Paper published!

Today my paper on plant reproductive success in restored habitats is accepted for publication! My very first blog entry made five years ago mentions me doing the lab work for this paper. Also, an entry made in October 2008 features a drawing that’s going to be in it (I like that drawing!).

Tengo-an tea house

While visiting Tokyo National Museum I took a picture of a view through a window. A few weeks later, I was reading a museum brochure and realised that I actually took a picture of a tea house built more than 300 years ago by Kobori Enshu, one of the most prominent tea masters of Edo period. Although Tengo-an is not his most famous tea house it is exquisite and imbued with sabi quality. It was moved to the museum's garden from Kyoto.

Kamishibai, Tokyo

One evening the hotel where I stayed in Tokyo organised a Kamishibai performance. It was performed by two university students. I was really impressed with the show and could draw parallels between Kamishibai and other traditional performing arts. Instead of Kabuki’s actors and Bunraku’s puppets Kamishibai has a series of pictures displayed on a small stage. The sound effects are reduced to percussion of wooden clappers. However, the role of narrator/actor is as important as in Kabuki and Bunraku. They reduced everything to basics, but did not compromise on good storytelling!

P. S. For stories on other Japanese performing arts see the following blog posts: Bunraku (http://lomov.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/bunraku.html), Kabuki (http://lomov.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/kabuki-za.html), Noh and Kyogen (http://lomov.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/noh-and-kyogen-at-kongo-nohgakudo.html).