Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christmas in Japan

Last week, Shinmachi's Tsukinoya and East Asian Events proudly showcased their joint performance "Christmas in Japan" at Keisei (on Thursday) and at Sengoku (on Sunday). Christmas in Japan was a fun dance show / concert performance which featured the seasonal music of Japanese vocaloids and famous pop artists. During the show, we showcased Japanese versions of songs like Jingle Bell along with a few typical J-Pop songs like Hatsune Mi-Christmas.

I've included a few pictures of the shows below for you to enjoy. This show was the last event for both Shinmachi and EAE for the year. Both groups look forward to entertaining you in 2015!

The Winter Wonderland stage, during the cold open of
the Japanese version of "All I Want for Christmas is You"

Winter Wonderland again, this time with all four
performers dancing in unison. From left to right: Kaminari
of Tsukinoya, Len of EAE, Hamayu of Tsukinoya and
Kara of EAE. 

Hamayu as Hatsune Miku and Len as Kagamine Len
performing White Christmas. 


All 4 performers as Vocaloids: Kara is Kagamine Rin and
Kaminari is Gumi.

Kaminari and Hamayu during Silent Night.

The final stage: the three girls took center stage while
Len rocked out on the guitar. 

The finale!

Monday, December 15, 2014

Madam White Snake

Last Sunday (December 7th), the Lihai Lily Salon held it's grand opening event: a story telling session with a Chinese tea ceremony. I managed to take a few pictures of the event, but was too captivated by the story to take more. Though the stage was opulently decorated, the true flower and center piece was Lady Lily herself (the proprietress of the salon) who played the pipa while sharing the tale of Madam White Snake. Afterwards, she stayed and chatted with the guests before they departed to enjoy all of Keisei.

Lady Lily welcomes her guest with a brief overview of the
Salon and of the upcoming performance. To the left, you
can see the tea set used during the tea ceremony. 
A picture of Lady Lily playing the pipa for her guests. It was
a packed house, and I believe everyone was as enthralled with
the story as I was. 
A front shot of Lady Lily playing the pipa, and a little dragon,
which is quite possibly the cutest tip jar I have ever seen!


Monday, December 8, 2014

An Afternoon with Tsukinoya

Tsukinoya, Shinmachi's oiran group, held a performance which offered guests a brief glimpse into an afternoon with the ladies of the house, as they prepare for a night of entertainment at the local ageya. I managed to take a few pictures of the show, but was admittedly too enthralled with the performance to remember to snap more shots. Enjoy!

Oiran Kaminari addresses the audience directly, while
shinzo Hamayu brushes kamuro Lyn's hair, and shinzo
Kara lounges and watches the fish bowl. 

Oiran Kaminai contemplates her eventual fate as a
courtesan. She wonders what will become with her - in
what state will she eventually leave the pleasure quarters?

Kaminari-san, far left, applies her makeup while her
three attendants practice their dance for the evening's show.

The Oiran has departed to finish preparing for the evening.
The two shinzo practice their duet for the dance at the ageya.

Kaminari-san makes her grand re-entrance into the lounge,
looking every bit the part of an oiran of the highest class.

A full shot of the Oiran's resplendent kimono.



Thursday, November 27, 2014

Anniversary Celebration Recap, Part 2

This final part of our anniversary celebration recap contains the reflections from 4 of the groups within the Shinmachi District. Please enjoy.

Shinmachi District, Overall








Ever changing winds,
the bamboo bends, unbreaking
and we are grateful
swaying in the strong tempests
this ‘new town’ stands, unbroken
-Aisya Destiny, Director of Shinmachi

"Bamboo swept by the elements, remaining pliant and strong, rich and flourishing, despite its battering, returning always to upright growth.” – Barnhart


After six years of operations, all I can say is thank you to everyone who has supported and believed in Shinmachi. Despite our ups and downs, Shinmachi remains committed to bringing the elegant arts of traditional Japanese and Chinese entertainers to Second Life. And so we will continue on into our seventh year of operations, staying as flexible and as strong as the elegant bamboo. 

Tsukinoya















A nightingale's song;
Through a thicket of bamboo,
The moon, grown full, shines brightly.
-Kaminari Mai, Lead Oiran of Tsukinoya

Reflecting back on six years in secondlife has yielded many thoughts on the numerous changes Shinmachi as undergone. And yet, just as the bamboo, we remain strong. And just like the moon, we continue to shine brightly, from the ladies of Tsukinoya, Shinmachi's House of the Moon.

Shinmachi School
A new bamboo shoot,
struggling; but the winds change
and lessons begin
-Aisya Destiny, Sensei of the Shinmachi School


The Shinmachi School is very much a work in progress, but has already started to train students inside and outside of the Shinmachi District in the basics of Japanese RP and performance. As Shinmachi moves towards its seventh year of operations, we plan on seeing an impressive expansion of the school’s work within and outside of the district. We can’t wait!

Yuugana Fuji










In this time of beautiful Autumn day comes celebration.Through the years the Shimachi has grown, yet still remains strong, much like bamboo that flourishes. Continuing with this theme "Bamboo swept by the elements" I have a poem and a picture to share with everyone, please enough.

Bamboo through the Seasons
Sweeping away the lingering snow fall,
gentle spring blooms throughout the land.
Trees regain their greenery and a special few began to bud
While the soft sakura blooms bloom and fade one plant remains true...
The bamboo remains, and continues to grow steadfast
It's slender shoots aim towards the heavens.

Behold Summer in all it's slender,
bold vibrant colors replace the gentler ones of spring
Charming Azaleas, rich purple colored Iris',
even the peony began to bloom
Standing a mist the slender,
the bamboo remains, still growing
undaunted by the summer's heat and sporadic storms

Now, come Autumn in all it's glory,
ending summer's long standing rein.
The leaves begin their downward journey in brilliant shades of  golden rod, orange and rouge
Yet the bamboo remains a stunning green,
growing strong despite the colder winds.

Vibrant colors quickly fading,
the north winds usher in the winter season
Most of the trees' leaves have fallen,
And like the strongest evergreen tree,
the bamboo continues to strive
It's leaves  remaining even during the heaviest snow fall

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.... through all four seasons the bamboo remains strong.
It survives the winds, the rain, heat... and even a few heavy snow falls
May our charming Shinmachi hanamchi continue to survive,
like the bamboo against the elements.
-Kaguyama 香具山, Lead Tayuu of Yuugana Fuji

     




Sunday, November 23, 2014

Anniversary Celebration Recap, Part 1

This past week, we were honored to celebrate the beginning of our seventh year of operations in Second Life and to debut our new location in Keisei. While we continue to pack our furnishings and move into our new land (which is amazing, special thanks to Dow-sama for literally moving mountains for us!), you can see a recap of our celebration below.

Fireworks Odori
We began the celebration with a bang, and held our fireworks odori in the theater at Keisei.
Kaguyama-san, Lead Tayuu of Yuugana Fuji, performs
a solo as part of the fireworks odori.
A shot of all four dancers in the odori; from left to right: Aisya
of the Shinmachi School, Kaminari and Kara of Tsukinoya,
Kaguyama of Yuugana Fuji.
After the odori, we celebrated with some real
fireworks right outside the theater. Lead oiran of
Tsukinoya, Kaminari-san, stands next to her patron.

An Evening of Tanka and Haiku
Our next celebratory event was an evening of tanka and haiku, hosted by the lead tayuu of Yuugana Fuji at the Sengoku Teahouse. Unfortunately, I was too caught up in the beautiful (and occasionally humorous) poetry to take a picture.

An Afternoon with Tsukinoya
The ladies of Tsukinoya took center stage in our next event, and held an amazingly emotional performance titled "An Afternoon with Tsukinoya" in their home in Keisei. In this show, we were given a small glimpse into the lives of the four women within Tsukinoya, and how they prepare for an evening of entertainment.

Oiran Kaminari-san contemplates her eventual fate as a
courtesan within the district.
Oiran Kaminai-san stands center stage, addressing the
audience, as her attendants (Lyn, Kara and Hamayu)
prepare for the evening ahead.
The two shinzo of Tsukinoya (Kara and Hamayu) dance along
side the now fully dressed Oiran, signifying that they are
all headed out for the evening.
Farewell to Autumn Tea Ceremony
We closed our celebration quietly, with a well performed tea ceremony by Kaguyama-san in the Shinmachi Garden. With the tea ceremony, we bid farewell to autumn 2014, and welcomed the start of our seventh year in this virtual world.
Kaguyama-san of Yuugana Fuji prepares tea for those gathered.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Pan Yuliang Art Exhibit at Lihai Lily Salon

Have you seen this yet? The Lihai Lily Salon of the Shinmachi District has an amazing art display on featuring Pan Yuliang. You can learn more about it below, and see a few pictures. You should definitely stop by the salon and see all of the amazing pictures yourself!


Pan Yuliang was a female painter known in China more for her legendary life than her artistic achievements. She will have a small comeback during an amazing art exhibit event at the Lihai Lily Salon .

"Born in 1895, Pan was sold to a brothel at 13 where she later met Pan Zanhua, a customs official. Pan bought her out and married her as a concubine. She started learning painting from their neighbor and was admitted to Shanghai Art Institute, becoming its first female student. After studying in Paris, Pan returned in 1929 after receiving an invitation to teach at Shanghai Art School. She left Shanghai for France again in 1937 and settled down in Paris. She was selected by the overseas Chinese artists in France to be the chairman of the Chinese Art Association. She died in 1977 in Paris, and her works were sent back to China in 1985. Her works are now in a collection at China National Art Gallery in Beijing and Anhui Provincial Museum in Hefei." - Lihai Lily



Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Hunter's Moon Odori this Weekend!

What: Hunter's Moon Odori
When: Sunday, October 12th at Noon SLT
Where: Sengoku Teahouse

This Sunday, the Shinmachi School will host a moon odori to celebrate the Hunter's Moon (visible tonight!) and the shinto moon god known as Tsukuyomi.We last performed this dance during our Moon Viewing festival in September of last year, and we've decided to make this dance an annual tradition. With this new tradition, we can be reminded each year of the relation traditional courtesans, geisha and actors have to the moon's guidance and protection.

The Moon Odori is a performance in five parts, matching with five phases of the moon: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous and the full moon.  It begins with our ode to the new moon, shingetsu, the beginning of the month according to the old Japanese calendar. The moon is beginning its journey around the earth and we are given pause to reflect on what the new month will hold.

By the light of the waxing crescent, we are able to see the first glimpses of an oiran and a geisha in all her beauty. Under the first quarter and reveling in half of the moon’s light, the youngest performers of the Shinmachi District will come out to play. With nearly full illumination from the waxing gibbous, the younger ones rest, and the apprentices (the shinzo and maiko) will take the center stage, hoping that the moon's light will lead their lost love to them. Finally, our performance concludes with a celebration of Tsukiyomi and the magnificence of the full moon.

We hope you can join us for this performance, featuring amazing music, and traditional dance and costumes of Japanese courtesans, geisha and their apprentices.

- Aisya