Gion Corner

This crash course in Japanese culture squeezes seven traditional art performances into less than an hour. An English brochure and voiceover provides some context, but as the show hurtles through each art form, it does little to demystify them. Still, it’s the cheapest place in which to see a maiko dance, and the only place to watch gagaku, a performance art featuring a flamboyantly attired fantasy creature dancing to what sounds like the death throes of a bagpipe.