30th Toshima Noh

Toshima's annual noh performance is known for staging some of the more popular plays in the genre canon, and for this 30th anniversary edition they'll be focusing on a motif that has been enthralling noh enthusiasts since the olden days: yokai (ghosts or phantoms). The all-star cast includes noh heavyweights such as Yoshimasa Kanze, Manzo Nomura, Man Nomura and many more. Things are set to kick off with a brief shimai play, 'Nue', and then move on to 'Kusabira', a spat of kyogen which is about a mushroom and a mountain spirit who go on an adventure (Amsterdam-style haze-induced references not included). The highlight, however, is 'Tsuchigomi', a light piece of noh that's relatively easy to understand even for first-time viewers. There will be real-time Japanese-into-English commentary available via tablets installed by some of the seats. See ticketing details in English here.