御園座の高いチケット Expensive Misonoza Tickets

　先日、御園座柿葺落四月大歌舞伎（夜の部）を観てきたが客の入りが少ないのに驚いた。三等席はほぼ満員であったが、二等席の三列か四列が、列ごとずらりと空席であった。旧御園座を解体してから五年間経って、やっと名古屋地域の歌舞伎フアン待望の新御園座がで落成したというのに、この入りである。それも二代目松本白鸚と十代目松本幸四郎の襲名披露公演であるのにである。友達に訊いたら初日からすでに空席が目立っていたという。
これは御園座のチケットが高すぎるからではないかと思う。七月公演の大阪松竹座の同襲名披露は一等席2万円、二等席一万円、三等席六千円であるのに対して、御園座はＳ席二万四千円、Ａ席二万円、Ｂ席一万２千円、Ｃ席八千円である。
空席が目立つまま公演するくらいなら、もっと安くするとか、約千三百円で鑑賞できる幕見席を設けるとかしなければ、この地方の歌舞伎フアンを増やすどころか、この先またもや経営が困難になるのではないかと危惧する。

Expensive Misonoza Tickets

　　I was surprised at the small crowd when I went to see a Kabuki (an evening performance) in Misonoza Theater in April, which newly opened after a long absence. The third-class seats were nearly full, but several rows of the second-class seats were empty.
　　The old Misonoza was demolished five years ago, and the new one was completed to the delight of kabuki fans in the Chubu area. Moreover, the performances commemorated the succession to the second Matsumoto Hakuho and the 10th Matumoto Koshiro. My friend, a kabuki gidayu chanter, said that he was sad to see so many empty seats even on the first day of the performances.
　　In my opinion, one of the main reasons of the scarce audience is the expensive tickets. The same performance with the celebration of the new Matsumoto actors to be due in July in Osaka Shochikuza Theater cost 20,000 yen for the first-class, 10,000 yen for the second-class seat, and 6,000 yen for the third-class seat, while Misonoza cost 24,000 yen for the special seat, 20,000 yen for the A-class seat, 12,000 yen for the B-class seat, and 8,000 yen for the C-class seat.
　　A theater with a third of its seats empty cannot earn enough money. They should reduce the price, or install a system for makumi seats (standing room). Otherwise, the new theater will lose kabuki fans in the area and face the financial difficulties again.

俳文入選 My Haibun to be Published

俳文入選

嬉しいことに、私の書いた俳文「孤独な電車の中」がハイブン・トデイの６月版で電子出版されることになった。ハイブン・トデイ編集長のメディッサ・アレンさんから通知があった。

My Haibun to Be Published

I am glad that my haibun "Alone in a Train Car" will be pulished on the June issue of Haibun Today's website. Mellissa Allen, the editor of Haibun Today infomed me of the good news on April 15.

桜名所めぐり CHERRY BLOSSOM VIEWING TOUR

　桜名所めぐり

大野寺しだれ桜

醍醐寺しだれ桜（満開時）

 

４月６日と７日、女房と「京都・奈良大和路の桜名所めぐり」というテーマの一泊二日の旅行をしてきた。新幹線とバスの団体旅行で参加者は１９人（うち男性３人）。
今年は、例年になく桜の開花が早く、京都の桜はほとんどが葉桜で、奈良の方は訪れた寺が山間部にあり、しだれ桜などが丁度見頃であった。
訪れた寺は、京都の勧修寺、醍醐寺。奈良は談山神社、室生寺、大野寺、長谷寺であった。
印象に残ったのは、醍醐寺の巨大なしだれ桜であった。秀吉が花見をしたと言われる桜で、枝張りは２０メートルぐらいはあった。次に見とれたのは大野寺の巨大なしだれ桜で、桜が滝の白糸のように白く、滝の如く美しく咲いていた。三つ目は長谷寺の国宝本尊十一面観音像で、高さが１０メートルある金メッキの木彫り立像であった。
一日目はあいにくの雨であったが、二日目は曇りで、長谷寺の本堂まで階段が３９９段あったが、なんとか無事に登れた。

CHERRY BLOSSOM VIEWING TOUR
 

My wife and I joined a group tour to see cherry blossoms in Kyoto and Nara on April 6 and 7. 19 people, including 3 men, joined it. We used the Shinkansen and a bus to get there.
　　Cherry blossoms throughout Japan opened a few weeks earlier than usual. Therefore, cherry blossoms in Kyoto had already fallen, but the ones in Nara were in full bloom because the temples we visited were in the mountains. Especially, shidare-sakura or weeping cherry blossoms were very beautiful.
　　The temples we visited were Kajyu-ji and Daigo-ji in Kyoto, and Tanzan Shrine, Ohono-ji, and Hase-dera in Nara.
　　What impressed me most during the tour were, first, the giant shidare-sakura in Daigo-ji, which Toyotomi Hideyoshi is said to have admired. The branches were about 20 meters wide. The next impressive view was the giant white shidare-sakura, whose cherry blossoms were pure white and the blossoms clusters looked like they were waterfalls. The third was a national treasure, the image of the 11-faced Kannon, which is a 10 meter-tall gilt wooden statue of the Buddha. It was overwhelming.
　　It was rainy on the first day, but cloudy on the second. I am glad that I climbed 399 steps that led to the main hall of Hase-dera.