Our Fall 2024 season opened with Ningyo! A Parade of Puppetry – Japan Society’s first-ever series dedicated entirely to the art of Japanese puppet theater. The world premiere of puppeteer Basil Twist’s Dogugaeshi at Japan Society in 2004 marked the first production from Japan Society’s Artistic Director Yoko Shioya at the helm of the Performing Arts Program. In her 20th anniversary season, reflecting on the importance of puppetry and on Japan’s place within this esteemed artform, Yoko Shioya said: “We should not forget the power of analog craft and sheer human artistry even when the world – and the stage – have become more and more reliant on digital technology. In Fall 2024, we celebrate Japan’s one-of-a-kind puppetry culture at the forefront of innovation, influence and emotional effect — both within the endlessly inventive world of puppetry and within the entire universe of theater-making.”

The second half of our 2024-2025 season was filled with contrasting works by Japanese artists across many genres. Our dance program showcased the voices of East Asia; the theater program honored Japan’s incomparable avant-garde scene in the ’70s; the Play Reading furthered its focus on current women artists; the shakuhachi concert linked the Edo period’s cool culture to today; and the season culminated with two flashy “jazz transcendent” concerts featuring versatile young drummer Shun Ishiwaka.