April 13 - Last week I talked about the Kabuki Theater in Tokyo's Ginza district. Today, Margot Carrington, Principal Officer at our Consulate in Fukuoka, has her own Kabuki story to tell.
Jim
Kabuki Diplomacy
Appearing in a Kabuki play is not what most people think of as the traditional role of a diplomat, nor was it what I expected to do in my capacity as the Principal Officer of the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka. However, this "Kabuki Diplomacy" was surprisingly effective in reaching out to the people of Kyushu.
That's me - second from the left. (See it on YouTube!)
Despite having worked six years at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, I initially encountered a bit of culture shock when I arrived in Fukuoka. First, I had to contend with our local dialect of Hakataben and not knowing what yokinshatta (welcome) meant!
Here's what I look like in real life.
When I was asked to appear in a charity performance of Kabuki featuring local leaders, I was concerned about how I would handle wearing a kimono on stage and having to learn so many difficult lines in ancient Japanese, which is even harder than Hakataben! However, with lots of practice, I was able to manage and found that the people of Fukuoka appreciated my efforts.
For months after the performance, people in Fukuoka called me by my stage name of "Meriken Omaru" and told me how excited they were that someone from the U.S. Consulate had taken the time to learn about this important Japanese art form. I was also able to forge strong ties with some of Fukuoka's business and government leaders through this unforgettable experience. This led me to think that Kabuki Diplomacy could be powerful indeed.
Jim-san,
You should take part in Kabuki Dipolomacy too! Margot-san, oh. no, Meriken Omaru! nicely done!
