Other cultural, educational, or special interest videos as TV-Viewable DVDR's - Alphabetical by Title -- As of: Sat May 10, 22:11:56
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DVDR 1729 "Begin Japanology 2007" Vol. 1 N7 Curious Violet NHK reformatted their Weekend Japanology series, making it a shorter, more focused program which presents a single topic per episode. In addition the series "starts over" with the topic list, including subjects already covered years ago. This first volume has episodes 10-06 thru 12-8, topics "Hokusai and Mt. Fuji - Genius of Ukiyoe Prints", "Shojin Ryori [Buddhist vegetarian cuisine]", "Autumn Leaves - Splendor of Fall Foliage", "Furoshiki - Wrapping With the Heart", "Chanoyu - The Way of Tea", "Chushingura - the 47 Loyal Retainers, Part 1, The Facts". (Part 2 in next volume.) Approx. 2:53:00 total. DVDR 1656 "Memory Songs 1961 - 1972" N7 Curious Violet This is quite a unique disk. NHK began showing little time-filler segments showing archival footage accompanied by old hit songs, radio hits of Japan, sorted out by year. The name of the song and performer appear and the song begins, then you see a mixture of newsreel footage, tv shows and commercials, famous people and events, even such easily remembered scenes such as construction of a bridge or housing development, all the things that someone living there at that time would remember as being from the time they heard the same famous pop songs playing in the background. If you are looking for a famous song, you might even stumble on it in this collection. Events and places shown are described in unobtrusive Japanese subtitles. The slogan of the program is "Sou ieba, ano toki, kono uta." Because of the irregularity of the showings I missed a couple of segments. This could be very nostalgic for some people in Japan at the time, as I was. (1961) Most songs are not presented in their entirety. Performers of the songs are not seen onscreen. Approx. 2:00:00 (Japanese only) DVDR 1675 "Noh & Kyogen for New Year 2007" N8 Curious Violet These are the features which NHK showed very early in the morning on New Year's Day 2007. The title of the first is Noh Makurajido. The second feature is Noh Matsukaze. The Noh features are followed by two Kyogen: Sado Kitsune and Ebisu-Bishamon. The Noh are side-titled in Japanese, but the Kyogen are not. Approx. 1:59:00 total. DVDR 938 "Noh: Funabenkei" (Live) N8 Curious Violet Noh is a classical Japanese theatre in which a story is acted in costume by means of a solemn chant, accompanied by sparse instrumentation and a chorus. Funabenkei, by Nobumitsu (1435-1516), is about a legendary 12th century retainer Benkei who must persuade his young lord Yoshitsune to separate from his lover Shizuka in order to avoid a family war. They decide to board a ship and sail away, exiling themselves, only to run into an angry ghost. Yoshitsune tries to fight the ghost with his sword but only Benkei's magic can banish the ghost. 1:25:00 (In Japanese, with primary recitatives side-titled in Japanese) DVDR 1569 "Noh: Shiranui & Okina" N8 Curious Violet The first feature, "Shiranui", is a Noh play which was performed, in this case, on a floating theatre as part of a festival. The second, "Okina", is a traditional play in which four deities appear. "Okina" is performed on special occasions such as New Year's Day, and may be based on a performance whose origins predate Noh itself. These are NHK productions. Approx. 2:25:00 (In Japanese, with primary recitatives side-titled in Japanese) DVDR 1180 "Noh: Tamura & Noh: Miwa" (Live) N8 Curious Violet Noh is a classical Japanese theatre in which a story is acted in costume by means of a solemn chant, accompanied by sparse instrumentation and a chorus. The first play is a warrior Noh, "General Tamura-maru", about the spirit of a famous samurai who appears first in human form to speak to a travelling monk about the wonders of Kiyomizu-dera temple, but then reappears in spirit form to tell of his wars against demons in the afterlife. The second piece is a fantasy Noh, in which the goddess Miwa appears first as a young girl, then in divine form. Approx. 2:25:00 (In Japanese, with primary recitatives side-titled in Japanese) DVDR 1548 "Takarazuka 2005: Star Troupe Revue" N7 Curious Violet This DVD shows the Takarazuka Star Troupe 2005 stage productions, interspersed with interviews and commentary. Includes dance numbers, Hollywood-style musical numbers, the "Rockettes" style show, plus some comedy and dramatic segments. Approx. 2:35:00. A few minutes right at the end of the program were not included because the satellite broadcast failed at that point. In Japanese only. DVDR 1657 "Takarazuka 2006: Moon Troupe Revue" N7 Curious Violet The Moon Troupe performs a jazz musical theatre and drama production followed by a second segment, "Revue of Dreams," from their 2006 repertoire. Approx. 2:35:00. In Japanese only. DVDR 1732 "Takarazuka 2007: The Star Troupe Revue" N7 Curious Violet A tour-de-force of the Star Troupe: nearly 3 hours of costume pageantry, elaborate stage dances, broadway-style productions, and musical drama, from their 2007 repertoire. Approx. 2:50:00. In Japanese only. DVDR 913 "Takarazuka: Across the Ocean" (Live) N8 Curious Violet (Japanese only) The all-female troupe does a drama-dance-song production in this DVD telling the story of a Japanese nobleman who is the first Japanese to travel to the court of Peter the Third, Czar of Russia, and Katherine 2nd. 1:37 DVDR 1315 "Takarazuka: Berusaiyu no Bara 2001" (Live) N9 Curious Violet On this DVD, the Takarazuka Cosmos Troupe 2001 stage production of Takarazuka's Berusaiyu no Bara, "Fersen and Marie Antoinette". 2:35:00 (Japanese only) DVDR 882 "Takarazuka: Blue Moon Blue" (Live) N8 Curious Violet (Japanese only) The all-female troupe performs a song-and-dance revue of hits by "The Alfee" on this DVD. 0:58 DVDR 1500 "Weekend Japanology 2005" 7-16, 7-23, 7-30, 8-23 N7 Curious Violet This magazine-style program for Japanophiles is a fascinating look at all parts of Japanese culture, from Jpop to ancient music, technology to handcrafts, festivals to conventions, history to archeology, celebrities, business, art, etc. The show has two hosts, and usually includes one or two guests and two "out and about" video segments. The show is deliberately made for non-Japanese. Many parts are bilingual, with the Japanese sentence spoken first followed by the English, so it actually helps you learn Japanese. This volume includes "Focus on Jpop", "Mottainai", "Best of Out and About Part 1" and one more. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1504 "Weekend Japanology 2005" 8-27, 9-03, 9-10, 9-17 N7 Curious Violet This volume includes "Best of Out and About Part 2", "Japanese Eco-car", "Kamakura Walking Tour", and "Wrapping With Japanese Paper" plus additional topics. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1520 "Weekend Japanology 2005" 10-1, 10-8, 10-15, 10-22 N7 Curious Violet This volume includes segments on Japanese primatology; dodge ball; harvesting rice in the Tanada; Lavcadio Hearn's "Invisible Japan" (Japanese ghosts); cultural use of insects as pets, food, medicine, etc; soba and buckwheat noodles; kimono fitting contests; music segments on Yoshida Brothers, "Red Dragonfly", Tatsuro Yamashita; additional topics. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1525 "Weekend Japanology 2005" 10-29, 11-5, 11-12, 11-19 N7 Curious Violet This volume includes segments on sumo Okami-sans (female sumo stable hostesses/owners/operators) and a cram school for new entrepreneurial okami-sans (at restaurants, inns, hot springs, etc); a festival in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima; football (soccer) in Japan; the traditional game of Kemari; migratory birds in Japan; outdoor Oden establishments; traditional methods of making fish cakes (hanpen); the Yokohama 2005 Triennale of Contemporary Art; Jazz in Yokohama; music segments on "Pinwheel", Yo Hitoto, "Warabigami" by Bird; more. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1545 "Weekend Japanology 2005" 11-26, 12-3, 12-10, 12-17 N7 Curious Violet This volume includes segments on new trends in Japanese fashion, high-tech Japanese textiles, street fashions in Harajuku, the Japanese way of sport fishing (includes details on fishing for tiny fish, and "samurai style" fishing), Japanese stationery and cute pen and pencil items for children, studying and classifying Japanese hot springs, cultivating and preparing nori (seaweed), Japanese alternatives to gasoline powered cars, Japanese fascination with model trains. Music videos from Sambomaster; Junko Ishihara, more. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1565 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 1-7, 1-14, 1-21, 1-28 N7 Curious Violet This volume includes segments on Japanese seasonal aspects of popular culture, Wagashi (sweets), seasonal delicacies, Ikebana, Japanese gardens, cherry blossoms, cherry tree fabric dyeing, wearing the Japanese kimono, history of the kimono, Japanese kites, Boro-Ichi fair, decorative koi, Edo firefighters, and a section on Mt. Fuji: geology, history, and tourism. Music video from Hajime Chitose. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1566 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 2-4, 2-10, 2-18, 2-25 N7 Curious Violet Segments on the seven gods of good fortune, the ubiquitous Japanese convenience store, all about Japanese sake, studying Aikido, pollinosis, a boat trip to Oshima, manzai, kokeshi dolls. Music videos from Remioromen, THC, Ken Matsudaira. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1571 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 3-4, 3-11, 3-18, 3-25 N7 Curious Violet All about dashi (soups) and shisa (lion dogs); Japanese language and what makes it unique; Shima Uta of Okinawa; exotic stationery, fascination with railroad modeling, oyaji bands, nori cultivation and recipes, Chrysanthemum Doll Festival, Aikido training. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1580 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 4-8, 4-15, 4-22, 4-29 N7 Curious Violet Kyoto's traditional buildings; row houses (machiya); Kyoto traditional tofu makers; Japanese feudal castles, their design and construction; behind the scenes in the making of an NHK taiga drama (Komyo Ga Tsuji); home gardening and horticulture; Japanese plants introduced to Europe; furoshiki (Japanese wrapping); Buddhist images and sculptures; carp flags and their use. music by Rin. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1582 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 5-13, 5-20, 5-27, 6-03 N7 Curious Violet The wild and wacky world of Japanese TV commercials; Quasi-English as used in signs in Japan; crazy billboard ads; the history of Japanese consumer electronics; the variety of children's lunchbox creations; Japanese artist Tsuguharu Foujita; Japanese edible wild plants and those who eat them; the significance of the tatami; model houses and housing trends; more. Approx. 3:05:00 total. DVDR 1607 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 6-10, 6-17, 6-24, 7-08 N7 Curious Violet A tour of old Asakusa; traditional comb and doll shops, Japanese magician performance, Sansho Festival; mikoshi parades. Kagawa province; history and secrets of making udon; cultivation and use of Bonsai dwarf trees; Bonsai trimming class. Hideaki Sato's river photography, and studies of rivers. The Japanese plane as a consummate craftman's tool. The practice of ZaZen meditation and its influences on culture; medical aspects of Zazen; tanden breathing. Edo music: Hauta and Zokkyoku. Music: "Konpire Fune Fune", Jyun-Renka", "Hajimari no Oto". The 6-10 segment has a few momentary sound defects. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1619 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 7-22, 7-29, 8-04, 8-26 N7 Curious Violet Ritual incense appreciation "Koudo", fragrance as meditation; fireflies, restoral of firefly populations using cultivated water snails. Umeboshi (pickled plums) - history, cultivation and health benefits. Cooking rice - traditional and modern methods, ultra tech rice cookers. The Kamioka Nucleon Decay Experiment, science education in Japan, shaved ice confections, traditional ice making methods. Out & about special video segments. Music video by Umekichi. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1630 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 9-2, 9-9, 9-16, 9-24 N7 Curious Violet Description to follow. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1650 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 10-14, 10-21, 10-29 & J-Biz N7 Curious Violet The first segment on the disk is the pilot "Japan Biz" segment, with a different host than usual, and shows a varied closeup of new products, gizmos, toys, appliances, plus new manufacturing techniques and amazing new materials. It seemed like it was going to be a regular feature, but apparently only this first episode was shown in the Japanology time slot. It is of great interest to the Japanophile though because of its fascinating coverage of this year's toy convention. Then 3 shows in the usual format: Japanese chess, shogi - history, comparison to other Asian games related to chess. Rules, matches, the boards and pieces. Music - Kunio Naito singing the 1976 million seller hit "Oyuki". Judit does a report on the traditional wooden toy "Kendama" and meets some young and old people who have mastered it, plus the national championships. Rice - the meal, the grain, new and old fancy varieties of rice. Rice planting festivals. Traditional anti-insect rituals. Experimental "Rice Duck Farming". The tale of the Togoro Fox, and the Fox Festival. Japanese wines. Japanese wineries, the new Koshu wines. Research into ideal wine growing and harvesting methods. The sudden unexpected growth of Japanese wine consumerism. A walkthru of old Nagasaki. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1651 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 11-11, 11-18, 11-25, 12-02 N7 Curious Violet Japanese ornamentation: since ancient times, the golden age, exported Japanese ornamentation to Europe (Japonism), traditional Japanese blacksmiths, a video demo. Fantasy art of the Edo period, an examination of a private collection, pictures of monsters, demons, ghosts, and animals. Music from Crystal Kay, Tube, Ayaka Hirahara. A video report on folk craft toys. Japan as an island nation. Sea travel and trade in historic Japan. The traditional hagoita (racquet). Winter in Japan. Areas of extreme snowfall. Popular winter foods. Tori-no-ichi festivals. Cooling homes with snow in the summer. Geisha training for Judit. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1653 "Weekend Japanology 2006" 12-09, 12-16, 12-23, 01-13 N7 Curious Violet Kendo, the martial art. The armor and attire, weapons, history, rules, types of matches. Footage of recent championship matches. Nabe, and eating from communal hotpot. History of the hotpot. Regional variations. Nabe parties. Novelist Ikenami Shoutaro's descriptions of Edo dishes. Persimmon growing and drying. Tanka poetry, Utagai Hajimei - the recititation for the Emperor. Tanka as courtship. Cellphone Tanka. Rice pounding ritual. Urushi Lacquer ware - history, craft, decoration. Robot competitions, Robocon, robot construction. Music from Kiyoshi Hikawa. Also "Sukiyaki" the number one hit song in the US in 1963, in its original version as sung by the original artist Kiyu Sakamoto. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1665 "Weekend Japanology 2007" 1-20, 1-27, 2-3, 2-10 N7 Curious Violet Life in snow country. Focus on Niigata. Hokuetsu-Seppu, an ancient work describing life in the snow. Kanjiki shoes. Japan is unique for having large populations in areas of heavy snowfall. Volunteer snow helpers. Osoji housecleaning traditions in Kyoto. Traditional employment - the feudal lifetime style gives way to a more Western style. Mandatory retirement. Performance-based system, the "Freeters". The food stall, Yattai, in Fukuoka. The craze of Gateball, its history and rules. Shochu, the distilled spirit. Varieties and preparation. The super-aging society. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1687 "Weekend Japanology 2007" 2-16, 2-24, 3-3, 3-10 N7 Curious Violet All about tofu. History and development. Music by Tulip. The Seto Inland Sea. Kotohira Shrine and pilgrimage. Bunraku Puppet Theatre. History, traditional pieces, famous narrators, dolls. Musical accompaniment. The People and Art of Osaka. Museums, history, the shopping streets. Akira Mirawaki. Regenerating native forests. Setsubun - the bean throwing and cry baby festival. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1688 "Weekend Japanology 2007" 3-17, 3-24, 4-7, 4-14 N7 Curious Violet Description to follow. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1699 "Weekend Japanology 2007" 4-21, 4-28, 5-12, 5-19 N7 Curious Violet Japan's ancient technologies - beginning with the legendary "jewel steel" used to make swords. Specialized woodworking methods, specialized tools from ancient times. A tour of a sumo school for children. The famous train stations of Japan. A survey of train bento boxes, "obento". Akio Noguchi, photographer of trains. Ningyo - a history of the Japanese doll. The incredible lifelike Iki-Ningyo. A tour of a jidai-geki studio producing NHK's current taiga drama. The kimono as art. Fabric dyeing and painting techniques. Japanese Taiko drum festival. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1713 "Weekend Japanology 2007" 5-26, 6-2, 6-9, 6-16 N7 Curious Violet Description to follow. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1714 "Weekend Japanology 2007" 6-23, 6-30, 7-7, 7-21 N7 Curious Violet Description to follow. Approx. 2:55:00 total. DVDR 1692 "What's On Japan" 2007 3-4 thru 4-8 A8 Curious Violet Six half-hour episodes of NHK's TV weekend magazine for English speaking viewers. Approx. 3:01:00 total.
Noh and Kyougen are the centuries-old classic musical theatre of Japan. I personally
find these fascinating, but difficult to watch. I would recommend them for students of Japanese culture only.