The performances at Nikko Edo Wonderland are only offered in Japanese. Judging from the audience’s reactions, they were probably very entertaining. Of the four we saw, we all agreed the Ninja Theater (Ninja Action Show) was the best: it simply isn’t something you’d normally see. There were five performers taking on different parts, and the show included death-defying stunts: aside from the fight scenes, there were bits where the ninjas were vertical climbing onto roofs, or leaping off them – all apparently without safety wires.
The second performance we really liked was the Mizugei-za (Water Magic Show). The performers did some really nifty tricks involving water. Don’t sit near the stage though if you absolutely do not want to get wet!
The other two – Wakamatsu-ya (Oiran Courtesan Show) and Minamimachi Bugyousyo (Magistrate’s Office) – were a little harder to enjoy, since they were dialog heavy: but of the two, the latter was probably more energetic with a couple of modern day references thrown in.
If you’re prioritising catching these performances, and want to follow our sequence, here it is. Do note that there’s a fair bit of hustling around for 90 minutes.
10:30AM – Wakamatsu-ya (Oiran Courtesan Show)
11:00AM – Ninja Theater (Ninja Action Show)
11:30AM – Mizugei-za (Water Magic Show)
11:55AM – Minamimachi Bugyousyo (Magistrate’s Office)
You’d be dashing from theater to theater, and there won’t be time for toilet breaks. Do note too that the Ninja Action Show will not permit latecomers, and videography and photography is not permitted: I’m assuming not because they don’t want you to record, but that the stage performance is mostly in low light, and the actors need full concentration and not have light-emitting sources coming on and off. Videography and photography is permitted in the other three shows, or at least, there was no signage saying they aren’t.
Pictures from the performances!
More pictures from this morning’s visit:
That’s a wrap for our Day 12 posts. We’d be leaving Nikko tomorrow morning and making the long U-shaped journey to Matsumoto via Tokyo. To be continued!