The musical is in Japanese, but if you read the synopsis (see below), it should be fairly easy to understand what is going on. The performance involves acting, singing, and dancing, so it should be fun for both children and adults to watch.

(By the way, a certain regular contributor to TsukuBlog will be appearing the show as "Queen Shule". Look closely at the second page of the pamphlet and you may spot her!)

Event: Adventures in Jamblini
Date: May 5, 2009
Times: 2pm and 5:30pm (two shows)
Place: Tsukuba Capio (map)
Tickets: JHS students and younger: 1300 yen, HS students 1800 yen, Adults 2200 yen

Tickets are available online or by contacting me (Shaney).

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Adventures in Jamblini - Synopsis

The play opens up at a juku (cram school) where parents are being lectured on the importance of having their children enter a good school. At this particular juku, the head teacher has decided to offer "24-hour cram sessions" and the parents decide that they need to send their children to these sessions in order to secure their future.

The kids go to one of these cram sessions and are on their way home when they meet up with one of their friends, Cook. Cook doesn't attend juku, so she has missed her friends over the past 24 hours. She tries to get them to play with her, but everyone is too tired or too busy to comply. She finally convinces one of the kids to start playing janken (rock, paper, scissors) and that finally wakens the need in all the kids to start playing. Janken turns into tag, and soon all of the kids are remembering how much fun it is to play. Finally, the kids come upon an open manhole and decide to explore what is inside.

What the kids don't realize is that on the other side of the manhole is a whole other kingdom, Jamblini! When we first see Jamblini, we meet the Witch and her apprentices. The Witch is a proud, vengeful woman who has placed a spell on the peaceful inhabitants of Jamblini. Time has been stopped in the kingdom and all of its citizens are frozen in time.

However, all is not lost! When the kids come through the manhole, they sing a song that contains a magic word ("waku waku") that breaks the Witch's spell and frees the citizens of Jamblini and their queen, Shule. The Queen and her subjects are very grateful to the children. However, they have to deliver some bad news: the roads in Jamblini are all ONE WAY! So the kids have to travel all the way through the kingdom in order to get back to the manhole and escape.

The Witch is not going to be happy when she learns that the children have broken her spell. She is going to try to stop the kids with all of her powers. Queen Shule decides to help the kids by giving them some "Queen Dust" that will make a victim laugh for 10 minutes straight if exposed to it. She also tells them to call for her magic mice in a BIIIIIIIIIG voice if they need help. The mice are sure to come running!

Armed with the Queen Dust and Shule's advice, the kids go on their way. At first they are reluctant to go, but then they realize that they all have to work together to get back to the manhole. The Witch and her apprentices do indeed have their fun with the children -- trying to freeze them cold and blocking their way with fire -- but the kids do their best to work together to get past these obstacles and (spoiler alert) find their way back home.

The kids -- and their parents -- learn through these adventures that they should not spend all of their time studying. Play time is important too, and the kids can learn many important things through playing with their peers. One of the most important things that kids can learn is how to work together to accomplish their goals and get what they want out of life.

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For more information about the play and Gekidan Kurie Tsukuba, the drama club that is performing the show, please see the club's website (in Japanese) or contact me.

If you don't make is as one of the lucky three or if you don't have a copy of the coupon, you can still try horse riding for 2100 yen (plus 1250 yen for equipment and insurance) until December 28, 2008. You can also get a 525 yen discount if you go on a weekday.

Riding Club Crane is located in the Mizubori area of Tsukuba, which is south of Gran Stage near Banpaku Kinen Koen Station on the Tsukuba Express Line. Take the Tsukuba Express to Banpaku Kinen Koen Station (万博記念公園) and then take TsukuBus Route 9-A (Click to see the schedule. Banpaku Kinen Koen Station is number 18 and Mizubori Iriguchi is number 16 on the schedule.). After about three minutes, get off at Mizubori Iriguchi (水掘入口) and walk for five minutes.

乗馬クラブクレイン茨城 (Riding Club Crane Ibaraki)
Address: 〒300-2654茨城県つくば市水掘410 (〒300-2654 Ibaraki, Tsukuba, Mizubori 410)
Tel: 029-861-8867
Open: 10am and 6pm
Closed: Tuesdays

I went last night with the intention of just watching, but that was really not an option! As soon as I arrived, one of the members took my hand and led me onto the dance floor. Many people made a special effort to come and talk to me and ask me where I was from and how long I had lived in Tsukuba. Everyone made an attempt to speak to me in English, even if it was not perfect English.

Some of you may not be familiar with square dancing, but you really don't need to know anything to join these classes. The lessons start from the absolute beginning and don't assume that you have any knowledge of square dancing. Also, square dancing involves a "caller" who tells everyone what to do during the dances, and all of the "calls" are in English. The instructions are often in Japanese, but the Japanese members of the group offered to translate for the foreign people. It is also easy just to watch what other people are doing.

I can't say enough about how friendly the people were and how well-organized this group is. If you are having trouble finding ways to make friends with local Japanese people, I strongly recommend that you get involved with some sort of group or club that will effectively "force" people to interact with you. The Tsukuba Square Dance Club has a long history of welcoming foreign residents and I don't think you could find a more friendly club to join. The next round of 15 lessons started yesterday, but they might still allow people to join from the second class (Saturday, April 14).

I am a bit busy these days, so I don't know if I will be able to continue to attend every lesson, but I definitely want to try. Hope to see you there!

See: Tsukuba Square Dance Club

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February 2008 Update: I did end up continuing with the classes and have thoroughly enjoyed myself since that day back in April 2007 when I thought I would just show up, take a few pictures, and leave. I highly recommend this activity to anyone who thinks they might enjoy some good, clean fun with some lovely, warm-hearted people. Tsukuba Square Dance Club is one of the most welcoming groups of people I have ever met, and they are always happy to accept new foreign members. If you are thinking about joining, but you are not sure, just come for the first class and see if you like it.

February 2009 Update: I have now graduated from "Basic" and "Mainstream" to the "Plus" level. Believe it or not, there are even more levels, where the steps get more intricate and a bit harder to memorize. I am not usually very good at sticking with any one hobby for more than a few months, but square dancing has really stood the test of time for me (two years!). I think it has something to do with the fact that there are levels, so rather than doing the same thing over and over, I keep learning new things every time I go to a class. I can't say enough good things about this club. The members are so friendly and everything is well-organized. In fact, the Tsukuba club is so well-known for its high quality that people come all the way to Tsukuba from as far as Mito and Kanagawa every week (despite the fact that there are clubs in these places) just to participate. If you like to move your body and enjoy keeping your brain active, I strongly recommend giving square dancing a chance! (I know that it has a really lame reputation, but if you can see beyond that long enough to give it a try, you won't regret it.)

They will be playing at the Event Plaza on Katsuragi Road (outside the main mall, maybe near the radio station?).

This group is based in the Kamigo area of Tsukuba (where Tsukuba International School is located) and they perform at many local festivals and events. They performed at iias and Raijinsama (a shrine in Kamigo) over the New Year's holidays, at Raijinsama again for the Autumn and Spring Festivals, and at the local Kamigo Gion Festival in July. You can see their performance at the Autumn Festival here.

The group's members range in age from about five to eighty-something. They are a really dynamic group and clearly look like they are having fun when they perform. There are a few foreign members of the group, but they are not quite performance-ready just yet. Stay tuned for their debut -- maybe sometime next year!

There is a group called "Planet-N" that meets on the first through fourth Mondays of the month at a studio called "Gallery Yuu" (see map links below) in the Sakura area of Tsukuba. The classes on the first, third, and fourth Mondays are held by a teacher who comes in from Tokyo. The class on the second Monday is for individual practice. There is no class on the fifth Monday. Classes start at 7pm and officially go until 8:30pm, but apparently they tend to go past 9pm on a regular basis. They accept newcomers at anytime.

The lessons cost 9500 yen per month. It is possible to take a trial lesson for 2500 yen (only available once). You can also observe the class once for free.

Location:
Gallery Yuu
Ueno 700-5, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0002
029-857-5629
Google Map, Mapfan Map

Directions: Go to Sakura Technopark. At the first intersection past Kawachi and Yuuhodo Bookstore (the intersection with the eyeglasses store on the left), turn left. At the fifth intersection, turn right. Go up a little hill and you will see the studio on your left. (Look for the sign that says ギャラリー遊.) It is in a house that is set back from the road. Parking is available on the right.

This information is from the Tsukuba Piazza bulletin board. If you are interested in finding out more information about the classes, please respond to the person who posted the original message (or contact TsukuBlog and we will put you in touch with the teacher).

I went to observe the class last night and it looks fun. The teacher is really energetic and enthusiastic and he is happy to accept absolute beginners. If you are looking for a way to get some exercise and learn a new skill, this might be an activity to consider.

Happy dancing!

Come on and join the class!!

Period: April 7 to mid-July, 2007
Time: 19:00 to 21:00 ; every Saturday evening
Place: Takezono Kominkan (Takezono Public Hall)
Fee: 2,000yen (single), 3,000yen (couple) for 4months
Bring: Indoor-only shoes
Contact: HANDA: hank[AT]olive.ocn.ne.jp, KUDO: kkudo[AT]sannet.ne.jp

1 Comments

• At April 8, 2007, TsukuBlog » Sold on Square Dancing wrote:

  [...] Tsukuba Square Dance Club Related [...]

I can personally vouch for the classes being a lot of fun. The members are extremely kind-hearted and welcoming, and they are always delighted when a member of Tsukuba's foreign community joins. Most of the current members are Japanese, but the square dancing calls are all in English, and some of the members have excellent English and will offer to help you if you can't understand what is happening. I think that most people have the impression that square dancing can only be done to country and western music, but that is not the case. The callers can choose whatever kind of music they like, so we get a range of music styles including oldies, dance music, celtic music, and even enka!

If you don't have any plans on April 5th, please come and join us for your first square dance lesson in Japan!

Here is the information on the classes.

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Tsukuba Square Dance Club offers an American Square Dance beginners' class every April. Square dancing is a lot of fun, involving both rhythmic movement and a bit of puzzle-like brain work. It was originally an American folk dance, but in the last 30 years it has been considerably altered to its modern form, which is now quite popular all over Japan, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Come on and join the class!!

* Period: April 5 to mid-July, 2008
* Time: Saturday evenings from 7pm to 9pm
* Place: Takezono Kominkan (Takezono Public Hall)
* Fee: 2,000yen (single), 3,000yen (couple) for 4 months
* Bring: Indoor-only shoes
* Contact: HANDA: hank[AT]olive.ocn.ne.jp, KUDO: kkudo[AT]sannet.ne.jp

See also:
Tsukuba Square Dance Club website
My impressions from the first time I attended a square dance class in Tsukuba

The club has a mailing list where the members announce the upcoming walks. Recently, the 2008 Summer and Autumn Walk Schedule was announced. They organize various walks for people of all levels of fitness, so you will be sure to find one that suits you.

For more information about the club, please contact one of the members.

Here is the schedule for upcoming walks. Write to the organizers of the walk (through the mailing list) for more information.

Dec 6: Soba-uchi & Tsukuba-san (organizer: Masako)

Dec 13: End-of-Year Tsukuba-san hike & party (organizer: Anja (hike) and Julian (party)

Jan 17: Kamakura (organizer: Alok)

Jan 24: Makabe - Indigo dyeing (organizer: Ginny)

Jan 31 or Feb 14: Takao-san (organizer: Jean-Luc)

Feb 7-8: Ski trip to Inawashiro area (organizer: Terry)

Feb 21-22: Ski trip to Zao (organizer: Akira)

March 20/21/22: onsen trip (Izu): (organizer: TBA)

April 4: Tokyo (organizer: Jan)

April 18: Family hike (organizer: Alok)

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Hello!

This is the hike annoucement you've been waiting for - for all ages and
abilities!!

On April 6, Sunday, we will go to Amabiki-san and Kaba-san with two walk options. The walks will start or/and end at Amabiki Temple which is worth visiting any time. It has a nice garden with peacocks roaming. You can see priests/monks in colorful robes. There is a Sakura festival starting there from 5th.

Option 1:
From Amabiki Kannon (temple) to Amabiki-san and back, at a very comfortable pace. It will be wonderful time to view Sakura blossoms.
Total time ~ 3 hours at a comfortable pace.

Option 2:
This is for the more fit - climb Kaba-san from Kaba-san jinja
and walk over and down to Amabiki temple. Total time ~5 hrs.

Bicycling option:
If some of you would like to bicycle upto Kaba-san.

Meeting place:
We will meet at the usual 7-11 near Doho park, next to Hot-Stuff (near Andersen bakers at the corner)

Meeting Time:
7:30 AM.on April 6 (Sunday), 2008

What to bring:
lunch, water,.... No special shoes required for Option 1, sports shoes will do for Option2.

Let me know of your interest soon. And since we will be going by cars,
please let me know if you have a car.

Alok

ref:
TWMC, Tsukuba Walking and Mountaineering Club
http://eve.bk.tsukuba.ac.jp/twmc/previous_walks/2006_04_Kaba-san/Kaba-san2006.html
http://eve.bk.tsukuba.ac.jp/twmc/previous_walks/2005_04_Hokyo/Hokyo2005.html
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