Obake Family Day: Experience Japan’s Ghosts & Goblins

Japan Society’s Murase Room is transformed into a haunted circus tent where the fun and colorful sister duo known as Charan-Po-Rantan will perform. Known for their vibrant personalities and original music that combines musical styles from around the world, the duo will offer two mini-concerts within their own custom-made haunted circus tent. Kids can explore the Obake Yokai Adventure Tunnel while enjoying the tunes of the ensemble. There will also be Kamishibai (paper-theater) storytelling led by Hiroko Bell (Theater Banana) and traditional games (“Toryanse” and “Kagome, Kagome”) to enjoy throughout the day under the tent. The Obake Yokai Adventure Tunnel is appropriate for ages 3+.

Take a seat in our theater and meet more characters on the big screen through a series of Toy Films. Originally meant to be projected using small tin “toy projectors,” these amusing animations from the first half of the 20th century feature tales of numerous obake and yokai as well as other strange creatures. For children of all ages with parental supervision.

Join storyteller Tsukasa Kondo (playwright and actor), Koryu Nishikawa V (fifth generation master puppeteer and headmaster of Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo) and fellow Obake Family Day guests in the Kaidan Hyaku-Monogatari (“100 Ghost Stories”) tradition. As each tale is told, candles are extinguished one by one to create an eerie atmosphere where an obake might just appear. For children ages 3+ with parental supervision as some stories might be scary.

With Obake Family Day passports in hand, kids will have the opportunity to take a trip to the southern islands of Japan where they will hang out with Gochan and Kijimuna, two friendly yokai who live in Okinawa, and learn about the unique culture of this region. On this trip, kids can create an omamori (good luck charm) to ward off evil spirits, play a fishing game and try on bingata (colorful Okinawan fabric) outfits before striking a pose in front of an Okinawan landscape together with Gochan and Kijimuna. All materials supplied. For children of all ages with parental supervision. Held in conjunction with Japan Society’s Fall Okinawan Vibes series. 

Build and decorate your very own “ghost image viewer,” also known as a camera obscura. Take it with you as you wander through the building and see how many scary images you can see. All materials supplied. Appropriate for children ages 6 and up with parental supervision.

Held in conjunction with the Fall Gallery Exhibition: For a New World to Come: Experiments in Japanese Art and Photography, 1968-1979, October 9, 2015–January 10, 2016. Note: Not all content is appropriate for young audiences. Family-friendly tours will be held throughout the day.

Draw inspiration from all the obake friends you encounter throughout the day to craft your very own hand-decorated mask. All materials supplied. For children of all ages with parental supervision.
 

Follow the clues on your Obake Family Day Passport to uncover and learn about all of the curious creatures lurking throughout Japan Society in this fun and educational scavenger hunt. For children of all ages with parental supervision.