With a lively and fun atmosphere, unrivalled in all of Japan, a casual and welcoming vibe, and friendly people with a great sense of humour -- Osaka has always been one of my favourite places to visit.
When in Osaka, we always make it a point to catch up with Minako Ando san, the energetic and creative owner of All Star Osaka Walk, a local tour company that specialises in unique, customised experiences for visitors so that they can get a true sense of what the city is really like.
On this recent trip, Minako san had invited us to witness traditional Japanese dance as performed by one of Osaka's most distinguished dance masters. From Shin Imamiya station where she met us, it was a short walk to this hip and welcoming inn, appropriately called Home Hostel Osaka, located right in the old town or Shinsekai area.
At the hostel, we met Nishikawa sensei, a third generation dance master who does performances and also runs a school to teach very traditional classic Japanese dances. I was surprised that he was so young and so approachable -- I suppose I must have been expecting a much older and more stern sensei.
Nishikawa sensei performed two short dances for us that afternoon that he said were very old and very popular. He spoke english well and explained the story to us before he did each dance. However, because he danced so expressively it was not hard to understand what the dance was
trying to convey. The first performance was a humorous little anecdote about a drunken lord trying
to get a rival lord's servant to drink along with him.
The second dance was about a woman watching the moon and feeling sad about not having a lover. Again, the movement of the hands and the expression on Nishikawa sensei's face was so eloquent, that we were able to grasp the emotions behind the dance. This form of traditional Japanese dance makes use of slow steps and evocative movements unlike festival dances which are exuberant and quite dynamic.
I thought all along that we would be watching and enjoying the dances, I did not realise that audience participation was part of the afternoon's programme.
Minako san had these lovely kimonos ready for us from the kimono rental company Twins Corporation. Branded as Wabikae kimonos, they were gorgeous and yet so easy to get in to.
The trade (and patented) secret is velcro which makes putting one on convenient and quick specially for foreigners like us.
Nishikawa sensei said that he would teach us both dances. As he has come from a long line of
dance masters and is one of the leading lights of this dance genre not just in Osaka but perhaps in the whole of Japan, it was certainly an honour to have him show us the very basic movements of the dance. Whether we would be able to even do an iota of what was required of us -- hmm, that was the question!
Thankfully, Minako san and her colleague, Akie san joined us for the lesson -- they were great for moral support!
These traditional dances have been performed through the centuries and we were certainly not going to get it in one lesson. It was amazing to watch Nishikawa sensei perform, but I could feel that we were also amazing --- amazingly inept! Still we tried our very best and even if the movements were restrained and slow, believe me ... this type of traditional Japanese dance is totemo muzukashii desu (very difficult).
Despite (or perhaps due to) our rather clumsy attempts, the lesson went by so quickly.
Thank you to Minako san and Akie san for another memorable and special experience.
And of course we are much indebted to kindhearted and gracious Nishikawa sensei for a brief
yet beautiful glimpse into the elegant world of traditional Japanese dance.
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