Jul 3

Justin’s Japan: Nippon in New York — Kabuki at Lincoln Center, JAPAN CUTS, NY Mets, DJ Krush

 

Neko Samurai ~Samurai ♥ Cat~ makes its international premiere as part of Japan Society's annual JAPAN CUTS film festival July 19 with a special live appearance from star actor Kazuki  Kitamura. (© 2014 NEKO SAMURAI PRODUCTION COMMITTEE)

Neko Samurai ~Samurai ♥ Cat~ makes its international premiere as part of Japan Society’s annual JAPAN CUTS film festival July 19 with a live appearance by star Kazuki Kitamura. (© 2014 NEKO SAMURAI PRODUCTION COMMITTEE)

By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his Japanese culture page here for related stories.

After you’ve seen the outdoor fireworks, enjoy some summer events in the cool indoors, whether it’s witnessing the return of one of the world’s most distinguished kabuki companies returning to New York after seven years, catching one of 20 films in Japan Society’s annual festival, or waiting for the bass to drop at a live performance from a legendary DJ.

July 7-12

Heisei Nakamura-za

Rose Theater, 10 Columbus Circle

$45-$190

The Heisei Nakamura-za company, which made its North American debut in a critically acclaimed and sold-out run during Lincoln Center Festival 2004, was founded by the illustrious Kanzaburo XVIII, the late patriarch of the Nakamura family—a veritable kabuki dynasty in Japan with an unbroken line of actors and innovators reaching back to the 17th century. For its Lincoln Center Festival engagement, the company has revived a rarely performed 19th-century ghost story, Kaidan Chibusa no Enoki (The Ghost Tale of the Wet Nurse Tree), about the murder of an artist by a handsome samurai who desires the artist’s wife. Running the emotional gamut from drama to uproarious slapstick comedy, and culminating in a thrilling fight-to-the-death beneath a waterfall, this is kabuki theater at its most engaging. Performed in Japanese with English synopsis via a headset.

July 10-20

JAPAN CUTS 2014

Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street

$10-$20

North America’s biggest festival of new Japanese film returns for its eighth year, serving up a thrilling cross section of Japan’s diverse film cultures to New York audiences! Screening 27 features across 10 days, including co-presentations with the 13th New York Asian Film Festival, JAPAN CUTS premieres the best of recent action epics, genre oddities, touching dramas, warped comedies and cutting-edge arthouse cinema made in and around Japan. Plus, meet special guest stars and filmmakers during exclusive post-screening Q&As and raucous parties in Japan Society’s theater and atrium!

Friday, July 11, 5:30 p.m.

New York Mets Japanese Heritage Night 2014

Citi Field, 123-01 Roosevelt Avenue

Special seating $35-$72

For the fifth annual Japanese Heritage Night at Citi Field, the Mets take on the Miami Marlins for this special event. The pre-show kicks off at Mets Plaza outside with an explosive taiko set from New York’s own Soh Daiko, followed by the Mets Spirit Awards inside the stadium given to honored members of the New York Japanese and Japanese American community. Prior to the first pitch at 7:00 p.m., the Japanese Men’s Choir will perform our national anthem. A portion of the proceeds from each ticket bought will go to Japanese community charities through the Japanese American Association of New York. Be sure to look for fun Japanese activities and games throughout the evening at the special tables on the main concourse behind the giant video screen. Price of ticket includes a free T-shirt!

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