Samurai Dance Teacher Moves Online as Tokyo Olympics Bans Foreign Spectators

The founder of Bugaku and Samurai martial arts instructor Koshiro Minamoto demonstrates martial arts during an online class for Samurai experience in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The founder of Bugaku and Samurai martial arts instructor Koshiro Minamoto demonstrates martial arts during an online class for Samurai experience in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2021. (Reuters)
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Samurai Dance Teacher Moves Online as Tokyo Olympics Bans Foreign Spectators

The founder of Bugaku and Samurai martial arts instructor Koshiro Minamoto demonstrates martial arts during an online class for Samurai experience in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The founder of Bugaku and Samurai martial arts instructor Koshiro Minamoto demonstrates martial arts during an online class for Samurai experience in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2021. (Reuters)

There was a time when Koshiro Minamoto had hoped to welcome foreign tourists during the Olympics by introducing them to the arts of the samurai from a classroom in central Tokyo.

But when the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee decided last year that the Games would be postponed, and then last month that they would be held without overseas spectators, he was forced to scrap his plans.

Minamoto, who has studied martial arts for 35 years, is known for his invention of Bugaku, or “warrior dance”, a unique type of performance art that combines the styles of samurai sword play with the song and dance of classical Japanese drama.

He has been teaching Bugaku to foreign tourists for the past 10 years, also introducing students to aspects of samurai lifestyle, such as the armor they used to wear.

Minamoto had hoped his business would thrive during the Tokyo Olympics. He spent around $45,000 (5 million yen) on equipment and renovations of his school in 2019, preparing for the flood of foreigners.

Although his hopes of hosting overseas visitors have faded, however, Minamoto has found a new way to reach his students globally - online classes.

Holding a samurai sword “katana” in his right hand and an iPad in the left, Minamoto is now showing students the arts of the samurai on Zoom calls.

Minamoto charges $85 (9,450 yen) per student for in-person classes and $18 (2,000 yen) for the online version. Most of his online students are from Europe and the United States.

But the experience is not quite the same.

“If I were teaching in-person classes, I can directly correct the body posture or teach them more poses and techniques, but I think it’s hard to do so through an online class,” Minamoto said.



Astronaut Brings French Menu in Space

The astronaut and chef held a tasting in Paris to decide the menu, the ESA said 
The astronaut and chef held a tasting in Paris to decide the menu, the ESA said 
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Astronaut Brings French Menu in Space

The astronaut and chef held a tasting in Paris to decide the menu, the ESA said 
The astronaut and chef held a tasting in Paris to decide the menu, the ESA said 

When you think about the food that astronauts eat in space, lobster, haddock and foie gras probably don't spring to mind - but that's exactly what France's next visitor to the International Space Station (ISS) will be dining on.

According to BBC, Astronaut Sophie Adenot has teamed up with award-winning French chef Anne-Sophie Pic to create a menu of gastronomic delights that will travel with Adenot to the ISS next year.

Instead of the usual freeze-dried nutrients that astronauts eat, Adenot, 42, will be choosing from the likes of “Foie gras cream on toasted brioche” and “Lobster bisque with crab and caraway.”

The menu - which the European Space Agency (ESA) has dubbed “a pinch of France in space” - includes four starters, two main courses and two desserts.

Adenot said the dishes, which also include braised beef, and chocolate cream, will not only “delight our palates” but also help her feel connected to Earth, and her home country.

“Her (Pic's) cuisine signature is deeply influenced by the terroir. This is important to me because I grew up in the countryside, and it will remind me of my roots,” she was quoted as saying in an ESA statement.

There are strict rules for food on the ISS - it must be crumb-free, lightweight and keep for at least 24 months, the ESA says.

Therefore, most meals are canned, vacuum packed or freeze-dried, with fresh fruit and vegetables a rare luxury that can only be enjoyed when a spacecraft arrives with new supplies.

But to keep things interesting, boost morale, and help with crew bonding, every tenth or so meal is one prepared especially for each astronaut, with these “bonus meals” often made in partnership with a chef.

Famous for her haute cuisine, Pic, 55, has the most Michelin stars of any female chef in the world - 10.

She says this project is "pushing the boundaries" of gastronomy, as she worked with her team to create special food, while keeping within the technical constraints.

“Cooking for space is an exhilarating challenge,” she was quoted as saying by the ESA.