I’m back in Spain and somewhat sad to be so. My visit to Japan was marvelous, and it ended too soon. I didn’t have much time to see flamenco because, as was to be expected, I was busy soaking up the native culture. However, I was able to visit the El Flamenco tablao in Tokyo, where I met and interviewed the young flamenco dancer Jesús Herrera. I also had the pleasure of visiting an advanced dance class at Flamenco Studio Mayor and interview its founder, dancer and teacher Masumi Suzuki, known as “Mami.”

I will share all of these experiences with you in the upcoming days. Today I want to talk about the traditional Japanese art form kabuki. I was lucky enough to see two kabuki shows in the historic, working class Tokyo neighborhood of Asakusa. Kabuki is a combination of theatre, music and dance. It is a performing art that relies heavily on gorgeous make-up, hair styles, costumes and sets that are elegant and rich in color and texture. Even if the spectator doesn’t speak Japanese, the movement and the facial expressions are so dramatic that it is relatively easy to understand what is happening.

Happy New Year and hello from Japan! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Lola the Cow has embarked on a new adventure and crossed half the planet to report from flamenco’s home away from home.

According to an article in Dance Magazine, there are 80,000 flamenco students in Japan’s 600 dance schools and studios, a fact from which we can infer that flamenco is more than just a passing trend on this archipelago. In turn, the Spanish should accept a full blown cultural exchange and adopt and assimilate Kabuki. We’ll wait and see what happens.