Roppongi Kaguwa

A show pub that offers drinks and meals, served on traditional low tables, to be enjoyed along with the show. With an impressive reinventing stage, Kaguwa incorporates non-stop energy and emotion into both its daily Oiran-za show and weekends-only Biou-za show. The premise of both shows is the red-light district of the Meiji era (1868-1912) when the oiran, or Japanese courtesans, were known as masters of entertainment, cultural arts and conversation. That said, the show veers from elegant kimono-clad oirans to samurai-wielding warriors, a hungry, crazy-eyed, inflatable dragon, and nerdy golf players dancing to ‘YMCA’ (the mind boggles). At times, there are subtle undertones of homo-eroticism and in one scene a group of girls dressed in slinky red gowns turns away from the audience and drops their satin cloaks to waist height, revealing naked backs and the hint of a bosom curve. That’s about as risqué as it gets, though, and on the whole, the show works as a fascinating summary of the beautiful traditions and odd paradoxes of Japanese culture.

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