JAL, which has bases throughout Japan, has been continuously implementing regional revitalization initiatives (currently the “JAL Furusato Project”), and in August 2020 launched the “JAL Furusato Ambassadors,” cabin crew members selected through an in-house recruitment process who move to the area to promote initiatives in their respective regions. In December of the same year, JAL appointed “JAL Hometown Cheering Troops” who are involved in regional revitalization while serving as flight attendants. The aim is to develop products and solve regional issues for hometowns and other regions with which they have connections, utilizing the knowledge they have accumulated as flight attendants.
We spoke with Ms. Megumi Yamamoto, a JAL Furusato Ambassador who is involved in Noh experience tours at the Kyoto branch.
–What can you tell us about your initiatives?
Have you ever seen a Noh play?
Some of you may have seen it in an extracurricular class when you were in elementary school. However, many of you may have followed it with the impression, “I didn’t really understand it,” or “What is Noh?” I was one of those people. I was one of them.
Noh theaters are scattered around the JAL offices located in Kyoto City. Most of them are ordinary Japanese houses from the outside and blend in perfectly with the surrounding landscape. If it were not for the signboard at the entrance, you might not even notice that they are Noh theaters.
Noh is the world’s oldest existing performing art.
Noh has been registered as the first UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and has a history spanning more than 600 years. In this article, I would like to share with you some of my glimpses into the world of Noh and what it is all about in a seemingly ordinary Japanese house.
–How are you involved in this effort?
The Kawamura Nohbutai, which we will introduce here, is located in the area north of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Nearby is the Imadegawa campus of Doshisha University, which is bustling with student traffic on weekdays. At first glance, this is another ordinary house, but once you step through the front door, you will see a magnificent stage with a pine tree painted on it. You may have seen it once on TV or at a shrine.
Kawamura Nohbutai holds “Nohgaku Omoshiro Lectures” in order to pass on Noh to the future. Ms. Junko Kawamura gives a lecture on Noh in an easy-to-understand and, as the title suggests, entertaining manner, using her Kansai dialect. In addition to explaining the history, Noh costumes, masks, and percussion instruments, she also unravels hidden mechanisms throughout the stage, such as “Why is there a pine tree on the Noh stage?
By having the audience view the Noh play with sufficient prior knowledge of the play, no one is left out of the experience. The Noh stage has gained a good reputation through word of mouth, and more than 570,000 people, including students on school excursions, have experienced Noh.
This time, we had the opportunity to provide hospitality to our guests at a special “Noh Experience Night Tour for Inbound Tour” held in late October. All of the staff gathered were JAL staff with ties to Kyoto.
It was a very valuable experience in a special and luxurious setting, starting with welcoming us at the entrance, showing us to our seats, providing tea and hand towels, helping us take pictures, and seeing us off after the show.
–What are your future plans and prospects?
This tour was attended by guests from various countries, including the U.S., Germany, and Spain. It was impressive to see that everyone was very interested in Japanese culture and listened to Mr. Kawamura’s talk attentively (although there was a simultaneous interpreter for this tour, Mr. Kawamura usually explains in English).
I felt proud as a Japanese person to see such a scene, but at the same time, I realized once again that I myself am ignorant of Japanese history and traditions. There are many places in Kyoto, including Noh theater, where you can feel the history and experience the traditions and culture, and with sufficient knowledge, you can enjoy them more deeply. I would like to continue to share the charms of Kyoto with you as I gain more insight into the city.
–What is your message to travelers?
In his talk, Mr. Kawamura said, “It is important to continue and to connect to the future. In Kyoto, there are many people who have a respect for the good old days of Japanese culture and traditional performing arts, and are committed to weaving them into the future. The Kawamura Noh Stage is one such example. How about a trip to Kyoto to learn about, study, and experience Noh? We look forward to welcoming you.
© Source travel watch
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