Year-End Kabuki Signboards Raised at Minami-za Theater

Nov 26, 2025 | News On Japan

KYOTO - The annual “Kichirei Kaomise Kogyo” Kabuki program, a long-established event that signals the arrival of the year’s end in Kyoto, is set to begin shortly, and Minami-za in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward held its traditional “maneki-age” ritual on November 26th, raising wooden signboards bearing the names of the performers.

Each name is written in bold strokes using the distinctive Kanteiryu calligraphic style, filling the boards from edge to edge with the wish that the theater will be packed without empty seats throughout the run.

This year’s performances will be held from December 1st to 25th, with breaks scheduled on the 9th and 17th.

Source: Kyodo

Typhoon No. 9 Causes Widespread Travel Disruptions

Typhoon No. 9 (Bavi) caused widespread transport disruption across Okinawa on July 11, grounding hundreds of flights, suspending ferry services and delaying mail and parcel deliveries as violent winds and dangerous seas continued to affect the prefecture's southern island chains.

Typhoon No. 9 Batters Okinawa as Power Outages Spread Across Islands

Large and powerful Typhoon No. 9 (Bavi) continued moving northwest on July 11, bringing violent winds, torrential rain, and widespread power outages to Okinawa as authorities warned that dangerous conditions would persist well into the afternoon despite the storm's center gradually moving away.

Bear Sightings Surge With 50 Cases in Iwate in One Week

A wave of bear sightings across Japan has forced the cancellation of traditional summer events, while one animal entered a home and came within inches of a sleeping resident's face.

Brutal Heat to Grip Japan as Heatstroke Risk Climbs

Japan is expected to remain under intense summer heat through next week as the Pacific high-pressure system continues to dominate the country, bringing widespread temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and increasing the risk of heatstroke.

Akie Abe Reflects on Husband’s Killing Four Years Later

Akie Abe, the wife of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has said she is only now becoming able to grieve honestly over her husband’s death, four years after he was shot and killed during an election campaign speech in Nara.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Entertainment NEWS

Yoshiki (X Japan) | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan welcomes legendary musician, composer, and X Japan co-founder Yoshiki for a conversation about creativity, rebellion, and building something that refuses to follow the rules.

Ranpei's Madness EXPLAINED・ Ranpei Monogurui (1753)

Today we have a look at the 1753 jidaimono play Ranpei Monogurui ("Ranpei's Madness"), originally from the puppet theatre drama Yamatogana Ariwara Keizu, written by the playwrights Asada Icchō, Namiki Senryū II and Toyotake Jinroku.

Circle Generator Minecraft: Build With a Circle Chart

Building a circle in Minecraft without help is a geometry problem most players don’t want to solve.

Murakami Fans Celebrate First New Book in Three Years

Haruki Murakami’s first new book in about three years went on sale on July 3, drawing large crowds of fans to bookstores in Tokyo from late at night, even as neighborhood bookstores across Japan continue to struggle with a shrinking market.

Biggest Cosplay Festival in Osaka: Osaka Street Festa

Possibly the biggest Cosplay Festival in Japan is now here in Osaka!

PlayStation to End Disc-Based Game Software Production

Sony Interactive Entertainment said it will stop producing physical disc versions of new PlayStation games released from January 2028, shifting sales of new titles entirely to downloadable editions.

Inside Japan’s Men’s Underground Idol Scene

Japan’s men’s underground idol scene is drawing scrutiny after a legal revision targeting host clubs left what industry insiders describe as a gray zone where some performers use intimate fan services and costly perks to generate large sums of money.

Akihiro Miwa, Stage Icon and Voice of Princess Mononoke, Dies at 91

Akihiro Miwa, the singer and actor whose career spanned chanson, theater, film, television and voice acting, died of old age on June 20 at the age of 91, her management office said.

< 2 3 4 5 >