What my aunt told me is...

Hi. I went to Tokyo this weekend. It was quite meaningful, because I could talk with the staff from universities in the U.K.

Now (well, I knew it for a bit time ago, but I didn’t want to admit it), I have to practice writing an essay more and more. All of them advised me that I need a higher score on TOEFL in order to enroll in their schools. Fortunately, they also said to me that I could make it, if I study a bit more and do my best on the test. (But, doing my best is easier said than done!!!)

Well, I would like to write about one aspect of Japanese culture today, too.
While in Tokyo this weekend, I stayed at my uncle’s. (He had already gone to bed when I got there, though.) My aunt told me an interesting account (??) of Japanese traditional play, Kabuki.

First of all, I would like to write about the meaning of “Kabuki(歌舞伎).” The word Kabuki is said to originally come from the verb, “Kabuku(傾く).” Kabuku means to behave and wear eccentric clothes, in order to attract people’s attention. (And, one of other meanings is to play kabuki.) Since the first ruler of Kaga(加賀藩), Maeda Toshiie(前田利家), was good at fighting by a long arrow and scrapper, he was called “kabuki mono” in his youth. (He was also said, in the historical document, to have been Oda Nobunaga’s (織田信長, one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan) peg boy.)...double parentheses, maybe this is too many!

Second, what we should know is all the actors are male. Women were/are not allowed even to be on the stage, like other Japanese traditional performing arts or sports. It is quite interesting, but the creator of Kabuki was a WOMAN. (Izumo no Okuni 出雲阿国)

And, now I would like to tell you about the new kabuki thing I heard from my aunt, but I’m so sleepy tonight…

-Mu
・・・・・・・・・・
(2008.7.2)

(He was also said, in the historical document, to have been Oda Nobunaga’s (織田信長, one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan) peg boy.)

...double parentheses, maybe this is too many!

Ok, then, how about this?
↓　↓　↓
(He was also said, in the historical document, to have been a peg boy of Oda Nobunaga (織田信長), who is one of the most famous and popular military commanders in Japan.)

By the way, do you know the Japanese skate player, Oda Nobunari (織田信成)? He's the descendant of Oda Nobunaga. (It is said he doesn't like to be said like that, though. I don't care anyway!)