Suda sensei, my classmates, and I posing for someone else's camera. Would have been nice to get that other picture, but I really don't care all that much. Niether do you guys. As long as you can see me in the picture, it's all good. 

"You got a problem, bitch? Yeah... thought so." 

It's amazing what these puppeteers are able to make the Bunraku puppets do. For example, right after this shot, they had the puppets knock me unconscious and take my money. I should have seen it coming. 

Yours truly with one of the Bunraku puppets and its weird-looking puppeteer. 

Suda-sensei and I at the Bunraku Theater. He's my Japanese teacher, and a pretty damn good one, too.  

Today I had a class trip to the National Bunraku Theater to watch, well, Bunraku. For those of you who aren't Japanese or Alex, Bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater. The origins of Bunraku date back to the Tokugawa period in Japan (c. 1680s), and most of the plays that are performed, including the ones we saw today, were written during that era. Puppets such as this one are controlled by three pupeteers. The puppeteers are actually in full view of the audience, but you're usually too engrossed in action to notice them. The puppets were skillfully controlled and the traditional Japanese music that was played during the show was phenomenal. In short, I had a great time.