Pure, proper, beautiful

Kiyoku, tadashiku, utsukushiku," the slogan of the all-female Takarazuka Revue of Osaka, means "pure, proper, beautiful." It just about sums up all that is traditional in Japan, the exact antithesis of outrageous Harajuku and Shibuya. The Takarazuka, after all, was established in 1913 as a music school for de buena familia girls who were to be educated to become "good wives and wise mothers" while also being trained in the performing arts. Upon graduation, these girls became members of the revue troupe.

The school has a very exclusive entrance policy, accepting only 40 to 50 students a year, making it a dream school for many young women aged 15 to 18. For the lucky applicants, a rigorous two-year training awaits, with classes in singing, dancing (both Japanese and Western) and acting five days a week, from 9 to 5. The rite of passage for freshmen is the line dance, where 40 people line up in a single row and perform without a single misstep, a feat that can only be perfected with six hours of daily practice for over a month. After this training period, each student is assigned to a particular troupe, where her life as a professional performer begins on the stage, which remains elusive for many aspirants. Each troupe has its own superstar performers in male and female roles for the musicals and revues in the repertoire, which includes original stories as well as adaptations from Western and Japanese novels, Broadway musicals, and even manga bestsellers.

In a troupe of 70 to 80 artists, competition for the top roles is fierce, particularly for the "male" roles that take longer training and diligent study, which includes watching film love scenes, among various references. A common expression within the company is "otokoyaku junen" (10 years to a male role). But these "males" are the true superstars on whom the popularity of Takarazuka depends. They will always be the novelty and the basis for judging the revue, singing and dancing in a masculine manner and being strong enough to lift their partners with ease. Another main draw is the fact that the male characters express their love through impassioned speeches and flowery praise that most men would be too self-conscious to make. As expected, 90 percent of the fans in the Osaka and Tokyo theaters are female and most are under 25, who just can’t get enough of this fantasy romance.

Kabuki

On the kabuki stage, on the other hand, the novelty is an all-male troupe with superstars playing female roles so convincingly as to merit a "Bravo!" from the audience. The "bravo" is actually a calling out of the actor’s "family" or guild name, said at the right time by an avid fan who has watched a lot of performances, knows the exact timing for calling out the name, and of course is a good judge as to whether the performance in a particular segment merits the acknowledgement. When we watched a performance one evening at the Kabuki-za Theater in the Ginza, there was only one person experienced and confident enough to do these "bravos" all throughout. He may have even been there since the show started in the morning. (Kabuki performances are whole-day affairs with many segments interspersed with intermissions for the audience to discuss the show over lunch or tea at the various dining venues in the theater complex). Dating from the Edo period (1603-1868), kabuki is sometimes translated as the art of singing and dancing, although the verb kabuku means "to be out of the ordinary." Hence, kabuki can be interpreted as "avant-garde" or "bizarre" theatre. The first kabuki performers were actually women like the Takarazuka, doing ensemble dance dramas. The popularity of these performances gave rise to many imitators doing ribald, suggestive versions and having performers available for prostitution. Women were eventually banned from performing in 1629 for the stated purpose of "protecting public morals," opening the era to all-male performers. Their performances became just as ribald, however, and they also became available for sexual favors, thus leading to the shogunate’s ban on young male actors in 1652. From 1653, only mature male actors could take the stage, heralding an era of more sophisticated theater that continues to this day when kabuki is still quite popular. Kabuki actors are even in demand for TV and film roles, doing both male and female roles. Fine acting, dance, musical performances, and impeccably crafted costumes and sets make this traditional art form one of Japan’s most cherished treasures not to be missed.

The Chanoyu Tea Ceremony

But not all performing arts are on the stage. There’s one that happens in homes every day all over Japan: the art of making tea. This seemingly simple act, which can last from one to five hours, is a nationwide tradition, if not an obsession, that has hundreds of books dedicated to it because of the many intricacies involved. It takes years of training and practice so that one can serve tea in what author Lafcadio Hearn describes as " the most perfect, most polite, most graceful, and most charming way possible."

In this ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism, powdered green tea, or matcha, is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting. The tea master has to be familiar with the production and types of tea as well as related components like the kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, incense, and a wide range of other disciplines and traditional arts.

A wide range of dogu, or tea equipment, is necessary even for the most basic ceremony, all handled with exquisite care, scrupulously cleaned before and after each use and some even handled only with gloved hands: chakin linen to cleanse the tea bowl, fukusa silk to cleanse the tea scoop and caddy, a hishaku bamboo ladle for transferring water, tana shelves used in tea preparation, natsume tea caddies, chashaku tea scoops, chasen whisks, and chawan tea bowls in various sizes and styles depending on the occasion and the season. Some of these tea accoutrements are antique heirloom pieces that the owner proudly shows one by one to admiring guests for their inspection.

To participate as a guest, one has to have knowledge of the prescribed gestures and phrases expected of guests, the proper way to take tea and sweets, and the overall deportment in the tearoom. Conversation is minimal – the point is to relax and enjoy the atmosphere created by the sounds of the water and fire, the smell of the incense and tea, and the beauty and simplicity of the teahouse and its seasonally appropriate decorations like the calligraphy scrolls and chabana flower arrangements (derived from ikebana) which change depending on the theme of the ceremony. The tea ceremony developed as a "transformative practice" and developed its own aesthetic of wabi, meaning quiet or sober refinement or subdued taste, characterized by humility and restraint, the simplicity of unadorned objects and architectural space, celebrating the beauty that time and care impart to materials. The concept of ichi-go ichi-e is also integral: that every meeting should be treasured for it can never be reproduced, so there should be harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility – qualities that go beyond the tearoom and hopefully permeate the daily lives of the participants.

Kaiseki Ryori

At longer tea ceremonies, or at regular dinners, a kaiseki ryori meal is served with painstakingly prepared dishes that look just too exquisite to eat. A New York Times writer recalled one dish that was so beautifully composed and had about a dozen ingredients, which could all fit into a tiny thimble. There are a number of kitty-sized dishes served, of course, so that you need not fear starvation. Just like the tea ceremony, there are many rituals involved and only fresh, seasonal ingredients are used.

One restaurant’s choice of ingredients even takes into consideration the fact that hens are "stressed" by the heat of summer and so should not be cooked till cooler times! After deciding on the ingredients of the moment, the dishes are prepared in ways that enhance their flavor and are served on specially chosen porcelain, pottery, urushi lacquer or even freshly cut bamboo serving ware that will go with the food, the theme, and the overall aesthetics. Dishes are always beautifully arranged and garnished with leaves and flowers designed to resemble natural plants and animals. Some of the most unusual shapes, colors, and flavors of garnishes can be encountered in a kaiseki meal, where the aesthetic experience of seeing the food is just as important as the physical experience of eating it.

Kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto, which also have tearooms where you can experience the tea ceremony, include Daitokuji Ikkyu at Daitokujimonmae, Kakizen, Tsujitome, Kiccho at Kyoto Sanjo, and Shofukuro.

Karesansui

Part of the pleasures of having tea or kaiseki is enjoying the view of a garden, which evokes the natural landscape of mountains and rivers. Probably the most iconic Japanese garden is the karesansui ("dry landscape"). Originating from Zen temples, it has distilled purity and austere elegance. This garden has no water and few or no plants, but typically suggests a feeling of water using pebbles and meticulously raked gravel or sand. Rocks chosen for their intriguing shapes and patterns, mosses, and low shrubs typify the karesansui style. A renowned example is the garden at the 500-year-old Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto, which has 15 irregularly shaped rocks of varying sizes, some surrounded by moss and arranged on a bed of white gravel that is raked every day. The gravel supposedly represents the ocean while the rocks are the islands of Japan, but others see the rocks as a mother tiger with her cubs swimming to a dragon. Some researchers claim that the rocks form the subliminal image of a tree, which they believe is responsible for the calming effect of the garden. Only 14 rocks can be seen from any one viewing point, with the 15th to be conjured if you meditate or wish hard enough. The garden was truly a breathtaking sight when we saw it one early morning. But before we could even count 14, a busload of tourists arrived to spoil the quiet and serenity. No matter, we made it to the other areas of the temple where canopies of maple trees and moss-covered trails were just as enchanting in this most sacred place.

Geisha

If one had to make a choice of any one symbol for traditional Japan, it has to be the geisha. From the Puccini opera to Hollywood’s Memoirs, this icon has suffused the imagination with all that is exotic and romantic about the Orient. Their beginnings are placed as early as the 11th century, but they were quite popular in the 18th and 19th centuries when standards and laws were set governing their profession. From over 80,000 in the 1920s, they now number only about 10,000 and are dwindling. Aside from demonstrating beauty and grace, a geisha or "art person" trains practically all her life in the traditional arts of poetry, literature, classical dancing, playing the shamisen (a lute-like instrument with three strings of braided silk), the tea ceremony, wearing the kimono, etiquette, flower arrangement and calligraphy, among other refinements, which equip her to entertain guests at the ocha-ya teahouse. These teahouses are very exclusive enclaves that require introductions from regular patrons for an appointment. Although geishas may eventually develop relationships with regular male customers, they are not prostitutes. A DOM would have to think twice before even making a pass: She comes from beneath the shoji sliding screen, impeccable in her top-of-the-line multi-layered couture kimono and obi, perfectly coiffed shimada hairdo with all the hair ornaments and stark white makeup highlighted by pursed scarlet lips. One wouldn’t even dare touch her!

After engaging in conversation and serving drinks (she never serves food – waiters do that), she performs tachikata (traditional dance) or jikata (singing or playing an instrument). She’s trained to be knowledgeable in various topics, even consulted for business or personal relationships. If you are not able to book an appointment with a geisha at an ocha-ya, you still have a chance to see them at special shows in Kyoto, where they perform on stage together with maikos (apprentice geishas).

Maikos can sometimes be seen roaming the streets of Gion and Pontocho. The sight of a geisha, however, is rare and comes usually at nightfall. We caught one rushing from one ocha-ya to another in Gion, practically stopping traffic in her path, with tourists just frozen and dumbfounded till she slipped into the next ocha-ya, a couple of houses down the street. She was a vision of ethereal beauty and grace. It was almost like they saw an apparition, only recovering a few moments later with exclamations of awe. The geisha belongs to that rarefied world, after all – the flower and willow world of karyukai, where she chose to make a life of art and refinement. It’s a world that’s slowly diminishing as fast, cheap thrills take over. What a privilege to catch a glimpse of it whenever one can.