Day at a theme park

Not usually my sort of thing, but this one is part of a working film studio, where you can walk around the sets and see actors doing traditional Edo street performances. That"s the woman holding the sticks. She had what looked like a 60s bamboo table mat, but with cunning knots that allow the sticks to slide in one directions but not the other. So with a quick twist or two, or a flick of the wrist, she could transform the mat into a temple gate, bridge, crane, boat, hula hoop or firework display. I could have happily sat and watched that all day, deapite not understanding a word of the quick-fire Japanese rhyming that accompanied it.Read more