Boo Takarazuka.
It’s been a very nonevent weekend, even a nonevent week, especially for someone who leaves one of the more interesting countries in the world in less than 1000 hours.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Zilla and I went to the Takarazuka Women’s Theatre’s Hibiya HQ for what must have been the fourth or fifth time to try and see said theatre. Takarazuka, for those not in the know, is a deliciously campy all-female revue. Women play “male” parts with gender-bending hilarity (and fabulous costumes.) The subject matter is sometimes Euro-historical, sometimes operatic.
AND…It’s extremely hard to get in. Most shows seem to sellout within days if not hours. However, 50 seats are released every morning, and this morning we went and lined up half an hour before the box office opened. I think this is the first time we’ve actually been offered seats, the theatre is notoriously popular and routinely sold out. But when we got to the front of the line, we discovered that the only tickets were ¥10,000 tickets to stand at the back, behind ¥3500 seats. This is not my idea of wonderful. I left without a ticket and downhearted.
It is a bit of a countdown. Today I posted home a box of books, and I’ve already taken steps to start cancelling various accounts. There is also the list of things to do before I go… I can see that some of them won’t get done…
Reading: One World Divisible (David Reynolds)
Listening: Shades of Blue (Madlib)
