The Culture Club

By Emily Millar

I'm cultured. I pretend to know a lot about art, both modern and whatever came before that. My taste in music will always be better than yours simply because I have an extensive Bowie back-catalogue on my iPod, and I don't believe in television unless it's Thursday night and Love Change is on, because they touch on important issues like gender stereotypes, and it's really funny when the guy makes the woman cook for them while they play Wii. Alright, so while I sit somewhere between 'low' and 'live and active' on the culture scale, for anyone who's looking for their fix, culture can be found in abundance in Japan, and not only of the Japanese variety. So here it is: the first (and, undoubtedly, last) Culture Club Column for Nagoya, a mere toe dip in the icy cultural waters of Aichi. Anyone who believes ¥100 glasses of wine at Saizeriya represents both quality and value will be deemed intellectually moribund and asked to leave this column immediately.

A culturally thirsty soul can safely sate his appetite at the Aichi Arts Center this month. Anyone hankering for classical sounds can regularly view performances by the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra for as little as ¥1000 - this month they're performing on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th, from 18:45 and 16:00 on respective days. You can call for more information regarding tickets on 052-339-5666. You can catch them in the Theater Concert Hall.

Ballet isn't all about poofy tutus and high leaps (though, undeniably, that is a large part of ballet), and on Thursday 26th, world-renowned performer Tetsuya Kumakawa and his K Ballet troupe will be staging possibly the most famous ballet of all: Swan Lake. This originally Russian production has been performed all over the world, so it should be interesting to see what kind of spin a Japanese ballet company will put on it. Tickets range from ¥8000 - ¥18000 depending on your seating preference. It's showing in the Theater Hall from 18:30 (for tickets call Chukyou TV on 052-957-3333).

If ya fancy a night at the opera, but you've always been put off by the sheer pomposity and impossible-to-follow plots, then fear no longer, because you'll all know this one: Rossini's Cinderella (La Cenerentola) is playing. Of course it will be grandiose and long and most of the audience will probably leave during intermission, but it must certainly be nice to squeeze all the Disneyfication crap out of it - no ridiculous fairy godmother or pumpkin coaches on stage here. You are cordially invited to the ball on Saturday 28th from 17:00. Tickets range from ¥7000 for the average punter up to ¥20000 if you're serious about your sport (contact CBC Events Division on 052-241-8118).

So get a bit of culture into you this month, and the next time you're out to dinner and someone starts on about religion or politics, you too can dazzle your friends with your superior knowledge of the intricacies of Rossini, and how Disney never had an original idea in his entire career.

Check the Aichi Arts Center website for info on upcoming performances, and of course, art exhibitions. The English is adequate, if not hilariously mistranslated (Lake of Swan, anyone?), but you get the idea.

www.aac.pref.aichi.jp.

Latest Forum Threads