City, Iwate Prefecture. The music is by Masahiro Oyama, synth and vocalist for the internationally acclaimed music unit sofabed. The poems are by poet Kosuke Yotsumoto. All of these are new works written during a stay in Sado this summer.

 

Rock musician Yasunori Henmi was last seen on Sado when he was exiled there in 1472, or some say, when he played the role of the exiled singer in Sado Tempest. With his long-time collaborator Pierre, they will perform an acoustic set in the Masaragawa Community Hall. Henmi won the Best Original Song Award at the Muses Film Awards in Greece, for his songs in the movie, Another Time (Tabi.)

 

Kyoto-based dye artist and designer Hiroshi Saito works in textiles and uses only natural dyes. His performative collective dyeing is fun for adults and children, as we gather to create art and color from plants.

 

Hiroshi Saito’s HP

 

 

To mark the close of the 2nd Tanuki Matsuri, Yubusha will perform an original contemporary dance outside on the stage near the sea’s edge.

 

Yubusha