Kabuki and Owls

So within two days I have experienced two things I have been equally eager to do. Other one was traditional Japanese theatre, Kabuki and other one was visiting an owl cafe. So in Tokyo there is one place that shows kabuki every single month, almost every day of the week and that is Kabukiza in Ginza. It is beautiful old looking building which has been constructed four times in history after different kind of events. Actually it was opened 2013 after the most recent construction. When I first time expressed my intrest to go to see a kabuki play to my teacher in school, she let me understand that that would be behind a very hard work - and expencive. That's why I was happily surprised how it turned out to be for us.

Weeks earlier I stopped in a tourist information center in the Government building in Shinjuku and there asked an advice where to go to see kabuki. They were really friendly and I received a thick pile of papers which instructed well that in Kabukiza you would be able to go to see the whole play or just one of its acts. The whole play was presented in day or evening shows, but tickets had to be reserved beforehand and they were expencive - even the worst seats cost 4 000 yen, most expencive over 10 000 yen. Also before getting those papers in my hands I didn't realize that a full kabuki play including all the acts would last several hours.

So I was so happy to find out there is another option and this I warmly recommend. The theatre sells tickets for each act separately in the same day, the sales start approximately 1,5 hours before the beginning of the play. You can choose the act you like best, the last of the act variates from 15 minutes to 1,5 hours and the price from 500 yen to 1 500 yen. The key to success is to be in the line EARLY. That means before they actually start selling tickets. Becouse the tickets they sell are numbered and by the number you are let to choose your place in the hall. So earlier you come, better place you get. And the best part is that you don't really have to come back for the act at all earlier than others becouse you already have your number!

So we were there early, picked up 1,5 hour act and did some kabuki themed shopping underneath the Kabukiza before entering the 4th floor where the signle act ticker holders would entrance the hall. There we were able to purchase a spoken translation for the play, it cost 500 yen (+deposit 1 000 yen which they will hand back for you). It was really handy, only for one ear and didn't really disturb at all the experience. Without that understanding the play would have been incredibly difficult. Even I did understand some of the phrases, but most of the time the way the Kabuki actors speak is way beyond understanding. But it was magnificent! I loved every second of it!

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I have wanted to go to an owl cafe since arriving to Japan. I'm a little bit allergic to cats so the most common option, cat cafe was kind of out of my intrests. I knew through online several owl cafes in Tokyo area but this one I accidentally passed by in the place I least expected, in Koenji right next to our post office. The cafe was called Cafe Baron, named after a white owl the owner has had since baby.

The cafe was very small, but cozy. All the walls were full of owl pictures and art inspired by those cute birds. There was five owls in total bu two of them were more curious about humans than others. The kindest one you were able to have to sit on your shoulder. The owl weighted nothing and was so soft and warm. But in Cafe Baron unlike many other owl cafes it is forbidden to touch the owls on your own, which I really like about this cafe. The owls have their own space and if they like to come closer they come, otherwice they have their space. We receaved very good sweet potato cake and tea while taking some pictures about owls (without flash it is ok). The owner was really friendly and also spoked english.

Ginza, Kabukiza

Owl Cafe Baron, Koenji

2 months left!

Today there is only 2 months left until our take off. The last month was rough between waiting to get some good news about job situation and doing some one-day shifts as a bartender and studying Japanese. Though the last mentioned received terribly small amount of attention between everything else. I have now settled down all the arriving details with our landlord and now we are only waiting for our visas. They should send then COE data for us in the end of next month (November), so that we can do the last payment (payment for 6 months of school) and after that receive our real visas from the embassy here in Helsinki.

I have been forming a bucket list for Japan for a year now and been able to gather plenty of interesting cafés, restaurants, city areas and also events that I would like to see in Tokyo, but also in other places in Japan. We already know where our holidays (two weeks at the time) are settling, so if we just have enough money we want to visit Osaka during spring and maybe Kyoto at the autumn. We also have a list of our family members as well as some friends that are planning to come to see us while we're there. My greatest concern is that we're too busy with school to actually guide people, but that is left to be seen in January. The school comes first after all.

I miss Tokyo so much and I can't even express how excited I'm to get there so soon. Piece by piece we are having everything done for the trip. I already stopped my contract with the gym I've been using due to two months expiration time and also arranged our internet to end few days before leaving, after all we're going to hand over the apartment keys days before actual depart so that we can spend some time with our families.

Here is some autumn pics I took few weeks ago <3