Japanese Program Georgetown University

Greetings from Nagahama, Shiga! Olivia Penick (MASIA) is currently taking part in a Bunraku workshop and has shared photos and reflections from her experience. What a wonderful opportunity to engage with Japan’s rich cultural heritage—looks like she’s having a fantastic time!
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This summer I was lucky enough to travel to Japan to study Bunraku, the ancient art of Japanese puppet theatre, in the city of Nagahama in Shiga Prefecture. Alongside practicing puppetry and the unruly three-stringed shamisen under Master Abe’s instruction, so far we have also visited the nearby island of Chikubushima in Lake Biwa to visit Hogonji Temple, toured Nagahama Castle, and taken a road trip to Osaka to see a Bunraku play at the National Bunraku Theatre. Despite having a notoriously high barrier to understanding and performance, it’s inspiring to watch the members of the Tonda theatre troupe rehearse as the effusive charm of the puppets and accompanying shamisen and vocal performances shine through. I’ve also had the chance to eat authentically-made shiso umeboshi and nikujaga at my homestay—so far, it’s been nothing but fun!